How to make the perfect cake

They should always be simple and easy, Culinary Institute chef says

By Valerie Phillips
Deseret Morning News food editor

Martha Turner's Carrot Cake Courtesy "Perfect Cakes"

Ask Nick Malgieri, the author of "Perfect Cakes," what he thinks of using cake mixes — if you dare. He's silent for a minute, but his narrowed eyes and slowly shaking head say it all.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asks. "I can see using a mix when you're making something that uses 20 different ingredients that you might not use again. That makes sense. But why use a mix to make something that has only butter, sugar, flour and eggs? And why do we need brownie mixes? Is there anything more idiotically easy to make than brownies?"

Malgieri, who directs the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, was in Salt Lake City Dec. 10 and 11. He demonstrated cake-making (without a mix) at both Sur La Table store and at the Davis County/USU Extension kitchen in Farmington. He's written six cookbooks, and one — "How to Bake" — won the 1995 James Beard Award in the "best baking-book" category.

"Perfect Cakes" features 200 recipes and lots of advice for how to turn out cakes that, if they aren't perfect, come pretty close.

The most important thing for a new baker to remember, Malgieri said, is to measure carefully. Baking is a precise science. You can correct the seasonings in a stew, but the results are more disastrous if you add too much baking powder to a cake. "If you're a beginner, it would be good to start with a coffee cakes, and I don't think I would attempt a fancy layer cake that's got syrup to moisten it and two different fillings."

The flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake Malgieri demonstrated in Davis County was less complicated than those requiring leavening. "The cakes we make on a regular basis for our friends and family should be easy to make. They shouldn't require two entire days in the kitchen, or you'll end up hating it in the long run."

The recipe calls for coffee, but Malgieri substituted orange juice instead. He also added a little lore surrounding the cake, which, in the 1980s, was served in an Italian restaurant in New York City ("the kind of restaurant that the Sopranos would probably visit"). "It was so popular, people used to call ahead and reserve a piece when they made their reservation."

Nick Malgieri is the author of " Perfect Cakes." Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News

This cake, as well as most of his cakes, uses a pan that's buttered and lined with parchment or waxed paper on the bottom. Instead of using a brush to butter the pan, he used a wadded-up piece of plastic wrap. He prefers using butter instead of non-stick cooking spray. But, if he's using a decorative pan, he butters it and then covers it with bread crumbs, then sprays it with nonstick cooking spray. He never flours pans. "Bread crumbs work much better than flour. Flour helps bond the cake to the pan; I've had some disasters with it."

After pouring the chocolate mousse batter into the eight-inch cake pan, he put the cake pan into a larger (13-by-9-inch) baking pan and added a cup of water to make a water bath. "It insulates the bottom from strong bottom heat, which drives things upward and makes the cake rise. With souffles, you want strong bottom heat because you want it to rise. But this is like a cheesecake, you don't want it to rise. You want a smooth, silky, static texture."
The result is a cake that's so rich and dense, it can serve 12 people with no trouble at all.

The cake can be frozen for a month if well-wrapped in the cake pan. To serve, bring back up to room temperature for the best texture and top it with cinnamon-flavored whipped cream.

Malgieri quickly whipped the cream by hand with a wire whisk: "You get more air into it than if you do it by machine." He piped the cream in a series of s-curves on the cake to make an asymmetrical design because, "if you make it asymmetrical, no one will know the difference if you've made a mistake."

Another piece of advice: When you slice a cake, clean off your knife with a damp cloth or paper towel after each cut to make slicing easier.

When the audience asked about altitude, Malgieri said, "If you live over 6,000 feet, don't try to make stuff that has a lot of baking powder in it. Make something like this (the mousse cake) that doesn't depend on chemical leavening."

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE WITH CINNAMON CREAM

Batter:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 large eggs
1/3 cup orange juice or strong brewed coffee
2 tablespoons dark rum, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Butter an 8-inch round cake pan, and line bottom with parchment or foil.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

Bring water, butter and sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted. Off the heat, add the chocolate and swirl the pan so the chocolate is submerged in the hot liquid. Let stand for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the orange juice, rum (if using) and cinnamon.

Whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth, then whisk into egg mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan in a larger 9- by 13-inch pan. Pour warm water to come to a depth of 1 inch into the larger pan. Bake about 45 minutes, until the cake is risen and slightly firm. Remove the pans from the oven, then carefully lift the cake pan onto a rack to cool.

To make cinnamon cream, whisk or whip cream, sugar and cinnamon together and pipe onto cake. Recipe from "Perfect Cakes," by Nick Malgieri.

MARTHA TURNER'S CARROT CAKE

Cake Batter:
2 cups all purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, such as corn or canola
2 cups peeled and finely grated carrots (about 4 large carrots)
One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream Cheese Icing:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (about 4 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
6 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted after measuring
Three 9-inch cake pans, buttered, with bottoms lined with buttered parchment or wax paper

Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl, mixing well.

Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and continue whisking briefly until light, about 1 minute. Whisk in the oil in a slow stream.
Stir in the carrots, the pineapple with its juice and the pecans, then fold in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for about 45 minutes, switching the position of the pans, top and bottom and back to front, once during baking, until the cake layers are firm and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.

Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to finish cooling. Remove the paper before icing.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes longer.
To assemble to cake, place one layer on a platter or cardboard round and spread with one-third of the icing. Top with another layer and spread with another third of the icing. Place the last layer on top, bottom side up, and using a large offset spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing. Sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the cake, and press into sides.

Keep under a dome at room temperature. Makes one 9-inch three-layer cake. Recipe from "Perfect Cakes," by Nick Malgieri.

TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE

This is the recipe with which Ella Rita Helfrich of Houston, Texas, won the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off. While baking, the cake develops a creamy, fudgy core, like a tunnel, hence the name.

Tunnel of Fudge cake won the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off. Courtesy "Perfect Cakes"

1 3/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
6 large eggs
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
3/4 cup alkalized (Dutch-process) cocoa powder
2 cups (about 8 ounces) chopped walnuts

Chocolate Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup alkalized (Dutch-process) cocoa powder
6-8 teaspoons milk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Stir in the flour, cocoa and nuts until well blended.

Spoon the batter into a buttered bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is set and the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan (this cake has a soft center, so the ordinary doneness test of inserting a toothpick does not work).

Cool the cake (upright) in the pan on a wire rack for 1 1/2 hours, then invert onto a serving plate and let cool for at least 2 hours.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients, adding enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of the cake, allowing some to run down the sides. Makes one 10-inch bundt or tube cake; about 16 servings. Recipe from "Perfect Cakes," by Nick Malgieri.

E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com