Search Results for “Heritage Frosting”

What’s the science behind “Heritage” frosting?

So asks reader Pepper. That’s a good question. I presume what you’re really asking, Pepper, is how a mixture of flour, milk, butter and powdered sugar manages to stand in so well for a standard buttercream. The truth of the matter is that there’s not all that much difference between a heritage “cooked flour” buttercream and a standard buttercream, save for the fact that heritage frosting replaces half the butter — a fat and water emulsion — with a starch “gel”.

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“Heritage” a.k.a. “Boiled” a.k.a. “Flour” a.k.a. “Cooked Flour” a.k.a. “Gravy” a.k.a. “Cloudburst” Frosting

Did I forget to mention it’s also called “mock buttercream”? This is something that a handful of readers have asked me about lately. It was little Jo’s turn to submit a cake for the cake wheel at last Friday’s fish fry, so it seemed like a good time to make it.

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Frosting Freaks Unite!

Who knew there were so many people in the world who don’t like buttercream? Following Monday’s post on Heritage frosting I’ve received a deluge of emails asking for alternatives to buttercream. Of course I never deny my readers anything (ehem). Hang on while I whip something up.

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Making Whoopie Pies

This is my perfect whoopee pie: a flat, tender, not-overly-chocolate-y “bun” combined with a less is-more mock buttercream filling. Put the two together and you have sweet-yet-not-too-rich snack that is, in a word, happy-making. Wait, was that two words? Oh well, too late to go back and fix it now. I’ve got to travel tomorrow…I need to pack! Start by preheating your oven to 375 and sifting the dry ingredients together like so:

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Making Red Velvet Cake

There’s only one absolutely critical thing you need to remember when making red velvet cake: wear an old shirt. Other than that it’s much like making a basic yellow butter cake. The odd alchemical steps you find in many traditional recipes really aren’t necessary. Plenty of food coloring and a little cocoa is the extent of the juju.

Which is not to say that red velvet cake is indiscernible from yellow cake in the mouth. The quarter cup of cocoa does create a distinctive taste and texture, and the food coloring itself brings a few unique hints of flavor to the party. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, assembling your ingredients and preparing two 9″ cake layer pans. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle (beater). Stir it all on low for about 30 seconds.

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Whoopie Pie Recipe

One thing that tends to happen when a food item becomes really, really popular is that it gets pushed to excess. By which I mean it gets “updated” and “revised” by recipe writer after recipe writer to the point that it soon becomes a sort of hyper-enriched, hyper-sweetened, hyper-everything’d caricature of its former self. It’s […]

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On the Many Uses of Gelatinized Starch

Reader Eric writes:

Following on your melon pan recipe, I was wondering if during your research you came across any recipes that called for a tangzhong or a water roux. It’s touted as an anti-staling method, or a softness improver.

Wondering if you’ve tried it yourself. My personal experience with East Asian pastries and breads is that they are generally soft and don’t go stale quickly, which might be because of the preservatives and conditioners that are added.

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