Preparing Cakes, Cookies, and Pastry

Lesson Objectives Improve the quality of nutrition content of cakes, cookies, and pastry served to students. Improved the variety of cakes, cookies, and pastry served to students. Improved the quality of cakes, cookies, and pastry served to students. Improve the appeal of cakes, cookies, and pastry served to students. 2

Preparing Cakes, Cookies, and Pastry: Important Terms Blend Convectional Oven Convection Oven Culinary* Culinary Technique* Fold Just-In-Time Preparation* Leavening Agent Mise en Place (meez-un-plahss)* Nutrients* *Discussed in a prior lesson 3

Activity Review Commonly Use Dairy Products chart found in Participant’s Workbook. Review the list of spices commonly used in baking found in Participant’s Workbook. 4

Menu Planning Tips Replace fat in baked goods by replacing fat with fruit or bean purees. – What is an example? Replace white flour with whole wheat flour. Prepare baked goods with fruit filling or sauce. Avoid hydrogenated fats. Use low-fat dairy products. Use non-stick cooking sprays instead of butter. 5

Activity Demonstration: Minimum fat and flour mixture texture. 6

Dessert Menu How often are cakes, cookies, or pies on your school menu? 7

Culinary Techniques Follow step by step guidelines listed on recipe for quality product. Use the correct mixing method. Add ingredients in the correct order. – Why do you cream the fat before adding liquid? Weigh or measure ingredients carefully. – What happens if you do not put the right amount of batter in the pan? 8

Ingredients Flour: – Major ingredient in most recipes. – Different types of flour available. Bread, all-purpose, cake, whole wheat – Accurate weight or measure required for quality. 9

Activity Demonstration: Measure and weight of 1 cup of flour. 10

Ingredients (cont.) Sugar: – Provides the sweetness. – Helps make the cake tender. – Incorporates air during creaming. – Accurate weight is required for quality. Too little makes cake tough Too much makes cake brown and fall 11

Ingredients (cont.) Fat: – Types of fat: Butter, margarine, oil, or shortening. – Changes cake tenderness and texture. – Improves “keeping quality.” – Some of the fat may be substituted with applesauce. What is hydrogenated shortening? 12

Ingredients (cont.) Eggs: – Provide moisture. – Provide cake structure. – USDA frozen eggs may be substituted for shell eggs. 5 lbs = 45 large eggs – Thaw frozen eggs in refrigerator. 13

Ingredients (cont.) Liquid: – Dissolves sugar and salt. – Mixes with baking powder to help form leavening gases. – Nonfat dry milk (plus water) may be substituted for liquid milk. 14

Ingredients (Cont.) Baking Powder: – Provides leavening by forming carbon dioxide when mixed the liquid. – Must be measured or weight accurately. Too little cake will be compact. Too much cake will be coarse and gummy or fall. – Discard if past expiration date. 15

Ingredients (Cont.) Flavorings: – Common flavors are salt, vanilla, chocolate, spices, almond and lemon extract, etc. – Small amounts result in big flavors. – To reduce fat, substitute dried fruit in place of nuts. 16

Activity Taste test: Smell and/or taste vanilla extract. 17

Types of Cake Butter or Shortened – Contain fat – Leavened with baking power or soda and an acid 18 Foam or Sponge – Contain little or no fat – Leavened by the air in the egg foam

Cake Mixes Prepared using tested formulas. Formulas may not be changed in the kitchen; follow the recipe. – Can’t substitute milk instead of water. 19

Activity Refer participants to USDA Carrot Cake recipe found in Participant’s Workbook. – What are the preparation steps? 20

Blending Method Used if sugar and flour are equal parts. Also called Two-Stage Method: Scale room temperature ingredients Prepare pans Blend dry ingredients for 1 minute Blend liquids separately Add half liquid to dry and blend; then add rest of liquid 21

Baking Cakes Cakes bake in four stages: 1.Batter thins and rises rapidly. 2.Center rises higher than sides. 3.Surface browns and cake firms. 4.Shrinks from edge of pan. How do you test for doneness? 22

Video: Cakes 23

Activity Review What Happened to the Cake found in the Participant’s Workbook. 24

Cookies Four types: 1.Bar or sheet 2.Scooped or dropped 3.Molded or refrigerated 4.Rolled 25

Activity Refer participants to USDA New Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe found in Participant’s Workbook. – What are the preparation steps? 26

Creaming Method Creaming or conventional method used for cakes and cookies with greater amounts of fat. Ingredients should be at room temperature. Weight dry ingredients and measure liquids. Mix all dry ingredients except sugar; Why? Prepare pans. 27

Creaming Method (cont.) Using paddle attachment, cream fat and sugar for how long? Scrap down sides of bowl. Add eggs; beating after each one. Add mixed dry ingredients. Alternate adding dry with liquid; always ending with dry 28

Video: Cookies 29

Activity Review What Happened to the Cookie found in the Participant’s Workbook. 30

Pies Basic pie dough ratio of ingredients: 3 parts flour 2 parts fat 1 part water (by weight) 31

Pie Crust Tips for making pie crust: Use a solid, cold fat Add and acid Use low-protein flour, such as cake Avoid too much water Avoid over mixing Allow dough to rest 32

Video: Pastry Dough 33

Activity Review What Happened to the Pie found in the Participant’s Workbook. 34

Activity Review the Quality Score Card for Cakes and Cookies found in the Participant’s Workbook. Review the Quality Score Card for Pies (Pastry) found in the Participant’s Workbook. 35

National Food Service Management Institute Thank You!