My Mom taught me that when a cake goes wonky just cut it into cubes and layer it in a trifle bowl with fruit and whipped cream. Looks great and will taste wonderful.
yes ! there is no improvisation in pâtisserie and you may need a lot of tools, a thermometer and a faithful precise oven make the difference ! it also more precise to do the measurements in grams instead of cups and spoons.
I absolutely love cooking, and I dare say I'm a relatively good cook, but I always tell people I don't like baking nor am I good at baking. Because this!! Cooking is art, you can tweak it and change things up and make it better. But baking is a whole other level of science. Mess up a little, you could mess up big time. I love food science but baking is just scary 😭
As a home cook who just last week started Julia's first cookbook, I can honestly say that I feel for you dude. As I work through page by page, and recipe by recipe of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I can only hope that one day my home chef culinary skills will allow me to produce a cake like this. Just this week for my husband's birthday, I made a five layer hazelnut chocolate sponge cake, complete with Nutella ganache, Swiss meringue hazelnut buttercream, drip candied hazelnuts, and spun sugar. It only took me 5 days of 18 failed cakes (6 batches of 3 cakes each), and more eggs, flour, white sugar, powdered sugar, Nutella then I've ever used in the kitchen on a dessert to get it all right. Just breathe and it all comes together.
Ron, bravo, I have more failures behind me than I care to count. I started when I was very young (12 years old) with julia's recipes, watching her on TV when it was new....that was 58 years ago. I just want to say that if you read Julia carefully and make sure you understand each step, you can't go wrong. Best of luck to you and your partner, All the best JIM Oaxaca, Mexico
I’m a professional baker! When I bake at home, I always do a prep day first. It’s a pain in the ass if you do everything in one day and it tends to end up not being fun anymore. If you feel yourself get frustrated, take a break or stop and try again another time. Even at work sometimes we have to take a step back for a mini break if it gets frustrating. I really like your series!
Thats right, I learned that watching a lot of cake videos and experience. Now I make the bread cake a day before or two and then make the rest of recipe. Last week I made a boston cake and the day I Cook the rest of recioe the cake tastes very very weird. The day after omg so moist, cream and balanced flavors.
the "taking a break when you get frusterated" is one of my favorite things about baking. Last time I made macarons I was so ready to just give up before even putting them in the oven, but after taking the drying time to just not be in the same room as them, by the time they were done baking I was like "you know what, I will in fact make the buttercream for them. they turned out ok, the texture was good but there was hollow space and they were very poorly piped, and "ok" is pretty good for such a tricky thing by my standards :)
As a professional baker, I can give one piece of advice: when you get frustrated...STOP. This was a single cake layer, nuts and some extra butter and orange. If it failed, you're not out huge amounts of money and food. But imagine if you get that frustrated with this cake, what would happen with something really expensive and complicated? Lots of chocolate or days of prep? This is an opportunity for you to work on your coping stance for frustration. Baking is a dance between you and the ingredients. Get Zen, and you will not only bake better...you will be happier! Baking is alchemy, and it teaches us how to take elemental ingredients and create something wholly new. It is like life. You have the skill...you're just letting your frustration get the better of you. Bon Apetit!
I think it’s because he tells himself “it’ll be fine” so much when little things are wrong early on. Then when it isn’t fine he feels simultaneously betrayed (because he trusted himself that it would be fine) and ashamed/foolish (because he’s been caught lying to himself.)
I have never seen this channel. I just happened to come across it on my home page. I feel so lucky because I laughed the entire time. By the time you flipped the cake, my husband literally was asking me what I was laughing so hard at. Seriously, it may have been a "mistake" for you, but for me, it was pure enjoyment and for that I thank you and am subscribing.
The people who bought the cookbook originally had one huge advantage: they had watched Julia do it and so they knew how everything was supposed to look like (consistency-wise). You're at a disadvantage from the start if you didn't watch that particular episode before starting your own cake.
Not really. And the videos were in black and white, not the best reference. Plus, the book is as much a cooking course as a cook book, and she’s not always clear…
My mother taught me this trick. If I find that I’ve run out of caster sugar I take granulated sugar and put it in a grinder for a couple of seconds to reduced the size of the granules. It makes the blending/creaming process so much easier.
