Adolescent Cake Posted on March 26th, 2009 One child wasn't invited to the all girl class afternoon party last Friday. My daughter came home with this disturbing information. My daughter asked the girl over on Saturday to bake an orange chiffon cake together. The trick with chiffon cake is that it needs to hang upside down as it cools. This allows the cake not to be tough in order keep its appealing quality. When cooled the cake can be turned back right side up and it is consequently perfectly formed. It has the structure and strength it needs by being allowed to stay in the controlled confines of the pan while not having to be manipulated with taste and texture inhibiting ingredients in order appear perfect. The look of the cake would be the same with the addition of stabilizers but the interior structure of the cake would be denser and far from the perfect, light quality that it truly is. The flavor of a chiffon cake, whether it is orange, lemon, chocolate, or vanilla is enhanced by the soft confident texture this technique allows. Cooling a cake upside down sounds more difficult than it is. Essentially you will want to take the cake out of the oven and turn it upside down, balanced on something that will allow it to hang upside down and not have the cake be smashed down by resting on the counter or table. The cake needs the lift it will get from hanging upside down; the air will circulate around the bottom of the cake and will not allow it to get soggy. Turning things upside down to avoid tough results is useful for many things in our lives. Teaching adolescents to understand how to treat someone with kindness and empathy, one first needs to show them how awful it feels to be treated with thoughtlessness. It is an upside down way to have to teach or bake but the results achieved are worth the effort. The interior of a chiffon cake, like the interior of an adolescent, are similar. They are both very tender. They both need confines and structure to hold them up while they solidify into the mature strong creations that they are. They both are a bit unstable as they balance in suspension. We need to help maintain the balance, not let anyone knock them over, or let someone convince us that we are wrong in our task. Once the process is completed the cake and the adolescent will be able to be turned right side up and adorned with a simple design. The sweet icing can then be applied to the outside structure with the strength of the interior being in place. There will not be sunken, damaged sides that have to be hidden from view. They will have the proud, tender interior crumb without the fear of falling and being vulnerable to criticism. The result is that each becomes more impressive than the most complicated sweets. It is with confidence that you can display this creation and know all will be impressed and delighted with its qualities. Cake Orange Chiffon Cake Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine * 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour * 1 1/2 cups sugar * 2 teas baking powder * 3/4 teas salt * 1/2 cup vegetable oil * 6 yolks * 1 1/4 cups orange juice * 1 TB orange zest * 10 egg whites * 1/4 teas cream of tartar Butter and flour a large Bundt pan or two small Bundt pans Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, yolks, orange juice, and zest. Mix together the yolk mixture and flour mixture until smooth Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until the yellow of the whites changes to foamy white, then add the sugar slowly. Whip until the egg whites are a firm meringue. You will know that this is done when you place a rubber spatula in the egg whites and it stands up without having to hold it. Fold in the yolk mixture into the meringue. Pour into the prepared pans and bake 325 for 25 minutes After the cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it upside down on an upside down small bowl without removing the cake from the pan. This will allow the cake to hang and not sink down and loose its airy quality. Make sure the middle of the Bundt pan is resting on the bowl so that air can circulate around the bottom of the cake. Icing * 6 Tablespoons salted butter, softened * 3 cups powdered sugar sifted * 2 tablespoons orange zest * 4 tablespoons milk * 1 teas vanilla Mix all ingredients together and then spread on the cooled cake with a spatula.