subject: Mastering Easy Cake Recipes From Scratch [print this page] Do you realize that up until fifty years ago, most cakes were made "from scratch" and were also created with an absolute minimum of hand tools and kitchen gadgets? That's right; the many light and fluffy cakes that we can so easily manage today did not come from the bowl of a high-speed gourmet mixer way back then, they came from extremely basic kitchens and relied on cooks who paid attention to every step of the recipe. Today, we can still use these many different easy cake recipes from scratch to create the most delicious and sturdy cake "bodies" to use for our many different cake decorating needs. Luckily, we have access to all kinds of machines that are designed to streamline the work and give optimal results too.
Why should the cake body actually matter? This is a question that is unfortunate and short-sighted, but which is actually quite common. Remember that a cake is not meant to be just a canvas for your decorating, and is supposed to be a delicious and enjoyable dessert. This means that any cake decorator should actually take the time to master a few good recipes for cake bodies made from scratch in order to ensure that their loveliest creations are just as enjoyable to eat as to look at.
Okay, you might say, but why would someone want to bake cakes from scratch when there are so many pre-made cake mixes? This has mostly to do with control over the end results. For example, you can go out and find an enormous array of cake mixes that boast of the "light and fluffy" results guaranteed when using the mix, but are these cake bodies suitable to all types of decoration? Not really, and if you go ahead and master the different homemade cake recipes instead, you are going to be sure of having at least one or two recipes that can hold up to almost any type of frosting or icing in general.
Consider that you may be someone who always uses very light buttercreams and whipped cream toppings, or you could be a big fan of rolled fondant. These diverse coatings and frostings require a wide range of cake bodies too. When you have a good range of recipes available, you can usually create a good combination of cake and decoration.
You should realize that most of the "from scratch" recipes are only slightly more demanding and complicated than a boxed mix. For instance, you really only have to measure out a few additional ingredients and perform a few simple steps to get the finest results.
Just like a boxed mix, however, the process of making a cake from scratch demands that you always select the appropriately sized pan(s) to ensure the best results, that you avoid continuously checking on the cake by opening the oven door, and that you allow the cakes to cool completely before you attempt to frost them. If you can manage these tasks, you can usually enjoy a truly lovely and delicious product.
