This recipe is for pan grease. It works much better than cooking spray and it's easy to make and keep on hand. You can refrigerate or freeze any leftovers in a storage bag.
- Vegetable Oil ½ Cup (120ml)
- Solid Vegetable Shortening 1 Cup (226g)
- All Purpose Flour 1 Cup (130g)
- Mix all together in your Kitchen Aid Mixer (or hand held mixer will work too)
- until it is all smooth and incorporated.
Notes
Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Refrigerate for 5 months
Freeze for 1 year
So, I was sitting there on my lunchtime, at work and I noticed that this Wednesday was national sponge cake day. Yes, there is such a thing. In fact, there are many national food "holidays." Who knew? Not wanting to be a Grinch, I decided to go with it. So to honor the holidays, I thought, I'd share a great chiffon recipe, I received from our C.M.P.C (Certified Master Pastry Chef) at school. Chiffon sponge cakes are known for being less sweet than the butter based cakes. They are also, of course, spongier and lighter. This is due to having a meringue incorporated into the batter. Fruit and whipped cream are the perfect complements for this light and fluffy cake and though it is a little bit of extra work, it's well worth it. Taste it and you'll agree.
We will be making a meringue, so it's important to have room temperature eggs.
Start out with some hot water. Sift in some good cocoa powder. The cocoa is the only thing that will provide the chocolate flavor in this cake, so use good quality cocoa, because you will be able to taste it. Whisk in the cocoa until well combined.
Add in the egg yolks and oil and whisk well. Add in the vanilla and whisk well.
Sift together your dry ingredients, including the sugar. Dump it into the wet ingredients and fold in carefully.
Whisk for a smooth batter.
With your mixer and whip attachment, begin whipping the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until tracks begin to form. Gradually add in the sugar and turn it up to high until stiff, moist peaks form.
Gently fold in the meringue all at once.
Wipe the cake pans with a very damp towel. You should see the water streaks on the pan clearly. Pour in the batter in the pans. Spin the pans to let the air out.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Once out of the oven, flip the pans on a sheet pan and cool upside down until completely cooled.
If you're making a whipped cream and fruit layer cake, prepare your whipped cream and fruit while the cakes are cooling. Unmold by running a sharp paring knife around the edges and tapping the pan on the counter hard.
Top with whipped cream and fruit or any way you'd like and enjoy!
See how I do it:
Ingredients
- ½ cup very hot water
- 10 oz cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup vegetable or salad oil
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ egg yolks
- 4 oz cake flour
- 6 oz granulated sugar
- 10.63 grams baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ¾ cup egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 oz granulate sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a large moon bowl, sieve the sifted cocoa into the very hot water.
Add the rest of the wet ingredients from the second set of ingredients.
Whisk until smooth.
Sift together the dry ingredients from the third set of ingredients and add them to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Fold in until mostly absorbed, then switch to whisk for a smooth batter.
Begin whipping the whites and cream of tartar in an 8 quart mixer, ideally, on medium speed. When you see tracks form and the whites are ¾ whipped, add the granulated sugar gradually.
Finish whipping the whites on high speed until you get firm, moist peaks.
Fold the meringue all at once into the batter until a uniform color is achieved. Take your time and be gentle not to deflate the meringue.
Pour the batter equally into two 8" cake pans that have been wiped out with a very damp cloth. Wet streaks should be visible.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Immediately out of the oven, turn the pans upside down on a sheet pan and let them cool completely that way.
Un-mold and enjoy!
To me there is nothing better than waking up on a Saturday or Sunday morning after a long week of work and rewarding myself with a big plate of pancakes. You know what I mean, right? I know you do. Sometimes a girl just has to treat herself.
When I'm in the mood for pancakes, this is the recipe I always use. It's been my go-to for a few years now. Buttermilk pancakes are my favorite. The flavor and texture is always on point. With this recipe, you'll yield a fluffy, light pancake every time. If you thought making homemade pancakes was complicated, then think again! This process is basically two or three steps. So give this a chance and then sit back, relax and indulge in the syrupy goodness.
To begin this recipe:
Ensure your spatula and your griddle or pan are greased well with cooking spray. Also pre-heat the griddle or pan on very low heat.
Sift together the dry ingredients and combine the wet ingredients.
I like using a cutter to help make the circles easier, but this is totally optional.
Melt the butter and let it come up to room temperature.
Whisk all the wet ingredients together until uniform. Then, whisk in the room temp. melted butter. Mix until well combined and uniform in color.
Now, combine the wet with the dry and fold with your rubber spatula until just combined. The key here is we don't want to see the flour anymore, but a few lumps are fine. Big pockets of flour are not okay.
Now, let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
Over medium to medium-low heat, begin cooking your pancakes. I like to take a liquid measuring cup and pour the batter out of that. Let it set up. The first pancake will take longer and look uglier than all the others. Don't ask me why. That's just how it is. The first side of each pancake will take longer than the other side. I like to flip my pancakes twice to ensure even cooking. Also, use a swift motion when flipping! You'll know it's time to flip when bubbles start to form on top and the edges begin to set. Of course, you can always lift the pancake and take a peak at the other side. After the first pancake, I usually turn down the heat to a medium low to low heat.
Once you flip, this side should take about a minute to cook.
Time to plate up and eat up! My favorite part...
Fluffy, golden, tall pancakes ready to be devoured.
See how I do it:
Grease your spatula and griddle or pan well. Pre-heat your griddle or pan over very low heat. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, malted milk powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In another large bowl, pour in buttermilk. Whisk in the vanilla extract, eggs and melted room temp butter and whisk to combine. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in until just combined. Make sure to fold in until huge pockets of flour are gone, but a few lumps remain. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and on a pre-heated, greased griddle or pan, place your first half cup of batter over medium to medium-low heat and flip after a 3-4 minutes and cook the other side for a couple of minutes. Adjust heating and timing based on first pancake. Continue to cook the remaining batter and top as you please. Enjoy warm! The recipe is updated, but post/video isn't. Please use the recipe as your guide. I'll be updating the video and post in the near future. Note as of 3.15.20.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes