Cakes and Dessert Plating

There is nothing like making CAKES! So the last time I posted a blog I was in bread class; which was three terms ago. Since then I have taken a cake class and dessert plating.

Cake class started off great, until I got really sick the day after school started. I ended up missing a few days of class which put me behind the other students. L But once I got back into the kitchen, I “rocked and rolled” and was able to catch up with everyone! I learned a lot in class and enjoyed my teacher.

I learned to make cakes I never even heard of, such as Le ‘Opera cake, Stencil cake, and Dubos Tart. They were all great cakes! I even learned how to make carrot cake, which was heavy but the best. I would have to say the only thing I did not like about the cake was that the carrots where made from almond paste. The almond paste was too sweet for me (I never really liked anything that is too sweet).

It’s funny as I write this I am thinking back on to the events that took place during the term.  The one thing I remember most is being “attacked” in the hallways when leaving class because someone wanted a piece of my cake. There would be times in which I would say “Don’t touch!” because I had yet to take a picture of my finished product. It seemed to always happen the most when the cake was chocolate…When I got home from school and I still had my cake I would leave it in the front lobby of the apartment complex. I would always get good feedback from the neighbors who lived there saying they loved the cake (the good feedback mostly came from my neighbor, who goes to LCB as well).

Dessert plating, (the class I just finished) was the one class I like the most. I really liked this class not only because we had the most two outgoing Chefs, it was because we got to be creative. The Chefs would give us a dessert and show us how it could be made, but in the end they would let us choose how we wanted to make it. All they asked was that the main ingredient must be used but we could add in whatever we wanted in the product. The two main ingredients I used the most in my desserts was Nutmeg and Cinnamon, especially in the ice cream we make. MMM….my mouth is drooling just thinking of it!

The main point in the dessert plating class is that we got to learn how to produce fine dining desserts. It starts from designing the plate with sauce, to producing nice desserts. The dessert requires a crunch, two sauces, height, hot and cold, and a garnish. The hot and cold part means there has to be something on the plate that is cold like ice cream, and a hot item such as a cake. I think the difficult part for me was trying to make up a new design for the plate and placing a garnish on the dessert without it breaking on me.

In the last three weeks of class we moved from dessert plating to making candy. We made bonbons, truffles, and even marshmallows. They were no problem for me, up to a point. Things started to get difficult when it came time for us to create a chocolate box. The chocolate and I would get into a fight every day. Who do you think won the fight? Yeah that’s right the chocolate won, it kicked my butt like there was no tomorrow!

When working with chocolate there is a process in which we must take it through called tempering.

Tempering refers to a process of heating and cooling chocolate to prepare it for dipping and enrobing. The tempering process ensures that the cocoa butter in chocolate hardens in a uniform crystal structure.  

Tempering chocolate is not as easy as we thought when we watched our chefs demo the process. It’s twice as difficult when the weather is way too hot outside because then it takes even longer to temper the chocolate because it would be to warm for the chocolate to set.

I really enjoyed my classes and I am looking forward to starting my next two sets of classes! I will be taking Centerpieces and Cake Decoration Techniques and Hospitality Supervisions. I can’t wait to start working with different techniques in putting a wedding cake together.

Well that’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed this and will look to post another entry when I finish my next term!

My Time In Bread Class

It has been a while since I have posted my latest activities. The last time I posted a report I was in Intro to Baking and had talked about Thanksgiving. When I was in Intro to Baking, I had learned the basics of baking. I now know how to make bread, cheesecake, flan, and many other desserts. This time I am in Bread class, where I am learning to make every kind of bread you can think of (well almost every kind of bread you can think of). Chef had us refresh our memory on making Baguettes the first two weeks of class. We then moved on to making bagels, pizza, pita bread, sourdough bread, pretzels and cinnamon rolls.

Ever since I started to bake bread I found that I enjoy kneading dough by hand. We can use the school mixers but I like to be able to feel the dough become smooth and “tough.” The dough is not really tough; the dough is more like a marshmallow. You know when the dough is done being kneaded when it bounces back like a marshmallow would if you lightly press down on it. The one type of bread I enjoyed making would be the pretzels because I am working with a different type of dough. The dough used to make pretzels is a little moister then our everyday dough, which makes it easier to shape it.

Pizza day was really fun! Shaping the dough was twice more fun than mixing it together because we had to make the pizza as round as possible. The only thing I wish we could have done was learn to toss the dough in the air like a real pizza maker would do. J  We were even allowed to cover the pizza with whatever toppings we wanted. I topped mine with roasted garlic, fresh thyme, basil, and oregano. We didn’t have onions, bell pepper, or pepperoni, but that is okay, maybe next time.

Earlier in the week we made cinnamon rolls in class. I was surprised how easy it was to make them because I thought it was going to be difficult. Originally, I thought we were going to have to roll the cinnamon rolls by hand but I was wrong. Instead we rolled out the dough into a giant rectangle, spread the cinnamon filling on to it, roll the dough long wise to make the swirl, and then cut the cinnamon rolls with floss. After that we have to let them go through the same process as regular bread before we can place them in the oven.

This Monday I have a project due in my Bread class. I have to create my own bread recipe. The last couple of days my chef has given us an opportunity to practice our recipe, which gave me a chance to experiment. I have come up with a Mexican Style Bread, which contains, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, cheese, and at least five different kinds of spices. I hope everyone likes the bread I created when it comes time to walk around and try everyone’s creation.  

In a few days we will be learning to make Danishes. I don’t like Danishes unless there is a lot of strawberry jam in the middle of it. I do enjoy making them though because we can shape them however we want. We will also be making croissants and puff pastry. I can’t wait!