Well done. The sponge came out perfectly (eventually) but one of my problems with dessert recipes is that they're often more successful when executed in reverse: make the candied orange strips and set aside; grind the almonds and set aside; make the orange curd filling and refrigerate, sieve the apricot preserves; make the sponge, cool and assemble. The filling was problematic because you didn't beat it long enough, and yes, parchment paper saves a lot of grief. You can also bake the sponge cake in two pans to avoid having to slice it in half. A classic French housewife's dessert and as you intuited, prefect with tea or coffee rather than to finish a meal.
Yes, you're right!! I find a lot of recipes have you do things in the wrong order. And our beloved Julia loved making things ever so much more complicated than need be. Clearly she loved food but I think she also liked to write a awful lot.
@@snooze6650 And let me know how it works for you. I keep a mason job of orange juice concentrate in my freezer to add a spoon full of orange to meats, veggies, sauces, salad dressings etc. It's works!
Watching you just stand there, contemplating life, and if it worth living, was touching. Perspective is definitely needed when whipping up Julia's recipes. You're a trooper,. Jamie.
For the orange butter filling: Your curd (the filling), should probably be cooked a little longer, so that it just coats the back of a spoon. And keep whisking!! As long as you whisk vigorously, the egg shouldn't curdle. And if it does, just press it through a strainer. But the texture of the curd itself is slightly loose, not frosting. The frosting texture she mentions in the book is a "variation at the end of the recipe" that mentions "beaten softened butter." I'm assuming it also requires powdered sugar, since you can make a buttercream frosting with butter, the orange curd, and powdered sugar. That's probably why it looks so different, but both "variations" work great as a cake filling. I think with the glaze, curd was a better choice since buttercream would have melted. Honestly, it seems like you got the flavors down and the cake crumb looked very good! I would be happy to be served it at a dinner. I hope you don't get discouraged and make this again!
Honestly, the orange curd (orange butter filling) looked a little thicker by the time you scraped it from the saucepan into the measuring cup. I agree with the other comments on this point: you were on the right track, and I think it just needed a bit more cooking time. In my experience, curds like this often seem like they’re never going to thicken, and then, boom! All at once you’re there. The other thing is, curds will thicken more when they’re cool. I’m surprised the recipe didn’t indicate you should chill it in the fridge before filling the cake. Don’t give up!
No Powdered Sugar, it did need to cook a little longer though. the Crud in this case needed to be more like a Jam sauce or a Holland Day Sauce, because of this a Candy Thermometer was needed. The ice cold water bath would have helped thinking it almost to a Jam consistency when cooked to temp with the correct Thermometer. He also needed to whisk more.
I was trying so hard not to comment, so glad you did. I am English, lived here 99% of my life, and what Americans call FROSTING we've always called butter cream, You are correct the orange curd should have been cooked and beaten longer to form soft jam (jelly in USA) and then THAT should have been beaten into softened butter possibly with the addition of Icing sugar :)
When you were contemplating your orange pancake of sadness, I felt for you. I get so fixated on what I think the result of my baking should be that I can get really discouraged if it doesn't go the way I intend. Kudos to you for pushing through and posting the video anyway. My mom's favorite saying about food was: "You're going to chew it up anyway." I try to hold onto that for my perceived failures. Even if they don't look good, they usually taste good.
Oh my gosh. I'll admit to laughing a lot, but also: Rarely have I wanted so much to reach through a screen and give a person a hug. You are a rock star. I would have been in tears from the frustration, and my end product almost certainly wouldn't have looked or tasted as good as yours did. I thought it was beautiful!
We’ve all been there! I made a Boston Cream Pie from scratch once, including the custard. I made the chocolate icing from scratch as well. I put the icing on. I cut a slice. I took a bite, and realized when I made the chocolate icing, I didn’t put ANY sugar in it. It was pure bitter chocolate. I put powdered sugar on top of it. It didn’t help.
