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Cakes That Make You Go Yum
created by Christien Skinner
Welcome to my new website!
I've been baking cakes since I was 8 years old or so. When I was a young boy in Illinois, I had a fascination with baking cakes. It was clear to me that I was capable of creating cakes. I don't think that my mother was too happy with me baking cakes. I had a mentor and neighbor (Mrs. Johnson) who baked the best cakes in the world. She was really an inspiration that has lasted a lifetime. She was famous for her Sweet Potato Pound cake and 7-Up Pound cake. When I first start baking cakes back in the 1970's, I used box cake mix such as Duncan Hines, but I quickly moved to baking cakes from scratch.
Most cakes in the 1970's were made mostly with shortening, butter, or margarine. In 2010, most cakes are made with butter rather than margarine and/or shortening. Most cake recipes did not include instruction to sift dry ingredients, ie. Many recipes would instruct cooks to line cake pans with wax paper instead of parchment paper. We didn't have very powerful mixers such as Kitchen Aid and Viking. It was quite common for African-Americans in our town to mix cakes by hand or they would use a hand mixer.
Over the decades starting in the 1970's, I've baked cakes from the classic Betty Crocker cookbook, such as the German Chocolate Cake with pecan frosting. This cake is still an American masterpiece even in 2010. I've made the 7-Up pound cake many times and it is simply luscious. In the last two decades, I've obtained new mentors (chefs) via public television. I have over 30 cake pans and endless recipes. I enjoy a cake made from scratch, and cakes are a great way to create a perfect social scene. Who doesn't like cake? I'm in my element when I bake a cake. It is unique because the creation is never quite the same.
In my closing, it is never a chore but the highest honor to bestow upon one.