Maison Rustique
06-26-2007, 08:24 PM
(http://www.otwa.com/community/showthread.php?t=20306)
sadie999 Oct-27-04 10:02 AM
What went wrong with this recipe?
Salsa Cake
1-3/4 c flour
3/4 c sugar
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c skim milk
3/4 c salsa
1. Mix together all the wet stuff except the salsa
2. Add the dry stuff; mix
3. Add the salsa; mix
Bake in a lightly greased and floured 9x9x2 pan at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
I had modified this from another recipe. The flavor is good, but the consistency is a bit rubbery. Can anyone suggest any changes to make it a bit lighter or cakier?
Thanks in advance,
Sadie
Joan Oct-27-04 10:33 AM
Sadie, I must confess that a Salsa Cake doesn't sound very -um- appetizing to me.
Off hand I don't see anything wrong with the recipe but you might try adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. soda along with the baking powder and see if that helps. The salsa probably has vinegar as one of the ingredients and soda should help it rise.
Joan
sadie999 Oct-27-04 12:47 PM
Thank you! I'll give that a try.
The reason I wanted to try it was that a long time ago, I tried cornbread that had jalapenos in it and I just loved it. But when I opened my corn meal, well - suffice to say it was no longer usable.
There is a restaurant that serves salsa cake with a cream cheese frosting, but that sounded too rich for what I was going for, so I just made it plain.
Thanks again!
Sadie
maison rustique Oct-27-04 01:33 PM
Sadie, double check your baking powder, too. Make sure it hasn't expired. This really sounds interesting. I've heard of tomato cakes and pies, so don't think it's terribly far-fetched. And I do like the sweet cornbreads. :) Of course, I'm not eating them these days. :(
sadie999 Oct-27-04 03:15 PM
Very well could be. I'll check. Thank you. :)
You mean it doesn't stay potent forever? :tongue:
Peace,
Sadie
goodworks1 Nov-03-04 09:17 PM
Rubbery often means 'overmixed' and that the gluten (protein) in the flour has been overdeveloped.
Try just barely mixing it. You can even leave some lumps. And just lightly fold in the salsa or mix it minimally.
And switch to a 'southern' flour rather than a 'northern' one. (Or buy a pastry flour which also has less gluten.) All-purpose flours in the USA have different blends of wheat in different sections of the US. The southern blends are lower in gluten because they are more often used for quick breads than in the north where the cooks more often make yeast breads. (Ummm, this is the traditional wisdom...I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions...)
A simple way to make sure you get a low-gluten flour would be to buy a self-rising flour and leave out the baking powder (and the salt? - check the ingredient list on the bag of flour) in your recipe (you might need to increase the flour just a tad to make up for the changeover...)
Hope this makes sense! I'm really tired! I just had a wonderful-tasting European chocolate, but think I'm having an allergic reaction to something in it.... Think I'll just go to bed and check back in the morning if you have questions about what I've written above.
Good luck.
Elaine
Edited to add:
If you really want to add lightness to a cake, try beating the egg by itself first and fold it into the batter right at the end. A lot of work, but it will incorporate more air and rising into the cake.
I'm trying to remember the traditional proportions of flour to sugar to fat in cake recipes. (I'll look 'em up tomorrow if you are interested) In general the principle is this: the more sugar (and fat to some extent) in a recipe, the more tender the result. A side effect of more fat and sugar can be 'heaviness' which is good in a pound cake but not so good in something you expect to be fluffy. ;)
sadie999 Nov-04-04 02:35 PM
Thank you, Elaine,
I think I understood what you wrote. :)
As an aside, I did check the expiration date on the baking powder. Color me red-faced. :o
I need to get in touch with my inner baker. :D
Peace,
Sadie
maison rustique Nov-04-04 02:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadie999
I need to get in touch with my inner baker. :D
Peace,
Sadie
Sadie, LOL!! You might want to check the feng shui in your pantry, too! :tongue:
Elaine, thanks for all that great info! :)
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:23 PM.
To adjust your timezone, visit your MyOTWA Control Panel.
