Heather, Q about choc-apples cake
#19583 - 09/04/03 05:08 AM
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BL
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 3522
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Heather, please don't take offense to this. I'm sure it's just me and my weird tastes buds. I love the texture and the deep chocolate flavor of the chocolate applesauce cake, but there's one thing I'm not sure I like about it and I can't figure out what it is. One of the spices tastes a little too strong for me. Which one of the three (cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg) do you think it is? I'm guessing it's the amount of cloves in it that bothers me. Is that the strongest one? Would the cake be ok if I reduced the amount of cloves called for (or just eliminated the cloves and nutmeg) and simply used the cinnamon? Is it my imagination or does the cake remind anyone else of Christmas??? Maybe because that's the only time I use these spices. I want to try it again, but don't want to mess up the entire thing. Any suggestions you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
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HI BL:
I had the same problem with Will's Dream Rice Pudding. I put too much cloves or nutmeg in and it tasted awful. You have to be careful and measure it exactly. Or else you get cakes like we have....
You can skip the two ingredients if you prefer and you don't have to sub it with anything. I have done it before and it worked out ok.
Hope it helps,
-------------------- Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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I personally don't like nutmeg. I don't mind clove but I do notice I have to be careful how much I put in a recipe. I had the same problem with the pumpkin apple bread. This last time I cut down on the nutmeg and clove and it tasted so much better. Maybe if you smell the spices maybe you can tell which one is too strong. I have been known to leave the nutmeg completely out of a recipe.
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Hi - Please feel free to reduce or eliminate any of the spices. It's probably the cloves that you're tasting.
You could add a little grated orange zest with just the cinnamon. Or some almond extract, or even a bit of Kahlua.
The chocolate applesauce cake and the peppermint fudge cakes are darn near the exact same recipe. It's really just the spices/extracts that change. So that shows you how flexible the recipe is, and how you can modify it however you like.
Because all of the IBS recipes are low fat, I try to bump up the flavor in other ways (fat carries flavor). So I usually use generous amounts of herbs, spices, and extracts. You're always free to adjust this to your own taste.
In baking, do make sure that for spices you're using level teaspoons/tablespoons. If you just scoop up the spices into rounded teaspoons, you'll have too much.
- Heather
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Dried herbs and ground spices are much stronger when they're fresh. So if you've just bought a new bottle, you'll need less than if you're using a spice you've had on the kitchen shelf for a year or two.
- H
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Hi Heather,
I am aware of the level measuring thing....but I was not aware of the newer verses older spices thing.
My gosh - you are just a walking textbook of knowledge.
Thanks for asking Beaglelover, you taught me something new too.
-------------------- Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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-------------------- www.facebook.com/shell.marr
www.myspace.com/shellmarr
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