MENU dorset issue 16 MENU16..dorset pdf issue 16 | Page 31

Dorset Bakers
are hideous. We use Shipton Mill flour. Flour
is always an issue. The consistency of the
protein is very important for cake making.
Any tips for making cakes at home?
One of the biggest things that amateurs
struggle with is the quality of the flour. Don’t
buy your bargain basement blue stripe flour.
Oven temperature is also crucial. A domestic
oven varies enormously from what people
think they’re getting. They think they’re baking
at 160°C but it’s 120°C inside. An element
could have gone. Get a thermometer.
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What’s the secret to a good cake?
Quality of ingredients, time and love. You
can’t bake a cake in a strop. Cakes are
very temperamental and they can feel the
aggression. From a chef side of things, I’m a
bit of a Jamie Oliver. A bit of this. A bit of that.
With cakes, you can’t do that. You have to
be precise with your measurements, and you
have to test your recipes and stick to it.
How do you store cakes?
Normally, you can keep a cake for up to
seven days. They’re baked the day before we
decorate, then butterised and covered in the
fondant icing, so that protects them from the
air. We use real butter so that improves with
a few days of ageing. Store them in a cool,
dry ambient temperature. The larder or dining
room table. Never in the fridge. When you
bring it back up to room temperature, you can
get condensation on the icing and that makes
the colours distort.
What do you like about baking?
It’s the reaction you get from people. You
always make a cake for something lovely in
someone’s life. All the big events in life tend
to be cake related, and the cake is always the
thing people remember from the day. You’re
creating memories.
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