Thursday, July 1, 2010

Nice but not nice.

That's what has been said about the cakes I bake.

They taste divine: rich, luscious, decadent.

But they look horrible!!

How did I get them tasting so good? Well a friend told me that if you put in "good things" how can it come out horrible. So I use the best ingredients - for my choc cakes only the best dark chocs go in: Read: Valrhona, even for the cocoa powder! I use the expensive eggs - the no cholesterol, dark yolk kind, high in Omega 3 kind.

So far my cakes have got the 2 thumbs up from many friends.

But in the looks department, it sure doesnt look great. My cakes crack, erupt occasionally, and are uneven (when I am not careful when putting it into the oven as my oven is at a low level - I have to squat to use my oven!). And I am really bad in the decorating department too!

Hubby asked me how I can improve the "looks" of my cake?

Cake decorating classes, I suggested, or maybe even baking school!! Hmmm ... Le Cordon Blue in Paris? The American Culinary Institute? L'Ecole Culinaire? I had to stop myself from dreaming - there is no way I can go to any of these baking schools - at least not until my little one is maybe .... say in secondary school, and that is a long time from now!! She hasnt even started primary school yet! Even local cake baking classes I cant attend, coz the timing just doesnt allow it. None of these schools run early morning classes for when my kids are at school. So I guess I will have to depend on feedback from you gals out there. So what do you say?

5 comments:

bp said...

SAHM, I have no doubt your bakes must be really yummilicious, and I really think that's coz of that one KEY INGREDIENT you put into it... YOUR LOVE!!! Lovingly baked, no wonder tasty! and I hope I'll get the chance to savour them one day, sooner or later :)... hey, my friend, thanks for coming by to cheer me up with your hugs, parts of that trip did make me feel like I really could use a break, and I can't agree more with what you said earlier that travelling with young children we do have to adjust our expectations of a hol and i wasn't expecting to get away from it all! Anyway, quick note abt our trip back... it's causing some stress, we have to decide b4 tomorrow liao, losing sleep over it, coz not sure how the timing of things will work out. pray we'll know to make the wise/"right" choice! if i can't catch u this round, next time then!

oh, pardon my longwinded comment... as for the looks of the cake, don't feel bad at all... i am terrible at that myself and probably worse (you've seen my boo-boos!), but maybe if we keep practising (that means more yummy bakes from your kitchen, yay!) i think that will help. and also having the right equipment/tools, too. e.g i don't have the piping tools as i'm not really crazy about frosting and leave it out most of the time. but when i do make some simple cupcakes for the boys to share with their classmates, that's when i blame my not-great-looking frosted cupcake/cake to not having the tools for it! can the cracks be from opening/closing oven door prematurely or something to do with temp, and even the type of pan you use (darker vs lighter metal vs glass) think that can make a diff too? but oh dear, u must know all that, and i'm not the person to dole out baking advice. what i think will happen... as you keep seeking and learning and sharing, i believe you'll get even better and better at it! you must post your various lovely bakes here to let us share in them virtually :)... YUM!!!

Stardust said...

Don't say my cake lah, even my own face can't pass the looks dept ah! Even pros cheat sometimes, for eg. they'll slice a sponge cake and use the flat face up, the uneven surface serves the middle layer to sandwich fillings and cream. See, don't be discouraged!

My bakes can't see daylight too, but greedy ppl will just love anything. Ha!

stay-at-home mum said...

hey bp

Just pray and the Lord will guide you to make the right decisions on the trip. If it doesnt materialise this time, then we can wait for another time. You dont want any problems with your visa. I know. coz when I was living in the US,I changed my visa, and becoz of that I didnt travel out of the US at that time coz I just didnt want to jeopardise the conversion process... and to trigger any related problems. The Lord will help you to make the right decisions!!

stay-at-home mum said...

and Stardust ... I am very sure that there is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with your cakes NOR your face.

So maybe all those people that say my cake nice were just greedy ... hmmm .. thats a thot ... or maybe they were just being polite, NO?

Jo said...

Ok.. let me get straight to the point. How to improve the appearance of your cake? Practice and more practice. No time to attend classes, never mind. Watch youtube videos, online demos, and read books on baking. Not the kind that prints recipes, but the kind that covers tips and techniques. My cake too doesn't look good 100% of the time, and more often that not, it's a touch and go! But what I mentioned above give me the confidence, and when you feel good about what you are baking, sometimes they just turn out beautifully, tastes and looks. Know what I mean? ;) So, go for it. And if all else fails, just melt some dark chocolate and pour over the cake. All flaws will be overlooked! :P