*still* remember the time I made coffee cake with coffee bags. They were the Nespresso of the time. Very fancy. Except I used teabags. Take heart, Jamie.
My mom once forgot to put flour in a cake for home ec. She had brought all the bags of ingredients from home and as she was cleaning up - as the cake was baking, she found the bag of flour. The teacher was sure it wouldn't turn out right, but they removed it from the oven, stirred in the flour, and put it back in the oven. When it came out, it was the best cake in the class. Maybe that's some unexplored baking technique!
At 7:11 if you pause the video the directions tell you what went wrong with the icing. It says "When softened butter is beaten into it, as described in the variation at the end of the recipe, it may also serve as an icing. " Something I learned in every cooking class I've taken is that before you even get any equipment or food out you should throughly read all of your recipe because when things get going you can miss little details like that. Sometimes it's best to step away for a minute, take a breath, reevaluate, and tackle the problem.
I have to do the exact same thing when entering a chemistry lab... thoroughly read the procedure before even starting. Order really matters. There've been times when I missed an instruction to dry something in the oven for an hour, and I had to end up doing that step last and waiting an extra hour instead of doing that as the first step and preparing everything else as it dried for an hour. Chemistry labs are just like kitchens.
@@TheKidFr0mYesterday that’s how I interpret it. Everybody in a saucepan minus the butter. Cool it down and then beat in softened butter at the end. Cake frosting is usually softened butter and icing sugar. If you melt the butter the texture gets ruined, same concept with this recipe if you’re going for a thicker, icing like texture.
⭐️ 🎉 Idk if someone already said this BUT I just caught Julia’s episode of The French Chef making this and once her orange glaze stuff was mixed and melted and like honey, she put it in the fridge to firm up before putting on her cake. The episode is Cake For Company (Season 2) I’m sitting here watching and it dawned on me “that’s Jamie’s cake!”
The orange-butter filling is just an orange curd, so it should be thicker. It always takes way longer than the directions say for it to firm up for me. But even if it's thin, you can switch up to the orange buttercream variation on the next page where you just beat in softened butter after the curd cools until it hits a frosting consistency.
If that would have been me CRUMB TIME! It's amazing it held together, but sponge cakes are like that. My next recipe with my pile of cake crumbs will be cake pops!
This recipe is sort of notorious. The orange cream is wrong. I remember the first time I made it and after an experience similar to yours, a friend explained that the orange curd needs to be cooked longer and I think also the proportions are wrong. I am surprised that the newer version of the book hasn't been fixed. (I ran into this problem 40 years ago)
I thought the cake looked delicious, rustic, and somehow fancy-ish. I think it was a total win. I'm also a sucker for citrus (especially orange) baked goods.
As a baker myself I understand you wanting to quit but please just keep going it's all about practice. Even Julia at her best made mistakes. I love your videos and how real you are. Keep going your doing great👍 I also have to say you fold a little too fast and stir more than fold. Slow down a bit and fold small amounts.
Yup, there is a great "out takes" vid, from her TV shows, of Julia dumping stuff into a bin behind her cooking counter, with her saying something like: "Oh well, that's the Best place for this!!, as she tosses the "ruined contents" out of a pan!! ;D LOL
There is an interesting video on Adam Ragusea's channel where he tests the various techniques of folding/stirring/mixing with very interesting results. His result is, you do not need to fold, just mix and it will come out the same or better. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HsMzE2MwN8o.html
Interestingly, @Adam Ragusea recently posted a vid where he does some experiments and argues that folding doesn't necessarily make a difference, and there's good discussion in the comments.
What I've learned from watching your videos and seeing you on the struggle bus with so many of Julia Child's recipes is that Julia's cooking is not for the faint of heart.
@@ayajade6683Well, he only makes his channel so successful by making mistakes or straying a tad from the recipe, and then becoming frustrated about the result not being as expected… F.ex., any halfway experienced baker would oil/ fatten his baking form, or put some cooking paper in it, to assure the cake comes out easily after baking - even if the recipe doesn’t say so. He doesn’t seem to have enough patience and serenity for baking even a rather simple cake.
