Shapes and sizes

lemon cloud cake size test

Today has been a great day.  Lots of rain overnight and into the morning, and I love morning rains.  This summer, so far, has been rather wet.  I haven't had to water anything in the yard or garden all year long.  And the plants are growing like crazy.  The birds of course loved the rain and they were quite vocal, and that is always nice to hear in the mornings as they all take what they want from the bird-feeding stations that are scattered around my yard.  Today is also the first day of my mid-summer break from teaching, and that means lots of projects and especially cooking over the next few weeks.  

So while it was raining I started the day off listening to some Debussy and Beethoven while I prepped ingredients for lemon cloud cake.  Then I put the ingredients aside for a while to do other things.  I enjoy days like this where I can just take my time, luxuriating in the lack of a schedule.  Eventually, though, I returned to the cake prep.

I love making this cake.  It has a beautiful texture which comes from a combination of egg whites whipped not quite firm, oil and butter, and a bit of what to some people is an unusual ingredient in a cake, namely, mayonnaise.  It also has lemon zest for just a light bit of flavor to go along with rich vanilla.

In the past, I have always made this cake as one large pan cake and then cut it into squares which are then wrapped in plastic and left to sit for hours before serving.  However, as I have been toying with the idea of putting this on the full menu, I have been experimenting with different shapes and sizes.  So today I am doing what will probably be the final test run of these small versions of the cake.  

Trying out not only different sizes and shapes but also different cooking vessels is always a fascinating project no matter what is being baked.  It's amazing to see the end results that can sometime be quite different, affecting texture, in particular.  (Sometimes I find it's wise to test different oven temperatures with these variations in size and cooking vessel, too.)

Today's final run is to compare jumbo-sized cupcake versions in paper cupcake wraps with small tube-pan cakes, foil-lined large cupcakes, and small square cakes cooked in disposable aluminum pans.  The shapes are all different as is each cooking vessel.  They are in the oven as I write this and when they come out they have to cool completely and then will be wrapped until morning.  Only then will I test each version for flavor and texture.  It might be that I won't be as happy with any of these as I am with the way I have always made this cake, the full-pan size cut into square pieces which are then wrapped.  But no matter what happens, the process of this experimentation broadens my experience and adds to my knowledge base, and not just with respect to this cake.  Indeed, the results of tonight's bake will inform other choices with other cakes and breads and so forth in the future. 

It's a fun process trying all these variations in cooking a specif item.  But it can take a while, as in days or weeks, and sometimes can be frustrating.  But when, in the end, I come out with the version that I want, it's always something I am glad I took to time to do.