I began baking cakes from scratch at age 21, recently married, in a foreign country. I admit, necessity was the mother of invention, within my case. That was a very long time ago, and even when I returned to this country I continued to create my own personal cakes from scratch because they are just better, in every way. I offer five good reasons why you need to leave the grocery shelf options and uncover the realm of possibilities when one takes that leap of faith. Lemon Pound Cake strain
1. The Ease
Anyone who believes it's too difficult, or that it takes too much time to make a cake from scratch has either never tried, or simply gives up too easily. Really, it takes barely additional time to make a cake from scratch than it does to open a field, move out a dish and spoon, get an egg or two, milk, oil and whatever else the box calls for. Then measuring cups or spoons for the liquids and mixing. Grease the pan or pans. Set the oven temperature and bake. I ask you, what is the difference? To produce a cake from scratch, you move out a dish and spoon. Lay out the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk. Measure the ingredients. Mix and bake. There is not plenty of difference. The one, and possibly only difference, is the necessity to cream the butter and sugar. While a menu may intimidate by declaring that improper creaming of ingredients will yield a dessert that's too crumbly, too dry, or uneven, I have never had these problems, even when at age 21 my one utensil was a spoon. Today many people own at least a small electric hand mixer, rendering it all simpler.
2. The Flavor
Flavors of cakes may be varied in several ways. Obviously, the addition of cocoa or chocolate will yield a chocolate cake. So many other available choices exist, and some are very simple. There are so many flavorings available on the market these days that didn't exist for the house baker even 10 years ago. Using orange or lemon juice or zest will yield a beautiful citrus flavor. But all these flavoring possibilities aside, the flavor of a dessert made from scratch is so much richer that anything from the box. Even an ordinary vanilla cake is exalted when made from an excellent recipe with loving care. If you ask me, there is nothing plain about vanilla flavor, either. We've such usage of high quality vanilla, vanilla beans and even vanilla paste these days, making plain vanilla a whole misnomer. Have you ever includes a vanilla bean go so dry you can't scrape the seeds out of it? I'd that happen recently, so I broke the bean into pieces and placed it into a small grinder and made powder out from the entire bean. I strained out any larger bits, and now use a pinch of the powder in cake or icing with tasty results.
3. The Texture
Having made cakes from scratch since so long ago, cakes made from a field mix have no texture at all. They remind me of plain white sandwich bread. Press down and all you have is air. Light and fluffy they might be, but there is no substance at all. A cake made from scratch has some texture. There is something to chew on. There are ways to make a cake softer, such as for example using cake flour, but even when I began out with only plain all purpose flour, my cakes were always exclaimed over. There is a specific amount of science associated with making cakes, but that will not stop one from trying.
4. The Diversity
There are so many types and types of cake recipes to choose from. I am not talking about the flavors, however the diversity of cakes to make. There are simple cakes, mixed from the conventional flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk and flavor. How about a coffee cake, pound cake, upside down cake, chiffon cake or angel food? There are a variety of cakes, like pannetone or Sally Lunn which can be less well-known but equally good in different ways. The ingredients are the exact same basic ones, but used a somewhat different way and with a completely new result.
5. Well-Being
Whenever one makes something from scratch, there is a rewarding sense of well-being. There is the impression of pride in accomplishment and the data that what you've made is free of preservatives and additives. You've the capability to present the family with something that you know is better for them. Find your sense of pride and accomplishment. Create a cake.
Many thanks for taking the time to see my article. I really hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey.
My passion is to instruct people how to make a harmony of flavors with their cooking and help pass along my love and joy of food. I would love to know from you! Join my "e-family" and share recipes, stories and good times in the kitchen