Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

Gail, if pictures say a thousand words, your writing said a thousand pictures.

Reading made me hungry and drool even w/o smell and w/o picture!

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | May 27, 2008 5:00 PM #

Thanks to Rose and everyone else who shared their knowledge of strawberry and cream filled layer cakes here. After reading and re-reading these posts, I made a special cake for a baby shower. To everyone's delight, it was remarkably good. I learned a few things in the making and thought it only fair to post that information here. The cakes were baked in an 11x15x2 inch pan. I made two cakes, one using Ruth's genoise recipe (2.5 x the recipe with 10 large eggs) and one cake using Christopher Kimball's recipe (2 x the recipe, also with 10 large eggs). In addition to the vanilla, I added the finely grated, colored-part-only rind of one orange to each. Both were very good but for this recipe, I preferred the genoise which better absorbed the juice from the macerated berries. The final cake had four layers! I generally like to use the heavy cream sold here by the pint at Trader Joe's since it is not ultra-pasteurized. It has a very fresh taste and has a very high butterfat content. I thought the day would be very hot and so resolved to use Hector's super stabilized method. But I found this cream a bit too stiff to spread nicely. And worst of all, I did not have enough cream! My husband came to the rescue. He dashed to the local supermarket and brought back 3 more pints of the store brand "heavy whipping cream". I did not have time to cool the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture and so just went with the gelatin. The bowl and beater were ice cold, the cream right out of the store cooler. I used the microwave to heat the softened gelatin and sugar mixture till the gelatin was dissolved and then added the vanilla using this recipe x 6: 1 tsp. powdered gelatin, 4 tsp. water, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. No time to cool it at all! Then the cream seemed like it would not whip! Panic! But just as it was starting to thicken, I added the gelatin in a thin stream while beating at full speed. Voila, creamy, fluffy, springy and delicious. Easy to spread and decorate with. The first batch provided a nice base coat as one would do for a wedding cake. It held up inside the layers. The second batch then glided on. With a pastry tube and large rosette tip, I made a rectangular (7x4) grid plus a nice shell border along the edges and the base. Just before serving, I cut the most perfectly shaped, unsugared, washed but dried strawberries, with the hull left on, in half from tip to hull and positioned each at a slight slant, one per square. It made a really stunning presentation. I had to transport this cake from San Diego to Los Angeles. As always, Rose knew what to do. Following her advice, I got a large Styrofoam shipping box from Box City. The cake was sitting on 3 of those large rectangular cake sheets made by Wilton. I held them together with a bit of double-sided tape. Also, I put a thin layer of Italian meringue on the top cardboard sheet (hidden by the cake though) before placing the first cake layer on it to keep it in securely in place. It fit the box perfectly. To keep things cold, I made my own frozen gel packs. Add 1 quart of water to a one gallon zip lock freezer bag. Then add 1/2 T of Soil Moist and let it stand for 5 minutes - it keeps the ice frozen for much longer. Double bag for security. I froze these overnight, keeping them flat. I used 6 of these on the bottom of the box and then added some Styrofoam peanuts to make a level surface. The cake traveled perfectly despite some bumpy roads and sudden stops! The best part was watching how the guests really enjoyed this special cake. Could not have done it without you!

Reply to this      Posted by: Gail | May 27, 2008 4:36 PM #

Mila,
You can look on the nutrition information label for your chocolate and see how many grams of sugar it contains per serving. You can use that information to calculate how much sugar you need to remove from the original recipe.

Reply to this      Posted by: Matthew | October 20, 2007 1:12 AM #

Hector thank you! I know about refrigerating raw milk products but 2 things: 1) nothing will happen with the cake having whipped cream in it if it'll spend 1 hour outside the fridge (how do ppl serve it then?) 2) most of the dairy available storewide in NYC is ultrapasteurized... not raw. It has much longer shelf life than the raw.
As to the white chocolate and cream - ilove White Ganache from the Cake Bible and use it often as ppl like it aswell (in my community buttercream is not the filling/icing of choice) the only thing why i asked about it is that i've never done Strawberry Cloud Cream before so i have no idea what is the original sweeteness level and how will it behave while serving.

Bill, thank you. I love cocoa butter hint in cream especially if it's strawberry shortcake, charlotte or anything with strawberries and even raspberries.

Reply to this      Posted by: Mila | October 19, 2007 8:42 PM #

I have used white chocolate to stabilize whipped cream...it works beautifully but it definitely adds a cocoa butter taste to the cream...I prefer using gelatin. I like my whipped cream to be flavored only with a touch of sugar and vanilla...so I stay away from the white chocolate.

