BAKING CAKES & COOKIES

To bake... …to cook in dry heat in an oven. The oven heats the air, and the hot air cooks the food. Science principle: No lid is used during baking. A lid would trap the moisture as it was trying to evaporate. The evaporating moisture would then collect on the inside of the lid during condensation, and fall back into the food. That is moist heat…and is NOT baking.

Usually purchased pre-sifted Water and milk are the most common Baking Ingredients... flour Usually purchased pre-sifted + liquid Water and milk are the most common structure Forms the shape of the product

leavening agents cause the food to "rise" Baking Ingredients... leavening agents cause the food to "rise" They do this by providing air, steam, or gas. Yeast is a living organism, most often used as a leavening agent in breads; yeast is slow-acting Baking soda is a quick-acting leavening agent. It is only used when acids are present…the most common of which is “cream of tartar” Baking powder is the most common of the quick-acting leavening agents. It is a combination of soda and acid. Quick-acting leavening agents are used in cakes and cookies.

Leavening agent + moisture + warmth = carbon dioxide bubbles The bubbles go upward... causing the dough/batter to rise with them!

Cooking oils; do not substitute oils for solid fats Baking Ingredients... fats add richness, flavor, and tenderness Butter or margarine; do NOT use soft margarines for baking, as they contain added water Solid shortening Cooking oils; do not substitute oils for solid fats

Baking Ingredients... eggs 1. FLAVOR 8. LEAVENING AGENT 5. BINDER 2. TENDERIZER 6. ENRICH 7. PRESERVE TEXTURE 3. COLOR 2 eggs whites can be substituted for 1 whole egg to reduce fat and calories.

Baking Ingredients... sweeteners for flavor Molasses Brown sugar must be packed into the measuring cup. It is an unrefined sugar with a high moisture content. Granulated sugar is the most common sweetener in baking. Powdered sugar is also called confectioners sugar. Honey

Baking Ingredients... Flavorings! Ummm....Yum! Nuts Candies Raisins or flavored chips Extracts & flavorings Fruits & vegetables

Sifting eliminates lumps and helps in even distribution of ingredients Standard baking procedure... Most of the time, you wouldn’t even need a recipe to follow. For most cakes and cookies, just follow standard baking procedure: 1. "cream" together the fats and sugars Use an electric mixer to save time! Use medium speed on your mixer. 2. add eggs one at a time, beating after each Air + egg whites = volume 3. sift together the dry ingredients Sifting eliminates lumps and helps in even distribution of ingredients 4. "add alternately" the dry and liquid ingredients Add 1/3 dry, then 1/3 wet…repeat ‘til all ingredients are used 5. stir in flavoring pieces by hand An electric mixer at this point would break up the chips, raisins, nuts, etc.

Selecting the right bakeware... A glass pan also retains more heat. If using glass bakeware, you must lower the oven temperature 25 degrees. Glass is much easier to keep clean than metal, so stays nicer looking much longer. It does break if dropped, however. If you’re using metal bakeware, a lighter colored metal is best. A very dark metal is easier to clean, but retains more heat and can overcook the food easily.

Preparing the pan for baking... Grease & flouring a pan is one way of preparing it for baking a cake. Apply grease to sides and bottom of pan. Then add a scoop of flour, shaking it all over the greasy pan until the entire pan is dusted with flour. Discard extra flour. Aerosol cooking spray can be used on pans; avoid overspray; avoid inhaling contents; is especially good for low-fat diets If you are planning to remove the cake from the pan in one piece, you might try lining the pan with waxed paper. Cut the paper to fit the pan perfectly; you still need to grease and flour the sides of the pan and perhaps even the paper.

Before baking... Pour cake batter into pan. Tap filled pan firmly to settle the batter and break air bubbles. Choose shaped, rolled, refrigerator, filled, bar, or drop cookies…place them on the cookie sheet for baking. Preheating the oven to the correct temperature is critical! Adjust oven racks so you can bake in the middle of the oven! If rack is too low, food gets too brown on the bottom; if rack is too high, food gets too brown on top.

After baking... Cookies are removed from the oven, cooled for a couple of minutes, removed from the pans with a spatula, and placed on a wire rack for cooling. You will remove your cake from the pan by a method called “inversion” (placing a cooling rack on top of the cake pan and flipping the two together…the cake pan then lifts off and leaves the cake sitting on the rack). The cake will stay on a cooling rack until completely cool before icing.

How can you tell if your cake is done? A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when removed…if the cake is done. A cake slightly pulls away from the edge of the pan when it’s done. Lightly tap your finger on the surface of the cake. The indentation your finger makes will pop back up if the cake is done. Cakes made without shortening, such as angel food cakes, and brownies are foods that cannot be tested in those ways listed here. Sometimes you just have to time the cakes very carefully.

But baking...now, THAT'S AN ART! Frying a hamburger or heating up a soup? Assembling a casserole or preparing a sidedish? … all that is “just cooking”. But baking...now, THAT'S AN ART! Not everyone can bake successfully, and it takes time. That makes baking something pretty special. It’s perfect for special occasions and gift-giving.

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Preparing individuals for life and work Strengthening families Empowering communities Created by Barbara L. Swarthout, Family & Consumer Sciences teacher at Elkhorn High School