Baking is FUN

[schneefink]

...even if I´m not that good at it yet. So.
About a week ago ribbon_purple posted photographs of cakes she had invented herself which is ridiculously awesome. The second one looked especially good and I asked for the recipe. Which I got, because she is great. Then, after I figured out the measurements, I tried baking today. And it was... an adventure.
First of all, we didn´t have any baking soda. We ALWAYS have baking soda. Just not when I need it. So I went to my neighbours and promised them a large piece of cake for their last baking soda. (That was the... third? fourth? time I gave them cake for ingredients. Why can´t the kitchen be more organized? On the other hand, I like the feedback.)
Then it turned out my father needed the oven for lunch = chicken. Fortunately it turned out that the chicken fit into the microwave.
By the way, the only brown sugar we had was rock candy/candy sugar (not even dictionaries are sure what the correct translation for big sugar lumps is). Naive as I am, I thought that it would make no difference. Well, the cake is a bit crunchier, what with all the tiny crystals.
The two round baking pans we have aren´t exactly the same size. I just put more icing and coconut on top, you can hardly see it.
And I guess that Americans are used to much, much sweeter cakes than I am because I didn´t even use half the amount of sugar recommended and it was still very sweet for me.
Enough talk, I present: the cake.



ribbon_purple called it a "Banana Cake with Sour Cream Coconut Icing", I´ll just call it "Banana Cake (Sweet Coconut Icing)" in my mind since I couldn´t taste the Sour Cream. What we´ll actually call it is "the other banana cake". The other and always first one is the one with apricot jam, chocolate pudding and chocolat icing on top. Mmmm.



As you can see, it´s not as nice to look at as the original, but I found that enough coconut on top can disguise a lot.
Mmmm, cake.
(My parents liked it, too. I´m still waiting what the neighbours will say.)

Comments

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it does look quite a bit different than mine but it still looks really yummy. Congratulations. I’m glad you tried it. :o)

Oh, for future…whatever, you can substitute 1 cup of brown sugar for 1 ½ tablespoons of molasses mixed into 1 cup of white sugar. And remember when you’re taking out ingredients, you have to add something in to take their place or change all the measurements for your cake. Baking is chemistry. You can’t simply take an ingredient out and expect the same reaction to take place.

Thank you for showing me how it turned out! If you like the cake exactly how you made it, you know you can call it your own recipe, right? Enough of the ingredients were changed that it’s not copying. ;o)

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

Molasses? I just looked it up in google, but I think I´ve never even seen it in a supermarket and certainly not used for baking. Interesting, but I think I´ll stick with brown sugar - normal brown sugar next time, though.

As far as I remember, I didn´t change any ingredients (except the sugar), I only used much less sugar. But if I change the other measurements accordingly, there won´t be much cake left! To be honest, I was never very exact with measurements. I´m a very experimental baker! (Or baking apprentice. But while my family loves cooking, no-one is an experienced baker...) Fortunately, most times the results are edible. Mmmm, cake.

I´m glad I tried it, too!, and, you know, if you are bored, and if you just happen to be in the kitchen, and if there just happens to be a cake afterwards, I´d love to try again.

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

Really? You've never heard of molasses? Huh...I thought it originated in your part of the world - what with gingerbread and all.

I'm sure I'll be baking again soon. It's my stress/boredom/insomnia/everything relief. Plus, I have a request to fill. I hope you like icing. :o)

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia seems to suggest that in Europe (or at least in the German-speaking parts) molasses are mainly used as animal feed, also for producing yeast, alcohol, and for various other industries (pharmacy etc.) Apparently you can get molasses as food mostly in health food shops.

Mmmm, gingerbread.

Baking makes everything better :) Icing is good, especially chocolate icing... Looking forward to your next results. Even though I just spend ten minutes trying to find out what exactly "fondant" is. Cooking vocabulary is difficult.

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

Ah, there's that cultural divide. I was wondering where it'd run off to.

I grew up/live in the Midwest, very near to what historians call "The German Triangle." While I don't personally have an ounce of northern European ancestry (the closest I get is England), half of my neighbors have last names like Ziegler, Guggenheim, and Hoehn.

