Cake Making - The Initiation
"Anyone can cook!"
- Chef Gusteau from the movie 'Ratatouille'
The wondrous world of cakes has always held a distinct fascination for the sweet-toothed and the culinary-wise. Indeed, I've always felt that some of the best cooks in the world are pastry chefs, as delving deep into the delectably devious world of desserts and coming up trumps on the scorecards of seasoned food critics around is no easy achievement! Especially, since the sugary and seemingly innocuous arena of pastries have proved to be the Achilles heel of many a talented chef. However, to those blessed with the required sight, smells and tastes (that aid the dexterity of their limbs in the kitchen when dueling with a recipe and thereby, enable them to script a success story), the rewards prove sweeter than the dish itself! Hence, to them, I dedicate this write up hoping to get their valuable expertise and blessings on my journey forward into the fabulous and feverish activity of pastry-making.
And I'm proud to say that May 28, 2012 marked my humble initiation into the world of cake-making. All my life I've been an admirer of all those who have been able to make (and feed the marveling and the cynical alike) fabulous yet simple cakes. I'm not a fan of icing or frosting and instead relish the simplicity of the cake that is not embellished by either of these forms of 'makeup'. Therefore, some of the best cakes that I cherish from my childhood have been the plain ones usually without any bright color or cream or even that quintessential fantasy - chocolate - the majordomo of dessert ingredients! I distinctly remember the simple banana cake one of my close friends made and got to school in the eleventh standard. It was perhaps one of the most singularly happy memories of those last two years of my school-life when my skies were otherwise tinged with grey clouds. The other particularly mouth-watering memory is when Christmas used to come around. Come December, and I'd wait for the 25th, for on that day would inevitably arrive a plateful of delicious cakes prepared and sent by a family friend.
So, it was no surprise that I found myself watching a cookery show the night before, not unlike the countless others that I'd seen on previous occasions. This one was not really remarkable and I was almost allowing sleep to get the better of my faculties when suddenly the words 'banana cake' caught my ears and my eyes at once fluttered wide open. The recipe itself was simple (as suggested by the name of the show, which advocated fast and simple cooking) and the ingredients few. I did not pay much attention to the specifics of the quantity of the ingredients except for what was obviously visual ( visual has always tended to be my stronger faculty than audio) such as two eggs, couple of bananas etc. Also, since it was more of a 'bedtime TV-watching' thing I did not really feel up to taking notes regarding the measurements of the ingredients. Anyway, the one thing that really caught my sleepy mind and stayed put was the consistency of the batter that I saw the cook pour out into the baking dish. The rest was mostly a haze. But I did get the general idea and the emphasis on ripened bananas also rang a bell. There were a couple of extra-ripe bananas in my kitchen that I wanted to dispose off decently as in not having to throw them away simply because they were too ripe to eat. So, using them for the cake seemed a good idea. The only tiny doubt remained as to how much of my sleepy-brained ideas would actually come to pass when day dawned. The thing was I had never baked a cake before, let alone a banana cake! As I walked off to bed I mentally mumbled to myself "Hmm...let's see."
The morrow came and still the niggling idea that had taken root the night before refused to die a natural death. I was glad because it would actually be the first instance when my night-time memory was winning over my more aggressive daylight thoughts. So, I Googled a few recipes for better confidence, taking care to read the feedback comments at the bottom underlining the experiences of those who'd actually tried out the posted recipes. The comments proved more useful than the recipes (that were more or less the same) for the banana cake I intended to make.
I read through half a dozen recipes ( the first three I came across had the use of a normal oven, which I didn't have and that alerted me to type in the word 'Microwave' to get recipes specific to Microwave ovens). Nearly all of the recipes seemed similar to each other, and I shut down the computer without really taking any recipe down, thinking that I'd use ingredients on an approximation per my requirements apart from the eggs and the bananas. So, I mashed the two bananas, beat two eggs and added butter, sugar, flour and milk on a need-to basis keeping in mind the kind of batter that would be needed (that is, neither too runny nor too thick). All along I was aware that a key ingredient was missing - sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. At one point, I madly thought I'd just go ahead without it. But then, saner thinking prevailed and I ordered it from the store downstairs along with some butter paper that I was missing too.
