CONTEMPORARY AND CLASSIC CAKES

October 16, 2013

It was all about icings a/k/a frosting today.  Each team made a couple different icings for use on cakes that will be made tomorrow.  My team worked on Fondant Butter Cream and Cocoa Fudge Icing.  

First the Poured Fondant was made.  This was made by taking 100% sugar, 25% water and 25% cornstarch and heating to 240ᵒF. Then the mixture was poured on to a granite slab and continually moved around.

As the mixture is being moved, scraped, and left to fall onto of itself, air is incorporated into the mix.  

It is worked until cool and turns white.  This process takes about 10 to 20 minutes.  The Poured Fondant is not only used for cakes but also for topping pastries such as danish. 

The Fondant is then warmed and mixed by hand over a water bath to 110ᵒF prior to use.

To make the Fondant Butter Cream, we put the poured fondant into the mixer, add butter and shortening and mixed slowly to incorporate and then mixed on medium until smooth and creamy. 

It is not a butter cream frosting that I would use on a regular basis but it tasted good.

For the Cocoa Fudge Icing, we didn't really follow the formula or the mixing procedure provided in the book but followed directions that the chef provided.  The texture turned out good but it had an extreme bitter chocolate aftertaste.  

It turned out that I used regular cocoa powder instead of the dutched cocoa powder which caused the issue.  Luckily the frosting did not go to waste. The icing was simply mixed with a regular butter cream to mellow the flavor and turned out fine in the end.