Lesson 16: Fats, Cakes, Cookies, and Pies

Objective 2

• Explain the basics of cake and cookie making, including the effects of preparation methods, pan type, altitude, and ingredients.

Birthdays! Weddings! Celebrations! Cake is associated with fun. It is easy to make a cake, and decorating a cake can be a creative outlet. Many people don’t even realize that cake can be made from scratch. Commercial cake mixes have become prevalent and are some of the few convenience foods that are actually less expensive to buy than to make from scratch. When flavor is compared, however, there is nothing that compares to a homemade cake. When you have mastered the art of cake baking and want to branch out, you can take your talents one step further by taking a cake decorating class through a local continuing education program, a retail craft store, or even some supermarkets. Think of the fun you can have!

Cookies make great everyday snacks. Almost everyone has made cookies once in their lives. If you are in a “cookie rut,” making the same cookies each time you want to indulge, try a new recipe from the cookie section of your cookbook. You can’t go wrong. Keep in mind that the high elevation adjustments mentioned in the cake section above usually apply when making cookies. Maybe the cookie recipe you just can’t get to turn out well actually will with a few changes. Keep trying!

Here, another mention of altitude is needed. If you live in altitudes higher than 3,000 feet, there is not as much atmospheric pressure, and baked goods get light in texture quickly. If using a boxed baking mix (brownies, cake, etc.), follow the directions printed on the box for high altitude alterations. If a cake recipe calls for cake flour and you live in a high elevation, you are better off to use all-purpose flour or the product will be too light. (Note: If you are making a cake at lower elevations and do not have cake flour, an easy substitution is: one cup cake flour = 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.) For cakes, cookies, brownies, etc., at higher elevations, you need to either decrease the amount of tenderizing agents (fat and sugar) or increase the amount of stabilizing agents (flour). If you choose the latter method, you should probably add a bit of water so the end product isn’t too dry. Here are some guidelines you can follow. Keep in mind that you may have to experiment until you get the texture just right.

• Add one additional tablespoon of flour per cup of flour called for in the recipe and add one to two tablespoons extra liquid.
• Subtract one to two tablespoons of fat for each cup of fat called for in the recipe and subtract one to three tablespoons of sugar for each cup of sugar called for in the recipe.