tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post3289904772594916418..comments2019-05-30T16:37:42.115-07:00Comments on The Tortoise Taught Us: Recipe: "Picnic" CakeDavid Schildkrethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-83706482011050360192011-05-04T12:10:58.147-07:002011-05-04T12:10:58.147-07:00Right. The chiffon cake was invented in order to a...Right. The chiffon cake was invented in order to allow the use of oil instead of shortening, and I was thinking more of that than of the meringue. (The use of a meringue in the chiffon cake provides aeration normally created in the creaming process.) More correctly, the use of oil makes this more like a muffin recipe, as I said earlier, but the stirring into a batter gives it a finer crumb and more even texture than a muffin would have, with a similar heft.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-81019379774076172192011-05-04T02:23:01.603-07:002011-05-04T02:23:01.603-07:00Your comment that this was now a chiffon cake trou...Your comment that this was now a chiffon cake troubled me, because it's nothing like any chiffon cake I've ever tasted. So I did a little research: for chiffon cake, you'd use a whole lot more egg, and you'd separate the yolks from the whites. You'd then make a meringue of the whites and fold them in at the end. By using the eggs whole--and, I suspect, adding the molasses--you end up with something far more rich and dense than a chiffon cake.David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-6049714833152934462011-05-01T22:36:39.091-07:002011-05-01T22:36:39.091-07:00Yes, the shortening and sugar were creamed togethe...Yes, the shortening and sugar were creamed together. Trust me, this is no chiffon cake. It's hearty stuff. Adding a little more oil and some hot water just moistens the batter a bit.David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-83962937621111770702011-05-01T22:29:16.159-07:002011-05-01T22:29:16.159-07:00My grandmother lived in southwest Arkansas, where ...My grandmother lived in southwest Arkansas, where the water is rather soft, and activating the soda wasn't a problem for her. My coffee would certainly activate soda-- I like it strong.<br /><br />Was one to cream the sugar and shortening together? That's a lot of sugar for 3 Tbsp. of shortening-- and a lot of hard work; I'm getting carpal tunnel just thinking about it. (Our ancestors seem to have been made of sterner stuff.) But that would explain the smooth batter: you've converted this into a chiffon cake. Interesting. I guess the next step would be to substitute applesauce for the oil.<br /><br />Thank you.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-56100177930564720282011-05-01T14:00:31.119-07:002011-05-01T14:00:31.119-07:00Oh, I also meant to point out that you wouldn'...Oh, I also meant to point out that you wouldn't want to dissolve the soda in the coffee, because the acid in the coffee would activate the soda and lessen its leavening effect. In fact, soda fizzes in my tap water, too, so I wouldn't mix it in with that, either!David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-73993669525382325442011-05-01T13:59:28.336-07:002011-05-01T13:59:28.336-07:00I've seen that in old recipes, too, but I had ...I've seen that in old recipes, too, but I had never heard the explanation. Here, the hot water thins the batter a bit and yields a moister result. In the interest of full disclosure, this is one of two changes I made to the recipe. The other was substituting oil for shortening and increasing the quantity (the original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of shortening and doesn't have either hot water or coffee in it). You might want to try it with the lesser amount of fat and without the water or coffee to see what you think.David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-78818653352462254512011-05-01T10:50:02.361-07:002011-05-01T10:50:02.361-07:00Thank you. I have an applesauce cake recipe from m...Thank you. I have an applesauce cake recipe from my grandmother (died in 2002 at the age of 108) that uses baking soda for leavening and includes hot water. The baking soda is dissolved in the hot water and mixed in at the last. Apparently this keeps the soda from giving off too much carbon dioxide before the cake needs it.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-19472920179555849132011-05-01T07:57:59.079-07:002011-05-01T07:57:59.079-07:00EEK is right! That's my nightmare, and it fin...EEK is right! That's my nightmare, and it finally happened. Fortunately, you guessed correctly. And I've fixed it. Thanks for the catch!David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-71548821781953174302011-05-01T00:29:25.387-07:002011-05-01T00:29:25.387-07:00Eek! I just noticed while reformatting the recipe ...Eek! I just noticed while reformatting the recipe so I can read it (large print with lots of white space, which won't be white after I've used the recipe a few times) that the hot liquid isn't mentioned in the procedure. I suspect it is added after all the dry ingredients are stirred in, just before the raisins and nuts are stirred in.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-55704300807608386242011-04-28T22:33:26.135-07:002011-04-28T22:33:26.135-07:00Stir it all you like; you can't wreck this cak...Stir it all you like; you can't wreck this cake. You're basically going for a smooth cake batter. You can even do this in a mixer, if you feel like getting your mixer dirty. It works just fine with a spoon.<br /><br />Yes, I've made it with plain yogurt, and that's also good. You might cut down the water or coffee a bit in that case. The batter is relatively thick.<br /><br />I hope you try it and enjoy it!David Schildkrethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798739197204830966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426221277108687116.post-80612717891156058742011-04-28T17:50:53.752-07:002011-04-28T17:50:53.752-07:00Per the recipe, the basic nature of this cake appe...Per the recipe, the basic nature of this cake appears to be muffinesque. Is mixing to be done as in the muffin method-- stirring just until all ingredients are moist-- or is the mixture to be stirred enough to create a smooth batter?<br /><br />Might slightly-drained plain (or vanilla) yogurt work as well as sour cream?<br /><br />Nice story. A good recipe file is great history.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.com