Red Velvet cake

Submitted by JacksonK on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 05:09.

All of these recent postings about socialism and color revolutions, has reminded me of a much lighter and more pressing resolvable dilemma.. Red velvet cake.

Recently I've been learning baking, and I can make a really good red velvet cake. Okay, at least the wife says I do... but she loves me and wants me more involved in the kitchen. Here in Mass. I have all the right ingredients from the local supermarket that fill the bill for the recipe.

My wife told my sister in laws about my new skill set, and they want me to make them a red-velvet cake when I arrive in Nica next month. I've been told that red-velvet cake is now made in Nica (I forgot what it's called in Spanish).

In order to pull this off and win the acclaim of my sister in laws (which will help to off-set the loss of face to my old-school macho brother in laws....) I will have to adapt the local ingredients to my recipe.

My wife says US sour cream is not the same as Nica sour cream. Salt, baking soda, and eggs no real difference. Flour may be an issue, as flour performance is a function of the type of plant/climate. Interestingly enough, Hershey cocoa powder I will have to bring with me despite Nica growing their own cocoa. My wife says it's all used for a drink called cacao (a gritty chocolate drink).

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Gracias!

Submitted by JacksonK on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 13:00.

Lots of good advice here!

I'm glad I can get the cocoa locally (even if it's imported ). After my bringing apples into Nica episode at the airport last time, I was not looking forward to trying to bring in a powder. Somehow between my lousy Spanish and a Nica custom guards poor English, I could see myself getting into trouble.

I'll be adding the, "making sourcream" steps to the recipie, bringing a flour sifter with me, and try to keep it all as dry as possible. The texture of the flour is an important quality step. It's been quite the eye-opener to me but baking is more complicated than making concrete.

Stop & GO

Submitted by gringo canuck on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 08:44.

At 8.5km on Masaya highway has USA flour and they usually have hershey cocoa powder!! 1 thing I have yet to see is USA type sugar!! The Stop & Go store quite often has American stuff, has there is a fgair # of Americans in the Santo Domingo area! Good selection of beers as well

hershey cocoa powder..

Submitted by acc724 on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 08:34.

i have seen it at la colonial..going there in a little while.will check on it for u

was just at..

Submitted by acc724 on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 10:04.

la colonail..plaza espania..they have the hershy pwder..and gold meadow flower..

suggestions

Submitted by Islander on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 06:20.

First, a disclaimer:

I absolutely LOVE to cook.

And I loathe baking.

Anywhere.

Anytime.

Always.

Unfortunately, you are setting yourself up for a huge FAIL. Once "they" know that you "know" how to "bake", you will be inundated with requests for birthday cakes, confirmation cakes, baptism cakes, cakes cakes cakes cakes cakes.

A few hints:

Hersey's cocoa powder is readily available in Managua at La Union (opposite the Hilton on C. Masaya), La Colonia (Plaza Espana and Hiper), and often at Price(not-so)Smart.

Several varieties of flour available at all of the above. The ONLY thing that works for me is to take equal parts flour and rice, combine the night before "baking" and sift well the day of "baking". Something about the tropics and humidity and inertial velocity? I dunno. In my experience, flour outta the bag is an instant fail.

Sour cream is truly an issue. Someone will probably jump in and harp on GMOs, NGOs, and the evils imposed upon poor Nicas by the Empire, but sour cream as "we" know it does not exist. I have created "reasonable" facsimiles as follows:

2 parts natilla + 1 part plain yogurt + 0.5 parts leche agria.

No, not the same as sour cream but somewhere near 1st and goal compared to just plain "natilla".

Expect any baking event to FAIL MISERABLY more than SEVERAL times. Online resources will give you several recipe variations based on altitude, humidity, ambient temps, etc., but NONE of it is applicable here in Nicaragua, where lead floats and cork sinks.

BTW: Panaderia Y Reposteria Norma, several locations in Managua has KILLER red velvet cake...

Another suggestion

Submitted by sball on Sat, 2012/03/17 - 11:00.

Cold air holds less moisture so put your dry ingredients into the refrigerator to get the moisture out. (Keep your salt shaker there too.)