Forums powered by vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2007, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.
sadie999 Oct-27-04 10:02 AM
What went wrong with this recipe?
Salsa Cake
1-3/4 c flour
3/4 c sugar
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c skim milk
3/4 c salsa
1. Mix together all the wet stuff except the salsa
2. Add the dry stuff; mix
3. Add the salsa; mix
Bake in a lightly greased and floured 9x9x2 pan at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
I had modified this from another recipe. The flavor is good, but the consistency is a bit rubbery. Can anyone suggest any changes to make it a bit lighter or cakier?
Thanks in advance,
Sadie
Joan Oct-27-04 10:33 AM
Sadie, I must confess that a Salsa Cake doesn't sound very -um- appetizing to me.
Off hand I don't see anything wrong with the recipe but you might try adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. soda along with the baking powder and see if that helps. The salsa probably has vinegar as one of the ingredients and soda should help it rise.
Joan
sadie999 Oct-27-04 12:47 PM
Thank you! I'll give that a try.
The reason I wanted to try it was that a long time ago, I tried cornbread that had jalapenos in it and I just loved it. But when I opened my corn meal, well - suffice to say it was no longer usable.
There is a restaurant that serves salsa cake with a cream cheese frosting, but that sounded too rich for what I was going for, so I just made it plain.
Thanks again!
Sadie
maison rustique Oct-27-04 01:33 PM
Sadie, double check your baking powder, too. Make sure it hasn't expired. This really sounds interesting. I've heard of tomato cakes and pies, so don't think it's terribly far-fetched. And I do like the sweet cornbreads. :) Of course, I'm not eating them these days. :(
sadie999 Oct-27-04 03:15 PM
Very well could be. I'll check. Thank you. :)
You mean it doesn't stay potent forever? :tongue:
Peace,
Sadie
goodworks1 Nov-03-04 09:17 PM
Rubbery often means 'overmixed' and that the gluten (protein) in the flour has been overdeveloped.
Try just barely mixing it. You can even leave some lumps. And just lightly fold in the salsa or mix it minimally.
And switch to a 'southern' flour rather than a 'northern' one. (Or buy a pastry flour which also has less gluten.) All-purpose flours in the USA have different blends of wheat in different sections of the US. The southern blends are lower in gluten because they are more often used for quick breads than in the north where the cooks more often make yeast breads. (Ummm, this is the traditional wisdom...I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions...)
A simple way to make sure you get a low-gluten flour would be to buy a self-rising flour and leave out the baking powder (and the salt? - check the ingredient list on the bag of flour) in your recipe (you might need to increase the flour just a tad to make up for the changeover...)
Hope this makes sense! I'm really tired! I just had a wonderful-tasting European chocolate, but think I'm having an allergic reaction to something in it.... Think I'll just go to bed and check back in the morning if you have questions about what I've written above.
Good luck.
Elaine
Edited to add:
If you really want to add lightness to a cake, try beating the egg by itself first and fold it into the batter right at the end. A lot of work, but it will incorporate more air and rising into the cake.
I'm trying to remember the traditional proportions of flour to sugar to fat in cake recipes. (I'll look 'em up tomorrow if you are interested) In general the principle is this: the more sugar (and fat to some extent) in a recipe, the more tender the result. A side effect of more fat and sugar can be 'heaviness' which is good in a pound cake but not so good in something you expect to be fluffy. ;)
sadie999 Nov-04-04 02:35 PM
Thank you, Elaine,
I think I understood what you wrote. :)
As an aside, I did check the expiration date on the baking powder. Color me red-faced. :o
I need to get in touch with my inner baker. :D
Peace,
Sadie
maison rustique Nov-04-04 02:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadie999
I need to get in touch with my inner baker. :D
Peace,
Sadie
Sadie, LOL!! You might want to check the feng shui in your pantry, too! :tongue:
Elaine, thanks for all that great info! :)
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:23 PM.
To adjust your timezone, visit your MyOTWA Control Panel.
Forums powered by vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2007, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.