I prepared the batter and greased the solitary baking dish we had and waited for the baking soda. Adding the drinking chocolate and walnuts was a last minute thought as I waited. The store took a while to deliver it during which time my two-and-a-half-year-old woke up from her afternoon nap. Between trying to get her to have something and making myself a cup of much needed hot tea, the long-awaited final ingredient arrived (the butter paper did not!). I promptly stirred it in and then folded the batter into the baking dish. Then, I proceeded to place the dish inside the Microwave oven. Just as I was about to close the over door, I thought about checking whether the dish would rotate inside. To my dismay, the corners of the baking dish (shaped like a boat) were blocking the sides of the oven and would not let the dish rotate. I took out the boat-dish and looked around for a replacement. There was only one other vessel that I could use. It wasn't ceramic and had no guarantee to be Microwave safe. I decided to chance my luck. If worse came to pass I would lose the dish and the cake as well, not to discount the labor and hours spent in getting it together. So, I greased the alternate dish, put the batter in and placed the lot in the oven. Setting the timer, I pressed the 'Start' button. As the baking commenced, I watched through the oven's glass door like a hawk looking for any sign of the vessel disintegrating. My nose could have given any hound a run for her money as it sniffed around the oven checking for any unsavory smells of burning. As the timer counted down, perspiration lined my forehead and started to trickle down the back of my neck. It was like watching a thriller movie unfold fearing a horror scene any moment! The suspense lasted exactly eight minutes. The timer stopped finally and as soon as the beep sounded, I opened the oven and looked inside. To my immense relief, it seemed like I 'd drunk from the tiny vial of 'Liquid Luck' like Harry Potter. The dish stayed intact and although the middle was a tad under-cooked and required a couple minutes more, the cake itself came out looking finer than I had imagined.
Later, tasting my Banana-Chocolate-Walnut cake, which had just the right amount of moistness and fluffiness, I felt proud and extremely lucky at having had a successful start to my cake-making journey. Looking at my daughter stuff a piece into her mouth and then want more, I felt a lightness of spirit and gladness of heart that'd been missing for the past few weeks. I can now confidently say that the initiation into cake-making has turned out to be a truly memorable and precious experience, one that will not easily slide away from memory. Amen!
- Chef Gusteau from the movie 'Ratatouille'
The wondrous world of cakes has always held a distinct fascination for the sweet-toothed and the culinary-wise. Indeed, I've always felt that some of the best cooks in the world are pastry chefs, as delving deep into the delectably devious world of desserts and coming up trumps on the scorecards of seasoned food critics around is no easy achievement! Especially, since the sugary and seemingly innocuous arena of pastries have proved to be the Achilles heel of many a talented chef. However, to those blessed with the required sight, smells and tastes (that aid the dexterity of their limbs in the kitchen when dueling with a recipe and thereby, enable them to script a success story), the rewards prove sweeter than the dish itself! Hence, to them, I dedicate this write up hoping to get their valuable expertise and blessings on my journey forward into the fabulous and feverish activity of pastry-making.
And I'm proud to say that May 28, 2012 marked my humble initiation into the world of cake-making. All my life I've been an admirer of all those who have been able to make (and feed the marveling and the cynical alike) fabulous yet simple cakes. I'm not a fan of icing or frosting and instead relish the simplicity of the cake that is not embellished by either of these forms of 'makeup'. Therefore, some of the best cakes that I cherish from my childhood have been the plain ones usually without any bright color or cream or even that quintessential fantasy - chocolate - the majordomo of dessert ingredients! I distinctly remember the simple banana cake one of my close friends made and got to school in the eleventh standard. It was perhaps one of the most singularly happy memories of those last two years of my school-life when my skies were otherwise tinged with grey clouds. The other particularly mouth-watering memory is when Christmas used to come around. Come December, and I'd wait for the 25th, for on that day would inevitably arrive a plateful of delicious cakes prepared and sent by a family friend.
