Yep, it has come to that time in my baking experience that I am ready (thankfully so!) to ditch the box mix and actually "Make" a cake; as in, from scratch. Flour, sugar, cocoa, vanilla beans... you get the idea. Something that my Great Grandma McNare would be (I hope) proud of. Not that there is anything wrong with those box mixes - we all grew up eating them and most of us have turned out OK. In my "other" life I am a personal trainer and an aspiring nutritionist so I have a real aversion to eating a box full of chemical ingredients that even with a college degree I have a hard time pronouncing. Real ingredients that my Grandmother and Great Grandmother would recognize just have to produce a better tasing cake , and one that I would actually be proud to serve to friends and family.
For inspiration today I look to Warren Brown of Cake Love in Washington DC. The man is an amazing baker and I am hoping that my recipe comes out half as good as his (especialy since I am using HIS recipe). We will see. Who knows maybe someday I will be brave enough to follow his lead, give up my day job and follow my nose into a baking career... but, that is a dream for another day!
Stay tuned - cake success or cake disaster???
You're going to be just fine *laughing*. The #1 advice I could give you (because, you know, you didn't ask) is to make sure you're using fresh ingredients. Old baking powder, for instance, will not do you any favors.
ReplyDeleteAdvice from an experienced baking pro is always welcome. I smell a pay-off - oh, I mean, a test tasting coming to Denver soon; just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteOh and might I add, Just Jane, Warren Brown is right up your alley... the pound cake recipe had brandy, amaretto, rum, AND whiskey; I was afraid I was going to have to call for an intervention in the midst of the baking process!!
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