Reply to this      Posted by: Bill | October 19, 2007 4:22 PM #

Mila, I hate to tell you this, but whipped cream (in any form without chemical preservatives) must be kept refrigerated at all times. It is a raw milk product and I believe FDA recommends this.

I've never added white chocolate on whipped cream, but I do think the sweetness of white chocolate is 1.5-2 of white chocolate = 1 of sugar. White chocolate brands differs on sugar content, so you will just need to try by taste.

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | October 19, 2007 3:30 PM #

I'd like to update and clarify my question :) If i substitute sugar for 3 oz of white Green&Black chocolate for 1 recipe strawberry cloud cream will it be sweet enough? Any thoughts?

Reply to this      Posted by: Mila | October 19, 2007 1:49 PM #

I have stabilized whipped cream with geletin as per the recipe in the cake bible...the cake holds at room temperature without a problem for a few hours. Whipped cream and strawberries is my mom's favorite...I baked an angelfood cake, split and filled it with whipped cream and strawberries and frosted the outside with the whipped cream and transported the cake in a cake keeper from where i live in New york City, to my sister in Western New Jersey...in terrible traffic...and it was fine when I arrived a few hours later.

Reply to this      Posted by: Bill | October 19, 2007 1:22 PM #

Can anyone advise me on strawberry cloud cream? I'm planning to make a baby shower cake with Biscuit de Savoie and Strawberry Cloud cream. My question is - can i add white chocolate to it and if so how should i go with sugar, what would be the best amount of chocolate/sugar and will the chocolate add that much of a stabilization that the cream will hold for 1-1,5 hours in 70-72F?
Thank you.

Reply to this      Posted by: Mila | October 19, 2007 12:29 AM #

Rose - what can you tell us about confectioner's vs. powdered sugar?

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | September 3, 2007 11:10 AM #

Cathy, I think the whipped cream with Cobasan would stay at room temperature for about 4 hours =)

Patrincia, as far as I know, confectioners 'always' have corn starch. But powdered not necessarily. Powdered sugar, w/o corn starch is found at specialty or commercial stores.

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | September 1, 2007 9:01 PM #

That helps, Hector. Thank you. I never understood that stabilization referred to refrigeration time. That makes a big difference.

So, when you do a wedding or party of any sort (in which the cake will be displayed/out for any length of time), you don't use whipped cream for filling or frosting? Moussiline is quickly becoming my favorite for more reasons than just taste, looks and texture! (And that was quite a lot already :)

Reply to this      Posted by: Cathy | September 1, 2007 6:09 PM #

Aren't confectioners sugar and powdered sugar the same? I believe the terms are used interchangeably, so either would contain corn starch. (unless you make your own by grinding granulated white sugar in your food processor. I've never done it, but I've read that other have).

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | September 1, 2007 4:07 PM #

Cathy, ALL whipped creams should be kept refrigerated until serving time! The most the super stabilized would hold at room temp would be 15 minutes I would think! If you are in a very cold air conditioned room, perhaps 30 minutes.

My super super stabilized is just like the regular super stabilized, except I do use confectioners sugar instead of powdered sugar. Confectioners sugar has corn starch, so I dissolve the sugar in the gelatin first.

The stabilization methods we mention are just for how long you can store your cake refrigerated: several days. Without stabilization the whipped cream would break in a matter of hours, refrigerated.

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | September 1, 2007 3:56 PM #

Hector, Thank you for your response. I understand about the Cobasan. Would that be called a preservative?

I have been wanting to try the Super Stabilized Whipped Cream. How long can this be out at room temp? I am considering it as a filling (fresh berries added) with White Velvet butter cake for an upcoming event--3/4 sheet cake. Would I run into trouble with time/room temp and/or refrig/room temp combo with butter cake?

Don't you have a super-super stabilized whipped cream I have read about here? If so, can that be left out for longer?

Thanks so much!

Reply to this      Posted by: Cathy | September 1, 2007 1:44 PM #

Elise - Firstly, welcome to the board, it's nice to have you. Now for my suggestion, why don't you try Rose's chocolate version of the Mousseline Buttercream recipe in The Cake Bible? It would be lovely sprinkled with the dark chocolate as you described. It's also silky smooth, not overly sweet, and it will hold up very well in warm temperatures!

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | August 31, 2007 7:24 PM #

Cathy, I have successfully froze Super Stabilized Whipped Cream (with gelatin) on its final shape. This already applied as frosting on a cake or as piped decorations (roses, pipings, etc).

