February 2009
February Takes the Cake-At High Altitudes
by Mary Gerlach, R.D.
Registered Dietician
Ah, February! The month of love! What a great time to show your “special someone” how much you love ‘em by baking a rich, velvety ‘homemade’ cake. Now ‘homemade’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘from scratch.’ Sometimes ‘homemade’ means starting with a boxed mix and doctoring it up a bit…that’s the ‘homemade’ part.
Baking cakes at high altitudes can be tricky, however. Lower air pressure on the top of the cake batter at high altitudes causes air bubbles trapped in the batter to rise at a faster rate, causing the cake to rise very fast and then fall before the gluten in the flour has time to ‘set.’ As a result, you end up with a dense, dry cake with a sunken center.
So how can you avoid this problem? Well, several ways actually. Cakes tend to stick more when they are baked at high altitudes, so be sure to always grease your baking pans well and dust them with flour, or line them with parchment paper. The exception is foam cakes, such as angel food and sponge cakes. Cooking at high altitudes (above 3,500 feet) generally requires a basic adjustment of ingredients.
For cake recipes using baking powder or baking soda:
Don’t overbeat the eggs, as it adds too much air to the cake.
Raise the baking temperature a bit so the faster cooking time keeps the cake from rising too much.
Slightly decrease the amount of baking powder or baking soda to prevent the batter from rising too much as it bakes. Baking powder is activated first when you add the liquid to the recipe, and again when heat is applied; thus it is named ‘double-acting.’ Baking soda is only activated once, when the liquid is added to the recipe.
For foam cakes, such as angel food and sponge cakes:
Always bake in ungreased pans.
Fill the pans only 1/2 full of batter, not the usual 2/3 full, as high altitude cakes may overflow.
To help you in baking the perfect cake for that perfect someone, the following page has several high altitude baking tips listed. Enjoy!
Fudgy Strawberry Truffle Cake
This may be the strangest cake you’ve ever made, but it’s easy and oh so delicious.
Cake
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Filling
2 packages (8-ounces each) semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup butter (do not use margarine)
2 cups cut-up fresh strawberries
Garnish
6 fresh strawberries, cut in half lengthwise through stem
1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
Cake: High Altitude (above 3,500 feet). Follow High Altitude cake mix directions on box for 13x9-inch pan. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. Prepare cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Bake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, at least one hour.
Filling: Place chopped chocolate in large bowl; set aside. In two-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream and butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate; stir until smooth.
Cake Assembly: Line bottom of nine-inch round springform pan with waxed paper. Cut cake into one-inch cubes. In large bowl, beat half of the cake cubes on low speed until cake is crumbly. Add remaining cake cubes and 13/4 cups of the filling (reserve remaining filling for ‘frosting’). Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed until well combined; mixture will look like fudge. Fold in two cups cut-up strawberries. Spoon mixture into springform pan; smooth top.
Cover with plastic wrap; freeze 45 minutes or until firm enough to unmold. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake mixture. Place serving plate upside down on pan; turn pan and plate over. Frost side and top of cake with reserved filling. Arrange strawberry halves on top of cake.
In small bowl, microwave baking chips and 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil uncovered on ‘High’ for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Place in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut off tiny corner of bag. Drizzle over top of cake. Cake is best served the same day. Makes 12 servings.
Nutritional information per serving: Calories 630; Carbohydrate 65 g; Protein 6 g; Fat 38 g; Cholesterol 95 mg; Sodium 410 mg.
Sour Cream Lemon Cherry Cake
Cake
1 (18-ounce) yellow cake mix
2 eggs
2 Tb. grated lemon peel
2 cups low fat milk
Filling
2 (3.5-ounce) packages vanilla pudding mix (do not use instant pudding)
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
3 cups pitted fresh or frozen sweet cherries (liquid removed)
4 Tb. currant jelly, melted
Garnish
1 cup sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Cake: Grease and flour two eight-inch round cake pans. In mixing bowl, place cake mix. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, milk and lemon peel until batter is smooth, about two minutes. Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake according to package directions. Cool ten minutes on wire rack, then remove cake from pans and cool completely.
Filling: Prepare pudding according to package directions using two cups milk. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and lemon peel. When cooled, in small bowl, combine cherries and melted currant jelly.
Cake Assembly: Slice each cooled cake layer in half horizontally to make a total of four layers. On a serving platter, place one cake layer, cut side up; spread with about one cup of the filling and 1/2 cup of the cherry mixture. Repeat with second and third cake layers. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down; frost top of cake with remaining filling; top with remaining cherries. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Quick Tip: A purchased eight or nine-inch sponge shortcake may be used. Makes 16 servings.
Nutritional information per serving: Calories 447; Carbohydrate 81 g; Protein 5 g; Fat 13 g; Cholesterol 42 mg; Sodium 538 mg.
Easy Red Velvet Cake With White Truffle Frosting
Cake
1 box double-chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1-ounce bottle red food color
1 Tb. baking cocoa
Frosting
1 1/2 cups white vanilla baking chips
2 1/4 prepared (canned) vanilla frosting
Cake: High Altitude (3500-6500 feet): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F if using a dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottoms only of two eight-inch round cake pans.
In mixing bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, and then beat on medium speed two minutes until smooth. Pour into prepared pans. Bake and cool as directed on box for eight-inch rounds.
Slice each cooled cake layer in half horizontally to make a total of four layers. Split the cake layers by inserting a few toothpicks around the side of each cake layer to mark the middle point. For example, if the layer is two-inches high, place four to six toothpicks one-inch from the top around the sides of the cake. Using the toothpicks as a guide, carefully cut through the layer with a long, thin, bread knife, or pull a piece of heavy sewing thread horizontally back and forth through the layer slowly.
Frosting: In a medium microwavable bowl, microwave the baking chips uncovered on ‘Medium’ for four to five minutes, stopping to stir the chips halfway through. Stir until smooth; cool five minutes. Stir in frosting until well blended.
Cake Assembly: On a serving platter, place one cake layer, cut side up; spread with about one cup of the frosting. Repeat with second and third cake layers. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down; frost top of cake with remaining frosting.
Quick Tip: If you really like chocolate, use semi-sweet chocolate baking chips and prepared chocolate frosting instead of vanilla. Makes 16 servings.
Nutritional information per serving: Calories 640; Carbohydrate 84 g; Protein 6 g; Fat 32 g; Cholesterol 55 mg; Sodium 520 mg.
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