Baking Recipes and Baking Ingredients, Cake Decoration

Simple Syrup Recipe:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water

Place sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil gently for five minutes or until all sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a container to cool.

Can be refrigerated for up to 6 weeks.

Serving Ideas: Brush on Cake layers to really have a moist cake, use in recipes for Blender Lemonade brushed on Broiled Fruits. Add to a number of cocktails.

Royal Icing Recipe:

This is the recipe that I use for decorating cookies. I chose this recipe because I can get Just Whites at my market. I had problems getting the Meringue Powder that is recommended in many recipes. Raw Egg Whites is not advised to use these days.

Warning: Any grease will break down icing. Remember if the icing is too dry, add water a few drops at a time. If icing is too moist, add more powdered sugar. It's as simple as that.

1 pound fondant or powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
5 1/4 teaspoons Egg White Powder
6 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, stir together powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and Egg White Powder. Add water and vanilla extract; beat at low speed until sugar is dissolved, then at high speed about 10 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy (icing must hold its shape before using). Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying.

NOTE: I spooned 1/2 of this mixture into a 10-inch piping bag fitted with a #2 tip. I liked putting a "Chip Clip" on the top of the bag to keep it closed and twisting the bag to get the icing to flow. By twisting, I used a lot less hand pressure and didn't tire out so easily. Put the piping bag tip side down in a glass that has a damp paper towel in the bottom. This will keep the icing hardening up like cement while you attend to other life duties.

To the second 1/2 of the icing, I added water, a teaspoon at a time and mixed well until the consistency of heavy whipping cream. Then I poured it into a squeezable bottle with a cap and stored the bottle upside down in a glass. I outlined the cookie with the pastry bag and let them sit for a few minutes, Then flood the icing from the squeeze bottle, with a back and forth motion over the whole area. If necessary use a knife to smooth all over the cookie and a toothpick comes in handy for getting rid of tiny bubbles and filling little holes. Set aside and let dry overnight.

Next day, pipe your designs. I had eight drawings of patterns that I made up, so I taped them on my dish closet door right in front of my face for fast reference. The drawing were the basic idea and every cookie ended up with different points, curls, swirls and dots. Let dry overnight then package.

Chocolate curls - AKA Chocolate Cigarette Recipe:

QUESTION:
My daughter would like to have a contemporary wedding cake. She has been looking at chocolate cakes. The one she is most interested in is a 3 tier cake. The base is dark chocolate, next light chocolate and then white chocolate on top. The exterior is made up of rolled or tube like chocolate. Makes me think of bamboo tubes. I am trying to find if I can buy these tubes and if not what is the easiest way to make them. I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada and our shopping stores are limited. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER:

Chocolate curls - AKA Chocolate Cigarettes

1 package (8 ounces) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Place chocolate and shortening in 2-cup glass measure. Microwave on HIGH about 1-1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds.

Pour melted chocolate onto back of baking sheet, marble slab, or other heat-resistant flat surface. Quickly spread chocolate into very thin layer with metal spatula. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or until firm, but still pliable.

Using small straight-edge metal spatula or paring knife, held at 45° angle, push spatula firmly along baking sheet, under chocolate, so chocolate curls as it is pushed. (If chocolate is too firm to curl, let stand a few minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate again if it becomes too soft.)

Using small skewer or toothpick, transfer curls to waxed paper.

Store in cool, dry place until ready to use.

QUESTION:
First of all, thank you for your web site -- it has taught me so much and made me a lot less intimidated by the whole cake baking and fondant decorating process. Since I discovered your site, I have made a baby shower cake, a birthday cake and a christening cake. You MMF recipe is a godsend! Thank you, thank you :)

I would like to make a wedding cake for a cousin, but she and her fiancé are not that fond of butter. I tasted a very creamy (and yummy) cake filling that had a consistency that was almost like a cross between a mousse and a pudding, and when I asked, it turned out to be Bavarian cream. I've looked online and found quite a few recipes for Bavarian cream cake filling, but I was wondering if you have a favorite one that you can share? Thanks again and take lots of care.