When adding your first scoop of egg whites to something, you actually STIR it in. The reason you do this is to incorporate it fully into the mixture, which allows for a much quicker and more fluid mix when FOLDING the remainder of the egg whites in.
I grew up in Florida, and I have fond memories of drinking orange juice, freshly squozen, never frozen. My mother used to keep the leftover orange peel to make candy, which is strips of orange peel simmered too long in sugar water-and then a bit longer. It was Christmas candy for us each year.
New fan here because, unlike many channels, you don't put a fake "try to be funny" persona on. You don't purposely drop, spill, or do other stupid actions, so your real personality shines through. I like you so I'll watch and learn. Thanks!
Yessss!! I’m so tired of RU-vidrs that try way too hard to be something they’re not. It’s doesn’t work. Not even a little. I’d rather just watch someone be boring and authentic than put on. This channel is the best at authenticity!!
@@HGD70oh believe me, this is me in the kitchen whenever I cook, lol. Things generally work out for me but I don’t try super challenging recipes and I’m absolutely burnt out at the end of more time-consuming meals. His frustration does get views, but he’s consistent in his culinary skills and reactions to setbacks. Nothing on RU-vid is wholly authentic, but he doesn’t seem to be nearly as bad as some.
@@HGD70 I really don't think he is, personally, lol.. I've been there with things that seem really simple if you're just not quite understanding the recipe correctly, or overthinking it, or whatever. I mean, he does plenty of vids where he's not super frustrated and he gets a lot of views on those too. :)
i think he might exaggerate a little at times. (MAYBE). but overall it's genuine, it's the peaks and valleys of frustration and hell and then the high of stuff that works out or at least tastes awesome. besides, even if some of the stuff is planned, it's almost always a useful lesson.
This was hilarious!!! You blowing on the almonds to get them off the top of the cake was epic. Thank you for this, it really made my day. And, you know, it's cake. As long as you dont use salt instead of sugar, it's gonna be great. Don't fret so much ;)
Jamie that cake was beautiful!! I will admit that I laughed at your pain but only because I’ve been there and the music was perfection. (The fingers in the eye 🤣😂) it is so much fun to see what a brave and adventurous perfectionist you have become. You might have to drop the, “Anti” from your name pretty soon. 👍❤️
Watching this video has taught me that watching someone peel back cake layers is triggering for me. LOL It's like watching a horror movie! I am absolutely not dissing your video, though, Jamie. I love all of your videos and find them extremely entertaining, including this one. Even though I will be having nightmares tonight about peeled cake layers. LOL
Yeh, I've made many wedding cakes in my catering years and I remember having to peel off the cake layer for something I forgot. Made a big ass mess. Jamie did well. He persevered and Julia would have been proud to see him do this.
As a chef I can tell you this is why I don’t bake. Everything is so precise and has to be exact when baking, when I’m cooking savory I have so much fun adding a little of this and that and everything is alive and moving, baking takes so much patience and precision. I still give you so much credit for continuing on bc when I saw you hold that cake I was picturing myself throwing it at the wall 😂
Amen. No matter how good of a cook I am and how skilled I've gotten with the years, I still to this day cannot bake to save my life. I always screw it up because I don't have the nerve to follow a recipe to a t.
Honestly, I do not get this "baking must be an exact science" thing. All my aunties, and their aunties, used at most a water glass, a tea glass (the little hourglass shaped ones, my extended family's mostly Kurdish), and a spoon for measuring. Often they'll base a cake on the amount of eggs they have and then just eyeball everything else, and it always turns out fine. Usually more than fine tbh, they're all good bakers and some are freaking excellent. It just does not need to be this big, scary thing. In the case of the first attempt at orange filling, it was obviously too runny for the intended use (it looks like it's supposed to be basically an orange curd). No big deal, just thicken it. Return it to the heat and simmer until thicker, or if that doesn't work then add a thickener. And for use as an icing, the recipe plainly states to beat it with softened butter (which would both mellow the sweetness and thicken).
literally me. i mean i'm no chef but i cook a lot and bakery is just something i don't do, i don't know how my mom has the patience and insane knowledge to bake a lot, and it always comes out good
Don’t expect perfection from yourself when it’s recipe you’ve never made. Even when your comfortable with a recipe sometimes it come out a little different each time.
