TWD: BAKING WITH JULIA: Lemon Loaf Cake

Sixth post with the group, Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia,
and this week’s recipe is Lemon Loaf Cake (pages 252-253).

This recipe is from the book, Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan.
The contributing baker for this recipe is Norman Love.

Host bakers this week are: (recipes can be found here as well)

Michelle of The Beauty of Life

Truc of Treats

Also, check out the other

Bakers’ Blogs.

This cake had me underwhelmed. Sorry…not a keeper for me.

To salvage this cake, an addition of lemon zest, lemon syrup and maybe some lemon icing would probably make this Lemon Loaf Cake recipe worth keeping.

You can find a recipe for lemon syrup and lemon icing on a post I did in 2010 using a recipe called,

Lemon Lemon Loaf.

As I mentioned in my last TWD:BWJ post, since the recipe is not available for readers on my post,  I’ll be adding a baking tip on my Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) posts.

This week’s baking tip is about having a clean bowl for achieving fluffy meringue.

A great recipe to try, using meringue, is Floating Island, (ILE Flottante). Delicious and simple. And, might I add, it makes for a beautiful presentation. You can find the Floating Island recipe on my wordpress blog.

BAKING TIP:

PREPARING YOUR BOWL BEFORE
WHIPPING EGG WHITES FOR MERINGUE

Your bowl must be super clean and grease-free to achieve properly whipped egg whites for meringue.

• Use stainless steel, glass, porcelain or metal bowls.
• Do not use plastic or rubber bowls.

• To clean your bowl: (clean your beaters too)
Pour some white vinegar in bowl.
Scrub using a paper towel.
Rinse.
Dry bowl with a clean paper towel.

OR

Pour some salt in bowl.
Scrub with a paper towel.
Rinse.
Dry bowl with a clean paper towel.

Note: Use room temperature egg whites when making meringue.

WHY MUST THE BOWL BE CLEAN AND DRY?
By Alice Medrich

“Residual grease or batter left in a bowl (or on beaters) prevents egg whites from beating up to full volume. Water added to egg whites (on purpose or inadvertently from a wet bowl) actually produces more volume, but the resulting foam is softer and less stable. Unless a recipe calls for water, it’s best to start with a clean and dry bowl for the firmest, most stable meringue. And use a glass or stainless bowl; no matter how clean it may seem, a plastic bowl can retain oily residue from previous use, which would seriously inhibit egg white volume.”

Click on the cookingclub.com website for additional information.

THE BIGGEST MISTAKES
WHEN MAKING MERINGUE
By Fiona Haynes, About.com Guide

“Metal or glass mixing bowls are best for yielding voluminous beaten egg whites. Plastic can retain fat and grease, which inhibits the volume of the egg whites. Whichever type of bowl you use, be sure it’s spotlessly clean.”

Click on the about.com website for additional information.

MERINGUE HOW TO
By piemaven.com

“Use a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be completely grease-free – the slightest trace of fat can ruin a meringue. Use glass, ceramic, stainless steel, or copper bowls. Plastic bowls may appear clean but usually retain residual amounts of oils, so don’t use them for meringues.”

Click on the piemaven.com website for additional information.

Carmen

Baking is my Zen…sweet nibbles for the soul

NOTE: DO NOT use my photography WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.