ANSWER:
Regarding Bavarian Cream. I don’t have a recipe other than one of the many that you find on the internet. I usually cheat and buy a tube of Bavarian Cream. My number one reason is because many of the recipes use lots of eggs and milk. That means the cake definitely needs to be refrigerated. If you are planning to do a Fondant cover, you should NOT refrigerate the cake. See the problem here? The tube product that I purchase can be kept on the shelf safely until I need it and the cream is not going to have a problem with being out of the refrigerator for a day.

If you prefer to use a homemade Bavarian Cream, then use a buttercream icing and refrigerate the whole cake.

I know that some of the really important bakeries across the US do use a Bavarian Cream filling. Remember, they have many folks that are dedicated to making, assembling and decorating the cakes so the whole process is much faster. They usually have cooled vehicles to do the cake delivery or in some cases you must pick up the cake from the bakery so if anything goes wrong, you are at fault. At many of the large halls, there are also cool (not refrigerated) rooms to store the cake until needed.

QUESTION:
Once again I'm sitting at your web site. and once again I'm at your mercy. *smile* I would love to do the Easter Egg Cake that is featured on that page, but....this town is either out of or didn't stock the egg pan. However, way back in my box of pans I came across a "football". Can this be used instead. Please say yes! I notice its not as rounded as the egg pan, but maybe if I cut off the rounded part of the second pan (batch makes 2 cakes), and placed that on top to enlarge the dome....and lopped off one of the points on the ends.......I dunno, you think I can do it?

ANSWER:
Sure you can! Remember that people make decorated and shaped cakes before the pans came on the market. Just make sure that you thoroughly freeze the cake that you want to shape before you try any cutting. The firm texture of the frozen cake will allow you to trim off the unwanted parts without collapsing.

QUESTION:
When a recipe calls for "shortening" do they mean butter or Crisco or margarine?

ANSWER:
Shortening is a vegetable fat. When I say shortening I mean just plain Crisco. Not even the butter flavored. My personal opinion is that the butter flavored Crisco had a chemical type of taste. If I want butter flavored, I will use either butter or occasionally, Wilton’s Clear imitation Butter Extract. I think this has the least “food from a can” type of flavor.

QUESTION:
I have a quick question. I am baking some baby shower desserts and the recipe calls for a sheet cake baked on a 9 x13 cookie sheet My question is, can I put the whole box cake in that size pan?

ANSWER:
I’d personally to use a slightly larger pan as a 10 x 15 size. I think that they want to be able to cut the cake easily so that is why they are using a cookie sheet instead of a cake pan.

QUESTION:
Is it alright to freeze confectioners sugar? And if so for how long and in what type of container? Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

ANSWER:
Sure, you can freeze Powdered Sugar. As all sugars can pick up freezer flavors, I'd double bag it and put it in an airtight container. You can leave it on a shelf in the pantry though as long as you don't store it next to the bottles of spices or things that have odors. That's where I keep my sugar.

QUESTION:
I have some icing that has never been used. It is over 4 years now and it has been never opened. What should I do?? Throw way or keep in case I need cake decorating icing???

ANSWER:
I'd throw the icing away. After many years in a closet a can of icing can separate. If we are talking a bag of powdered sugar, it can also go bad by absorbing flavors and smells from other items in the closet. This product should go.

QUESTION:
Will a packaged cake mix (such as Duncan Hines) hold up to the weight of a fondant icing? or, do I need to use a recipe for pound cake? Any recipe suggestions? I am making a 2-layer cake. The top layer is a 6" round, the bottom layer is a 10" round. I've attached a picture of the cake and hope it helps. Also, I am using Wilton's packaged fondant. It tastes terrible but I don't have time to make your recipe. Is there anything I can add to Wilton's fondant to make it taste better? Thanks so much for taking your time to address my questions.

ANSWER:
A regular cake mix will work just fine, but you must use the method of stacking. That is that you are using cakes plates and the dowel rod construction method to hold up the top layer.

For a little extra strength in the cake, I like to light press the cake down in the cake pan immediately after removing from the oven. Remember, that the cake is hot so use a tea towel! This levels the layer (flattens the dome) and also helps make the layer a bit denser. Not exactly a pound cake texture but not a fluffy cake. (This method rarely affects the tenderness of the cake.) Let cool for 10 minutes, and remove from the cake pan. Let your layers completely cool. I like to let them sit for a couple of hours at least.

To my knowledge, there is nothing to do to change the taste of the Wilton fondant. If you try, you could change the consistency of the product so you could end up with a strange product because of chemical changes between the ingredients.