So, it was no surprise that I found myself watching a cookery show the night before, not unlike the countless others that I'd seen on previous occasions. This one was not really remarkable and I was almost allowing sleep to get the better of my faculties when suddenly the words 'banana cake' caught my ears and my eyes at once fluttered wide open. The recipe itself was simple (as suggested by the name of the show, which advocated fast and simple cooking) and the ingredients few. I did not pay much attention to the specifics of the quantity of the ingredients except for what was obviously visual ( visual has always tended to be my stronger faculty than audio) such as two eggs, couple of bananas etc. Also, since it was more of a 'bedtime TV-watching' thing I did not really feel up to taking notes regarding the measurements of the ingredients. Anyway, the one thing that really caught my sleepy mind and stayed put was the consistency of the batter that I saw the cook pour out into the baking dish. The rest was mostly a haze. But I did get the general idea and the emphasis on ripened bananas also rang a bell. There were a couple of extra-ripe bananas in my kitchen that I wanted to dispose off decently as in not having to throw them away simply because they were too ripe to eat. So, using them for the cake seemed a good idea. The only tiny doubt remained as to how much of my sleepy-brained ideas would actually come to pass when day dawned. The thing was I had never baked a cake before, let alone a banana cake! As I walked off to bed I mentally mumbled to myself "Hmm...let's see."
The morrow came and still the niggling idea that had taken root the night before refused to die a natural death. I was glad because it would actually be the first instance when my night-time memory was winning over my more aggressive daylight thoughts. So, I Googled a few recipes for better confidence, taking care to read the feedback comments at the bottom underlining the experiences of those who'd actually tried out the posted recipes. The comments proved more useful than the recipes (that were more or less the same) for the banana cake I intended to make.
I read through half a dozen recipes ( the first three I came across had the use of a normal oven, which I didn't have and that alerted me to type in the word 'Microwave' to get recipes specific to Microwave ovens). Nearly all of the recipes seemed similar to each other, and I shut down the computer without really taking any recipe down, thinking that I'd use ingredients on an approximation per my requirements apart from the eggs and the bananas. So, I mashed the two bananas, beat two eggs and added butter, sugar, flour and milk on a need-to basis keeping in mind the kind of batter that would be needed (that is, neither too runny nor too thick). All along I was aware that a key ingredient was missing - sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. At one point, I madly thought I'd just go ahead without it. But then, saner thinking prevailed and I ordered it from the store downstairs along with some butter paper that I was missing too.
I prepared the batter and greased the solitary baking dish we had and waited for the baking soda. Adding the drinking chocolate and walnuts was a last minute thought as I waited. The store took a while to deliver it during which time my two-and-a-half-year-old woke up from her afternoon nap. Between trying to get her to have something and making myself a cup of much needed hot tea, the long-awaited final ingredient arrived (the butter paper did not!). I promptly stirred it in and then folded the batter into the baking dish. Then, I proceeded to place the dish inside the Microwave oven. Just as I was about to close the over door, I thought about checking whether the dish would rotate inside. To my dismay, the corners of the baking dish (shaped like a boat) were blocking the sides of the oven and would not let the dish rotate. I took out the boat-dish and looked around for a replacement. There was only one other vessel that I could use. It wasn't ceramic and had no guarantee to be Microwave safe. I decided to chance my luck. If worse came to pass I would lose the dish and the cake as well, not to discount the labor and hours spent in getting it together. So, I greased the alternate dish, put the batter in and placed the lot in the oven. Setting the timer, I pressed the 'Start' button. As the baking commenced, I watched through the oven's glass door like a hawk looking for any sign of the vessel disintegrating. My nose could have given any hound a run for her money as it sniffed around the oven checking for any unsavory smells of burning. As the timer counted down, perspiration lined my forehead and started to trickle down the back of my neck. It was like watching a thriller movie unfold fearing a horror scene any moment! The suspense lasted exactly eight minutes. The timer stopped finally and as soon as the beep sounded, I opened the oven and looked inside. To my immense relief, it seemed like I 'd drunk from the tiny vial of 'Liquid Luck' like Harry Potter. The dish stayed intact and although the middle was a tad under-cooked and required a couple minutes more, the cake itself came out looking finer than I had imagined.
Wow!
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