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Well there's another pie in the garbage. I give up, I hate this oven. It's all well and good to say that you shouldn't be ruled by baking time, but it takes alot of skill to be able to figure out if something is done perfectly just by looking at it with no reference to time. Cakes are easier...

I guess I'm so used to baking times being at least somewhat accurate that it's very disconcerting when I can't rely on them at all! Oh well, I guess I know what I have to do... :glare:

I love my new gas range for cooking, but for baking, the oven is driving me crazy. I just threw a cake in the garbage after hours of work. Once again the center was underdone, even though I baked for the maximum amount of time called for in the recipe. I have calibrated this oven with a...

I measure with a ruler to the level I want to cut and insert toothpicks all around at that level. Then I use a serrated bread knife to cut around, removing the toothpicks as I cut using the holes as a guide. Then cut as best I can by hand. It's not perfect, but it works better for me than...

Whatever you do, don't use a candy bar. This is simply not appropriate for baking. Milk chocolate, as others have pointed out, does not have enough chocolate taste to work and will give you a weak-tasting cake. Unsweetened (baker's) chocolate is much stronger, but most of the stuff in the...

Unfortunately, there is no consistency between recipes when it comes to measure flour by volume. Some recipes expect you to spoon into the cups, others expect you to scoop. Volume measurement sucks. For a one-time investment of about $20 - $50 you can buy a little digital scale that will last...

Are you out of your mind? Appletart already mentioned botulism, which FYI produces the deadliest toxin on earth. For the love of God throw it out!

Yes there is. :mad:

Are you kidding? That stuff is gold. And it makes perfect sense. I am especially intrigued by the comment that I should not be using real buttercream for decoration. Do you recommend using a shortening based "decorator's buttercream" for both the writing and the frosting, or can I get away...

I like to use really expensive ingredients, like organic butter and El Ray chocolate, so it can get pretty pricey pretty quick. I also pack things pretty densely in there. The butter alone for that cake would have cost me nearly $20, lol. Thanks for the very good answer. I have suspected that...

I don't buy any ingredients; it's all from scratch. I used Pierre Herme's basic buttercream frosting recipe from his "Patisserie" book, with a vanilla bean to add flavouring. You basically prepare a custard with milk and egg yolks, cook to 81 degrees C, then mix in some softened unsalted butter...

Is there no way to learn the right techniques from books or at home? It's just so hard to find the time to take classes. But at this point I guess if I want to get better I have no other choice... nothing else has worked so far.

I have been making cakes for several years now. I keep practicing, refining my techniques, but I just feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. No matter how hard I try, I can never make a professional cake. Every cake I make has that "home made" look to it that I hate. Take the latest cake...

Sorry, I misunderstood you. When you said "flip" I assumed you meant flipping the already folded omelette over like you would if you were sauteeing an onion. Of course you have to fold it. But I just use a spatula for this. No need to "flip".

There's no reason to flip an omelette. A proper omelette can be made without flipping, and if done properly, there will be no browning. And 10" is huge. Much too big for a 2 or 3 egg omelette.

No idea, but it makes sense to me that adding more gluten would counter-act the effect the wheat germ has on development. Anyone know the answer?

Actually, whole wheat flour has more gluten. But the wheat germ breaks things up and makes it more difficult for the gluten strands to develop, so the flour under-performs compared to flours with equivalent levels of gluten. To me, whole wheat flour is for whole wheat bread. I wouldn't try...

If you put a raspberry coulis at the bottom of the ramekins, under the custard, will it be ok once baked? Does the baking process mess up the coulis? I'm thinking of doing that in place of the ganache.

A virtual piece :) Actually, I've now decided that the cake is out the window. It is being replaced with something much simpler and better. Flourless chocolate cake discs (3 inches) topped with a scoop of home-made Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with a generous amount of hot...

Well here it is. I thought it worked pretty well overall, even if there were a few glitches with the masking ganache on the side. (I probably should have let the cake freeze a little longer before pulling the acetate off, which is what caused some of the stripes not to imprint). Next time I...

I like to put a tablespoon or two of chocolate ganache at the bottom of each ramekin for a "two tone" creme brulee. You need to use a ganache that won't get too hard in the fridge though, since the dessert is served cold. I'm going to be making this dessert in a couple weeks for my parents. It...

I'll definitely take a photo when I make it this weekend. It's going to be one of the desserts at my parents' passover seder coming up in a few weeks.

Ok, I think I know where it's going. The charlotte idea is out the door. It's pointless to use the mold since it just makes finishing a pain in the butt. It's going to be a straight layer cake. Two layers of flourless hazelnut sponge, filled with coffee milk chocolate mousse. Then I can do a...

I'd love to see the caramel mousse recipe. I've decided, by the way, to cut out the caramel from the cake as a filling. I'm worried that the caramel will be too hard when chilled in the fridge, so it's out.

I don't know... I can't really cover the whole cake with a dolly. It would only be the top, right?