QUESTION:
My question is this…I’m making a two tiered cake (one 8 in round and one 6 in. round) for my daughter’s 3^rd birthday. I’m planning to make the MMF tonight and bake the cakes tomorrow. I’m using the Favorite White Cake recipe. Is it enough for both the 6" and 8" or should I double the recipe? How tall will the cakes be? I want them to be fairly tall so it looks nice once they’re stacked, but I don’t want to put too much batter in the pan and have them not bake properly. My pans are pretty deep. The 8" pan is 3” deep, the 6" pan is 2” deep. Help! Also, do you recommend putting the top cake on cardboard and then using straws or dowels in the bottom cake to prevent the top one from sinking?

I’m not a novice baker, but not nearly a pro either – and this is my first time with fondant. I plan to color the fondant with food coloring and then use a slightly darker shade and cut out little circles for a polka dot effect. I can attach those with a dab of water, right? The party is Sunday, so I planned to bake and cover the cakes tomorrow (Saturday), then decorate with the dots on Sunday.

Any other advice you have would be much appreciated! Thanks a million!!!

ANSWER:
Since you are baking right away, I’ll make the answers short and sweet. I'll answer under your questions:

My question is this…I’m making a two tiered cake (one 8 in round and one 6 in. round) for my daughter’s 3^rd birthday. I’m planning to make the MMF tonight and bake the cakes tomorrow. I’m using the Favorite White Cake recipe. Is it enough for both the 6in and 8in or should I double the recipe?

Double the recipe for a 2 layer 8” cake and a 2 layer 6” cake. You might have a bit left over so you could also make a few cupcakes for yourself.

How tall will the cakes be?

It depends on you pans. I use 3-inch pans so the cakes can rise higher on the sides before they start trying to dome. When I remove the cake from the oven, I press down the dome so that I have level cake layers to work with.

I want them to be fairly tall so it looks nice once they’re stacked, but I don’t want to put too much batter in the pan and have them not bake properly. My pans are pretty deep. The 8 inch is 3” deep, the 6 inch is 2” deep. Help!

Pick up the 3” tall pan for the 6” size when you can - you’ll be glad that you did.

No matter, you can only put in batter in your pan to the mid level of the side. If you over fill it won’t cook properly and it can overflow. Because your pans are different depth. Fill all of the pans the same. In this case, you fill the two 8” pans to just a tiny bit over 1 inch. Fill the 6” pan the same. In this case, the cake would look top heavy if the 6” cake was taller than the 8” cake.

Also, do you recommend putting the top cake on cardboard and then using straws or dowels in the bottom cake to prevent the top one from sinking?

YES YES YES

Right.

The party is Sunday, so I planned to bake and cover the cakes tomorrow (Saturday), then decorate with the dots on Sunday.

You can do the dots at the same time for the cake you are describing.

Any other advice you have would be much appreciated! Thanks a million!!!

I know that you aren’t making an Easter Egg cake but I am proving a link for a cake that has many of the techniques that you will be using. It might help you a bit.

Easter Egg Cake: http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/EasterEggCake.htm

I hope you have a wonderful time baking.

QUESTION:
I make a yellow pound cake for the holidays and sprinkled it with confectioners sugar. Is there a way to make the sugar red or green for the holidays? Or do they sell different colored confectioners sugar? Thank you. Happy Holidays!!

ANSWER:
Ok, you have a fun question here.

First off, I think if it was easy to make this type of product, you would see it made commercially. Since we don’t see it on the market, there must be something that causes problems with the making of or the products appearance.

I’ve not tried this but here are a few thoughts about making your own.

To make homemade powdered sugar, you can put regular sugar in your blender and whirl away until the sugar is pulverized so fine it looks like powdered sugar so I’m following that train of thought here.

You would need to make a colored sugar so use about 8 ounces of the sugar. Make sure it is completely dry and all of the gel food coloring has been absorbed. The color will have to be intense. I’d use a food processor for ease in the combining process.

Place it in the blender and process until you are satisfied with the results. Don’t be surprised if it takes 20 minutes. If the mixture gets warm, please stop the machine and let the sugar cool, otherwise you could get a big, hard clump of sugar and destroy your machine.

I think that the problem with this is that the color will be weak. By adding so much air and cutting the crystals, you might end up with a pale red or pale green.

