Let me tell you... waking up for a 7:00am class the morning of Daylight Savings does not feel so great. Even if all you have to do is literally roll out of bed, eat something and put on your chef's uniform. I've finally figured out that not wearing makeup really is the way to go... from when I woke up and was ready in 5 minutes to when I went to wash my face just now and it was so easy!!
I've decided that baking is a perfect career for perfectionists. You see, bakers use "formulas" not "recipes"; they are exacting in their measurements and always use weight instead of net volume... as these two things can be crucially different. I think I've found my niche. :)
Oh- and ready for this?? My chef (professor) grew up in.... ALASKA. Anchorage even. Not kidding. What are the odds?? I got to talk to her a bit about how amazing that place is.. so cool!!
I spent the morning writing "Happy Birthday" over and over and over again with melted writing chocolate via the drop method... you roll up this small triangle of parchment-y paper, which gets even smaller as you roll it (again- exactly and precisely done!) and then spoon a teeny bit of chocolate into it. Here are some of my practices (we had to do at least 16!) It was super fun to try different pressures and styles and see what you got.
We also spent the morning setting our "mise en place" for two separate cakes: a Devil's Food Fudge Cake, and a Carrot Cake. I'm in love with our big Hobart mixers. They are pretty much amazing.
In the afternoon after lecture, we mixed and baked our carrot cakes, then spent the rest of the time assembling our Devil's Food cake (which was made from a convenience cake mix). Whoa. Let me tell you... that process sounds and looks easy when the chef is doing it... but again.. it's gotta be perfect. One missed step or one funny angle, and you are done.. or at least have to start at a beginning point. For the first time in my life, I cut the top off the cake (which is sitting in my fridge now), cut the cake in half, used a palette knife (from my AWESOME tool kit... which is all mine to keep! Yay hooray!!) to spread the buttercream- always from the inside pushing out, then relayered the cake, buttercreamed again, and piped buttercream up and down the sides to frost the outside. And that's just the beginning. I even used a cake comb to make those ridges you see on cakes. Here's the cake before the ganache...
Those shells and commas along the border are NOT easy. Whoa. I practiced for a while, and still don't have the hang of it yet. I brought home my left over buttercream to practice on my cake top. :)
And here is the finished product!! My first ever cake as a pastry student!!
So.... there you have it... 12 hours down (literally.. I got in my car at 7:10pm)... 36 to go. I think I'll manage to not gain 500 pounds from the simple fact that I was running around the lab all day, lifting, mixing, pouring, you name it.
Cheers!
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