Exam Time, Ganache and Piping

Is That Your Final Answer?

Today we had an exam on some of the topics that we've covered over the past week. This includes everything from the science behind baking, the anatomy of wheat, a gluttony of gluten facts and lots on leavening. It covered a pretty broad spectrum, but I think I did okay. We'll find out tomorrow.

Devil's Food Dipping and Piping

Today we took our tea-infused Devil's Food Cupcakes and dipped them in ganache made from scratch (high quality chocolate heated with cream). We each got to dip two cupcakes, which was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to do a great job with it. Because chocolate-dipped cupcakes look tasty but boring, Chef Todd gave us a chance to test our piping skills by letting us decorate the cakes. First he showed us how to make a piping cone out of triangles of parchment paper. Luckily, I learned this skill at the bakery (thanks Paige for the head-start!) so I was able to help others a bit. Then chef took a piping cone and filled it with heated white chocolate and showed us how to make rough horizontal lines and spirals. I was pretty happy with the way mine came out, but I have had a bit more practice. STILL need much more practice though.

A Tasty Save

Remember the disgusting tea that I mentioned in the previous post, the one that we were to infuse in a pound cake? Well, that pound cake got a reprieve! Chef Todd decided against it and found some wonderful-smelling Chai tea to use instead. The result was a fluffy and unique-tasting pound cake that we each got to try and take a bit home. Nice save chef!