I wouldn't recommend to freeze whipped cream before being applied to its final shape (like freezing a bucket of it that later you can use), because you would need to re-whip, and whipped cream DOES NOT like to be whipped more than needed or it will separate or become grainy/clumpy.

I've never tried Cobasan, and do not plan to. I feel using Cobasan would put me on the commercial bakery category, no longer in the homemade goods category.

By the way, my completed peach shortcake (like a strawberry shortcake with sponge cake and whipped cream, but with canned peaches instead of strawberies), was frozen for 1 month, and when served NOBODY noticed that the whipped cream wasn't freshly whipped! It also had a pool of chocolate ganache. Indeed that was Josephine's Biscuit de Savoie.

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | August 31, 2007 7:06 PM #

A quick question...

can I freeze Perfect Whipped Cream made with Cobasan?

Reply to this      Posted by: Cathy | August 31, 2007 5:57 PM #

I am desperately looking for a light-colored creamy chocolate frosting for a dark chocolate cake. I plan to sprinkle dark chocolate shavings over the top. I tried a recipe this morning with 2 oz white chocolate and 2 oz unsweetented baking chocolate and added just a dollop of Crisco (no yuks, please, I was desparate to smooth out the sense of confectioner's sugar graininess. The result looked and tasted good (although a bit too sweet and I could still detect sugar graininess but not so bad) but too soft to hold up in heat. My problem is that this cake has to be in warm weather in 10 days on display for several hours. Would gelatin help to stabilize? How would I add it (to butter-sugar fluff in mixer, to melted chocolate, dry or in liquid???). I am new to this forum but have greatly enjoyed all the comments. Please help me!

Reply to this      Posted by: Elise | July 2, 2007 8:33 PM #

I am looking for a recipe for Sicilian Bread made with almonds, raisins, macaroon paste, raspberry, cranberries and etc. Can someone help me. thanks, sue

Reply to this      Posted by: Sue | June 11, 2007 11:29 AM #

You're welcome Elicia! I hope your uncle brings you all the stuff you asked for.
Rozanne

Reply to this      Posted by: Rozanne | June 11, 2007 11:11 AM #

Hi Hector, What wld we do without cakes? I have crazy cravings for cake all the time, even for breakfast! So I always try to make sure there's some cake in the fridge! I've not walked my dogs with a slice of cake in hand, though! Haha!

Chiboust is pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. You can make it very simply by folding whipped cream (stabilised with gelatine) into any pastry cream you may have on hand - the proportions are in the PPB. Rose's Chiboust uses lots of vanilla (love the vanilla seeds speckles too!) and Grand Marnier which amazingly marries well with it. I think its a great alternative filling (with fresh fruit/berries) for cakes in place of whipped cream. You know why I hardly work with basic Super Stabilised Whipped Cream - it because my local gelatine have a bit of a taste. But in the Chiboust, the gelatine is masked by the wonderful vanilla and GM.

Now m probably going to the cake specialty shop and search for this essence of strawberry! I made the puree without it, so I want to try another batch with it!

I agree - we all keep each other going!

Reply to this      Posted by: Elicia | June 9, 2007 9:50 PM #

Hi Elicia, I've just had my LAST piece of Copper Topper. I made it again last week and froze a slice. It was good, specially good because tonight I didn't have to lift a finger to bake it!

What is the Chiboust Cream, let me catch up the reading on the blog. And, I am going to make strawberry conserve pretty soon (the French wild strawberry arome is on its way).

I've learned a lot, too from Rose's blog, and all of you, but most important, this blog keeps me going, keeps me baking more often than usual!

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | June 9, 2007 3:39 AM #

Oh Hector, the jello is a fantastic idea! Will definitely try it! I have no problems with mousses as my mousses are flavoured, so I won't taste the gelatine. It only bothers me when I make Super Stabilised Whipped Cream.

I've really picked up so many wonderful tips and tricks since I started blogging here! Thks!

Oh BTW, the Chiboust Cream turned out fantastic. I layered it with the strawberries on 2 layers of genoise soaked in Grand Marnier syrup. I also topped the genoise with a thin layer of strawberry puree. And since I decided not to keep any leftover chiboust cream (I made 1/2 the recipe), I piled it on the top of the cake, drizzled some puree and swirled it like you wld in a cheesecake! It was a great small 6" cake that I made with 'leftovers' or, 'over-runs' as you may call it, in my fridge(genoise and strawberries)... and I had it for breakfast!

