Wendy DeBord

Lorea, still feel like testing recipes for white cakes? This is the best one I've got to date (although I don't have the one you like-and I'm wondering if you'd share it thru PM? please). I happen to like it alot, but in taste tests with family and neighbors it still lost to a cake mix. But it was the best of the scratch whites I came across. It freezes alright and didn't get too firm after refridgeration like a butter cake does. It's not quite as stark white as ideal but.......it's got yolks so-thats what you get. White cake: 1c. butter 1 1/2 c. sugar Cream together. Then add: 4 egg yolks 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla Fold in these dry ingredients: 2 2/3 c. cake flour 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt After you have that batter -you alternate folding in whipped egg white with milk to finish the cake. 4 egg whites whipped firm (BUT NOT TOO STIFF or dry) 1 c. whole milk Makes 2 9" round cakes. Bake in a 350f oven. I use pan spray and line my pans. Some people like to add a little almond extract to get the cake mix flavor... but if you hate the way mixes taste artifical this won't help. I came across another white cake I liked also but it came in second over the one posted above. I can't post that later if wanted. It's like I never get far enough experimenting. I think I'm ready to stay with this one and tweek it (which I usually don't do-instead I try another recipe). I've had this discussion before with others at another site. When I make a mix I doctor it with instant pudding (which are better then buying mixes that already have the pudding in them). BUT the point I'm trying to lead to is I beleive that adding a instant pudding mix or instant ready whip (in the box) might help the texture of a scratch cake. Claire, when I do a whip cream frosting like yours I do: 1 qt, heavy cream 1 sm pkg instant pudding 3/4 c. sugar splash vanilla Just thought I'd mention it because it would save the hassle of cooking the pudding. Although this version tastes more like whip cream.

Do you mean a lighter buttercream or any frosting Lorea? I know this will sound hard for some to believe but adding melted white chocolate to you buttercream makes it taste less rich/sweet. Not sure what you mean by "lighter": in calories, more air-iated (just whip it more). Have you tried 7 minute frostings and classic butter creams? Yes-I'm trying to match a cake mix in taste and texture-except be better at both. P.S. Thanks for reporting back!

I'm familar with that cake recipe. I was lucky to have a friend point out that there is a problem with the recipe before I struggled making it. I need to look in my recipe file (which isn't near me right now) to give you the exact recipe change. But it's got too much leavening. I believe it should have been 1 tsp. vs. 1 tbsp. on the soda or B. powder. I'll come back tomarrow and reconfirm that for you. P.S. Welcome, it's great to have more people participating! Do you bake professionally?...not that it matters really-just curious. What other cakes are you doing alot of?

Just wondering if you had a chance to try the upside down pie shell technique yet?

I'm sorry if I missed something since I just read this page....but Seth I highly reccomend working from Payards baking book. I've made many items from his book and all have had very above average to excellent results. No it's not a learning book but then Baking with Julia isn't totally a learning book either. But so far I think I use more recipes from Payards book then Julias. He has really nice recipes in each catagory, although I don't recall any yeast breads. My favorite recipes (with-out looking at his book to remember) all of his tarts- but particularly his Caramel hazelnut tart is great. his tuiles are excellent. his fruit soups are good. I use his semi freddo recipe, and I frequently changing out the flavor and it always works. raspberry champange granita is terrific his apple cake is good, but I cut back on the alchol quantity I'm sure theres several more I'm forgetting. It's a terrific book.

I posted recipes in thread above. On crusts:I don't have a written recipe, sorry if this is confusing. I know many people use nuts but I don't really like them in my crusts. They tend not to compact nicely into a firm crust. The flavor isn't pronounced unless you use ALOT of them. I think the moisture from the cheesecakes softens them...and it's a waste. If you want to use nuts I use them on top when serving so they remain toasted and pronounced. Generally I use graham cracker crumbs or chocolate cookie crumbs. But you can use most cookies. To the fine crumbs I add seasoning usually a pinch of cinnamon, any spice to taste and about 1/2 cup sugar per 9" crust. I pour melted butter into my crumbs and mix by hand. I stop adding butter when the crumbs hold shape as I press them in my fist. If they don't hold shape in your hands you don't have enough butter and your crust will crumble as you pick up slices. If you have too much butter you'll see it looking greasie, add some more crumbs to correct.

