Cake - King Arthur Flour Cooking Class

I signed up for a cake class at King Arthur Flour (KAF) in VT, and the class was this past week.  First, if you have been thinking about signing up for a class at KAF, you should sign up.  It is an amazing experience and the chef baker, Melanie, that taught the class was out of this world.

Every one had their own station (which was set up with all the proper instruments) and ingredients.  Chef Melanie demonstrated how to make Dark Chocolate Cake but before she did that she explained that there were three different types of mixing methods:  Blending, Paste and Creaming.  She also told us that there are different ways to add ingredients, and the Dark Chocolate Cake would use the Dry and Wet method.  She also explained there are different types of cake - moist, with irregular crumb structure; tender, light and fluffy that has a tight crumb structure and then a moist denser cake with a more open crumb structure.  After she demonstrated the Dark Chocolate Cake, each of us made our own.  She then demonstrated the Tender White Cake (traditional wedding cake) and then we each made our own.  Then she demonstrated the Classic Yellow, which we did not have time to make.  We then cracked our eggs for the frosting, and then broke for an amazing and delicious lunch.

After lunch we made our two types of frosting:  chocolate American buttercream and Swiss Meringue buttercream.

After 8 hours of cake, I had learned so much (besides the above crumb structure and blending).

Random other pieces of knowledge:
*  weigh ingredients whenever possible;
*  use a conventional oven to bake cakes and a convection over for breads, vegetables and meat
*  buttermilk can be frozen and used later
*  buttermilk has the acid that re-acts with the baking soda, so you can't substitute regular milk and get the same result
*  when a recipe calls for room temperature ingredients in a cake use room temperature ingredients as it affects the way butter interacts with the ingredients
*  baking powder is baking soda with cream of tartar and cream of tartar is made from the residue inside wine casks
*  Whole wheat flour has a high amount of gluten and makes chewy baked goods.  The most tender flour is pastry flour.

Brittish Baking

https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/lemon_and_poppy_seed_63235

Ingredients

For the cake

• vegetable oil or cake release spray, for greasing the tin
• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 250g/9oz butter, softened
• 250g/9oz caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz alond flour
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 4 unwaxed lemons, zest only (juice reserved for the drizzle)
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds
• a little boiling water, to slacken the mixture if necessary

For the drizzle

• 8 tbsp lemon juice (from above)
• 8 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp limoncello (alternatively use lemon juice)

To decorate

• 1 unwaxed lemon, thinly sliced and pips removed
• 4-5 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

For the icing

• 125g/4½oz icing sugar
• 1 tbsp limoncello (alternatively use lemon juice)
• 1 unwaxed lemon, juice only

How-to-videos

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease a 25cm/10in non-stick, fluted ring cake tin with cake release spray or vegetable oil.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the water) and whisk until smooth using an electric hand mixer. Add about 100ml/3½fl oz hot water from the kettle to slacken the mixture to a soft dropping consistency, if necessary. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake starts to come away from the sides. To check the cake is ready insert a skewer, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
3. Meanwhile, make the drizzle. Put the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat a little and let it boil for about a minute, or until thickened and syrupy. Add the limoncello, boil for another minute and set aside.
4. For the decoration, add the lemon slices to the drizzle syrup. Reheat the syrup and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the lemon slices have softened. Turn off the heat and, using tongs, carefully transfer the lemon slices to a plate lined with greaseproof paper. Leave to cool and reserve any leftover syrup.
5. When cool enough to handle, make a cut from the centre of the lemon slices to the skin and twist the ends in the opposite direction (so they resemble a bow). Repeat with all the slices, sprinkle with caster sugar and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper.
6. When the cake is cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 100C/80C Fan/Gas ¼.
7. Leave the cake in the tin while you apply the drizzle. Make holes using a skewer and brush or spoon about a third of the drizzle over the cake. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn the cake out onto a wire rack. Make some more holes in the top of the cake (these will be covered with icing later) and brush or spoon the rest of the syrup over the whole cake. Allow to cool completely. When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving plate or cake board.
8. Meanwhile, put the lemon twists in the oven to dry out for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until they are chewy (rather than crisp).
9. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan until golden-brown, then set aside to cool.
10. For the icing, mix the icing sugar, limoncello and a little lemon juice until you have a thick icing. Drizzle it over the top of the cake, encouraging it to run down the sides a little. Decorate with the lemon twists, flaked almonds and poppy seeds.

Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad

Ingredients

1. 4 medium zucchinis; halved then cut diagonally
2. ½ cup hazelnuts; chopped
3. 3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, sliced thinly
4. 1 cup basil
5. olive oil
6. salt and pepper

1. Heat a grill pan medium high. 
2. Slice the zucchinis in 1/2 inch slices at an angle. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Grill each side just enough to get grill marks but the zucchini are still firm.  About 2 min each side.
4. Let cool in a large salad bowl.
5. Add basil
6. Add hazelnuts
7. Add cheese