* Cake Notes *

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe

Makes one serving

Preparation Time:

Amount Per Serving

Calories

Calories from fat

minutes

Daily Value*

Total Fat g

Saturated Fat g

Cholesterol mg

Sodium mg

Carbohydrate g

Dietary Fiber g

Protein g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

Percent Daily Values are based on a

calorie diet

Cake Notes :

BAKING

Always preheat the oven

In general cakes should be baked until they slightly pull away from the sides of the pan and/or a toothpick inserted

into the middle of the cake comes out fairly clean You will not be able to use the toothpick method as well if a

cake has chocolate chunks or fruit added to it Also be careful not to overbake the cakes because they can become

too dry and dense in this case

Bake cakes for less time when using a convection oven

When removing cakes from the oven place them on a some type of rack so that air can circulate beneath the pan

(

but not with a breeze around the pan) This will help it cool more evenly and prevent the bottom of the cake

from getting soggy due to slower cooling at the bottom of the pan Do not try to remove the cake from the pan

while it is still hot

GARNISHES

I like to garnish a cake with various colorful food to enhance the presentation and give people an idea of what is in

the cake (or what type of cake it is) For example raspberries add a very nice color contrast to a chocolate cake

and if it has a raspberry filling it gives people an idea of the flavors inside I also like toasted nuts on cakes to add

a crunchy element to a moist/soft cake (as well as enhance and diversify flavors) I often glaze these nuts with

maple syrup (and sometimes a bit of oil and/or some liqueur) so they have a shiny look instead of a dull look (see

Glossary of Cooking Terms" for more information on toasting/glazing nuts or see the " FrangelicoGlazed

Toasted Hazelnuts" recipe as an example) Other possible garnishes are shaved chocolate pieces for chocolate

cakes citrus zest in long thin strands fresh fruits in various forms (eg whole raspberries slices of kiwi) edible

flours dried fruits candied ginger and toasted shredded coconut It all depends on the flavors in the cake and if

you want to enhance or diversify the flavors

Lastly serving cakes sitting in a shallow "pool" of a dessert sauce is often very attractive and can add a nice color

and flavor contrast If a bit more fat is acceptable a nut cream/sauce is a good choice Alternatively lowfat

dessert sauces can be made from fruit puree Sauces can also add moisture to a cake that might be a little drier

than desired

SERVING SIZE

All of the cakes in this cookbook make SMALL servings (they are quite small pieces) This could be the

equivalent of servings depending on how big people like their pieces of cake! If you want to make a small

serving cake cut the ingredients for a serving cake in half and then instead of using two inch round spring

form pans use two inch round pans (this will still make it a layered cake)

STORING CAKES

I like to make my cakes just a few hours before serving If the icing is quite firm the cake should not have to be

refrigerated at all Refrigerating the cake may be needed if it has not all been consumed after one day

Unfortunately refrigerating cakes dries them out and makes them denser If you do refrigerate a cake they

should be well covered to minimized these negative effects These cakes will generally keep covered in the

refrigerator for up to days but lower fat cakes will not keep as long since they tend to dry out and get stale even

faster than cakes with more fat Covering the cakes should also keep undesirable odors from permeating the cake

When icing is covering part of the cake moisture loss will be reduced in that area When cut the exposed cake

surfaces will dry out quickly in the refrigerator (especially low fat cakes)

The cakes which are completely encased in icing also freeze fairly well again the icing minimizes moisture loss

When freezing be sure the cake is completely cool and cover the cake well

TROUBLESHOOTING

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Desserts of Vitality

Desserts Of Vitality