Day 2 with Rose: Eggs--whites or yolks?
My second day with Rose is a lesson on eggs. I have graduated from making pound cakes to making butter cakes. I am feeling rather proud. I am also feeling more relaxed, given how swimmingly I did on Day One. No bundle of nerves, no frantic running around the kitchen. This day should go smoothly.
The ingredients for making butter cake fall into two main categories: those that form and strengthen the cake structure, and those that weaken it. Flour and eggs fall into the first category; both contain proteins that, when baked, coagulate (i.e., change into a thickened mass) to form the supporting structure of the cake. Fat, sugar, and leavening fall into the second category of ingredients; they tenderize the cake structure by weakening it. Liquids fall somewhere in between the two: liquids combine with the flour to form gluten, which is necessary to add to the structure of the cake. But too much liquid and the cake will be heavy, and too little liquid and the cake will collapse. Just the right amount of liquid will create a moist cake with enough structural support.
For my lesson on eggs, I am making two kinds of butter cakes: one with egg yolks instead of whole eggs (Golden Butter Cream Cake), and the other with egg whites only (White Velvet Butter Cake). Using egg yolks instead of whole eggs adds flavor and color as well as a fineness of crumb to the cake. Based on Rose's explanations, I should expect the Golden Butter Cream Cake to be more golden in color and richer in flavor relative to the White Velvet Butter Cake; the crust should also brown more because yolk is higher in protein. On the other hand, I should expect the White Velvet Butter Cake to be slightly softer because yolk becomes firmer after coagulating than do egg whites.
I make the Golden Butter Cream Cake first. While the cake is baking, I set to work on the frosting, a Royal Honey Buttercream. This is another one of Rose's concoctions. It is essentially more egg yolks and butter with a squirt of honey thrown into the mix. Twenty-five minutes later, I take out the cake, which is a golden yellow. I can't wait to eat it; in fact, I don't. Before it's completely cooled, and before I've even finished making the frosting, I bite into it.
Wow! is the first word that escapes my mouth. The cake is light and airy on the inside. And the crumb ... the crumb! The fine crumb of the cake is what gets me really excited. The cake is velvety and nearly melts in my mouth. It is like no cake I've ever baked before.
I tear myself away from the cake to finish making the frosting. On its own, I find the Royal Honey Buttercream too buttery for my liking, but I am drawn to its dreamy aroma. Once I spread it on the cake, I discover that its creaminess is a nice complement to the fine texture of the cake.
(Tip: If you aren't planning on using the left-over egg whites right away, they can be stored covered in the fridge for a few days.)
I make the White Velvet Butter Cake next. If I thought I had found the ultimate cake in the Golden Butter Cream Cake, I realize I may have been wrong. The White Velvet Butter Cake is moist and soft and, best of all, springy. Sweet, buttery flavors bounce off of the cake onto my taste buds.
I've made the White Velvet Butter Cake into a two-layered cake. I had intended to adorn the cake with Raspberry Buttercream. I hadn't read through the entire recipe for the frosting, though, which calls for the frozen raspberries to be thawed in a strainer suspended over a bowl over the course of several hours. That's more hours than I have so late in the evening. (Important lesson learned: Always read through the entire recipe (frosting included) before beginning to bake.) So I decide on Maple Buttercream. This is a variation on Rose's classic buttercream frosting; maple syrup and maple extract replace the corn syrup. I don't have any maple extract on hand so I make do without. I know it is only my second day with Rose, but I feel that this slight deviation can't be helped. In fact, I think it comes out fine; I can't imagine how a more concentrated flavor can improve the already richness of the frosting.
Once the frosting sets on the cake, it forms a nice "crust." It is time to eat! My fork hits the rich maple outer layer of the cake. It sinks into velvety cake before passing through another thick layer of maple frosting on its way to the second layer of velvet. The experience is pure delicate goodness.
Can it get better than this? Next up: fruit cake. More on that next!
Room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 6 tablespoons cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure.
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan* and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and invert it onto a greased wire rack. For an attractive top crust, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
Serve at room temperature.
Room temperature
In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla.
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pans* and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and invert it onto a greased wire rack. If baked in a loaf pan, to keep the bottom from splitting, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
Serve at room temperature.
My second day with Rose is a lesson on eggs. I have graduated from making pound cakes to making butter cakes. I am feeling rather proud. I am also feeling more relaxed, given how swimmingly I did on Day One. No bundle of nerves, no frantic running around the kitchen. This day should go smoothly.