First time watching you. This was so much fun! I’m recovering from breast cancer surgery. I’m doing great but am limited at the moment. You made me laugh and feel better. When I’m able, I think I’m going to try this recipe. You have a new subscriber after one video. About to binge watch you now….. Thanks!
As a baker and a professional pastry chef you're doing great custards and curds and better icing and all those things that take patience and a lot of time to learn how to do that. You're doing great I continue to support you I'm glad you're not getting so frustrated that you're totally giving up baking is an art but even though you may follow the recipe you know they say follow the recipe I have to get the exact amounts and blah blah blah but if you've never been talked to cook and you've never had someone say no don't do it like that do it this it's hard but we're here for you dude I'm proud of you the cake looks great keep fighting
This is so deeply relatable. I’ve spent the last year trying to cook my way through the Edna Lewis cookbook and while I’ve learned some really great basics of cooking, the baking has looked exactly like this. I’ve tried to bake her caramel cake and her lemon meringue and I had the same issue with sauces not thickening up. I still have no clue why, to this day.
someone in another comment said julia put hers in the fridge. and i guess just neglected to mention this in the actual recipe?? there's probably some trick to it like that. or, more time cooking, or an adjustment of ingredients due to your location.
I've gotta say Jamie, you have got sponge cake, or genoise, which can be a deflating experience, pun intended, down. You handled that cake like a pancake and it survived. Putting the glaze on the bottom of the cake is something I wouldn't have thought of, but it worked for you. I honestly love watching you and your reactions, don't stop, you got something good, and more power to you.
I baked bread all day today and decided to rest and watch Antichef ... and this is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long while. Thank you for putting a smile on my face ... through your pain!
Jamie, you remind me so much of myself when I first started to tackle these recipes 58 years ago (fortunately I wasn't being filmed) 😁 Failure is normal, especially with French food. What you should be MOST proud of is that your Bavarian Cream worked out, that (for me) is the hardest one (of the 3 you showed) to get right. As for advice, ALWAYS line the bottom of a pan so the monster inside can emerge Don't handle the cake so much, it looks like food abuse 😂 especially after you soften it up. And I just would have put almonds all over the cake (camouflague) and then the candied peel. Mistakes are normal...enjoy them. Hugs from a galaxy far away JIM Oaxaca
The first time I made this cake it turned out perfect. The second time, I had nearly an identical experience as you. You have to cook the filling for WAY longer than she says.
I've been frustrated like that too. I remember trying to make a Christmas tree-shaped chocolate cake for my family when I was a teenager. I mixed up a beautiful green buttercream, but vastly underestimated how much I would need. I ended up with barely a crumb coat, and I got so frustrated that I had to go sit in another room and cry for a bit. My mom pointed out that it was still a cake; nobody in the family was going to be disappointed with me for baking them a chocolate cake that wasn't as pretty as the real Christmas tree. I fully understand your frustration, and thank you for posting this video
Jamie!! I want to thank you sooo much for being brave and posting this video! I don't know how many times I've literally had to stop what I'm doing and go cry(like ugly cry!). This shows everyone you are a human being! Like all of us! I love you! I appreciate you! God bless you! 💖
I love how you just couldn’t go another minute, and the next day you literally just toss the orange strips on top and call it finished. 😂😂😂 I just found your channel and have watched a few now. Love your efforts and authentic reactions. Can’t wait to see more. 😊
My sister used to do wedding cakes for yrs (I helped her). Always butter the pan, butter the parchment sheet; place parchment in the pan bottom and then add flour with a sifter for better coating. Caster sugar in the U.S. is also called super fine. You can make it at home by putting granulated sugar in food processor for a few minutes. I used to use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of corn or tapioca starch for anti clumping. You will have to look up the weight measurement but 1 cup of caster sugar weighs more than a cup of granulated sugar. Just keep an eye on the food processor or your caster sugar will turn into powdered sugar.. Edit to add; Personally if I have to cut a single layer cake in half, I just divide the batter into two tart pans.