Anyway, long story short, we eat a lot of *supposedly* German food (yes, I know you're not from there) and one of the big holiday foods - other than pfeffernusse, which I have never liked - is gingerbread. Everyone makes it with molasses or sorghum and a ton of spices because that's the "German way." It's funny how a few generations can make such a difference in cooking styles isn't it? Even when said cooks are trying to do it the old way. LOL

Cooking terms are hard, aren't they? I'm still trying to figure out the proper pronunciation for Cumin.

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

There is a German Triangle? This here turns out to be terribly educational. I am even learning new vocabulary. Which I can pronounce! At least nobody here will be able to correct me because they don´t know the words themselves. Additionally, I will win the "strange-English-word-you-don´t-know-yet" game I´m playing with my brother.

To be fair, gingerbread making is more a German tradition and they might still make it with molasses, but then I never knew anyone to actually make gingerbread themselves. Hmm, would be interesting.

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

Yep, there’s a German Triangle – although, by now the lines a bit meshed. It was during one of the big waves of immigration from there to the USA…somewhere around the American Industrial Revolution. It was common for families to move in groups, towards greater opportunities and that meant going west. Well, by this point in US history, there were some rather large cities built up along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers (and above) that served as trade depots and housed some of the largest metal-craft manufacturing facilities of the time. Namely, Cincinnati, Milwaikee, and St. Louis.
Apparently, the majority of German immigrants during that time had some knowledge of manufacturing – Europe was already going through its own industrial revolution by the time it really got going over here. So, they settled in and around these three cities which form a triangle on the map. Thus the name German Triangle.

I may not have all my facts right - it's been awhile since I've studied it but that's basically what happened.

So which English word did you not know yet? I can supply you with numerous mid-western slang terms that’ll be sure to keep you winning for years to come, if you’d like. ;o)

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

Hm, interesting that it´s apparently still there. Patriotism and good food survive :) I bet they built their own beer distilleries, probably also their own sausages. White sausages.

The food words, basically. And I´d love any slang terms! Although I might still be at a disadvantage since my brother is currently in New Zealand where I´m told they have the craziest words, but still. Word games are fun ^^

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

They may have at one time but I haven't seen any locally brewed beer or white sausages since I've been here. Now, moonshine is another story. :o)

Terms: (with my own definitions)

Burgoo - soup made from anything and everything

Hodgepodge - a mixture of often unusual items

Mudding - taking a truck or other vehicle out into a muddy area (often a field) and driving through it very quickly.

Caddy-corner (also known as kitty-corner) - located diagonally to a place or object

Cow Tipping - knocking over a sleeping cow

Knee-high by the fourth of July - if the corn is at knee height by July 4th, you know you'll have a good harvest

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

No white sausages? Must have been Northern Germans, then...

Thanks a lot! I especially love "hodgepodge". And I´m not going to think about the fact that there is a term for knocking over a sleeping cow. Poor cows. That´s just wrong.

[ribbon-purple.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Don't worry about the cows. It's an old, old prank that teenagers used to play but it's rarely done anymore. Now, TP-ing is still very popular.

An excellent example:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/3355697232_79db5e5fdd.jpg

As is forking: http://www.free-revenge-ideas.com/images/Forking_a_yard.jpg

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

Wow. Apparently people have a lot of free time :)
The pictures look great though, like something out of a fairy tale.

[naye]

Mmmm, cake~! Almost makes me wish I had an oven, so I could try making stuff like that...!

It sure looks delicious. ♥

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

You don´t have an oven? But. How do you bake without an oven? And baking is the best part of cooking! Poor you :(
*sends you lots and lots of cake*

[naye]

Japan is not big on ovens, sadly. It is very unusual for someone living in an apartment to have one. Of course, I don't cook much even when I do have an oven, but... I do miss it, sometimes. Especially since I don't even have a microwave oven! But, hey - I can make toast over an open gas flame, and it is delicious.

Cake! ♥

[schneefink.livejournal.com]

Different kitchens in different countries are fascinating. Logical, because they cook different things, but still. But there are advantages everywhere - warm toast with butter! :)