It was Saturday Morning of July 1995. My Mom & I are preparing mixture of one of her specialty Cake - Tropical Chiffon.
My Mom preheated the oven and set to350°F.
In a separate mixing bowl my mom sifted and mixed together all dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt.
I started separating eggwhite from egg yolk. I set aside all the egg whites in a bowl of stand up mixer.
My Mom combined together in another mixing bowl all liquid ingredients - vegetable oil, egg yolks, and orange puree.
After mixing, she make a whole in the center of the dry ingredients inside the mixing bowl.
She held the mixing bowl of liquid ingredients. She poured it at the center of dry ingredients and fold it slowly.
I looked at my mom while she gently folded the batter .
This is how you mix together all the ingredients. As she shown to me.
Just mix to one direction, don’t overmix, she said.
Why? I Asks.
Because, if you overmix, there are lots of air will incorporate, your batter will be stiff, she said.
Instead of cake, it will be called bread. It’s not fluffy anymore, continued my mom.
I listen carefully and put it on my mind all her teaching about basic in baking.
I was about to operate the mixer when electric power turned off.
This is the usual situation every weekends, the city government controls the electric power. They turned off from an hour or two.
As they said, this is to control and to properly distribute power supply to each consumer.
You know, during weekends Filipino sung in karaoke, this is this usual family bonding aside from eating and drinking like a feast.
In my own opinion, the city government control the noise in each village, that’s why the electric power is turned off.
You can find some people in the Philippines that no matter how poor they are or sometimes no food to eat in their plate, but they have karaoke machine inside their house. So ironic, right?
Mom, there’s no electricity. How can I make the meringue? I desperately told my mom.
Meringue is an egg white then put cream of tartar beat it thoroughly when becomes soft peaks (a baking term) you can add caster sugar one at a time.
It was folded gently to a batter, that’s why the cake becomes fluffy.
My Mom smiled and said, get two pieces of fork.
I handed my mom's requests.
My Mom faced together the two pieces fork and becomes one. And now it looks like an egg beater.
She put a cream of tartar on egg white, then start beating continuously.
I help her and we beat egg whites alternately until becomes soft peaks.
Then she put sugar one at a time.
This one is tiredsome mom. It hurts my wrist, I commented as I continuously beating and mixing the egg whites.
Oopps! Just beat in one direction, Mom told me.
Why? It will be stiff also, I responded as I looked in my mom greasing the 12” x 12” inches baking pan.
My mom replied, no, the air might incorporate in different direction, and your eggs will collapse.
That’s why electric mixer was invented to make life easier for the baker.
If you’re making a decorative icing, manual fork beater is not advised. You cannot make a stiffed meringue, she added.
At last the meringue is done. My mom gently fold it to the batter.
Batter is a liquid mixture of one or more flours made with ground grains or soaked grains that are ground.
Batters are used to prepare various foods. The word batter comes from the old French word battre which means to beat, as many batters require vigorous beating or whisking in their preparation.
After folding, she gently folds it to her prepared baking pan, then she put it to her already preheated oven.
While waiting for the cake to bake, we wash all our baking equipment – mixing bowls, measuring cups, sifter, and spatula.
Then I asks, mom how can you make Icing when there’s no electric mixer and egg beater? How can you make a cake if there’s no oven?
My Mom told a story… Way back our high schools day, we have a culinary subject, there’s no egg beater nor electricity in the island.
We don’t even have oven. But our instructor is so resourceful. Once a week she taught us different kinds of bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries.
Me having a big almond shape brown eyes, was very amazed. I'am eager to know how can this be possible.
My mom continued, well for the oven, our instructor requested each of us to bring a huge Manila biscuit can.
They boys in our class was in charge to cut the bottom part of the can. Inside of this can fits an 8” x 8” inches baking pan.
The bottom part has 4 sides, they will cut the 3 sides and leave intact the upper part side.
If the project is about cake, there are 5 members each group. 1 member will do the batter, the 2 will do the meringue mixture, the remaining 2 members will do the icing.
They need to help each other because there’s no electricity and electric mixer.
The boys, after cutting the cans, they will gather woods like a dry branches or stems of tree.
They will have to arrange 4 large stones as size of a large mixing bowl. They light a fire in the center of an arranged stone, just like the boy scout does.
They put the huge biscuit can at the top of the fire, to preheat it, just like the oven.
They will preheat the can if the batter is ready. They will put the baking pan inside the biscuit can and cover it.
They will add charcoal at the top of the can, so that there will be heat from top to bottom.
While waiting for the cake to bake. The group members continuously beat their icing alternately until it becomes stiff and can be used as decorative icing.
By the way caster sugar is for meringue while powdered sugar / icing sugar is for icing.
I imagined the situation on how the students are so excited to see the outcome of their baking project.
The cake in our oven is done. We are preparing for our Family day.
I'm happy that I've heard a little slice of my mom's student life.
Bakeware Accesories
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