Strictly Miscellaneous

Yes... along with the elephant that stands on the turtle that stands on the rock that rests on the...

I got no time for this absolute ridiculousness.

Look, Led Zeppelin wrote in their song Ramble On, "I'm goin' 'round the world, I gotta find my girl." If the world was flat, they would've said, "I'm going 'cross the world," but they said round. I rest my case! 😁

The biggest question I am pondering today is one of Black Forest cake.

The NSFW sort.

Should I use Chiffon cake or Genoise for the cake?

It is a question of epic proportions. Both have benefits and detractors....and I'm not sure which to use.

You'd better be safe and make 2 cakes...one of each!

That thought had crossed my mind....

If we actually purchase the bakery we are in negotiations with and get the oven installed it is easy for me to do the experimentation like I need to.
Before that it's all household kitchen. (Mine) Which is much more difficult to do.

So I'm reticent to begin.

Then comes the problem of disposal of the cakes. They are not safe for work....meaning that the real brandy is going to odor and flavor the cake.
Some people don't like that.
Some people do. I know that neither my wife or I need to eat that much cake.

And I need some buttermilk for the chiffon. (Got everything else)

And the one other issue is that when I bake these cakes I need to bake enough for two complete cakes of each variety totalling 4 cakes. Each cake is made of three layers. Making storage and transportation very difficult in this summer heat. When in the commercial setting this is an easy thing to accomplish...selling a whole Black Forest cake is relatively easy...there's a line of customers waiting already for it. But I do wish to euphemistically "put my name on it" by making it unique and tasty enough that rivals will have a difficult time copying my exact cake.

Knock offs abound and will always be around...but few people in my area are capable of my expertise. IOW it's easier for me to copy them than it is for them to copy me. But it won't stop them from trying. Besides...I have no plans to copy them. I plan to have a very unique menu and offerings. One that will stand out.

If everyone is selling burgers then I need to sell chicken sandwiches....and currently If we purchase this bakery we will be surrounded by several other bakeries. So standing out is crucial.

Here's a possible solution:

Interesting, and at the same time may be the most useless information I've ever heard! Lol Are you a trivia nut?

I watched it once and, although it was merely by the fly's wing, was successful in my first attempt... I love telling this story!

I do enjoy trivia. Also learning new words daily .

Amazing talents on this site! 😲

So....I came to a conclusion.
I'm going to go with a chiffon cake with lots of eggs. There...I did it. I made a choice based on repeatability.

Sad fact is I can only do the work of 1½ -2½ people anymore. I can't do three to four like I once did. So for the sake of consistency I'm going to have to do a chiffon cake. It's easier to get repeatable results out of someone else than to teach them proper ribbon consistency and not over do it with a genoise sponge. Also the proper folding in of the dry ingredients is not something that you can teach. I can see an endless stack of disaster cake coming from the more difficult method. (Genoise)

Genoise is more durable and can take a very very heavy soaking of Kirsch syrup...but...with the level of quality hands in the kitchen these days I'll do good if someone actually understands how to do the math associated with a balance scale. Or how to adjust if my new weights that just came in are off by ¾ of an ounce (the 4&8lb weights are off by a total of that....*sigh*)

So....I'm baking a chocolate chiffon buttermilk/coffee cake this morning.
(For those who never have....I use coffee to dissolve the cocoa powder then use buttermilk in the recipe)

I'm working up a recipe by weight instead of volume. Meaning that it's going slow this morning. I have to volume measure then take the weight and write it down. So I can batch bake a bunch of them later....soooo annoying but it will greatly speed up and improve cake quality and consistency in the process later.

I wonder if I used coconut shortening instead of oil.....hhmmm.....
Nahhhh....too much like butter and it's probably going in the fridge so the taste texture will be off.

Master,...teach me...

Although I often find myself wishing the circumstances were different, I don't do much of the baking since my schedule doesn't leave much time other than to the serving of what has been prepared by another. However, I'm partial to that if I must be the one presenting the product, I'd rather it be as close to perfect as possible, notwithstanding any other factors. For example, given a piping bag full of Mascarpone that's nearly impossible to pipe (that peter piper picked :/) aargh! Is it possible to 'refresh' this mascarpone to a more pipeable consistency or best to just start again from scratch?

Yes....beat it first so hard that it's actually whipped like cream. And if you get it right it will pipe just a tad stiffer than whipped cream would. Don't add powdered sugar....that will make it creep on you.

And I usually just buy marscapone myself...too much issues trying to make the stuff.

Woot woot!

It's refreshing to hear a professional in the kitchen talk about buying products that might make the process just a little bit easier, rather than the current trend of scolding people for not making EVERYTHING from scratch.

Yes! If it's the best option that we can offer, it's the best choice to make! Our diners can look forward to a real treat, a Bananas Foster Creme Brule, with a light and creamy dollop of mascarpone frosting.

Have a blessed week er'body. See yous again next week, if the Lord pleases!

There needs to be a reason to make something from scratch vx buying it.

And if you are going to make something from scratch you have to go the extra step to make it special and unique with a specific plan in mind. To the point that it's exceptional and nobody has the ability to purchase what you make.

A standard croissant from the bread section in the grocery store is going to be more expensive than a loaf of bread. And the taste is blah blah blah. Going to a bakery should provide you with croissants that have a higher butter flavor than the grocery store ones.

Mine reek of butter. But I also can fill them with sweet or savory items...I can also use herbs or spices to accompany what is going in them.

So a croissant reeking of butter and infused with cardamom and rolled up and baked with ham and cheese or filled with chocolate mousse is decidedly different...and delicious.

And that's the point of making things from scratch. Going beyond the average to create uniqueness.

BTW....the chocolate cake came out very well and I'm delighted with the results so far. The coffee, Buttermilk, and brown sugar all are assisting in making the chocolate flavor really stand out well....the moisture and sturdiness seem adequate for what I have in mind. (Literally soaking them in cherry brandy syrup)

So....I'm very curious as to how these dried cherries (soaking in brandy as we speak) are going to work for me. This is shaping up well at this point. But the proof is in the eating of the assembled product.