Science of Gastronomy: Desserts

The word dessert comes from a French word 'dessevir', which means 'to clear the table'.

Cakes:
The elasticity of the cake dough is due to formation of gluten fibers. The stronger the fibers the more elastic the dough. Water makes gluten  fibers strong while oil, acid, sugar decrease the strength of gluten thus making the dough less elastic. Salt can make the fibers strong (this is probably why we add a little salt while making the dough in a cake).
Cakes become soft by introducing air bubbles inside the cake. This can be done using leavening agents such as baking powder, baking soda or yeast. Baking powder and baking soda are chemical leavening agents. The differences between the two can be found here. However chemical leavening agent can change the taste and color of the cakes. In this case biological leavening agent like yeasts are used. Yeast requires the right temperature and the correct nutrient like sugar for it to rise. However yeast releases carbon very slowly while the chemical leavening agents produce the air bubbles faster. The dough produced by yeast is more elastic while that produced by chemical agents is less strong. Thus yeast is used for food like bread while chemical agents are used for items like cakes. Yeasts also leave behind a distinct flavor. Butter and eggs add on to the color and the texture of the cakes.

Why do cakes 'sink' in the center?
This is because of variations in temperature.

• temperature too low, or cooking time too short.
• frequent opening of the oven door.
• too much liquid or too little flour. Steam condenses and causes the cake to collapse in the center.
• cooling time too long.

Souffles:

Factors affecting the texture of souffles include

• the type of eggs: old eggs give larger volumes but fresh eggs give more stable foam. eggs from the fridge give firm and good quality foam.
• egg yolk: they are low in water content, so cause the foam to dry out. Also the proteins are too stable to form foam.
• beaters: Multiple tines = better foam. Also if the beater keeps moving around the vessel then the foam will be better.
• ingredients like salt, water, vinegar and sugar. Salt decreases the stability of the foam and will also cause the foam to lose moisture dry out. But may be used for taste. Sugar increases the stability of the egg white foam. However we have to add it at the right time. Too early and a longer time is needed for the foam to form, too late and the foam will be dry. Vinegar makes the foam more stable. 
• incorporation of ions.

Custard:

Protein denaturation is a process that happens when you heat proteins. Denaturation is followed by protein coagulation which leads the food to thicken. This phenomenon is used in making custards etc.

Chocolate Cake for the 1st Anniversary

So, it was our first anniversary yesterday and I decided to bake.

 

This was one of the best cakes I have ever made. So moist and delicious. Yummm...

 

I used Ina Garten's recipe. And this is what I did.

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups sugar
• A little less than 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (though the recipe called for koshar salt I used regular salt and it was fine)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (which I made by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice in 1 cup milk)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (though I have decided that I will use butter next time. All cakes should be made of butter. No questions asked).
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans.

 

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. You can sift them together, but I feel that mixing it with a spoon works just fine. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. I used blender at low speed for this. With the blender on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With blender still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out and cool completely.

 

Now you can double the recipe and make 2 cakes and make layers. Or you can slice this cake into half and use that too. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate. With a knife  spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

 

Enjoy. Yummmm!!!

Chocolate Frosting:

• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups sugar (I used regular ones...on the hindsight I should have followed the original recipe and used confectioners' sugar)
• 1 cup brewed coffee (again..recipe called for 2 teaspoon of instant coffee; I used brewed coffee. I dont think they are interchangeable but it worked for me).

Melt chocolate. I am a lazy cook. I microwave just about everything. So to melt the chocolate I used the microwave. Put in the chocolate chips for 30 seconds on hi. Check...and then repeat for 15 seconds until the chocolate melts just enough. Only issue with microwave is that the chocolate can burn easily if you over-microwave it. So stick to the 15 second rule.Set aside until cooled to room temperature.

 

Beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Add 2 tablespoon of hot coffee (Or else, sissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water). On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Super Simple Cake

OK this was such an easy one to do....I wonder why I didn't do it before.

The ingredients

• Flour...about a cup
• 1 tin condensed milk
• About 50 grams butter....unsalted of course
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Melt butter.Let it cool but don't let it solidify (makes mixing the ingredients easier.Whip the eggs together...I just used the food processor.Then put all of this and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.Mix them well so that no lumps are formed.Grease a baking pan well.Pour the batter in.Bake for about 30-35 minutes...you know what to do with a toothpick.

Coffee liqueur

For the cake i made yesterday i used coffee liquor...which i am sure available readymade somewhere out there but i decided to make my own...

this is what is needed

4 cup. water

3 cup. (up to 3 1/2 3/4 to taste) sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract (i read somewhere that 1 vanilla bean (slice lengthwise in 2) can also be used)

1 cup. instant coffee

1 fifth cup vodka

Boil water and sugar for 5 minutes. Remove. Add coffee . Heat to boil; cool for 1/2 hour. Put vodka and vanilla in gallon jug, add other mixture when cool and mix. If using bean, put in dark closet for 6 weeks. If using extract can use immediately. Make 3/4 of jug full.

Coffee liqueur cake

well...it has been a long long time i wrote somethin here.thats because i was bogged down with the thought that i would not put anything sweet up here.but then turns out i stopped cooking altogether...so salty things will have their share sometime later....cuz "i are baking!"

anyways last time my frens had come over i made death by chocolate...that required me to make some coffe liquor.a lot of that had reamined over so i thought i will use it for the new cake i would bake today.

today i am not putting up the ingredients...will move straight to the receipe.so i took frozen butter sugar and one egg and beat them together.i read somewhere that the key to making soft cakes was to have solid butter bits.thats why i used frozen butter...no amount of beating will make it completely smooth.anyways to this pasty thing i added flour, baking powder and soda bicarb (i dunno why they use soda bicarb...but there is one cook show in which the lady who cooks puts soda bicarb in all the baked products she makes...so i thought i would give it a go too)...then over this i put lots and lots of coffee liquor.probably enough to get me drunk if i was to have it neat.anyways it was enough to make the batter into cake like consistency.i put the batter in a greased baking dish (yes its still the square one....we have not actually got down to buying a new one) and baked it in a preheated oven...180 degree celcius for 22 minutes...and this is the result...



the white thing on top is powdred sugar....icing sugar if u must...that i used to visual effects.

i was about to eat it i was like whats a cake without some amount of chocolate in it...so out came my hershey's syrup and well here's the final product...