I don't really have any advice other than to read Shirley Corriher's Bakewise and to experiment with different recipes and techniques.
I just had to say that I love when Linda F gets going on baking chemistry!!
Me too confectionsofahousewife! Whenever I see a thread about a scratch recipe I make sure that I watch it because I know that Linda F will will be on the job and that I will definitely learn something!
Excellent. I have heard lots of mention lately of Sylvia Weinstock's recipes. I am going to have to try them for myself! Does she have a book or can I find them online?
I think that they have some of her recipes on www.About.com.
Excellent. I have heard lots of mention lately of Sylvia Weinstock's recipes. I am going to have to try them for myself! Does she have a book or can I find them online?
Sylvia has two books. One is called Sensational Cakes and the other one is called Sweet Celebrations. Both have her recipes in them. Sensational Cakes has some beautiful cakes and gorgeous gum paste flowers.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sylvia+weinstock&x=0&y=0
I have got to try one of her recipes too. I haven't done it yet. She did change one of her recipes, the white one?, to add more milk. I think I remember on here how it was too moist. I'll have to run the recipes through my balance spreadsheet and see what I get.
I've been reading How Baking Works these past two days. There is a lot of good information in there. And to whoever said they liked the experiments at the end of the chapters you are right. I intend to try the cake one real soon.
Did you know that too much sugar can make a cake and cupcake rise and collapse? I have this happen a lot. I am definitely going to try the experiment where you vary the amount of sugar to see what the results are. I also want to try the icing experiment too. I just bought some Supreme Trans Fat free palm shortening. I'm going to try this and Crisco with Indydeb's recipe to see what I get. I know with Indydeb's I'll be adding some hydrogenerated shortening with the Dream Whip, but it is the only Crisco based frosting that goes over well. I may not always need that kind, but I want to have a good in case I do. I do know it works well for taking my Wilton classes and has a good taste too. I'm thinking it will be my go to icing for making roses and other flowers.
It's a great book. But don't buy it on the Nook. You can't see the charts. I can see where this book is going to get marked up a lot.
I'll have to run the recipes through my balance spreadsheet and see what I get.
You do NOT have a spreadsheet for recipes! 
That's awesome. Seriously, where do you live? I'm coming over.
I'll have to run the recipes through my balance spreadsheet and see what I get.
You do NOT have a spreadsheet for recipes!
That's awesome. Seriously, where do you live? I'm coming over.
(hangs head). Yes I do. I am using it to figure out which recipes I want to make. Of hopefully I will be able to figure out if a recipe has the taste and texture I want.
I live in upstate NY, the real upstate as we say, by Lake Ontario. And you?
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%