As Published by The Georgetown Guide-Let Them Eat Cake!

Delicious Cake w/ both fruit & Icing

Let Them Eat Cake

Culinary Quips

By Elizabeth Sabol-Jones

Published: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Updated: Thursday, February 2, 2012 18:02

Original Link to The Guide

For this week's quip, I thought I would take readers through a couple of scenarios in which baking a cake can go awry. As a Chinese language major, the nuances of the language bleed into the various facets of my life, including the kitchen.

In Mandarin Chinese, when you run into an unfortunate situation and feel the need to shout out your frustration, zaogao is a pretty common expression. Now, you may be asking yourself, What does a Chinese cry of distress have to do with a foodie column? Here's your answer: Zaogao's direct translation into English is "wretched cake." And honestly, when you think about it, what could be worse in a kitchen than taking the time to make something, especially a cake, only to taste it and realize you messed up.

Fallen Cake

As I wrote in my previous column, cooking and baking are about taking risks. I would definitely propose that when you first start your culinary adventures in the kitchen, you must recognize that success is one part skill, one part intuition, two parts precision and a whole lot of luck. So even if you think you've made a mistake, make sure you try to problem solve a bit before abandoning your culinary efforts.

So, here are some tips for when things get dicey in the kitchen so that you don't have to start over from scratch, literally:

1. If you have noisy roommates who jump around too much or you mistakenly slam the oven door at the wrong moment, your cake could collapse in the center. It could be still tasty, but if you were aiming for presentation, the Chairman from "Iron Chef" would definitely take off points. Your cake goes flat due to the fact that the rising process was disturbed. As the rising agent (baking soda, baking powder, etc.) works its magic, the stability of the cake's structure becomes more sensitive to disturbances that affect the chemical processes.

Remedy: Never fear, icing is here! If you're concerned about the looks of your cake, and you're planning to frost it, the icing will cover up any sunken-in appearance the cake may expose. Additionally, flipping the cake upside down and then frosting it will give you an even surface.If you want to add an extra ingredient to your solution, fruit could be used as a cake topper that fills in the space where the cake went flat.

2. On some occasions, you might sit down with a lovely slice of cake only to realize it's incredibly dry. This usually happens when the cake pan is too shallow for the amount of batter, or if the cake has been left in the oven too long.

Remedy: One way to prevent this from happening is to use the "toothpick method." First, make sure you check on your cake a few minutes ahead of the suggested bake time. Often the time a cake needs to bake varies based on the oven, altitude and ingredients, so it never hurts to check a couple of minutes early. Second, stick a toothpick straight into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs, you're basically done. If you're very worried about dryness, then don't wait for the toothpick to be clean, and take the cake out when only a few crumbs are left.

Now, if you've already removed the cake and found it is incredibly dry, here's a creative solution: Pour something on it. Yes, it is as simple as pouring a bit of liquid over your finished product to add some moistness back. A bit of orange juice will give it a citrus flavor or a cup of coffee can curb the sweetness while rejuvenating the cake's texture. And, for the over-21 crowd, a little Bailey's never hurt anyone. The sky's really the limit on what you decide to use, but be sure to pour in small increments so as to avoid flooding your creation.

Almost Perfectly Risen Cake

Elizabeth A. Sabol-Jones is a junior in the College. She can be reached at saboljones@thehoya.com. CULINARY QUIPS appears every other Friday in the guide.

Summer Feature-more Cupcake Boutique (Chicago)

Hello my foodie friends! (and I know you’re out there since Blogger is giving me stats now!)

So, the general population seems to understand that cupcakes are “in” right now, meaning every week yields a new cupcake shop, flavor, or TV show. From DC’s Georgetown Cupcake or Baked and Wired, to New York’s Magnolia Bakery or Crumbs, the American public is experiencing cupcake overload! While Chicago has undergone a similar delicious infestation of cupcake shops, there’s one little, pristine “cupcake boutique” in Chicago’s Gold Coast named more, that’s doing the new “it” item a little differently and literally making people say, “more please!”

As I said on the Nightly Noms Twitter, I finally had the chance to sample a cupcake from more, a Chicago cupcake boutique owned by Patty Rothman. After attempting (and failing) to beat out a fierce crowd of Internet foodies to tag myself in a more facebook picture and earn a free cupcake, I decided to leave a comment on the photo. Just a quick “Oh! One MORE please!” Low and behold the next morning I had a facebook message from Ms. Rothman saying she had added my name to the list! Once again, thank you for your generosity!

I selected Saturday morning to make my way to more to pick up my “Cookies and Cream” cupcake; let me say, I was not disappointed. As you can see by the picture, more has a way with assembling aesthetically pleasing cupcakes. The mound of icing covered in delicate cookie crumbles was enough to catch my interest, but as I gently pealed the wrapper away I discovered that cookies were not mixed into the batter (like Georgetown Cupcake’s item of the same name), but rather more’s C’n’C sported a fluffy white cake with a cookie crumble bottom. I used my spoon to ensure that I had each component and took my first bite: delicious. The frosting was creamy, the cake was moist, and the crumble bottom had a soft chew to it, making the overall combination a perfect marriage of flavors and textures. Each bite left a new dimension of taste, which I believe was because of the contrast between the three dimensions of the cupcake. Also, if you’re in a rush and cannot eat your treat immediately, I’m quite positive that more’s C’n’C would taste awesome chilled too!

Overall, my first more cupcake was a delight (I’ve already managed to tag myself for this week to test out Chocolate Chocolate). The modern and chic Gold Coast neighborhood cupcake boutique offers both sweet (Crème Brulee) and savory flavors (foie gras and sour cherry), along with a “Happy Hour” of drink-inspired cupcakes (Mojito, Champagne, etc). more cupcakes are perfect for kids and adults craving a sweet, beautiful treat. Although prices range anywhere from $3.50-$6.00 for a large cupcake, more makes it possible for anyone to experience their flavors by using the facebook tagging process, which often occurs on Tuesdays (Monday around midnight). So start tagging, Chicagoans and visitors!

With catchy taglines like “eat MORE” “taste MORE” “love MORE,” all we can say is:

We want MORE!

Name: More Cupcakes

Meal: Anytime/Snack/Dessert

Location: Gold Coast (Downtown), Chicago

Address: 1 E. Delaware place Chicago, Illinois 60611

Price: $3.50-$6.00

Ordered: Cookies and Cream Cupcake