Jensen Janne - Birthday cakes: 50 traditional and themed cakes for fun and festive birthdays

Copyright Cappelen Damm AS 2013 English translation copyright 2014 by Skyhorse Publishing Photos by Veslemy Vrskar Design and layout: Sissel Holt Boniface, Cappelem Damm AS All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

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CONTENTS FOREWORD My greatest hobby and passion is baking and decorating cakes. One of the reasons I love this is because the possibilities are nearly endlessthe only limit is really just your imagination. I can be creative, and thats what makes it such fun. That said, theres no use in making impressive, beautiful-looking cakes if they dont taste good.

What lies beneath the decorations on the beautiful cake is just as important. In this book, youll find recipes for all of my favorite cakes. My cakes have always been well-liked by adults and children alike. Theyre family-friendly and will appeal to just about anyone. Everyone can learn to decorate cakes beautifully and in this book Ill teach you some fundamental techniques that you can use to impress guests at your next party. I hope I can inspire you to make your own fantastic cakes! Oslo, January 2013 HELPFUL TIPS FOR BAKING GENERAL TIPS Its nice to have a list of good tips that make your baking, and the final product, a success.

Here are my best tips for baking cakes. All the ingredients should be room temperature before you begin to bake. Take them out of the refrigerator about an hour before you begin baking. Have all your ingredients and tools ready at hand before you start. Read the recipes carefully, and dont be sloppy with measurements. Be precise.

Preheat the oven. It takes about 15 minutes before it gets hot. Remember to grease your pans well. Line your pans with parchment paper, so you can avoid ending up with a cake that wont let go of its pan when youre ready to take it out. Use oven shelves when you bake cakes in pans. Baking sheets can result in poor circulation in the oven.

Dont open the oven door until at least half of the baking time has elapsed. That way, youll avoid having your cake collapse. Cover the pan with a bit of parchment paper if the cake begins to darken before its finished baking. Use a skewer to check if the cake is done. Push it all the way into the cake, in the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

You can also see that the cake is ready when it begins to let go of the edges of the pan. Remember that baking times are only guidelines. The exact time varies from oven to oven, and based on the size of the baking pan. If you want to avoid having your cake develop a peak in the center, you can do this: wet a small towel and wrap it around the pan. Make sure the towel doesnt dry out while the cake is baking. The cake will take somewhat longer to bake, but youre guaranteed a cake with a flat top.

Youll also avoid the edges being done before the rest of the cake, which causes them to harden before the whole cake is done. The cake will, in other words, bake more evenly. Check your baking powder. Even if it hasnt expired, it doesnt always work as well once the package has been open for a few months. If the cake collapses or sinks in the middle, the cause might be too much leavening, too small a pan, too short a baking time, too cold an oven, or a cold air from an opened oven door while baking. If the surface of the cake is cracked, the cause might be too much leavening, too much batter in the pan, batter thats too dry or too wet, or too high an oven temperature.

If your egg whites dont stiffen up, the cause might be a whisk thats not clean, eggs that are too old, eggs that are too cold, or egg whites and yolks that were poorly separated. When cooking meringue, remember that too high an oven temperature can give you a burned cake, sugar seeping out of the meringue, or meringue thats soggy in the middle. If your sponge cake wont rise, the cause might be that you havent beaten the egg mixture to the right stiffness. Remember to beat it for at least ten minutesit should be properly stiff. Its also important to place the cake in the right part of the oven. Sponge cake batter that sits out too long on the counter loses a lot of its airiness.

White chocolate can burn, so remember that it doesnt tolerate as much heat as regular chocolate. Bake cakes layer by layer. Thatll give you a perfect, moist cake. If youre going to bake a three-layer cake, distribute the batter in three pans of the same size, then bake. Remember, though, that not all batters can stand to wait around. Sponge cake, for example, is one kind of batter that needs to go straight into the oven.

Let cakes cool in their pans for about ten minutes after theyre done, before turning them out and onto a rack. Before slicing a cake into layers, let it cool, pack it in plastic, and put it in the freezer for about thirty minutes. This prevents the cake from crumbling as you cut it. When covering a cake with a crme, start with a thin layer around the whole cake, then put it in the refrigerator for about thirty minutes, until the crme firms up (not necessary with whipped cream cakes and sponge cakes). Then cover the cake with a second layer. That stops crumbs from getting into the crme.

The first layer holds them in place. To achieve a nice, smooth surface on a cake, hold the spatula under warm running water, dry it off, and then draw it across the cake. Remove any excess crme that came off on the spatula. Repeat the process until youve gone over the whole cake. Dont put too much crme in a piping bag when applying it to a cake. It could melt from the warmth of your hands.

Its best to fill the piping bag several times. EQUIPMENT I recommend the following equipment for easy and successful work in the kitchen. Stand mixer Hand mixer Springform pan Two round pans, 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter Molds and cake pans in different styles (Wonder Mold, sports balls, squares, and daisy pans are used in this book) Kitchen scale Deciliter measuring cup Measuring spoons, for precise measurements Cooling rack Mixing bowls Colander Ruler/measuring tape Scissors Cake-decorating accessories Spatula Dough scraper Small, sharp knife, without serrations Cutting wheel (I use a small one for decorations, and a pizza wheel to cut around the edges when making cake coverings) Plastic rolling pin with rubber-size rings, for a smooth surface Piping bags and tips, and a few connectors, which makes it easier to change tips Rotating tray Cake smoother Various shape cutters Some modeling tools A sugar gun (a device that presses out fondants in various sizes and shapes) Paintbrushes, to paint and attach decorations on cakes Parchment paper Color pastes and powders Cardboard cake stand, for tiered cakes Wooden/plastic sticks, for tiered cakes Sugar thermometer (you can buy one in a hobby shop or cake store) Ladles, whisks, spatulas, etc.