The art of cake baking

When did the art of cake baking disappear? It seems to me that there is a lost generation out there, lost in the art of baking a cake from scratch. A generation that believes that cake is made from a mix in a box.

Now, I have had students in my cake baking class who admitted that they were there to learn to make a proper cake and that they only knew box cakes growing up, but this was years ago.

Fast forward to this year, when a child also said to me cake comes from a box. I am now seeing a common thread, one in which the art of cake baking is no longer sacred, and one where convenience matters more than taste.

I grew up around a lot of cake, my mother baked cakes frequently for us, probably because she hardly baked anything else. I loved licking the batter more than the cake itself. Now as an adult I bake cakes, I taught myself to make a traditional butter sponge and by extension a few other types. I like baking cakes for occasions, because I genuinely enjoy them.

Yes, I could enjoy the convenience of ready-made cakes or even a cake from a box, but only if the cake tastes as good as what I make myself. For now, nothing comes close, so I will continue to bake my own and I recommend you do as well, or learn to.

Coconut chiffon cake

5 egg yolks

6 egg whites

1 egg

2¼ cups sifted cake flour

⅔ cup finely grated fresh coconut

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

⅔ cup orange juice

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon 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, 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 ⅓ cup sugar gradually, and beat to a soft meringue.

With a large spatula fold ¼ 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.

Chocolate marble pound cake

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

3 tsp baking powder

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs milk

3 tbs cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease the base and sides of a 2 lb loaf tin, (9x11x3 inch), line the base and grease and flour paper.

Place butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs and vanilla into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer beat ingredients until the mixture is lump free and well combined, and you have attained a fluffy batter.

Divide mixture into 2, combine cocoa with milk, whisk until smooth.

Stir this into one half of the batter.

Spoon alternate dollops of cake batter into the prepared tin.

Take a wooden skewer and drag it through the batter to create a swirl, do not overdo or else the mixture will be over mixed in the tin.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the tin and a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove, cool in tin for 5 minutes then remove.

Makes one cake

Toasted coconut sponge cake

1 cup finely shredded fresh coconut

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2⅓ cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbs grated orange zest

½ tsp orange extract or vanilla

¼ cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line, grease and flour the base and sides of a 9 inch cake tin. Spread coconut onto a baking tray and lightly toast for about 5 minutes, just until coconut is dry and just beginning to turn colour, do not brown coconut.

Crumble lightly with your fingers. Cream butter until light, add sugar one tablespoon at a time beating well until sugar is dissolved and mixture is fluffy.

Sift flour with baking powder.

Add eggs one at a time beating well between additions.

Combine orange juice, orange zest and orange extract or vanilla.

Combine coconut with flour mixture.

Fold in flour alternately with juice in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.

Spoon batter into prepared tin, bake for about 50 minutes until a wooden pick inserted through the centre comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 6 minutes.

Turn out of tin, remove lining paper and cool on cake rack.

Makes 1, 9-inch cake

rahamut@gmail.com