Watching your struggle with this cake reminded me of two cooking misadventure stories--one that is mine, and one from my grandma. First, the one from my Grams. So, this was back in the early 60's, and Grams baked this chocolate cake, that my mom said, it looked awful. It collapsed in on itself apparently, Mom's not real sure why. Anyway, Grams was EMBARRASSED about this cake and hid it in the cupboard. Well, the pastor came by just for a visit, and my mom REALLY wanted some cake so she chimed that they had cake when Grams was asking him if he wanted some coffee or anything. Grams was pissed at my mother for mentioning it, but the pastor assured her it'd be fine, and she ended up serving it. Mom said it was delicious. My own story? I was spending my first Christmas with my then-fiancé and his ENTIRE family, and I decided to make a French Silk pie. Well, thanks to him not taking me to the store and telling me "Oh yeah, margarine is the same thing as butter", the chocolate filling never set. It was pure liquid. I almost cried I was so embarrassed when we got to his grandparents' home. Thankfully, his mother was a sweetheart (and a quick thinker) and pulled out a box of graham crackers and was like "She made this wonderful chocolate dip!" It had the right flavor, just it was in a different state of matter. 😅 The point is, it's not ALWAYS about how it looks. Yes, we eat with our eyes first, but sometimes, even when things don't turn out how we planned, they can still be tasty! (Which, by the way, in my personal opinion that means nothing, lol, I thought your cake still looked good, I'd try a slice.)
Watching this brought me memories of my first cakes. My friend from highschool would just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix and the cakes were of course quite bad, and I remember my mom telling me "have you read a recipe? Get my books. See how you need to mix wet ingredients and dry ones separately?" That was the begging of me trying to understand the logic behind what goes with what and in what order. Then we had another classmate who worked at a bakery and he showed me how he'd beat the egg whites and fold them in... 😲 That was my face. I haven't taken a baking class since that spontaneous one, but experience and reading a variety of authors helps you understand and have an intuition about things. Watching this made me realize how much I know and how grateful I am for these 20 years of baking. I guess most people watching this is feeling the same, so congratulations everybody! And thanks life for 50 years of cookbooks!!
You know what? That cake is still gonna taste amazing! Don't get too discouraged. I've been hobby baking for a couple of decades and I still mess up sometimes. The duds almost always still taste great!
I loved this one the most, it reminded me of what it's like to be human, trying something new, or doing something you don't want to do any more. Stay 💛 💛 💛 Human, Jamie!
Granulated sugar IS cane sugar (in the US). Castor sugar just means it’s more finely ground and dissolves more easily. British-grown sugar is made from sugar beets not sugar cane. So, American brands like Domino are cane. Silver Spoon (UK) is sugar beets. Tate and Lyle’s (UK) isn’t grown in the UK even though it’s a UK brand, it is made from sugar cane in, I think, the Caribbean.
This interesting to learn! I am Australian and the area I live (north Queensland) is full of sugar cane farms. I don't think I even realised sugar can be made from beets. Caster sugar is my default for baking.
Just popping in to add… it’s easy to ‘make’ your own Castor Sugar at home, regardless of whether the sugar is Cane or Beet Sugar. Simply “Pulse” it in a Blender, Food Processor or Spice/Coffee Grinder until the sugar reaches a Finer (Castor) consistency.
It's rare I get emotionally wrapped up in a cooking/baking video. This was a culinary epic. So many tribulations. Yet for all the mishaps, which added a comedic element so those work out for you, it was a triumph. I'm not a baker. Could adding a starch to your too loose orange butter helped thicken it? I reckon testing that with a small amount may have been worth a shot.
Just stumbled upon your channel a few days ago and cant stop watching. I relate to these long-ass cooking sessions just so so much :D It's enlightening to see how this looks from the outside. I got you freaking out at the beef wellington, but with this one I was just laughing and thought "It looks nice, where's the problem?" :D Finally I know how my boyfriend feels when I go crazy over some mistakes I made in the kitchen :D
I have a little baking challenge going on ...just me....bc is a different arena...looking at your video...I see all of us that struggle ....we endure as we progress and grow confidence.... Is all right....we got this!!! Thanks for your videos....inspires me more ....well done.
