Which appliance do you use for making cakes?

mandr

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:20 am

When you prepare a cake batter, which appliance do you use? We were having this discussion over Pesach. My sisters-in-law were all saying that a Bosch is better for cakes than a Kitchen Aid. I thought the opposite.

ra_mom

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:21 am

I use a stainless steel bowl and spoon Smile

If I'm being fancy and need to whip some eggs I use my bosch since that's what I have

Kitchen aid is better for cakes. But bosch is better for challah and that is what I need my mixer for, so that's what I use. It works well for cakes, but kitchen aid better.

Last edited by ra_mom on Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total

oliveoil

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:27 am

for a thick batter, a bowl and a spoon. for a thinner batter, I use a hand mixer.

the only time I would take out my stand mixer (kitchenaid) for a cake is if I needed to beat egg whites.

MagentaYenta

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:36 am

I gave my DD my stand mixer years ago. I no longer do large batch baking. I use a heavy duty whisk, or wooden spoon and this bowl.

zaq

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:37 am

Tupperware bowl and big wooden spoon or wire whisk. Pesach I use a handheld mixer to beat egg whites. Year-round I reject recipes requiring beaten egg whites.

seeker

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:52 am

Bowl and spoon/fork, usually. On Pesach I found my batter harder to mix (maybe potato starch makes it stiffer than flour?) so I stopped mid-mixing and borrowed a hand mixer. Good thing I only needed one cake.

etky

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 2:56 am

imasoftov wrote:

Kenwood stand mixer during the year, handheld Krups on Pesach.

I'm also a Kenwood fan. I have a stand mixer for during the year that is forty years old and still going strong (motor was refurbished about 20 years ago). For Pesach I have a Kenwood all-purpose machine that is also a stand mixer but is not as heavy duty as my regular one. I also have a cheap little hand mixer that I use to beat egg-whites when the amount I need exceeds the capacity of the mixer's bowl.
Even though I do use a mixer year round, I also eschew beaten egg-white recipes during the year. Doesn't seem to be worth the hassle.

Raisin

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 4:53 am

I use my magic mill. I take it out thursday night or friday morning, make cake and challah and then it goes back to hibernate for the week. I also have a milchig hand mixer for whipping cream and making cakes.

For pesach I have a food processor that beats egg whites. Not buying an expensive and bulky stand mixer for pesach.

Iymnok

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 4:57 am

Cake? As in a thin batter? Why would you need more than a bowl and whisk or spoon? Cookie dough I use my Bosch MUM5

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 8:50 am

Maybe you could add some more options to your poll.

I use a handheld mixer. It happens to be a KitchenAid but I think your poll is only about stand mixers.

saw50st8

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 9:30 am

I have a kitchen aid stand mixer that I use for everything. I leave it on my counter in a corner, so it's not too noticeable but easy to access. My kids like watching the mixer blade turn :-)

Amarante

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 10:40 am

Depends on what you are baking.

If you bake with butter, a KA or other really good mixer is essential to cream the butter and sugar. I used to use a less expensive mixer and the results weren't nearly as good because of the creaming.

If you are baking Chiffon cakes which use oil, it doesn't really matter because you don't need the critical creaming process to ensure the best end result. That's also true of brownies which are typically made with melted butter (or other shortening), muffins (which should NOT be mixed for long or it toughens the crumb or other quick breads typically made with oil like banana bread, zucchini bread etc.

I use a bread machine to knead bread because it so simplifies the process although I don't generally bake in the bread machine.

Scrabble123

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 10:50 am

The Kitchenaid outperforms the Bosch when it comes to cookies and cakes, but the Bosch is better for heavy duty baking. It has more watts and a larger bowl. It can make up to six 2-lb loaves of bread, and is very reliable (and can be abused). The Kitchenaid has more diverse application and definitely is a better mixer, but if you are making huge amounts of Challah and Cakes every week and banging your machine up, you'd need to go with a Bosch.

etky

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 10:55 am

If you have the mixer why not use it? It does a better job of aerating even thin mixtures like eggs and sugar than hand beating - not even talking about creaming for which it is essential as Amarante said. I do what Raisin does. I lug out the mixer on Thursday for Shabbat baking duty. It stays on the counter until Friday or whenever my baking is done and then is returned to its "home" until the following Thursday. Many people are lucky enough to have an appliance 'garage' on their counters. If you have that kind of set up then it's really a breeze to pull out the mixer whenever you need it.
Maybe in my next kitchen....

Mevater

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:55 am

None of the above.

I use my stand mixer for Challah baking only. Even the new Bosch is way too klutzy to move around when I dont have too.

For cakes I use my Braun food processor. The whip attachment is excellent for beating egg whites.

Iymnok

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 12:02 pm

When you talk about Bosch, which one are you talking about? I had the older model that is difficult to clean and can't make cookies. I sold it and got the newer model.
My cake has no eggs or butter, a whisk is fine.