Happy Birthday Cakes: Orange Cake with Pecans and Orange Mint Buttercream
(Page 2 of 2)
October/November 1998
By Susan Belsinger
2. Assemble the cake, spreading the buttercream on the tops and sides of both layers. Garnish with the orange mint leaves.
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Herbal Tip: Successful Cakes at High Altitudes
At high elevations, decreased atmospheric pressure stretches cake cells, causing the cake to rise excessively, or breaks them, allowing it to fall. To adapt cake recipes formulated for sea-level kitchens, like the ones given here, use these tested guidelines.
At altitudes above 3,000 feet, raise the baking temperature by 15° to 25°. Above 5,000 feet, also reduce the baking powder by 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon for each teaspoon called for in the recipe, decrease the sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons for each cup called for, and increase the liquid 2 to 4 tablespoons for each cup called for. Above 7,000 feet, decrease the baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon per teaspoon, decrease the sugar by 1 to 3 tablespoons per cup, and increase the liquid by 3 to 4 tablespoons per cup.
For angel food cakes at elevations above 3,000 feet, beat the egg whites only until the peaks fall over, not until they are stiff; decrease sugar by 1 to 2 tablespoons, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour, and increase the baking temperature by 15° to 25°.
Herbal Tip: Invisible Herbs
Don't want flakes in your cakes? These cakes get most or all their herbal flavor by infusion, not chopped leaves. For a strong herbal flavor in baked goods, I steep herbs in whatever liquid is called for in the recipe, whether it’s water, juice, liquor, or milk. For cakes, I generally use milk because it gives them a tender crumb.
A generous handful of fresh leaves or sprigs will flavor 1 cup of milk. Use the back of a spoon to bruise the leaves against the side of a nonreactive pan while heating them with the milk over medium heat. Do not allow the milk to boil. As soon as the milk begins to bubble around the edges, remove the pan from the heat and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.
Remove the herbs, squeezing out the excess liquid. You can prepare the milk 2 days ahead and refrigerate it, covered, until ready to use.
Susan Belsinger, who lives with her family in Brookeville, Maryland, has been a frequent contributor to The Herb Companion for many years. She is the author, with Thomas DeBaggio, of Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide (1996) and several other books from Interweave Press.
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