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CateC_BettyCrocker_MOD:

Lea Brown

How does one make chocolate & vanilla icing like the bakeries?? Love that icing!

lea, the most upscale bakeries use chocolate ganache which is a mixture of dark chocolate and heavy cream (by weigh a little more cream than chocolate). it's so easy to make: just process the chocolate in a food processor until very fine. bring the heavy cream to the boiling point and with the motor on pour in the cream. the hard part is waiting for it to thicken without wanting to eat it on the spot! you need to scrape the ganache into a bowl and let it sit uncovered for an hour. then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for a few hours until thick enough to spread well. if you whisk it, it will thicken sooner but also lighten in color.

there are several reasons: here is the main one:

the outside of the cake which touches the metal pan sets first and the center continues to rise for a longer period of time. i have designed silicone cake strips that wrap around the sides of the pan to equalize the baking from edge to center. you could also make your own by tearing off a long strip of aluminum foil and wrapping it around wet paper towels, then using a metal paper clamp or paper clip to attach it.

rhicastetter:

Why does the cake hump up in the middle?  I can never bake a level cake

hi rhicastetter!

if a cake humps or domes in the middle there are several possible reasons:

the flour is too high a protein (always use bleached flour for cakes)

the oven is too hot (is the cake taking less time to bake than the recipe indicated)

too little leavening (increase the baking powder or baking soda a little)

it also helps to wrap the pan with a cake strip to slow down the baking at the sides of the pan so the center can catch up with it. i have designed silicone strips called "rose's heavenly cake strips." you can also make your own by wetting paper towels and folding a long strip of aluminum foil around them, then fastening them with a metal paper clip or clamp.

hi rhicastetter!

there are essentially two reasons why a cake will hump up in the middle. it could be the fault of the recipe in which case a little more leavening (baking powder or baking powder) will do the trick. but the more common explanation is that the batter that's close to the sides of the pan sets first and the center part continues to rise. to remedy this cake bakers usually use strips around the pan to slow down the heating at the sides. there are ones that you moisten first in water and then pin together. i created "roses's heavenly cake strips" which are bands of silicone that are easier to use as no moistening or pinning is required. (they're available on amazon).

hi rhlcastetter!

first, some authors intentionally make the recipe so that it domes slightly if it is destined to be a single layer cake but for two or more layers you do want them to be flat. i designed cake strips called "rose's heavenly cake strips" that encircle the cake pans slowing down the baking at the sides so that they can catch up with the center that bakes more slowly. but this will only help if the doming is slight. if the recipes is off you'll need to weaken the structure. it usually works well to increase the leavening. 

I want to make that pumpkin cake that I seen on Betty Crocker website... I am going to a hallowen party for kids I want to win the crowd over by making it really moist like it came straight from the bakery.... So could you please lead a hand and let me know what I need to do to make a mosit box cake.... Thanks for you time

that is a great question- a cake that tastes like hot chocolate! it doesnt get much better than that

also, thanks for answering all of our questions, that is so nice of you!

my idea of a cake that tastes like hot chocolate would surely be my double chocolate valentine cake. the recipe is in my new book "rose's heavenly cakes" and it is also on my blog www.realbakingwithrose.com under pbs recipes. alternatively you could use your favorite chocolate cake and do the special technique which is to make a chocolate ganache 3 ounces of 60 yo 62% cacao chocolate to 6 ounces heavy cream. as soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a wooden skewer and brush with half the glaze. unmold it after 10 minutes and to the same to the other side.

GEE, Rose, where you at? All these questions and no answers?  granna2

granna2: As stated in her post- she'll be in tomorrow sometime. I am excited to see her responses. Sincerely, CC