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12-12-2019 12:21 PM
Yesterday I was all set to take another step along the road of my fascination for the recently-learned concept of "fika," which is the Swedish term for taking time out to relax with a cup of coffee/tea and a pastry or snack.
I used a recipe in my new "FIKA" book which appeared to be a simple one for cardamom cake to be baked in a decorative mold. The only hard part was crushing the cardamom seeds. Using my mortar and pestle didn't work so I put the four teaspoons of cardamom seeds in a plastic bag and pounded it with a hammer. Not too hard, really.
But then the egg whites that were supposed to give lift and airiness to the cake wouldn't hold peaks and when I added sugar, it turned into a flat liquid. OK, I thought, maybe adding a bit of baking powder will do the trick instead (the recipe didn't originally call for baking powder - it was all supposed to be up to the egg whites).
It baked, and when done, appeared a little flat, but a wooden pick came out clean so I let it cool.
Finally, upending it showed me that I REALLY should have whipped another set of egg whites instead of trying to salvage the ones that went flat. That's probably Cooking 101 but I went the thrifty route instead.
Only the edges were edible.
It was supposed to look like this but looked like the second picture instead.
At least my cup of coffee tasted good.
Anybody have any recipe disasters lately?
12-12-2019 12:43 PM
@GingerPeach I've had some disasters to numerous to count, but I'm sure happy when something turns out good.
12-12-2019 02:37 PM
Ahhh! I know you feel kind of, well, less than a French pastry chef, but I enjoyed reading your baking disaster!
I mean, besides your added ingredients, were you able to determine what went wrong with your egg whites?
Clean metal bowl? Cold fresh eggs? Any yolk mixed in? Something in there was a factor.
Oh, I've had my share, just not lately. I mean I feel like a total pro about now due to all the calamities I've had in the past! Too numerous to put into words here.
12-12-2019 02:42 PM
Ummmm..........I have crumbled up a "few things" and tossed them in the yard for the birds............
12-12-2019 03:23 PM
Hi @Harpa
Yes, I knew what the issue was but decided to give the baking powder a try anyway. Usually things turn out, but this one wasn't meant to be.
Even professionals have off days.
I did just make a lovely batch of oatmeal/cardamom/almond/cherry cookies, however.
12-12-2019 06:35 PM
It was worth a try. The original picture looked good though.
12-12-2019 06:38 PM
The picture of your cake could have come from my camera. I recall many years ago trying to bake bread. When my mother in law walked into the kitchen she asked if it was pizza crust. I have since found excellent bakeries and pizza shops.
12-12-2019 06:44 PM
12-12-2019 07:06 PM
I have had a problem with my cookies burning on the bottom and being raw in the middle. I blamed it on my oven or on my cookie sheets. Out of every batch I made, half of them ended up as bird feed.
I am proud to admit that I made 10 different kinds this year and not one burnt cookie.
I bought new USA cookie sheets. I bought an oven thermometer because I swore my oven was running too hot. Actually it is 25 degrees cooler than it should be.
I also used metric measurements and weighed all of my ingredients instead of using cups and measuring spoons.
I still don't know what was wrong, but my cookies are now perfect.
@GingerPeach Hint: you shouldn't not bake things that require whipped eggs whites when the air is humid. Also humidity is not a friend of making candy that includes chocolate coatings or hard candies. You are setting yourself up for a fail.
12-13-2019 02:27 PM
I tried to use pre cubed white bread for the turkey dressing for Thanksgiving, and the groans could have been heard at Plymouth Colony AND WERE DESERVED.
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