Baking Class

We had a great time at the baking class on Jan 18th.  It was held at the church in the YW room.  The first presenter was Libby Christensen, who taught us about decorating cakes with fondant.  She demonstrated  making the fondant and laying it on the cake.  She taught us some of her tricks to making the cake turn out nice.  

First you microwave the marshmallows, water, and criso at 30 sec intervals, stirring in-between, until it is melted and smooth. 

Then, you knead the dough.

And then you roll it out flat.  You can use a regular rolling pin, or they have special fondant rollers at the store.   She said instead you could use a large piece of PVC pipe cut off and it would work just as well.  

Then, you transfer it by rolling it onto your roller and laying it out over your frosted cake.   Smooth it out with your hands, or they also have a special smoothing tool you can buy (it looks like a small plastic iron).  

Then you decorate the cake by adding shapes or words, whatever you want.  You can do multiple layers.  If you cut the cake into different shapes beforehand, you can create almost anything.  A simple piece of ribbon around the bottom is an easy way to make it look nice.  

We also got to sample some of her yummy cupcakes with her super secret frosting recipe- mmmm! Thank you, Libby, for teaching me a new skill!   I have had a lot of fun with what you have taught me in the past and have been able to make some fun birthday cakes for my kids!    

(The recipes for cake, frosting, and fondant, are posted below in the next post or look under "Desserts")

Next Susan Jensen taught us about baking homemade rolls.   She makes a pretty tasty, buttery batch of rolls and we always enjoy them.  

First Susan activates the yeast in the warm water.  Then, she warms (don't make it too hot) the milk and adds the sugar.  

In her mixer, she kneads in the ingredients, adding the yeast last.  

Next she kneads the dough.  The dough may seem like it is a little too sticky, but that is what makes them so light.  (light, meaning airy, not low-fat- sorry!)   Knead them in a small amount of flour, but you don't need to make it a stiff dough.  

Next she rolls it out and cuts the rolls out with a biscuit cutter, stretches them out into an oval shape, dips them in a  little melted butter, and then folds them (butter side in) with one end crimped over the edge. 

And then you let these sit covered until they double  in size.  And then, of course, you bake them.  

And, here is the finished product!  We all got to taste a sample (or two) with some jam or honey butter and they were delicious!!    Thank you, Susan!   You have made a roll baker out of me!   (Well, at least now I have a start :)

(The roll recipe is posted below in the next post or you can look under "breads")