This document discusses cakes and icings. It provides information on various types of cakes such as butter cakes, genoise cakes, and angel food cakes. It describes different mixing methods like the creaming method and genoise method. It also covers topics such as ingredients, baking, cooling, frostings, assembling, and decorating cakes. The document is intended as a reference for making and finishing cakes.

1. CHAPTER 32
CAKES AND ICINGS
Gilber Noussitou 2010
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2. Cakes and Icings
• Cakes are popular in most bakeshops because a
wide variety of finished products can be created
from only a few basic cake, filling and frosting
formulas
• Cakes are popular because of their versatility
• Cakes can be unadorned sheets or an elaborate
centrepiece
• Most cakes are created from liquid batters with
high fat and sugar contents
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3. Ingredients
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Use high-quality ingredients
Scale ingredients precisely
Mix ingredients methodically
Each ingredient has a specific function:
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Tougheners: proteins
Tenderizers: fats & sugar)
Moisteners: water, milk, juices, etc.
Driers: flours & starches
Leaveners: gases (air, steam), baking powder & soda
Flavourings: extracts, cocoa, chocolate, spices,
liqueurs, etc.
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4. Cake Category/Mixing Methods
High Fat
Low Fat
Creaming Method
Sponge/Genoise Method
• High Fat: (Structure relies on creamed fat and flour)
– Butter cakes
– High-ratio cakes
• Low Fat: (Structure relies on whipped eggs and flour)
– Genoise
– Sponge cakes
– Angel food cakes
– Chiffon cakes
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5. Creaming Method
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Preheat the oven and prepare the pans
Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside
Cream the fat until light and fluffy
Add sugar; cream until fluffy and smooth
Add eggs slowly, beating well with each addition
Add dry and liquid ingredients alternately
Divide the batter into prepared pans and bake
immediately
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6. Genoise Cakes
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Preheat the oven and prepare the pans
Sift dry ingredients together
Whisk whole eggs and sugar together; warm to 40°C
(104°F); whip until triple in volume
Carefully fold the flour into whipped eggs
Fold in cooled melted butter
Divide batter into lined pans
Bake immediately on medium heat
Allow the cake to cool in the pan
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7. Sponge Cakes
1.
2.
3.
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5.
Preheat the oven and prepare the pans
Whip egg whites with a portion of sugar until stiff
and glossy
Whip egg yolks to a “ribbon,” add other liquids and
flavourings to form a batter
Carefully fold whipped egg whites into the batter.
Divide the batter into the pan and bake immediately
on medium to high heat
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8. Angel Food Cakes
1.
2.
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5.
Preheat the oven
Whip the egg whites to a soft pick, add a portion of
the sugar, continue whipping until stiff
Carefully fold the sifted dry ingredients into the
whipped egg whites
Divide the batter into an ungreased pan and bake
immediately on medium heat
Allow the cake to cool inverted in its pan
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9. Cooling the Cake Upside Down
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10. Convenience Products
• Prepackaged cake mixes are a tremendous time
saver for commercial foodservice operators
• Packaged cake mixes are often more expensive
• Cakes made from mixes are softer and more cottony
and the flavours tend to be more artificial
• You must follow package directions carefully
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11. Panning and Baking
• Preparing Pans
– Most baking pans are coated with fat, a
nonstick baking parchment, or both
• Baking
– Always preheat the oven before preparing
your batter
– Most cakes are baked between 160 & 190°C
(325 and 375° F)
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12. Altitude Adjustments
• Above 900 m (3000 ft), decreased atmospheric
pressure affects the creation of steam and
expansion of air
– Chemical leaveners should be decreased by:
• 20% at 1050 m (3500 feet)
• 40 % at altitudes above 1500 m (5000 ft)
– Eggs should be increased by 10% and under-whipped
– Liquid should be increased by 10%
– Temperatures should be increased by 4°C (25°F) above
1500 m (5000 ft)
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13. Baking
• Determining Doneness
– Use a timer to note the minimum suggested baking time
– Avoid opening the oven door; cold air or a drop in oven
temperature will cause the cake to fall
– Consider:
• Appearance
• Touch
• Cake tester
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14. Cooling
• Generally, allow cakes to cool 10-15
minutes in their pan after being removed
from the oven before unmolding on a
cooling rack
• Angel food and chiffon cakes should be
turned upside down immediately after
they are removed from the oven
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15. Frostings
• Also known as icing
• Frosting is a sweet and decorative coating
used as a filler between the layers or as a
coating over the tops and sides of a cake
• Used to add flavour and improve the
appearance of a cake
• Frosting can also extend the cake’s shelf life
• High quality ingredients, natural flavours,
and colour are essential for a good frosting
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16. Frosting Types
• Seven types of frostings:
– Butter cream: mixture of butter and sugar
• Simple – French – Italian
– Foam: meringue made with hot sugar
• Boiled icing or 7-minutes icing
– Fudge: cooked sugar, butter, water and/or milk
– Fondant: cooked mixture of sugar and water
– Glaze: confectioner’s sugar with liquid
• Flat or water icing
– Royal icing: confectioner’s sugar and egg white
– Ganache: melted chocolate and cream
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17. Italian Butter Cream
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18. Chocolate Ganache
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19. Assembling and Decorating Cakes
• A cake’s appearance is the basis for eye appeal
• Assembling can be done in a variety of shapes
and sizes
• The goal of assembly is to fill and stack the cake
layers evenly and to apply an even coating that is
smooth and free of crumbs
• Side masking and stencils are techniques used to
give the cake definition
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20. Assembling Cakes
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21. Simple Decorating Techniques
Side masking
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Stencils
Cake comb
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