Do you have a large marble slab? If so how about making cold slab ice creams to order? You could make your own cones if you wanted to impress them.

4 minute is definately not long enough if your using a 2.5 to 3" ring (the batter I use takes about 7 to 8). Yes, the top must be set/sealed -thats your hint- I go just like a minute or two past that. I think you need to go up to 400f. And another devil about these things is a full oven of them won't bake great (although Colleen told me the recipe from 4seasons does bake well in quantity). You always get the one on the sides of your pans over baking before the center ones, even in a convection.

Your description Ted was your cakes underbaked...and microwaving it won't bake it only heat it. I swear/promise all you have to do is a timing test and you'll nail these. In fact you MUST do a timing test cause every oven is different.

My favorite recipes: White chocolate cheesecake, medium moist. When you add chocolate to cheesecake batters they become firmer to handle and easiest to slice. 1/2 c. heavy cream 6 oz. melted white chocolate make a ganche of two items 1.5 lbs cream cheese 3/4 c. sugar beaten together, when sooth add in the ganche from above. 4 eggs added one at a time 1/4 pod of scrapped vanilla bean 1 tsp. almond emulsion Lemon Cheesecake-nicely moist 2.4 lbs cream cheese 1 3/4 c. sugar 3 tbsp. flour 4 eggs 2 yolks 1/4 c. heavy cream 1 tsp. lemon extract 1 tbsp. lemon rind I bake this one on a chocolate crust with cinnamon sugar. All around cheesecake-pretty dense and rich. I bake this in full size sheet pans and it can be flavored with any extract, puree, zest, alchol, etc.. It's never cracked on me yet and is very easy use. 56 oz. cream cheese 1 c. sugar 4 eggs 1/2 c. sour cream 1 tbsp. vanilla Mini cheesecakes 24 oz. cream cheese 1 c. sugar 5 eggs 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla Bake 13 minutes aprox. and spoon the following recipe on top, return cheesecakes to the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes. 1 pint sour cream 1/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cheesecake is extremely verstile. I mix it with flourless chocolate cake batter and get a "flourless white and chocolate cake". I layer them with mutliple flavors, like chocolate and orange, chocolate and praline, chocolate and coffee. You can do as many layers as you want. I do a white, milk and semi sweet in one pan. I bake them in whole sheet pans and cut them into petite fours or use flexipans in odd shapes to bake them. You can even bake it on top of a semi baked cake. I forget where, but not that long ago I mentioned tips on making crusts. Maybe someone could post a link to that thread?? I highly reccomend using Krafts and Philly brand cream cheese's recipes (you'll find them online). Mary Crownover published a nice book on this topic "Cheesecake extraodinaire", published by contemporary books in 1994. Every recipe I tried worked like a charm and tasted very good.