QUESTION:
I am starting a wedding rental business. I would like to make a fondant wedding cake soon. It will be a fake cake. I have bought three different size Styrofoam squares for the tiers. Once I cover them with fondant and decorate them, how do I preserve the cake? I've heard there is a spray you can use to preserve the cake for ever, but I don't know what it is or where I can buy it. Any suggestions you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER:
The product that I have heard of folks using is called Perma Ice. You can get it from SugarCraft.

I haven’t heard of a spray to preserve the fondant. Most of the ladies that I know either put the cakes in glass enclosures to keep the dust and fingers off, or just show their work with pictures.

QUESTION:
I saw the comment made about Perma Ice. You said to thicken it with cornstarch. Do you just add it dry or dilute with water? Also, once thickened, can you use it to make roses and what not. Thank you - Pam Foster (1/29/06)

ANSWER:
What you were reading is a quote from the company that makes Perma Ice. It is commonly used for making cake displays that need to go into a bakery window and remain there for years.

Since I’m a home baker, I’ve never used the product.

From rereading the quote thought, it sounds like you add additional cornstarch to the Perma Ice in the dry form. If you make a paste with water, you’d be defeating the purpose of trying to dry the product. I’d add a little bit and very gently stir so that I would not add bubbles to the Perma Ice and ten add more if necessary.

QUESTION:
I have just stumbled upon your website...wonderful! I am thinking about beginning the art of cake decorating from my home and have no experience with fondant or gum paste...in fact before reading your questions and answers online I thought gum paste was edible....is there another medium I would find easy to use for edible flowers that yield the same beautiful result? Also, would it compromise the integrity and taste of the cake if the cakes were baked a day or two ahead and then refrigerated/frozen before decorating? Looking for short cuts so that I don't have to do everything in the same day so any advice would be great. Also, I went to the given link for your homemade fondant recipe that everyone is raving about but could not find it...is it possible to send it to me? Thanks so much and I personally appreciate the time and effort you are putting into helping beginners like myself.

ANSWER:
First of all I need to say that I do not have a baking business but the best advice I can give you is that you check with your local city and county about you local laws concerning starting a business. Some cities will close you down in a heartbeat if they find out you are preparing any type of food in your home kitchen for sale. Please protect yourself and know what you are dealing with before you invest time and money.

Since you have multiple questions I’ll answer them below:

(1) I have just stumbled upon your website...wonderful! I am thinking about beginning the art of cake decorating from my home and have no experience with fondant or gum paste...in fact before reading your questions and answers online I thought gum paste was edible....is there another medium I would find easy to use for edible flowers that yield the same beautiful result?

Gumpaste creates the best results for flowers, and it’s also easy to work with. The flowers are removed simply from the cake before eating. One great thing about the gumpaste flower is that it can be created in white, months in advance, stored in a dry, room temperature, airtight box and then colored as needed.

You can also make flowers from fondant but it more difficult and fragile in my opinion. You can, of course, make buttercream flowers.

(2) Also, would it compromise the integrity and taste of the cake if the cakes were baked a day or two ahead and then refrigerated/frozen before decorating?

If you are baking only a day or 2 in advance, you would not want to freeze your cake before decorating. You would just get the layers frozen and then you would be taking them out of the freezer to defrost. Way to much unnecessary work and you would actually be losing moisture in the whole process.

(3) Looking for short cuts so that I don't have to do everything in the same day so any advice would be great.

It’s quality information, like you find in this book, that can help you make decisions in your baking life. Also, remember that if you decide to go into the business, the purchase of a reference book is a tax write off.

(4) Also, I went to the given link for your homemade fondant recipe that everyone is raving about but could not find it...is it possible to send it to me?

Here is the link for the MM Fondant at What’s Cooking America: http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

QUESTION:
I have been using Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden cake mixes for 24 years. The boxes marked Sept 20 through Oct 31, 2005 I have been having problems. Cakes do not rise in the middle and are doughy. Have had mixer and ovens checked. Have talked to Duncan Hines (Pinnacle), they blame me, they even told me to call Wilton to see if my cake pans are good. I just have over 400 of them. No I did not call Wilton to see if my cake pans were good but did call to see if they had been having in problems in there test kitchen. The lady did say someone else had called in with that problem but she did not handle the call. Being as the cakes to not rise in the middle and seem to be greasy and doughy in the middle I tried to add a little baking soda or baking powder. I thought this might help being as I think there is a problem with the rising agent. This did not help... Do you have any suggestions???? I love the Butter Recipe Golden but am going to have to find something else to use. Walmart knows there is a problem because I showed the difference between a cake mix that was from July and on from the Sept /Oct lot. The reimbursed me for 48 cake mixes, butter and eggs. They also took back 4 cases from the October lot.

