Hey all I got a few questions. I wondered what does cream of tarter mean? I also wondered if there's any good coffee cake recipes that have no milk in them? thanks!
Hey ALL! New to cooking!
Hey all I got a few questions. I wondered what does cream of tarter mean? I also wondered if there's any good coffee cake recipes that have no milk in them? thanks!
Hi BakingGirl, Welcome!
Cream of tartar is an acid often mixed with baking soda to act as a leavener in baking (it causes the fizz that makes baked goods rise and become light). Cream of tartar is a by-product of wine making - you can see it crystallize on the inside of a wine cork occasionally. Unlike the double-acting baking powder that you buy (leavens twice - once when the moisture hits it and again when the heat activates it), baking powder that you make from combining cream of tartar with baking soda does the leavening when the liquid is mixed with it.
Cream of tartar is also used to stabilize egg whites (when beating eggs until stiff peaks form) and to create an acid environment so that the whites/meringue can have better volume. It's similar to what happens when you use a copper bowl for beating egg whites! Another trick is to wipe the inside of a stainless steel bowl with vinegar or lemon juice when you're beating egg whites.
Milk helps to tenderize coffee cakes and improves keeping qualities. Without milk, instead of having a tender crumb (like a cake), the coffee cake would have a crisper and more shattering quality to the crumb. Milk also contains some fat that helps encapsulate the starch and protein of the flour to keep it from developing gluten (gluten makes things chewy, like what you want to have in bread). Without using milk, the coffee cake would be more like a bread. If that's OK with you, you could probably get away with it, but the results wouldn't be as good!
Wow CM what a great explanation!! I don't think there is anything else I can add to this post
If you make a cake like a carrot cake there is no milk in that kind of cake,an orange cake uses orange juice so you do not always have to use milk.( do you have an allergy or do you just not like milk?)There is a very easy to make great tasting carrot cake recipe on www.havefunbaking.com check it out. I hope you enjoy baking,if you are new to it you will find it very rewarding,creating something from scratch.
Orange Coffee CakeOriginally Posted by lovetobake45
2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh orange juice
Topping
1 tbsp. grated orange rind (orange part only)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (uncooked)
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup fresh orange segments (or canned Mandarin), cut into quarters
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Combine eggs, melted butter and orange juice. Add to flour mixture, beat until smooth. Pour batter into a cold, well greased 10 1/2 inch electric skillet (electric is easier to get the right temperature).
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the butter and crumble together.
Open the steam vent of the fryer (if it has one) or else, move the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.
Bake on the 275°F temperature setting for 50-60 minutes. The coffee cake can also be baked in a heavy cast iron skillet in a preheated 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes.
--CM
I don't think there is anything else I can add to this post
Well, then send us some Summer sunshine instead! I thought Spring was here, but today we had snow.
--CM
you can buy cream of tartar in the spices section at Wal-Mart or your grocery store. It's a white powder similar in appearance to baking powder. Have fun!
It is also a very good addition to meringue. When you start whipping it, add about 1/4 tsp of COT and it will help stabilize it and give it a beautiful sheen as well.
CM- Thanx!! I didn't know that "homemade" baking powder was not double acting. That explains the failure I had last time I was out of baking powder. There was a "recipe" on the cream of tartar that I followed exactly so I couldn't figure out what went wrong. They didn't mention it was only single action.
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