Well I certainly don't have the "expert" ranking some of the men here have....but I'm a decent expert on this topic. I've made a zillion different recipes a zillion different ways. Your questions: answers.... 1. No there isn't a perfect one recipe. Like Suzan mentioned there's different styles/types and everyone has a favorite. The only cheesecake I haven't loved is a dry or stale one. 2. You don't do anything different for individual then large. But for mini's I like a wetter batter, so they don't dry out so quickly while baking. 3. None are better over another type, they all can be baked in individual size. 4. My personal tips: Always prebake your crusts before you fill them with your raw batter. This prevents the crust from getting soft, makes them hold together nicer for cutting and brings out the flavor of your crust. After my crust is prebaked, I spray the inside walls of my pan with a pan release that doesn't contain water in the ingredient list. I've had people object to this-but then watch them try to release their cakes cleanly...they can't. Don't over beat your cheese while mixing. Instead scrap down your mixing bowl repeatedly. Mix your sugar into the cheese and mix ONLY these two ingredients until there are no lumps. DO NOT add any further ingredients until the cheese and sugar have NO lumps. When making large batches I often microwave my cheese to aid in the softening process. I take it to aprox. 100 degrees at the most. When you add your eggs. The first ones are the most important....because if you had any remaining lumps and add your eggs quickly with-out scrapping down your bowl-those lumps will never get beaten down (although they are rarely noticed in light colored cheesecakes they are noticed in dark chocolate batters). So add your eggs slowly and again-* scrapping down your bowl is important. The biggest mistake I see with novices is they over beat their mixture. I've seen people dump 20lbs of cheese in a mixer, set the timer for 30 minutes and not come back once to scrap down their bowl. Also don't whip your batter. Use a paddle on slow speed. Cheesecakes are extremely quick to mix up and get in the oven...when done right. A smooth batter comes from scrapping the bowl frequently. After I've filled my pan with the batter I either tap the pan gently down on the table to release any large air pockets or I use a rubber spatula and using downward strokes try to press out air pockets. I believe that air pockets create a fault and the baked cheesecake can crack or sink from the pocket. Baking tips: Well, once upon a time I swore baking in a water bath was necessary. But I have great success not using waterbaths. (In conjunction with which recipe you use...in general) A water bath will give you a moister custard type of cake. But for a denser heavy cheesecake you don't need a water bath. And whether you place a pan of hot h2o on the bottom of your oven for added moisture....well I'm not so certain it makes alot of difference anymore. I completely object to using springform pans for cheesecakes. In fact I rarely see any purpose in own them. I prefer 3" tall cake pans. So individual cheesecakes CAN be baked in just about any heat conducting container! If you do use a spring form pan you can't use a dirrect water bath unless your DOUBLE wrap them in foil. Even then you often get leakage of water that ruins the cake. That's why a solid sided pan always is best. I never ever bake them in a hot oven. Regardless of the printed instructions. I've read dirrections that tell you to start in a higher heat and dial down. I completely disagree with that. These are much like baked custards and should be baked at a low long heat. I usually bake (regardless of recipe) at 250F- tops 275f. low fan if your using a convection oven. One of the harder things to know is when it's done. I use the jiggle test and look closely at the center to make sure it has a flat sheen. Any gloss or shine means it's not baked in the center. The jiggle test-a little jiggle is fine, but if it moves like jello, it's not done. For a 9" wide by 3" deep cake pan, it takes aprox. 2 hours to bake. Individual in 3" wide by 2" deep springforms about 30 minutes, mini's cupcake sized 12 to 15 minutes (never longer then 15 minutes). Another important factor- cooling them down. When I take them from the oven I try to place them in a draft free place where they can slowly return to room temp. Don't refridgerate these until their room temp.. To unmold, I always freeze my cakes. You can freeze them hard-over night or for 3 or 4 hours. Then I invert my pan and with a blow torch heat the sides and bottom of the pan. The cake ALWAY comes out cleanly with perfect sides with this technique.

I don't think sorbets or anything frozen would be a good choice. If your mouth is cold it's harder to taste the chocolate.... I'd go the opposite way and serve something warm and not at all sweet between brands. I picked up the new book by Sherry Yard (of spago fame) and she writes, "Brush your teeth often. Remember, you are working with sugar and flour. Sugar can not only ruin your teeth but coat and dull your palate. All of my assistants keep a toothbrush in their lockers, and I urge them to brush (and rinse very thoughly) before their shift, during each break, and at the end of the shift."......just a thought.

I was refering to the recipe which middy gave a link to. I was using recipes that included sour cream then hot liquid (h20 or coffee) in the end. I used Elizabeths recipe (which is posted here) several times and it's pretty good. But I liked this one from Martha the most (so far).

The course white bread makes great sense....cleaning your tongue of the cocoa butter that might coat it....right Very cool! (I never would have thought of that)

Ms. Perlow...your a HOOT! Let me be the first to tell you how much I enjoyed your thinking! Msfurious1, the recipe you posted is a molten cake. LOVE- LOVE your edited message note....if you wouldn't mind I'd like to borrow it from time to time-seeing how I have the affliction, please? edited because-I don't really care enough to stuggle thru any rebuttle responses.

