Opinions from those who bake..

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Kayelle

Chef Extraordinaire
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Many know that I'm not a baker but thought I'd give it another shot for T-day. This recipe from Ina Garden sounded good and easy. She's a cook I trust, but how does it sound to you?
Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake Recipe : Ina Garten : Food Network

I do not have a stand mixer, only a hand held one, but other than that, I'm sure I followed the directions exactly. The dang thing was an embarrassment to say the least. Blah.. It can't be that you actually need a "paddle mixer" to be a success with this, can it?

By the way, for those who don't know me, I'm a pretty darn good cook, although I remain a pitiful baker. ;)
 
This cake is closer to a light custard than anything else. If you were hoping for something like a layer cake, you won't get it here. It is eggy, spongy, airy and unsatisfactory if you wanted "cake". Does sound good, though. I'm sure you did nothing wrong.
 
What exactly did you not like about it, Kay?

It sounds more like a clafouti than a cake to me: "A classic French country dessert, clafouti is made by pouring a sweet batter, similar to pancake batter, over fresh fruit. The eggy batter then bakes around the fruit, creating a light, airy, pudding-like texture—the perfect mix of airy and custardy. It's typically made with cherries, but plums, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries can all get the clafouti treatment (and, in the autumn, even sautéed apples and pears)."

http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-clafoutis-with-summer-fruit-article
 
Love clafouti, GG!

My first thought is it looks like a cobbler of some kind. Or a buckle. Or any other similar batter-over-fruit recipe out there. I have a recipe (somewhere in my vast bin of clipped ones...) that calls for a similar batter to be poured over mixed berries. In fact, it calls for the Trader Joe frozen mixed berry bag!

Kayelle, much as I love the Contessa, I think she did you a disservice by calling this recipe a cake. Not your fault. ;)
 
TSM for your input ladies!

GG the link you left was a big help. Yep, it was chewy and tough.

The only possible pitfall: Sometimes, clafouti comes out tough and chewy pastry. To avoid that, rest the batter for at least 30 minutes or, ideally, overnight. This lets the protein in the flour chill out and relax. Don't worry—you get to relax when the clafouti is baked.
It's too bad Ina didn't offer the same information!:(
 
TSM for your input ladies!

GG the link you left was a big help. Yep, it was chewy and tough.

It's too bad Ina didn't offer the same information!:(
No offense. but if a person can read, mix the ingredients as instructed, set the oven temperature and the timer, I can't get why you can't bake.
 
No offense. but if a person can read, mix the ingredients as instructed, set the oven temperature and the timer, I can't get why you can't bake.

She didn't say she "can't" bake. She said she's not a baker, which means she doesn't bake often. I don't bake much either and there are times when I wonder whether the item looks or feels like it's supposed to (doubled in size or "elastic," for instance).

It's really nice that you grew up baking at your grandmother's knee, but not everyone is like you. Baking is a skill that takes time and experience to master.

Also, in this instance, following the directions didn't work because 1) the author didn't specify allowing the batter to rest and 2) the author described it as a cake but it seems more likely that it's a clafouti.
 
No offense. but if a person can read, mix the ingredients as instructed, set the oven temperature and the timer, I can't get why you can't bake.

Well, that was insulting, to be sure. The operative word there is "can't"....I've never said I can't bake! I don't bake, because I don't enjoy it, and I don't need to eat baked goods to feed myself well.
 
Well, that was insulting, to be sure. The operative word there is "can't"....I've never said I can't bake! I don't bake, because I don't enjoy it, and I don't need to eat baked goods to feed myself well.


I'll march here beside Kay and GG. I don't bake because I don't like to. I CAN bake too. I'm just not a huge fan of sweet baked goods either.
 
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Count me in with Kay, GG, and Dawg, too. I have a couple of things I bake, but since I'm not a huge fan of sweets either, I give most of it away.

I'm sorry to hear it didn't turn out like you had hoped, Kay. I've had more than my share of baking fails over the years, and it sure doesn't add to my desire to bake more. Quite the opposite, actually. :ermm::LOL:


As mentioned though, the directions/tips should have been clearer.
 
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No offense intended. I don't bake often because I don't eat sugar and I can walk away from sweets for days and days. However, my Dad is a sugar-aholic. For him, I will bake a pie, a cake, a batch of cookies all in one day. I end out throwing half of everything out because he doesn't eat them and Mom and I don't eat them.

For Christmas, I bought him the ATK baking book. Didn't mean to insult anyone, but really, if you can read a recipe to make a savory dish, you should be able to read the recipe to make a sweet dish. Just saying. And, I bought him a kitchen scale so he can weigh the ingredients.
 
No offense taken. It's just that a lot of us don't enjoy baking as much as others might. Pretty sure we can all follow a recipe here!
 
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...Didn't mean to insult anyone, but really, if you can read a recipe to make a savory dish, you should be able to read the recipe to make a sweet dish. Just saying...


...but you thought you'd repeat the offending statement anyway. You intent is clear.
 
In my experience, the only time people start off a statement with "No offense, but..." is when they are about to offend somebody. As Kayelle said - that was insulting.
Petty, petty, petty. As I have said many times since my Mom suffered a stroke and has been bedridden and my brother, my life friend, died. There are so many things in life that don't matter. Don't like what I wrote, too bad, get over it. In the big picture, it doesn't matter.
 
CWS, I'm sorry you're having a difficult time, but that doesn't excuse rudeness. You are not the first person to deal with serious family issues and you won't be the last. And you are not the only member of this forum who is dealing with such issues, either. Many of us have walked a similar road.

Maybe you should consider taking a break from offering advice or "just saying" until you get a better handle on things.
 
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Whatever. You have no idea the road on which I am walking right now. If I am not diplomatic, well, I am busy trying to keep my head above water.

Oh yes we do CWS........you have no idea how difficult the roads I and others have walked with our aging parents, and it was the most challenging days of my life trying to raise my children with a mother with cancer, and a father with Alzheimers. Life really sucked for me in those days, and I remember it well.
On the other hand, I gave it my best shot in not taking it out on others who had nothing to do with my problems at the time.
The truth is, you are not the first nor the last with these daunting challenges, and I wish you strength, courage and peace.
 
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