Hi Darrell! I read in your mail below that you have a "good carrot cake,
gingerbread and chocolate cake recipe". I'm a newbie at baking and was
wondering if you mind sharing the recipes of these cakes?

Thanks in advance,
Monika


"Darrell Grainger" > wrote in message
...
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, H. W. Hans Kuntze wrote:

> Darrell Grainger wrote:
>
> >[....]
> >You mix the butter and sugar together first then slowly add the eggs. If
> >the mixture curdles while adding the eggs, add a tablespoon of the flour.
> >I had to do this. Why did they curdle? Should I have been mixing faster
at
> >a higher speed and adding the eggs faster?
> >
> Your problem is cold ingredients, Darrell.
> The butter and eggs will not emulsify when cold. Your batter breaks, and
> no, it's not OK! Not for any cake batter, or mayonnaise for that matter.
> :-)

Thanks for the reply. I actually took the butter and eggs out of the
fridge a few hours before I used them. I guess I could have left them out
a little longer.

> First you cream butter and sugar together, regular fine sugar is fine,
> it will dissolve.
> When everything is pale lemon (about double in volume), you start adding
> the eggs one by one and cream a little (not a lot) more.

This is what I usually do. The recipe indicated that I should mix the eggs
and add them a teaspoon at a time. This seems a little TOO slow to me. I
did it anyway. 8^)

> Then you just add the flour (weak cake, like SoftAsSilk, or replace 10%
> of A/P flour with wheat or cornstarch)
> You can add a handfull of flour (from what is used in the recipe) if it
> should ever start to curdle.
> The water (I never use any) I would add with the flour.
> After the flour is added, not much more mixing or the gluten will toughen.

This I knew. Never had any trouble with other recipes I have tried.

> If you don't like the fluffiness of the cake (poundcake is no boxcake by
> any stretch), add a little baking powder, that will make it fluffier.
> But mostly a problem, if the batter breaks, as with any cake.
> And that can be solved by using room temp ingredients and by adding the
> eggs slowly.
>
> Poundcake is one of *the* classical cakes, before GM came out with
> 2-stage mixing and cloyingly sweet, overly fat stuff (trans-cic fat,
> emulsified shortenings).

Good to know. I'm basically trying a little bit of everything. I have a
good carrot cake, gingerbread and chocolate cake recipe. I wanted to try
something white. So far it has all been good. Only had to throw out one
attempt. Everything else has been okay to great. 8^) This cake turned out
okay... all the guys at work liked it but then slather it with a rich
chocolate butter cream icing and they would eat anything.

> Good luck with your baking.

Thanks. And thanks for the information. And thanks for your web site. I've
been there a few times reading stuff. 8^)

> --
> Grue$$e.
>
> C=¦-)§ H. W. Hans Kuntze, CMC, S.g.K. (_o_)
> " Strive for excellence in your life & reject being a doormat to others.
Serve God. "
> http://www.cmcchef.com , chef[AT]cmcchef.com
> _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
>
>

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