Step 1: Start with some
good old fashioned ‘mise en place’ (pronounced ‘meez ahn plahs’, simply
put, this means have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you
start. Preparation is key ladies (and gents and auntcles). Keep a large
bowl next to you on the counter to throw in whatever you are done with instead
of walking back and forth to the trash can.
Step 2: Take your time to
read and understand the recipe. Baking is a science, and when you mix together ingredients, you're creating
chemistry, albeit edible chemistry, so being precise is important.
Step 3: It’s really helpful
to know a few baking equivalents.
Step 4: Have fun!
Everything tastes good if you have fun while making it.
Strawberry & Cream
Layer Cake
Ingredients:
Cake Ingredients Icing &
Topping Ingredients
350 ml plain yoghurt 250g butter
350 ml sunflower oil 4 cups icing sugar
500 ml sugar 4 TBS milk
1050 ml self-raising flour 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
6 extra-large eggs 3 cups of strawberries, sliced
2 tsp vanilla essence
4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
350 ml sunflower oil 4 cups icing sugar
500 ml sugar 4 TBS milk
1050 ml self-raising flour 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
6 extra-large eggs 3 cups of strawberries, sliced
2 tsp vanilla essence
4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Method:
Empty all
cake ingredients into a bowl and mix with a beater until ingredients are well
blended – be careful not to overmix. Pour batter into 4 round cake tins that
have been greased or lined with wax paper. Bake at 180 °C for 35-40
minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to
cool in the pans and before taking out. To make icing – place butter in a mixing
bowl and beat until soft, add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla essence. Beat
until smooth. Ice each layer and place sliced strawberries on top of the icing
in each layer. Place uncut strawberries on the
top layer or decorate as you wish.
*You can use whipped cream
as a filling for each layer instead of the buttercream icing.
*Baking with oil vs butter – I will save you
from the long explanations but to make a super moist cake, oil outperforms butter is in its ability to coat flour proteins, which
reduces gluten formation and keeps the crumb extra tender. Personally, I use
either butter or flour depending on what I am making, remember there is no
right or wrong here.
* For baking
equivalents see http://laurelbirdlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Baking-and-cooking-equivalents-keep-calm-jpg.jpg
Image Credit: laylita.com
Regards,
La Petit Chef
