Scratch bakers...Whats you best recipe? - Page 3

Originally Posted by ckkerber

I went to the library a couple of weeks ago and got every cake book I could find . . . my branch only had a few but I did a search of all local branches and requested that they send them all to my branch and then they called me when they were in. Great way to preview books without the added cost! And if there's one you fall in love with, then you know it's worth the $$$!

I also did this with polymer clay books because as I've read on here, you can learn how to mold fondant, etc . . . by reading books on clay molding.

Originally Posted by bayougrl

I would love to get the Cake Bible, but it is so expensive. For now all I can do is drool over it at the book store. One day!

Originally Posted by Naty




Hi ckkerber,

I am looking to make crosses out of polymer clay...funny you should mention this. There are some that you bake the clay and others that you don't. I want to make cross favors that you can hang from a rear view mirror. Could you PM me if you have any tips for me? Have you worked with this clay before? I am totally NEW at this!

thanks,
Naty

Originally Posted by ckkerber




I am so sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I am actually very new to molding things, too. I have never really tried it but have a birthday cake to do for my son next week and wanted to try molded fondant figures. Of the books at the library that I looked at, I only checked out the ones that did people / animals but there were quite a few that did things along the lines of what you need.

A lot of people on this site use polymer clay books to get ideas for molding (that's where I got the idea to look into polymer clay books!) so you may want to post a general question to see if anyone can help. I bet someone would be able to! Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Originally Posted by FancyLayne23

Here I found the White Velvet cake recipe at a 911 baking forum through a web search. I am going to try this ASAP!


This cake is from "The Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I recommend it to every person interested in cake baking. This is the best white cake I have ever had, and can be made in any flavor. The butter makes it a little on the "off white" side, but after you taste it, you really don't care! When people want a really great wedding cake, but they want traditional white, this is the cake I make. I have used this cake with many fillings & many buttercreams.

4 large egg whites / 135 grams
1 cup milk / 242 grams
2 1/2 tsp vanilla (or any extract flavor: almond, lemon, orange, etc.) / 9 grams
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon or orange zest (peel) or 1/8 teaspoon pure citrus oil
3 cups sifted cake flour / 300 grams
4 tsp baking powder / 19.5 grams
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar / 300 grams
3/4 tsp salt / 5 grams
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and then sit out to soften / 170 grams

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2, 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with bakers grease or vegetable oil spray and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper.

In a 4 cup bowl, combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, vanilla, and orange zest. Beat with a fork to combine. Set aside.

In your mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix with the paddle on low speed for 30 seconds to incorporate. Add the butter cubes to the dry ingredients and the remaining 3/4 cup of milk. Mix on low until the mixture is moistened. Scrape the bowl and increase the speed to medium and beat 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape and gradually add the egg white mixture in three batches, beat 20 seconds after each addition, then scrape the bowl each time.

Pour into the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake 30+ minutes until the top is light brown and springs back when lightly touched. The sides should not shrink back from the pan until after you remove it from the oven.

Remove cake from oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn the cake out onto cooling racks. Cool completely and finish with your favorite frosting. You can also wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months.

From The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum