tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3328494102342048617.post7281280090481473635..comments2017-10-21T22:48:08.789-07:00Comments on 65 Southern Cakes: What am I doing?chuck b.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00882763861745236443noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3328494102342048617.post-13828742652200337502009-10-07T21:57:53.708-07:002009-10-07T21:57:53.708-07:00Holy Cow! Usually I head for your blog by clicking...Holy Cow! Usually I head for your blog by clicking on it in my sidebar, Chuck, but this time I clicked on your comment which took me to your profile with the "65 Southern Cakes" - cool new blog. I'd have a hard time choosing between the coconut cream and the pineapple one, myself. It's going to be fun to hang out here ;-]<br /><br />About flour: Many of the cakes I make are sturdy, midwest-peasant varieties like bundt cakes or country-style sheet cakes. They come out fine with all purpose flour {always use King Arthur unbleached). <br /><br />For pound cakes and layer cakes and the <a href="http://cookingwiththedivasofthedirt.blogspot.com/2009/03/burnt-sugar-cake-glinda.html" rel="nofollow">Depression Burnt Sugar Cake</a> I buy a local store brand of cake flour. After reading the above comment I went to the freezer to check and it has 2 g protein. <br /><br />If you do buy the straight-sided pans the cakes could be harder to get out -are you already using a greased sheet of waxed paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan? <br /><br />Bon appetit!<br /><br />Annie at the Transplantable RoseAnnie in Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14662139490401110432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3328494102342048617.post-24823937752563428952009-10-05T21:39:10.512-07:002009-10-05T21:39:10.512-07:00Hello. Found your site via Hector Owen's comm...Hello. Found your site via Hector Owen's comment on Althouse about you taking great pics. Indeed, the pumpkin pics on your Back 40 blog are outstanding.<br /><br />My comment here, though, is a question. Does the Southern Cake book you read talk about flour? I notice in your photos here a small bag of Gold Medal A/P flour. <br /><br />Flour is classified by amount of protein. Bread flour has the highest amount of protein because the gluten is kneaded to developed a web-like matrix that captures and holds air bubbles produced by live yeast cells.<br /><br />Cake flour has the lowest amount of protein because cakes and biscuits are leavened chemically and tenderness is valued over matrix strength. Using your mixer, you do not want to develop the gluten protein present in flour while mixing the batter for cake like you do when kneading dough for bread.<br /><br />All Purpose flour is a happy medium between the two protein extremes. <br /><br />Examining the sacks of flour is of little help. If you look at the protein content of a cake mix you'll see the protein most likely listed as 2g. On a package of bread flour the protein amount is probably listed at 4g. All Purpose flour lists 3g protein. But oddly, when I look at the protein listed on flour marketed exclusively for cakes, which I have here, Soft As Silk™, the protein is listed as 3g., same as A/P flour. I do not understand this discrepancy, but I do know the Soft As Silk flour is much softer than the A/P flour. You can feel the difference with your fingertips. <br /><br />So that's was my question, does the book talk about this?<br /><br />I do believe, as you persist in this endeavor of making 65 cakes, you'll find you achieve greater tenderness in your cakes if you do what the cake mix companies do and use low-protein flour in place of A/P flour, especially when using your mixer which risks working up the protein even in low protein flour.Chip Ahoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597726289890879627noreply@blogger.com