This week, we focused on fine-tuning our final presentation and reflecting on our project. Looking back on the last 12 weeks, it is an understatement to say it has gone quickly. We have learned a lot about baking and there is still so much more we do not know and can still learn. There are many valuable life skills we learned throughout this project such as time management and learning how to bake. Knowing how to cook is one of the most important life skills one can have, so to learn a little bit more about cooking is useful.
Throughout the course of the project, we have set several goals for ourselves. Those goals have ranged from easy, realistic, and stretch or ambitious goals. Our easy goals have included things like learning how to bake and baking one item per week. Besides one planning week, we succeeded in these easy goals. Additionally, we succeeded in our realistic goals which were to upload every blog post to fit the requirements and to bake two items in one week. Our stretch/ambitious goals posed a challenge for us. We did not succeed in these goals which were to host a bake sale at a farmers market and make 200 dollars for charity and to make 3 or more items in one week. Though we planned on achieving these goals, various factors rendered us unable to complete them. Due to how busy our lives were with school and sports, we were unable to find time to host a bake sale, let alone produce enough goods we would have needed for it. Additionally, we were unable to make 3 or more items in one week because of a lack of ingredients. There was one week we almost achieved this goal, but we ran out of the needed ingredients and could not get more. Through the ups and downs of the project, we have learned a lot and succeeded, mostly, in what we set out to do: learn how to bake. Though we had our failures, this project went well for us. Also, though the project was fun, it is relieving to be able to not have to worry about finding time to bake or worry about blog posts anymore.
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This week was all about making our final presentation and bringing the project to a close. As we look back at all the work we have done, we have come a long way and learned a lot about the science of baking. Throughout the project, we have made many things, ranging from monkey bread to bagels, to pie crust straws, and even a cake with Drake on it. There have been many challenges throughout the project such as learning to make something completely new, managing time, and remembering to stay up to date with our blog posts. Though we have gotten behind on blog posts and had some weeks where we have not baked, we stayed pretty on top of the project.
As we made our presentation we had to keep a few things in mind. We had to remember to make it lengthy to fit the time requirement, but also concise to not drag things out and make the presentation boring. Additionally, we had to make sure we went in-depth on what we learned throughout the project, what we could have done better throughout the project, and what we did not succeed in throughout the project. We also needed to include why we decided on our project and what the purpose of it was. Throughout this project, the most important thing we have learned is that time management is hard. It was difficult to balance the project and find time to bake in the midst of our other classes, especially with our AP exams coming up. Due to the business of our school lives, we have not been able to plan and execute a bake sale, however, there is still one remaining week in the project, so it may still happen. This coming week, it is important we make sure to bring things to a close and do what we can to figure out a bake sale if possible. This week, we decided to go for a different cake structure as opposed to a sheet cake. To start this process, we prepared our bundt pan by spreading butter along the inside and sprinkling some flour inside, making sure to rotate the pan to spread the flour evenly. Afterward, we mixed baking powder and self-rising flour in a small bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, we combined sour cream, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. After they were combined, we whisked until the mixture was even throughout. Then, in a large mixing bowl, we creamed the butter and sugar. After this, the recipe started getting a little difficult. While the butter and sugar were mixing, we added three eggs one at a time, making sure the previous was mixed before adding another. Then, we added the buttermilk and flour mixtures into the mixing bowl, alternating between them three times until they were both used up, making sure to scrape the bowl as we went along. This was difficult due to the fact that the mixer we used made it difficult to pour in the ingredients, so we had to turn it off and remove the whisks from the batter every time we had to add something. After the batter was finished, we poured it into the bundt pan and put it in the oven. About 35 minutes later, it was done. We let it cool for a few minutes before it was finally ready. The bake itself was a little more difficult than anticipated. We originally planned to prepare a more cylindrical cake but realized we lacked the right pan to make it. On top of that, we realized that the recipe we originally planned to use was for a cake that was only seven inches in diameter. Luckily, we found a bundt pan in a cabinet and found an alternative recipe. Unfortunately, the previous recipe called for self-rising flour while the new one called for all-purpose flour. To fix this, we didn’t add baking soda and only added a small amount of salt. However, the self-rising flour did not make-up for the lack of baking soda, and the cake collapsed. To offset this, we intentionally caved in the bottom to fill the insides, and after a few more minutes in the oven, it looked perfect and tasted amazing. To make it more presentable, we made some homemade icing and added three strawberries, cutting into each to resemble rose peddles. Despite the minor setbacks, we were proud of how we adapted and modified the recipe to fit our resources.
Ingredients • 3 Eggs, large • 3 2/3 cup All purpose flour • 1/4 tsp Almond extract • 1 tsp Baking powder • 1 tsp Baking soda • 1 2/3 cup Granulated sugar • 1/2 tsp Salt • 2 tsp Vanilla extract • 5/8 cup Vegetable oil • 2 sticks Butter • 1/2 cup Buttermilk • 1/2 cup Sour cream Recipe |
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May 2024
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