Caaaaake

[jack]

Of course, I make cakes exactly the same way I do everything else, which may be a bit of an anathema to cooks. Obviously, ideally, you get a lot of experience following other people's recipes, and then learn from experience what you can alter to produce good effects.

I'd much rather read a lot of recipes, abstract and extract the common factors to what I want, and tune something simple but acceptable to that. It's why I always need a little run-up, but why it often works better than you might expect.

But I have to be careful not to go over the top.

Me: Excuse me, I have a variety of products comprising the properties of "being made out of lemons" and "weighing at least 200g", can you tell me in which aisle(s) I would find products comprising the symmetric difference[1] of those with the properties of a cake?
Tesco Clerk: Try the baking aisle.
Me: What about macroscopic catalysts?
Tesco Clerk: The kitchen gadget section had whisks, processors, etc.
Me: Thank you very much.

[1] That's not silly in *every* respect. To make a cake rise you need to mix a non-toxic alkali and acid to make carbon dioxide; so the amount of lemon may possibly affect the amount baking powder you want to have had in your flour.

Comments

[mair_in_grenderich]

"some kind of floury stuff, some kind of wetness ... it needs to rise ... the more it rises the lighter it'll be ... fat makes it less dry ... how much? oh, I don't know, try it ... it's a cake? Cakes are sweet. Put some sugar in ... "

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yes, *exactly* :)

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

<pedant>
You could make a cake rise with yeast and sugar.
e.g. http://thefoody.com/mrsbbaking/yeastcake.html
</pedant>

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Apologies, I don't mean *need*, I mean, used in this context...

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

It helps if the alkali in question is a carbonate, even if it's not alkaline.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hm, yes, I mean "anti-acid" I guess :)

[sonicdrift.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest time you make a basic victoria sponge or just throw in some sultanas to see how much a cake usually rises when not stuffed full of lemon :)