I made my first white cake from scratch bc icing and fondant and had three people taste it and here's what they said so I need some help.
1st person liked it and said it was good but the cake needed more flavor (maybe not enough vanilla extract?)
2nd person just said it was good but also no flavor (I followed the William Sonoma receipe to the T)
3rd person said cake was "grainy" and didn't like the MMF flavor - (how do I avoid this ? I sifted the flour three times by hand)? Has anyone else experienced this? Also, with the MMF if I added vanilla extract to it would that maybe help the flavor?
My feeling about white cake is if you want a lot of flavor then this isn't the cake to bake. White cakes are used as a backdrop, so to speak, for a more flavorful filling like a rasberry filling or even a lemon curd or chocolate filling. People seem to like a white cake with almond flavoring or even perhaps a little orange essence with an orange curd filling. I am in the midst of baking, baking, baking and testing, testing many recipes right now to come up with about 8 scratch cakes that I can rely on. Rose Levy Birenbaum has some good recipes and so does Dede Wilson. Still they take a lot of testing. Most of Rose's cakes are only 1-1/2 inches high and Dede's cakes can be a little dry. One of the accidental things I found and liked was to bake 4 separate layers instead of 2 they come out even every time, same height etc. and eliminates the need to torte. They all came out with a much better texture and more moist. Is this more than you wanted to know?
Hi Fearless,
That's definetly helped. I was going with the white because I thought of the look, when you first cut it and it's so nice and bright and appealing when you look inside, but never really thought about bland, maybe since I'm really focused on the outside (fondant and decorations) that I will make it chocolate cake since I read you can cover with fondant and it proably wont show throw and then work on my receipes for white cake when I have more time.
Thanks it really was great info - very enlightening !
Fearless is spot on. One way to make a white cake taste better is to use the almond extract and poppy seeds in it, but for me, like fearless suggested, I use it as a base for the really yummy fillings. Also, the more layers you torte, thinner cake layers, the more filling you get to add which makes up for the white cake.
Lastly, moistening syrups are easy to make and you can flavor them with extracts, zests, liquors and those coffee flavoring syrups. Dab them generously on the layers about 1/8 to 1/4 cup on each should do and it really imparts flavor and lots of moisture. Great for wedding cakes which are normally left out longer and sometimes refrigerated.
One of the accidental things I found and liked was to bake 4 separate layers instead of 2 they come out even every time, same height etc. and eliminates the need to torte. They all came out with a much better texture and more moist.
I do that too for my larger cakes. It takes more time, but works out great in the long run. I do 3 layers of cake with 2 layers of filling.
I like Lady Baltimore White Cake from Sylvia Weinstock. The white cakes have the taste of angel food cake with much better texture. Plus butter. .. Just make tasty fillings and use washes. And a good buttercream is a must as well. A bakery type icing would not do it justice.
I make my scratch white w/ almond also, it's really good. I've been testing scratch recipes for about 8 months, regularly, and I've only come up with about 4 recipes that I really like. Another problem is, a scratch cake that tastes great today might not taste as good in 2 days when you deliver, because of lack of preservatives. As far as grainy, I think grainy usually means it's kind of dry. Was it dry? Watch your baking times, I hardly ever bake my cakes as long as the recipe calls for, simple syrup is very helpful, and use delicious fillings. As far a fondant, it's personal preference so people that don't like it should eat the cake and leave the fondant on the plate, there is nothing you can do to make people happy on this one.
Hi!! Alaskagirl, I recommend to you to add one box of pudding mix to the flour once you measured. Also, as Sarah said, simple syrup adds moisture and extra flavor.
My recipe for simple syrup is
1 cup of sugar
2 cup of water
1/4 cup of brandy or any juice as pinneapple
Thanks everyone for the great posts. They are so helpfull. Slylvia Weinstocks recipes are mentioned a lot. I need to get her book. Thanks for that reminder. RODNEY As I have told you before, you are just great and you are like having a real pro give instructions. The passion that you have for this shows.
I add a flavoring called Butavan you buy online. It tastes a bit like butterscotch & it really livens up a white cake without changing the color. I ran out last week & was very surprised at how bland my cakes were without it.
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