ANSWER:
OK, for a start lets check the ingredients. I have a box that expires in March 17, 2006. That is most likely a cake from before your problems. I rarely use the Butter Cake Golden mix (I’m a white cake girl myself).

Do you see anything different with the ingredients on your problem boxes? Did they change the recipe?

I would also call Duncan Hines again. You could have gotten someone that was having a very bad day and not helping you properly. My gut feeling is that Duncan Hines has made an inferior batch of this product and is trying to avoid a recall. Other than that, I don’t know. You should never have to “fix” cases of product.

White Chocolate Cake Recipe:

QUESTION:
I have just begun taking cake decorating classes and would like a really good recipe for a cake. Every scratch recipe I have tried has come out dry and crumbly without a really good taste. I have heard that doctored box cakes are really good but haven't found a good recipe for this. I saw a reference to a recipe of yours in a Q&A section but couldn't find the actual recipe. Can you send this to me? I'd really appreciate it!

ANSWER:
Since you are interested in doctored cakes, you should take a look at the books by the Cake Mix Doctor. Her first book has many types of cakes, cookies and bars. It is a great book to start with. Also use a good quality cake mix and follow the pull dates. My favorite brand is Duncan Hines. To me this brand has the least chemical after taste to the batter and the baked product.

Tip: In my opinion, try to get white candy melts, they taste better in this recipe than the white chocolate you buy at the market. The white melts can often be purchased in hobby stores or party stores. I buy 5 pounds at a time and keep them in zip lock bags on a cool pantry shelf. I often use 8-inch cake pans instead of the 9-inch pan that is called for. The oven temperature will be the same, but increase your baking time by 4 minutes. Always check your cake with a toothpick to see if it done.

Following is my favorite recipe:

White Chocolate Cake

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 box plain white cake mix (Duncan Hines)
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Place rack in center of the oven. Generously grease two 9-inch cake pans with solid vegetable shortening then dust with flour; shake out the excess flour. Set aside pans.

Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, place the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Pour in the slightly cooled white chocolate. Blend with a mixer, on low, for 1 minute; stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes; scrape down more if needed. The batter should look well blended.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. Place the pans on a cookie sheet, side by side in the oven.

Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back slightly when lightly pressed with your finger, about 38 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again on another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, at least 30 minutes or more.

QUESTION:
I was wondering if you could help. I am a pretty good baker, and usually obtain great textures in my cakes, even when leavened only by eggs. However, I cannot seem to manage whipping powdered egg whites properly, because when I do my cakes do not rise well. Is there a trick to make them whip like real eggs? I don’t understand what I do wrong, especially since powdered egg whites are naturally at room temperature, which should make them easier to whip. I often feel badly when I have to use only egg whites and discard so many yolks in several recipes, and I would be happier using powdered egg whites, if I can manage them properly.

ANSWER:
You’ve just asked a question that I was hoping no one would ask. Not because of the “how do you use dried egg whites” successfully part of the question, but the inferred question about wasting the egg yolks.

I spent a few years not wanting to really get started with baking because I hate to waste food. While my kids were in school I of course did the school bake drive thing to help the kids earn money for this or that. Almost always, I had leftover yolks or whites and I promised myself that I would come up with a clever recipe the next week to use up all of the remains. The fact is that I don’t ever remember finding the perfect recipe so I just gave up and threw out the possible refrigerator science project.

My solution was to get chickens so that I would have lots of eggs and never feel guilty about the wasting. That only worked so long for me and the work upkeep on the hens was more than I wanted to deal with after a day at work and 2 hours on the freeway. I found a good home for the chickens and made someone else happy.