The ingredients for making butter cake fall into two main categories: those that form and strengthen the cake structure, and those that weaken it. Flour and eggs fall into the first category; both contain proteins that, when baked, coagulate (i.e., change into a thickened mass) to form the supporting structure of the cake. Fat, sugar, and leavening fall into the second category of ingredients; they tenderize the cake structure by weakening it. Liquids fall somewhere in between the two: liquids combine with the flour to form gluten, which is necessary to add to the structure of the cake. But too much liquid and the cake will be heavy, and too little liquid and the cake will collapse. Just the right amount of liquid will create a moist cake with enough structural support.
For my lesson on eggs, I am making two kinds of butter cakes: one with egg yolks instead of whole eggs (Golden Butter Cream Cake), and the other with egg whites only (White Velvet Butter Cake). Using egg yolks instead of whole eggs adds flavor and color as well as a fineness of crumb to the cake. Based on Rose's explanations, I should expect the Golden Butter Cream Cake to be more golden in color and richer in flavor relative to the White Velvet Butter Cake; the crust should also brown more because yolk is higher in protein. On the other hand, I should expect the White Velvet Butter Cake to be slightly softer because yolk becomes firmer after coagulating than do egg whites.
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| Golden Butter Cream Cake batter |
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| Golden Butter Cream Cake, right out of the oven. True to its name, it is golden in color. As expected, the crust has browned and forms a nice firm outer layer. |
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| Golden Butter Cream Cake adorned with Royal Honey Buttercream frosting. Exquisite! |
Wow! is the first word that escapes my mouth. The cake is light and airy on the inside. And the crumb ... the crumb! The fine crumb of the cake is what gets me really excited. The cake is velvety and nearly melts in my mouth. It is like no cake I've ever baked before.
I tear myself away from the cake to finish making the frosting. On its own, I find the Royal Honey Buttercream too buttery for my liking, but I am drawn to its dreamy aroma. Once I spread it on the cake, I discover that its creaminess is a nice complement to the fine texture of the cake.
(Tip: If you aren't planning on using the left-over egg whites right away, they can be stored covered in the fridge for a few days.)
 |
| White Velvet Butter Cake frosted with Maple Buttercream. The buttercream has a softer hue relative to the Royal Honey Buttercream. The cake itself is white. |
I make the White Velvet Butter Cake next. If I thought I had found the ultimate cake in the Golden Butter Cream Cake, I realize I may have been wrong. The White Velvet Butter Cake is moist and soft and, best of all, springy. Sweet, buttery flavors bounce off of the cake onto my taste buds.
I've made the White Velvet Butter Cake into a two-layered cake. I had intended to adorn the cake with Raspberry Buttercream. I hadn't read through the entire recipe for the frosting, though, which calls for the frozen raspberries to be thawed in a strainer suspended over a bowl over the course of several hours. That's more hours than I have so late in the evening. (Important lesson learned: Always read through the entire recipe (frosting included) before beginning to bake.) So I decide on Maple Buttercream. This is a variation on Rose's classic buttercream frosting; maple syrup and maple extract replace the corn syrup. I don't have any maple extract on hand so I make do without. I know it is only my second day with Rose, but I feel that this slight deviation can't be helped. In fact, I think it comes out fine; I can't imagine how a more concentrated flavor can improve the already richness of the frosting.
Once the frosting sets on the cake, it forms a nice "crust." It is time to eat! My fork hits the rich maple outer layer of the cake. It sinks into velvety cake before passing through another thick layer of maple frosting on its way to the second layer of velvet. The experience is pure delicate goodness.
Can it get better than this? Next up: fruit cake. More on that next!
Golden Butter Cream Cake
Recipe from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Room temperature
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10.5 tablespoons unsalted butter (must be softened)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl lightly combine the yolks, 2 tablespoons cream, and vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 6 tablespoons cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure.
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan* and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
*Grease a 9-inch by 1 1/2-inch cake pan, line the bottom with parchment or wax paper, and then grease again and flour.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and invert it onto a greased wire rack. For an attractive top crust, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
Serve at room temperature.
White Velvet Butter Cake
Recipe from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Makes two cakes.
Room temperature
4 1/2 large egg whites
1 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (must be softened)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure.
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pans* and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
*Grease two 9-inch by 1 1/2-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper, and then grease again and flour.
Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and invert it onto a greased wire rack. If baked in a loaf pan, to keep the bottom from splitting, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
Serve at room temperature.
