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Cakes

All about cakes. Want to find out about cakes? Information on Cakes, their ingredients and different methods of making them. Here you will learn about cake ingredients and the basic methods of making them. There can be few things in cooking that compare with the satisfaction and pleasure of making your own homemade cake and watching others enjoy it with you!

Imagine the smells of cakes baking as you learn about cakes here.

• Cake Ingredients and How to Use Them
  • Flours
  • Sugars and Other Sweeteners
• Cake Making Methods
• Christmas Cake
• Christmas Cake Icing

We all know it is not good to eat too many sweet things but there will always be times when you want to serve a cake; whether its to celebrate a birthday or special occasion or just because you want your kitchen full of that heavenly cake baking aroma.

Cake Ingredients and How to Use Them

Flour's

This section will tell you all about the flour's used in making cakes. A very wide range of different types of flour is available (far more that we can cover here) and the difference between them is mostly due to the varying gluten content. Although some are made from rice and other pulse crops.

For normal cake making a soft flour with a low gluten content is best. It is starchy and absorbs fat well to give a light, soft texture, whether the flour is plain or self raising is largely a matter of personal taste.

Self Raising Flour

Self raising flour is popular because it eliminates errors because the raising agents are already evenly mixed with the flour.

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Plain Flour

Plain flour can be used with a raising agent and the raising agent can be varied to suit individual recipes. If you use plain flour sift the flour and baking powder together beforehand to ensure an even mix.

Wholemeal Flour

Wholemeal flour can be used in some recipes but it gives a heavier texture. Its is possible to use a mixture of plain and wholemeal flour, if so sift them together to ensure an even mix.

Sugar & Other Sweeteners

This section tells you all you need to know about the different types of sugar used in cake making. Sugar is an important ingredient in all cakes and is essential in sponges. Brown sugars and other kinds of sweeteners can be used to add variety and extra flavour. There are also many branded sugar alternatives for baking now available in most supermarkets.

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Caster Sugar

Caster sugar is the one most commonly used in cakes, especially for creamed mixtures and whisked sponge mixtures.

Granulated Sugar

Granulated sugar produces a creamed mixture which is slightly reduced in volume, with a reasonably good texture, apart from a slight grittiness. For rubbed-in mixtures, granulated sugar is quite acceptable.

Icing Sugar

Icing sugar is the finest of all sugars. It is not generally used for basic cake mixtures as it produces poor volume and hard crusts. It is used decoratively for icing cakes (often on top of a Marzipan base).

Soft Brown Sugar

Soft brown sugar either dark or light, provides more flavour and a caramel like taste, it has a slightly finer grain. When it is used to replace caster sugar in sandwich cakes, the volume is good; these sugars cream well.

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Demerara Sugar

Demerara sugar is even coarser in the grain than granulated, which it can replace in rubbed-in recipes. It's better for making cakes by the melting method and not good for creamed mixtures.

Barbados Sugar

Barbados sugar is a very dark, unrefined sugar of a similar colour to treacle. Molasses sugar syrup is the least refined and is very dark and sticky. Too strong in flavour for light cake mixtures, Barbados sugar helps to give a good flavour and colour to rich fruit cakes and gingerbreads. You can modify the flavour by using it half and half with white sugar or soft brown sugar.

Golden Syrup

Golden syrup gives a special flavour which is particularly good with spices.

Treacle

Treacle is a dark syrup, which is not as sweet as golden syrup. A small amount added to rich fruit cakes gives a good dark colour and distinctive flavour; it is also the traditional ingredient for gingerbread.

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Honey

Honey is used in some cake recipes, it absorbs and retains moisture and keeps cakes fresh for longer.

Cake Making Methods

There are five ways of making cakes and these are;

Rubbing In Method

This method literally means rubbing the ingredients together. The fat is worked into the flour lightly until the mix resembles small breadcrumbs. The cake rises by the chemical agents added although some air is trapped in the rubbing process that aids this. Cakes made this way are fairly low fat and therefore do not keep so long. 

Creaming Method

This method is used for rich cakes. The fat and sugar are beaten until thoroughly mixed into a pale cream and then the eggs are beaten in and then the flour is added and folded in. Use a large bowl and electric mixers and use eggs that are at room temperature for best effect.

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One Stage Method

This method is based on soft tub margarine and is very quick and easy to make. The ingredients are beaten together with a wooden spoon until well blended and a little glossy. This method is also ideal for preparing using an electric mixer but be careful not to over mix. Cakes made this way are similar to cakes made using the Creaming Method.

Melting Method

This method is often used for "heavy" or rich cakes. The texture and colour of these cakes reflects the amount of sugar (treacle, molasses or golden syrup) used in the recipe. The liquid sugar is warmed with the fat and sugar until thoroughly mixed and then added to the dry ingredients along with any eggs. To get the best from cakes made using this method store them for a day before cutting. This allows the crust to soften and the flavour to mellow.

Whisking Method

This method creates cakes that are the lightest of all cakes and are often called sponges. The eggs and caster sugar are whisked together and then the flour is folded in. No fat is used and the cake rises as a result of air added during the whisking. These cakes often have fillings and must be eaten the day they are cooked or very soon afterwards. To create a great sponge the eggs and sugar should be whisked until the mix is thick enough to leave a trail.

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Modern supermarkets stock all the ingredients you'll need to be successful in your baking (if you follow your recipe and instructions). If you have a favourite baking recipe be sure to share it here.

And when you want to know "how to do something" be sure to visit our "How to Guides". The guides are also cross-referenced in the different zones; so for example you'll find a link on how to freeze vegetables in The Vegetable Zone.

Relevant Guides for this zone are;

•  How to buy food processors
•  How to use your fridge & freezer

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