Oh... and Copper Topper will probably be the first I'll make once I get the book!

Reply to this      Posted by: Elicia | June 8, 2007 11:54 PM #

Very good Elicia, now we can compare notes with Rose's Celebrations. Copper Topper is there.

Instead of knox, you can do by with regular jello. My Mom used that all the time. Substract 1/2 the volume of sugar from the whipped cream recipe per volume of jello. Find a jello flavor that will match your cake, or if you want the flavor unnoticeable you can use pineapple or lemon jello flavor, these are almost unnoticeable on whipped cream since they just add a tangy twist which is almost desirable!

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | June 8, 2007 1:28 PM #

Hi Rozanne, Thks so much for the offer! I've actually emailed my uncle a whole list of items to bring back for me as they are coming to Malaysia in Sept! Knox is one of them! We do get Hershey's here but sometimes it can run out of stock for a couple of months - so I tend to stock up... same goes for Crisco shortening (local shortening is just not as white!), and even corn syrup.

My uncle will also be bringing back a copy of Rose's Celebrations!

So thanks a million anyway, and in any case if I can't wait till Sept, will definitely let you know!

Reply to this      Posted by: Elicia | June 8, 2007 10:11 AM #

Elicia,
I live in Canada and if you would like to have some Knox gelatine I can mail some to you. Let me know and I will give you my e-mail address so we can exchange mailing info.
I know how frustrating it can be when an ingredient you want is not available. We don't have Hershey's cocoa powder here and that used to be very frustrating. Thankfully Rose recommended a better (far better) cocoa powder from England which I can buy here. So that dilemma was solved thanks to Rose.
Rozanne

Reply to this      Posted by: Rozanne | June 8, 2007 9:56 AM #

Hi Cindy, I don't have the luxury of choosing gelatine here. Only powder form is available! My uncle brought back Knox for me from Canada once, and I thought it was much finer and didn't have any taste (my local ones sometimes do). I find it very simple to melt gelatine in a microwave, but you must be careful to fully melt it (you may have residue sticking on the sides of your cup/bowl.

Oh Hector, the strawberry tart looks yummy! Just have an idea to whip up a simple cake (since I have some strawberries in the fridge and an extra sheet of genoise in the freezer) - strawberries with chiboust cream (pastry cream lightened with whipped cream) - as per Rose's Hiroko tart recipe in the PPB. Hmm... maybe today...
Oh BTW, we just make do with any strawberries we can get our hands on here - sometimes flown in from Australia or NZ, or local ones from the highlands. I'm a raspberry fan though, and stock my freezer up with frozen ones whenever they are available. Rose's raspberry puree is pure heaven!

Reply to this      Posted by: Elicia | June 7, 2007 10:28 PM #

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/moblog/archives/2007/06/my_mothers_tart.html#comments

If I like strawberries on a pie or a tart, THIS IS HOW I WANT IT DONE! Very simple, clean, and with wonderful wild strawberries.

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector | June 7, 2007 12:04 AM #

Thank you both Hector and Elicia for your tips and encouragement.I treasure this very much. Do you use gelatin powder or gelatine sheets, which is easier to work with?

Reply to this      Posted by: cindy | June 4, 2007 9:40 PM #

Re: gelatin - I read an article in Cook's Illustrated (July/August 2000) that states the amount of gelatin in each packet can vary drastically. After they measured the contents of several packets, some contained as little as 1 3/4 teaspoons, and others as much as 2 7/8 teaspoons. The gelatin company apparently has acknowledged that the individual weights per packet could vary as much as 5%, but the magazine noted actual differences of up to 20%. They go on to state that a recipe calling for 1 packet of gelatin is expecting that the packet used will contain 1/4 ounce (or 2 1/2 tsp). In conclusion, they suggest you open several packets and measure by weight or volume instead of relying on the accuracy of these machine filled packets. The Cake Bible states 1 tsp of gelatin weighs 6 grams.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | June 4, 2007 3:51 PM #

To ensure stabilized whipping cream for both fresh and frozen use, try Whip-Cream Aid. I purchase this powder from Sugar and Spice Cake Decorating and Candy Supply store in the San Francisco area (they also complete mail orders.)
650-994-4911
Your whipped cream will not seperate, weep or loose volume.

Many local Baskin-Robins stores use this product from their frozen cakes, as well.

Reply to this      Posted by: elise | June 4, 2007 3:19 PM #

Elicia, it is AMAZING how much we help each other, and how similar techniques we use!

Reply to this      Posted by: Hector |