Cake celebration

HAPPY Mother’s Day to all you hard working moms out there, go ahead and celebrate yourselves!

For me, a great celebration always ends with cake, as Julia Child aptly put it “A party without cake is just a meeting.” Home-baked cakes are always the best, our Trini sponge cake is still one of the most enjoyed because when prepared properly it is one of the most delicious cakes prepared from five simple ingredients, butter, flour, milk, eggs and sugar.

If you are a first-time cake baker, start with a simple cake, if you are looking for a really special and regal cake try a chiffon, it’s light, airy and rises to the sky!

Orange chiffon cake

5 egg yolks

6 egg whites

1 egg

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup orange juice

1 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325F

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, sift 3 times.

Place egg yolks and whole egg into a bowl with beaters or whisk attachment, beat until frothy, add one cup sugar gradually, and beat until thick fluffy and light in colour, about 5 minutes.

Slowly pour in oil in a steady stream and add orange zest, continue beating for about one minute longer.

Divide dry ingredients into 3 parts, add to yolk mixture alternately with orange juice, beginning and ending with flour.

Wash and dry beaters and beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy, add 1/3 cup sugar gradually, and beat to a soft meringue.

With a large spatula fold 1/4 of the yolk mixture into the whites and then fold the whites into the yolk mixture in 4 additions taking care not to over fold.

Gently pour or spoon batter into a 10-inch ungreased angel food pan.

Bake for 60-65 minutes until springy to touch.

Invert cake and cool completely in pan before removing.

Pineapple butter cream frosting

1/3 cup butter

1 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup drained crushed pineapple

cream to thin mixture if needed

Cream all ingredients together, add a few drops orange juice if needed to mix to a creamy consistency.

Butter sponge cake

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 ozs butter

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour two, nine-inch cake pans.

Sift the flour three times and add the baking powder and salt, set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until light and creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Add vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium low, or low and divide the flour into 4 portions and the milk into 3 portions.

Add the flour alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour.

Mix just until incorporated after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the side of the pan.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning out.

Old fashioned cheesecake

Crust

2 cups ginger-snap or digestive cookie crumbs

4 tbs sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling

2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

4 tbs flour

1 tsp vanilla

6 eggs

1 cup sour cream or yoghurt

Preheat oven to 325F

Make the crust by combining crumbs with sugar and melted butter, press into the bottom and partly up the sides of a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.

Bake for 5 minutes and remove.

Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth, and there are no lumps.

Add sugar and flour, combine, beat in eggs one at a time until well combined and mixture is smooth, add vanilla.

Fold in sour cream and pour over crust, bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen cheesecake, cool completely before removing from pan. Chill for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Serves 12 to 15

* If you are using a spring-form pan you can wrap the pan in foil during baking to prevent any liquid from dripping through the seam of the pan.

Wendy’s Cooking classes:

May 18 - Curries of India (9 am-12 pm)

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Call 357-0927