First, thank-you, to the people who understood my frustration and why I became so. I'm amazed that some people really don't understand why we come here, why I come here. I don't get paid to be here and most the time I never get a thank-you after I've spent my personal time trying to help someone else. NO I'm not a great pastry chef and perhaps you all don't value my words, BUT I certainly mean to be helpful and giving as I write. Everyone here always writes so much better then I- I'm sincerely jealous! Best I can do at this moment is say DITTO. Personal notes... To kate: I have had the same thoughts Tan posted. You appear totally passionless about culinary. You talk as if your tough and can handle the realities of the kitchen, but yet you can't mentally deal with people teaching you. As if they should teach you on your terms. I suggest you skip culinary school and just go and open your own restaurant. To Melkor: geez man, where were you when I needed a hand You came to the points I tried to make...but my tired brain couldn't verbalize as dirrectly as yours. Thanks

Verbena I don't understand what you want. Is everyone supposed to hand you a recipe on demand? Wake-up, things don't work that way. I tried to help you based on what YOU asked to learn about. Apparently I wasted my time, after I explained how to make these you ignored my post and came back with ".....I can't seem to figure it out". There's about a million plus published recipes in every language creating "gooie chocolate desserts". Open a book!

Back-tracking, are you saying you macerate your raspberries for your naploeons, then keep that juice and recycle it into your rasp. puree? Just some thought on that:1. when you sieve your berries it's really important to get the last bit of puree from the seeds. It's the last part of your sieving that is the thickener. Many people discard their seeds before they've gotten the best part. 2. I still swear by buying in your puree (which I only began doing this summer) already to use add some bourbon if you want a more complex flavor, because...3. Well I'm a nut about heating my berry sauces (just read Claudia Flemming is too). I seriously don't like the taste of heated berry sauces reduced. It changes their flavor completely. NOW don't ask me what those puree selling companies do to make theirs so thick (they probaby reduce them) but the cooked taste isn't pronouced in them like home made-they taste like fresh berries. ZIlla your time is money and it could be a savings to them to buy in puree. Then you enhanse for you complex flavor off that base. Any price difference in the pistole is probably going to be a savings in the end when they distract your time from processing chocolate. ALSO- don't let any job hurt you! People get stupid injuries from repetitive labor. Heating the liquid before you soak something dried in it penetrates the fruit better/much quicker too. For Thanksgiving a couple thoughts: Most people will eat pumpkin pie regardless of other choices on this day. For those that just don't like pumpkin a chocolate dessert will be your next best seller. I personally believe that doing a pumpkin cheesecake or brulee (be it sweet potato or pumpkin) are too similar in taste and texture to pumpkin pie ie. redundent. Don't forget apple pie- that's also a tradition at TG. If you really want to rake up sales do a tart/pie samplier and include pumpkin, apple and chocolate. I believe that will even out sell straight pumpkin pie on TG.

Umm I bet I'd like his pies, cause I'm a struesel kind of girl. I make my own pie dough. BUT I will confess-at home for just me and hubby, I buy pie crusts (I use those for quiche, otherwise if I did make a apple pie at home I'd make my own crust cause that means company is coming). (I don't like to bake at home at all...and have gotten very lazy about cooking too-although I will put some effort into cooking on weekends)

Apple pies are one of the harder things to bake well then people realize. I taken part in many conversations on this topic. There's more techniques out there then you might think and many of us have our method we swear by and think all other methods pale in comparision. If you have the time check out www.chelftalk.com and look up apple pies and pie crusts and you should have more ideas then apples. I've tried countless methods and for several reasons I have choosen this method over others. If using fresh apples I lightly saute them with butter, seasoning and add sugar to taste. I then drain off the liquids and thicken liquids with cornstarch. Mix all back together and chill completely before filling my shells and baking. When I have to bake apple pies in volume I buy frozen peeled and slice apples and mix that with (shockingly) bucket apple pie filling (you buy from bakery suppliers). Add flour (another shock), seasonings, butter and fill my crusts. Then I freeze the whole pie. I bake the pies straight from the freezer with-out any thawing. I believe that prevents the filling from over cooking while the crust needs more time. HTH