This is my first time watching your video and I did nothing but audibly gasp, laugh or shake my head in disappointment. You earned another subscriber! Looking forward to more Jamie and Julia
I admire your tenacity so please take this as constructive criticism. The book is called Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Clearly not really written for beginners. It is obvious from the way the recipes are written that Julia was assuming the readers would have certain skills and knowledge. Let's not forget that she studied at Le Cordon Bleu. That said, you can be successful with these recipes if you put in the work. You need to begin by studying every recipe thoroughly before you begin. Study them as if there will be a test. There will be in the end result. If you do this you should never find any surprises midway into the recipe. If anything about the recipe is unclear, post your question in the forms before you begin. Many experienced cooks and chefs will gladly help you out. Also, in several of your past efforts, you did a much better job with your mise en place than you did here. That step is key really cuts down on the stress and frustration. The prep times Julia lists must assume things would be prepped in advance. No human could accomplish all that in 20 minutes otherwise. You could have made your apricot glaze, prepped your pan, toasted and pulverized the almonds, zested and juiced the oranges all in advance (not too far in advance on the citrus). Maybe record your prep steps separately if you want viewers to see those parts or refer to past videos where the same thing was done. Just some suggestions from a fellow cook who has angrily tossed many recipes in the trash over the years. Keep up the hard work, Jamie. I look forward to watching your skills grow.
Since he's been at this for years, I have to assume that he purposefully avoids reading the recipes and prepping, which would eliminate 99% of his challenges in the kitchen. This orchestrated chaos has become his selling point, would he retain his audience if he became organised and methodical?
Jamie, thank you for deciding to upload this. Not only is it very relatable but I also found it very amusing and laughed quite a bit. I’d be feeling just as frustrated!
Been watching the playlist and kept forgetting to subscribe but the despair and aggression to get the cake out of the pan and ruin it is INTENSELY relatable had to do right away
Honestly it looked great! And the runny curd would have moistened the sponge so all good. Since you're in London now have you thought about doing a basic UK City and Guilds certification in cooking/baking? Few tips to hopefully make life easier: Light coloured cake pans are much better for even cooking (USA Pan/Chefmade/Wilton) You get round silicon cake liners on Amazon. Reusable and easy to handle. As mentioned the cane sugar can be blitzed a few times to make castor(ish) sugar. In a chiffon style cake the meringue doesn't necessarily need the cream of tartar - since you're not using it for frosting it doesn't need that level of stability. As already mentioned, you can be a little more vigorous in stirring in about a couple of tablespoons of meringue first. This loosens up the mixture and is known as a sacrificial. For cooking curd in the method you used, use a bain Marie. Less risk of overcooking the eggs. Else whip up the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl, boil the juice, temper the eggs with it, all back in the pan and cook until thick, whisking continuously. Pass through a sieve and cool the curd until it's about 50 degrees C and add in the cubed butter with a hand blender for a beautiful, silky emulsion. Cover the surface with clingfilm and chill. For successful torting of the cake, cover with clingfilm while still slightly warm and pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. A chilled cake is easier to tort and ice. Flip the cake before you start. While slicing hold the top with your free hand and rotate while slicing. The rotation does all the work for you and your torting will be even. Now that you have done this cake, you HAVE to try Claire Saffitz's Chocolate Wave Cake!
When a cake sticks like that, place it back in the oven for a few minutes. It remelts the butter that is greasing the tin. It also releases some of the steam from the sides.
If you plan on making this cake again make the filling first so it can cool in the refrigerator and thicken . You can use store bought coarse almond flour for the sides. The glaze can be made in advance as well and just reheat in microwave when you apply on the cake . You can even make the sponge ahead of time and freeze as it freezes well tightly wrapped. You can then assemble the cake stress free and rather quickly .. you did a great job ..
