The introduction to Melissa Gray's All Cakes Considered, starts like this: " So you want to bake a cake, HUH?", and then proceeds to take you step by step through everything you need to know. I was a pretty decent baker before I read this book (well, except for cheating on pie crusts), and became a much better baker after I'd tried a few of the recipes.
Some of her advice is just common sense (always read your recipe before you begin)...well, actually it's all common sense: position the rack in the middle of the oven; use a tube pan when you bake a pound cake because the tube in the middle gets the heat to the center of the cake, and my favorite, use three bowls when separating eggs, one for the yolks, one to collect each egg white individually, and a third bowl to transfer the egg whites to. That way, if you get a little yolk in one egg white, it won't ruin the whole batch. Actually, even if I'm not separating eggs, I break each egg into a small bowl first and add individually rather than cracking the egg on the side of the batter bowl and adding it right to the batter...because once I cracked open a rotten egg and had to throw the whole mess away.
Now, about flour: Obviously, if you are eating Paleo, you can't use flour made from wheat. You also can't use gluten-free flour because it is made from grains. So, I use nut flours. The more common ones, like almond flour and coconut flour are easily available in brands like Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joe's. Arrowroot powder, which I use in bread and cake, and also to thicken gravy, is also readily available. For other flours like hazelnut, cashew or chestnut, I rely on Nuts.com, a great company that gets your order out right away and also has a wide assortment of raw, organic nuts that are much less expensive than those sold at your local health food store.
Some of her advice is just common sense (always read your recipe before you begin)...well, actually it's all common sense: position the rack in the middle of the oven; use a tube pan when you bake a pound cake because the tube in the middle gets the heat to the center of the cake, and my favorite, use three bowls when separating eggs, one for the yolks, one to collect each egg white individually, and a third bowl to transfer the egg whites to. That way, if you get a little yolk in one egg white, it won't ruin the whole batch. Actually, even if I'm not separating eggs, I break each egg into a small bowl first and add individually rather than cracking the egg on the side of the batter bowl and adding it right to the batter...because once I cracked open a rotten egg and had to throw the whole mess away.
Now, about flour: Obviously, if you are eating Paleo, you can't use flour made from wheat. You also can't use gluten-free flour because it is made from grains. So, I use nut flours. The more common ones, like almond flour and coconut flour are easily available in brands like Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joe's. Arrowroot powder, which I use in bread and cake, and also to thicken gravy, is also readily available. For other flours like hazelnut, cashew or chestnut, I rely on Nuts.com, a great company that gets your order out right away and also has a wide assortment of raw, organic nuts that are much less expensive than those sold at your local health food store.
All Cakes Considered, by Melissa Gray, is copyright 2009 and is used with permission of
Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Visit www.ChronicleBooks.com
Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Visit www.ChronicleBooks.com