Toliver beat me to a couple remarks I was going to make. I ditto him on soaking your raisins. Even if you only use boiling h20 they're better soaked then dry. You also can keep a small bucket of bourbon raisins ready to go. You MUST insist upon getting pellets of chocolate! By the time you chop your blocks the wasted time is no savings! When you have spare time (if you ever do) prep all your chocolate by using the cusinart and keep it in a bucket ready to go. Or if there's ever anyone standing still enlist them to chop....people like to help others. One of my favorite simple tricks on pie crusts is baking them upside down. Trust me you'll be happy with your results. Assuming your using tins (glass plates won't work)....place your dough in the tin then place another tin into it, invert and bake inverted. Your crust bakes very evenly this way and the sides can't slouch down. Ditto on loosing the word calfouti!! Change the name and sales should increase. I'd like freshly deep fryed SALTED pecans in a crunchie crumble ontop of my bourbon pudding....just a thought. I think it's the red wine poached pears that's doing in your poundcake. Personally I'd use a sweeter white wine or make it a compote/salsa and add cinnamon(or any flavor) ice cream and the cake. Last, try buying in a raspberry puree. Some brands are very thick and it would simplify your time. I'd guess that changing this wouldn't be more expensive then what your currently doing. I'm hoping to be helpful, not witchy. It sounds like your doing well and thinking fast on your feet. Whenever you can do prep that will hold-do it. Working in larger volumes saves you time. Like how you keep a bucket of brulee on hand. You can do the same with your pie filling or keep rolled pie crusts in the freezer, chopped bread cubes in the freezer, pear pound cake should freeze well, biscotti both baked and unbaked in the freezer......

I've played around and made them this way too Fredbaum. The taste is the same because your using your reg. ganche filling, it's just a change in texture. This happens when you whip your ganche till it's ALMOST solid. I haven't done this with already chilled ganche, only freshly made. I also add butter and liquour when doing these. It's extremely light and melts in your mouth quicker then a reg. ganche. You do have to work quickly when shaping them because your taking it to the point where if you let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes you'll have a solid mass. When it's a solid mass it will crumble if you try to scoop it, but in your mouth it's smooth and light. It's solid air...........ish.

Do you want help making a molton cake or are you looking for a completely different dessert? I've made several published recipes for molton cakes some that just didn't work and some that worked just fine. The real trick usually comes down to the baking, pulling it out of the oven at the right time. Just slight fluctuations in temp and time can make a good recipe not work. So unfortunately it takes sometime and practice to master each recipe in each oven you use. Who's recipes have you tried that didn't work for you? If your centers are cooking too much you need to take them out of the oven sooner. How much sooner is something you can test and make notes on until you find the results you want. As little as 1 minute can make a difference with these small cakes and that could over bake your center. I assume your remembering that items continue baking out of the oven and you can gain that extra minute or two, that could be over baking your centers. Some tricks/hints. Sometimes handling these soft cakes is tricky when they are hot. So you can bake them ahead of time unmold them store them for a day and just give them a reheat before serving. Some recipes are very hard to unmold with-out breaking into the center and loosing your "ooze". You don't have to unmold your cakes imediately....you can freeze them in your molds and release them while they are frozen. That usually pops them out perfectly with-out and loss of filling. Then again re-heat (many people use microwaves to re-heat). You can add extra "ooze" after the cake is baked and unmolded by piping ganche into the top of them. I haven't made these yet but people over at www.finecooking.com spent sometime raving about chocolate budini's (which you could look up over there). They should be similar to what your looking for.

Verbena, you have to realize no one is interested in doing your work for you. BUT, if you were to talk about what you've come up with (thru looking at books and other sources) I believe many people would be happy to give you advice and guidance, at least I would help. What have you got so far?

don't confuse your sweetened condensed with evaporated............. I don't do alot with evaporated, nothing comes to mind.