The part where you figured out it needed to be on a middle rack, AFTER you started heating it was so relatable. I can't count all the times I've figured out my racks are in the wrong place in the middle of cooking 😂
Could the butter have been your issue? European butter.. and even American butter decades ago had a lower water content. the difference can be 3 or 4 percent... European butter also has a higher butterfat content, which would most likely make your icing thicker. Cutting cakes in half is a big pain in the ass, that's why I never do it. I just bake spearate thin layers if need be, I won't mess with that nightmare of trying to slice a cake evenly.
I’m crying laughing. I think it’s supposed to be an orange curd filling? Considering how much you manhandled the sponge itself it looks remarkably good! 😂
I have never seen a video of yours. I have been baking dessert since i was about 8 years old and I am in my fifties. I even have a photo of Julia on my kitchen wall as I adore her and have her books. I was eating dinner while watching this video and I almost snorted my food i was laughing so hard. Especially when you said you had run out of steam and didn't want to do this anymore. If I had a dime for every time i said that i"d be rolling in it. Every exasperation of yours is something I am well acquainted with. We bakers have all been there. I shall continue to watch your videos, will subscribe and wish you happy baking... and thank you for the laughs- I needed them today.
First I'm not sure if this was meant to be a wing it situation and that is the theme of your channel if so let me say you nailed the essence of how hard could it be introduction to french pastry making when you have not been formally trained. We all gotta start somewhere and end result was edible. Having been to culinary and tackled a few of Julia's masterworks and other French desserts, Good Job! That said a few tips I've learned along the way. 1. Treat your recipe like you are proofreading a manuscript. Read, memorize, repeat until you could write it down if someone ask. 2 The French have a saying mis en place. Everything in its place. Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time so when it's time to bake, it's all one two three. This will cut down on your frustrations while putting things together. 3. Don't panic it's just cooking. Oh an if every you wanna cover up something on top with this one. Whip up an 8 oz tub of marscapone cheese with a tsp vanilla bean paste, tbsp heavy cream and 1-2 tbsp of powdered sugar til light and fluffy plop it on top. Boom, Dreamsicle Cake!
Now I figured out why we spent so much time in the kitchen using this cookbook growing up. Edit: And we cooked every meal from scratch. Ah the 1960s you had to love them.
I wish I could see the actual recipe in Julia's cookbook. I tried searching the interwebs for it but did not have any luck. I have years of professional cooking and baking experience and went to culinary school, but without seeing the formula its challenging to know what may have been missed or possibly misunderstood. (Side note: I have had an extensive cookbook collection since I was a child and have never owned a Julia Child cookbook, Weird right 🤷) Anyway, baking is a science, I will suggest taking your time, follow each step to the letter if possible, before moving on to the next, but ignore anything that says "this should take you 20 minutes" there is no need to put extra pressure on yourself by using a timer on any steps that provide a time other than cooking times and mixing times. Generally, those are just suggestions and a professional chef will obviously be much faster at certain steps than your average home cook. Also, remember that all times are relative to your environment and using your best judgment to determine when a step is complete is a good rule to follow, it may take 5 minutes or someone that lives near the ocean or low altitude and 10 for someone else that may live at a higher altitude. Just found your channel with this video and you earned a sub. Looking forward to seeing more.
This was a pleasure to watch! I laughed, I cried, and I was frustrated with you. You can't make this stuff up. Thanks once again for an awesome video Jamie : ))
I just made lemon curd for the first time for some macarons and you need to whisk the egg, sugar and butter together first over the heat, when the butter melts, add in the rind and juice, then keep whisking until it starts to thicken. The curd came out just right. I almost did the same thing you did and threw it all in the pan but luckily went back to check the recipe.
This reminds me of my apprentice years. When my chefs would leave me alone to make a recipe they had never made themselves and I would have numerous mental breakdowns over a simple cake right? The cake for the function in 6 hours time.. “Make it happen”
I would've thrown in the towel the moment the cake didn't come out of the pan. You, sir, are more powerful than I. Edit like a few minutes later: THE CAKE LOOKS FANTASTIC