The point of this dissertation is this, for me and my life; it is OK to throw away a few egg whites or yolks without guilt. A dozen eggs cost 99 cents so I’m not throwing to much cash in the trash. Sometimes I make an omelet or a soufflé and add a few extra yolks. The dog and cats also get an enhanced dinner. I get a facial or condition my hair. Mainly, I feel less guilt and that is good.

Now, as to your question about the dry egg whites. I only use them in my buttercream icing so my knowledge is very limited. (I prefer real egg whites but sometimes I need to be cautious because there might be pregnant lady or folks with frail health, eating the cake). I’ve checked a few places though and the most references I find, for using the dried product is for Meringues, shells, cookies and mushrooms. Just Whites says that they can be used in many baked goods. Here is what they say about their product.

1. Use the table below to determine the amount of Just Whites and water to use:

For 1 Egg White - use 2 tsp. Just Whites + 2 Tbsp. Water
For 2 Egg Whites - use 4 tsp. Just Whites + 1/4 cup Water
For 3 Egg Whites - use 2 Tbsp. Just Whites + 6 Tbsp. Water
For 6 Egg Whites - use 1/4 cup Just Whites + 3/4 cup Water
For 8 Egg Whites - use 1/3 cup Just Whites + 1 cup Water
For 12 Egg Whites - use 1/2 cup Just Whites + 1-1/2 cups Water

2. Add Just Whites to warm water. Stir gently for 2 minutes giving the powder time to absorb all the water. Continue to stir until completely dissolved. For best results, use a whisk. To obtain foamy, soft, or hard-peak stage, use an electric or hand-mixer, as you would for fresh egg whites.

3. Just Whites can be added to dry ingredients in any recipe calling for egg whites. Just remember to add water or fruit juice in amounts specified in table above to any liquid (including water) called for in the recipe.

The shelf life of Just Whites is a minimum of five years. A Julian code date is used on the canisters - the middle three numbers will be the day of the year the product was packaged on. The second number in the code indicates the year. '0' being 2000, '1' being 2001, etc.

Store in a dry place. No refrigeration required. Salmonella Negative - Pasteurized for Safety

I hope this helps you a bit. Please consider using real eggs for your baking. It is healthier, will taste better, have a better texture, and be more satisfying to your taste buds. In the end, that means more compliments for you.

QUESTION:
I have been looking for a recipe for high humidity buttercream frosting made with dream whip. I had it at one time but seem to have lost it. Can you help me locate it?

ANSWER:
I’m sorry, I’ve never used Dream Whip so I have complete lack of knowledge on this recipe. Here is the only recipe that I’ve found after a quick search, using Dream Whip. Since I’ve never tried it I can’t vouch for it’s value.

Dream Whip® Frosting:
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 envelope Dream Whip®
1 small box instant pudding, desired flavor

Beat all on low speed until well blended. Increase to high speed and whip until soft peaks form — 4 to 6 minutes.

Simple Syrup / or Flavored Wash Recipe:

QUESTION:
Just wondering if you are able to give me the lemon syrup wash that you refer to when doing a white cake for between the layers. I really appreciate your website! Thank you!

ANSWER:
Here you go:

Simple Syrup / or Flavored Wash
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup of the following flavor or flavors:

Vanilla
Almond
Lemon Juice
Coffee
Orange Liqueur
Hazelnut Liqueur
Chocolate Liqueur
Raspberry Liqueur
Brandy
Rum

In a medium sized heavy saucepan, combine the water and the sugar.

On medium heat, bring to a boil and remove the pan from the heat as soon as the sugar is dissolved. NOTE: Be careful, this syrup can burn you. Allow to cool before you add your extracts/flavors and before you attempt to pour it into a spray container.

Add 1/4 cup of your chosen flavor to make a flavored syrup. Don't be afraid to make the syrup stronger or to mix and match to create your own favorite syrup.

Apply the syrup to your cake layer with either a clean pastry brush or spray it on with a new spray pump bottle. NOTE: If you use the spray pump make sure that you strain the juices very well so that you won't plug the spray nozzle

QUESTION:
I first wanted to thank you for your wonderful page! I am a newbie to the fondant arena but am having loads of fun so far. I have made two cakes and am about to embark on my third one. One problem I can’t seem to get rid of are the tiny bits of powdered sugar that ball up and don’t dissolve in the mm fondant. I knead for over 10 minutes but they won’t go away! Any suggestions?

