Buck's Tips on making great cakes

There is a reason why the bakers are the first one's to arrive in the morning in every kitchen.  You want to prepare your bread, cakes and pastry FIRST.  You don't want to mix the "sweet" (desserts and salads) or "savory" (meats and gravies) foods.  Cleaning your workspace and cutlery of any garlic or onions is important as one of these flavors can ruin your cake.  Prepare the dessert, keep it in the refrigerator until the main course is finished cooking, THEN bake your cake. 

Don't cook your pastry and dinner at the same time.  It seems logical that the taste of your beef roast would flavor a chocolate cake if placed in the oven at the same time.  

Brute force works but finesse counts in baking.  If you are in a hurry and have a hand mixer you can easily toss all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well (see below).  But if you want the best results use separate bowls; cream the shortening and sugars, then add the dry goods, then beaten eggs and then mix together, these extra steps create a superior; lighter cake.

 

How long should I mix my cakes?   Aunt Sue's Home Economics teacher told the girls that the trick was to follow the diagram below; 20 times.  Sue's cakes are always fluffy and Uncle Buck loves them; so this seems about right...

Mix your batter in this pattern 20X with a hand mixer for fluffy cakes every time

Icing and Decorating

Make sure the cake is completely cool before icing it.  There is nothing worse than icing  your cake and then watching the icing melt off.  Put it in the freezer for a few minutes if you are in a hurry.  

Uncle Buck prefers buying prepared icing since it tastes "real".  I am going for restaurant-style food; prepared icing is what people expect to taste and does taste superior; it's usually the cake that is bland or full of additives in commercial food.  

 

This is your typical home-made cake.  It scream's "BAKE SALE"  and when iced tends to be uneven on the top and sides; the decorations fall off, it's hard to letter.  Also tough to cover the sides due to the overhanging lip. 

Try removing the cake and flipping it over before icing it. 

This gives you a nice even surface to ice and looks much more professional.  You can use a bread knife to even out the bottom if being served on a flat plate; but most large serving plates accommodate this top nicely. 

Spend a couple of dollars on sprinkles and decorations.  Remember; you want your family to eat the food you prepare and if it looks great it's more fun to eat.

A few cents worth of rainbow sprinkles will give the cake a splash of color and make all the difference in the world.

 

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