ANSWER:
A few things come to mind right away:

1) Are you using a quality powdered sugar? Some brands use more cornstarch and don’t sift the sugar and cornstarch well before packaging.

2) You might need a little bit more water in the mixing stage. Try adding and additional ½ teaspoon of water then mix. You might even need more water than that. I live in the high desert and I have to add additional water to almost every recipe. Expect the mix to be very sticky before you add th coloring that is available since I live in a small town. Would it destroy the cake decorations or could I get away with it? - Lisa (8/24/05)

ANSWER:
If you are trying to make a dark color such as Black, Brown, Blue, you need the gel colors. If you are making a bright color such as Red, Grass Green, Orange, you also need the gel food color. You can order the gel colors on the internet, that’s what I’ve had to do.

You can order the Wilton Gel from their web site or you can get the AmeriColor Liquid Gel from cake decorating websites such as Sugar Craft, Country Kitchen, or Sweet Celebrations. Beware though; looking at these sites can get addictive when you find out all the neat baking things they carry.

QUESTION:
What a wonderful, informative site you have. I've bookmarked it for reference. I have a question about a old east-European cake recipe. The icing is a cooked icing, where 1/2 dozen eggs are scrambled, combined with 200g of sugar, then cooked over low heat (stirring constantly, of course) until thick. This mixture is then cooled (stirred constantly while cooling, too!) then combined with softened butter and melted chocolate. Yummy!

My question is this: I've taken to pressing the cooked egg/sugar preparation through a fine-mesh strainer to remove little, round, firm bead-shaped formations that I am assuming come from the egg white. It almost looks like tapioca granules. What are these? What causes them to form? How can I avoid them forming in the mixture? I've tried high heat, low heat, using a hand-mixer while cooking the eggs ... I've tried adding a teaspoon or two of water to try to break down the proteins. This last trick seems to make the situation better, but doesn't correct it all together. I know they are harmless, but they detract from the velvety smooth texture of the icing. I'd love to hear what thoughts you may have. With many thanks.

ANSWER:
I’ve never tried your recipe so I’m only speculating but I have seen this problem in other recipes. Those little “tapioca” granules are tiny bits of, literally, scrambled eggs. Here is what I’d do, use a double boiler system:

You will need one large pot that you can place and boil about 1 inch of water in. Also, a smaller pot that can be suspended above the water, the steam will do the cooking.

Turn on the heat and get the water boiling. Place your raw eggs and sugar in the smaller pot and place the pot above the water. Turn the heat down to simmer and stir your icing, constantly until it is thickened. You can use a heat resistant spatula but I prefer to use a whisk. Make sure that you scrape the sides, often, this is where the eggs start the scrambling process. Allow the mixture to cool as directed in the recipe, then combine with the softened butter and melted chocolate.

You should have much better results in the future. If you find the time, please write back and share your results.

Favorite White Cake Recipe:

QUESTION:
I was looking at your MM fondant recipe, which sounds delicious by the way, and was wondering if you could tell me what type of cake would be able to hold up he weight of the fondant. Would I be able to use an out o'the box mix or possible a "doctored" box mix?

ANSWER:
I personally love the ease of doctored cake mixes but I am picky on one thing, the brand of cake mix. I will only use Duncan Hines cake mixes. To me and many other critics, the taste is the "cleanest" with the least amount of chemical preservative aftertaste.

Now I'll give you my white cake recipe that is both my favorite and most versatile recipe. I’ve added a few notes at the bottom of the recipe.

Favorite White Cake
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 box plain white cake mix (Duncan Hines preferred)
2/3 cup water
4 ounces room temp softened butter
3 extra large whole eggs
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Place rack in center of the oven. Generously grease two 9 inch cake pans with solid vegetable shortening then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set aside pans.

Melt the white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

Place the cake mix, water, butter, whole eggs, and egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the slightly cooled white chocolate. Blend with a mixer on low for 2 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix for 2 minutes. Scrape down again if needed. The batter should look well blended.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. Place the pans on a cookie sheet side by side in the oven.

Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back slightly when lightly pressed with your finger, about 38 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again on another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes or more before decorating.

NOTES:

This makes 6 cups of batter.

This cake is a white cake but not "Bridal" white.

I have found that I like the flavor better when I use White Candy Melts instead of the White Chocolate you can get in the markets.

Almost any filling can be used for this cake.