alejandra+s

**Introduction**
 * May 26, 2011**

**Expert on Chocolate Cake** Chocolate cake or cake in general has an origin that started back in over 2000 years ago. Though the exact date is unknown. According to recipesforcakes.com "the earliest cakes were made from combinations of flour, honey, nuts, eggs, milk, and other flavorings." Early cakes were likely to be made out of oats or corn. Later in the 1900's cakes began to be much more complicates. What i am focused on is on chocolate cake which may have the same ingredients as most cakes just that with cocoa or special baking chocolate cake. This interest me because i love the taste of chocolate cake and it would make a great gift for most occasions.

**My research questions:**
 * What is the best chocolate to use in a chocolate cake?
 * What is the best recipe to use to make a chocolate cake?
 * Does putting a double chocolate frosting make the cake different in taste (big difference)?
 * Does the kind of flour or sugar you use make a big difference in the taste of the cake?
 * Does the tray you bake the cake in affect it?
 * What is the best temperature to bake the cake in?
 * Is it true that coffee makes a chocolate cake taste better or just gives it a boost?
 * What is the history/start/origin of the chocolate cake?

**May 12th, 2011** Topic: Chocolate Cake
 * Annotated Bibliography**

SOURCE 1 "Why is there coffee in my chocolate cake." Weblog entry. //bakingbites.com.// 20 April 2010. 6 May 2011. The purpose of this blog to tell people in general why is there coffee in chocolate cake recipe and the cake itself. This blog was was most likely written by a blogger or a critic. In this blog the writer explains the reason that in some cases coffee is included in a chocolate cake. The reason is to give the chocolate cake a boost and enhance the chocolate cake. It is mentioned that cocoa is a bit bitter on its own but with all the other ingredients the cocoa taste better and with coffee the chocolate taste is more chocolatey in other words coffee is a chocolate booster.

SOURCE 2 "Cake recipe history." //recipes4cakes.com.// recipes4cakes.,n.d. Web. 3 May 2011. The main purpose for this website is to let people in general know what is the origin or start of chocolate cake. This article or web page was most likely written by a critic or journalist. In this web page the history and origin of a cake is given and the first ingredients used to make early cakes. It explains how cake was used in different countries and situations and why. It is said that the first ingredients of cake were flour, honey, nuts, eggs, milk, and other flavorings.

SOURCE 3 Jaworski, Stephanie."Flour." joyofbaking.com. joyofbaking., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011. The purpose of this website is to inform bakers that the type of flour used in a cake will majorly affect the cake. Flour contributes to the body, structure, texture, and flavor of a cake. This webpage was written by Stephanie Jaworski which most likely she might be a journalist. This article describes the different kinds of flour there is and the way they can be used. For examples all- purpose flour can be used to thicken mixtures and sauces.

**Important Vocabulary**
 * 1) **Cake flour:** a special type of flour, specialized to make cakes
 * 2) **All-purpose flour:** a flour used for multi-purpose like cakes, bread, cookies, tortillas, to thicken sauces etc.
 * 3) **Cocoa:** a powder made from cacao seeds, often used any baked good that involves chocolate
 * 4) **Baking chocolate:** pure unsweetened chocolate used in baking, icings, sauces, and candy

__**Planning my Presentation**__
 * Introduce my topic by briefly explaining what it is and why it interest me


 * Explain the history/origins of cake in general


 * Go over the ingredients and why it may be used


 * Describe each step to making a chocolate


 * Show pictures explaining each step and describe the pictures


 * Demonstrate the final step and the result


 * Give chocolate cake to who ever wants some and the recipe

**May 6th, 2011** Today i am researching the ingredients that would affect the cake and some that will give it a boost One of the questions was: Does the flour kind/brand affect the cake a lot? This is the link i found that will answer this question

http://www.joyofbaking.com/flour.html This one talks about the different types of flour there is and how the cake could be affected by the flour kind

Another one of my questions is: Is it true that coffee gives chocolate cake a boost in taste? and this is what i found

http://bakingbites.com/2010/04/why-is-there-coffee-in-my-chocolate-cake/ This link is mostly about how coffee a boost in taste and why

__CATHERINE WUZ HERE ILY :)__

**May 3rd, 2011** Today i researching the best chocolate to use and the best recipe One of my questions was What is the best kind of chocolate to use when making a chocolate cake? This is one of the links i found

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateCake.html This one talks about what chocolate is better to use and why and gives a recipe

Another question i researched today was What is the best recipe to use to make a chocolate cake

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/the-best-chocolate-cake-you-ever-ate/Detail.aspx This was of the best recipes i found because it had a lot of components that give it a boost

**April 28th, 2011** Today i researched the start of chocolate cake and i found this links. My question is what was the start/ history of chocolate cake?

http://www.foodmuseum.com/excake2.html This link mostly talks about the start and the meaning of chocolate cake to several countries such as Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Japan. It also explains what social classes would eat it for example the Mayan rulers and upper class people would only eat it.

http://www.recipes4cakes.com/cakehistory/ I also found this link which talks about how long was chocolate cake around about 2000 it started. It also explains the history and meaning of several cake such as a wedding cake. The thing that i most liked was the timeline it has.

Welcome to Alejandra S page Alejandra Salas Period 5 Mrs. Lona

A CHOCOLATY DESIRE Chocolate cake!!! Chocolate cake!!! I have lots of chocolate cake memories but my earliest and most memorable was when my grandmother burned a chocolate cake. I was about 5 or 6 years old and she was baking a cake for our family reunion. After putting it in the oven she went to the living room with all of our family. After a while of long interesting conversations with our family it stared smelling like something was getting burned. It was the cake! She totally forgot about it. So she went to the kitchen which was full of smoke, it was as if we were in a factory when it letting out the smog. My grandma took it out of the oven and it was totally burned and smelled nasty (well for me). As soon as I saw the cake I stared laughing a lot to the point were my stomach started hurted but even though I still laughed. Another memory but a little more recent was 4 years ago when I was ten it was my birthday and my dad bought me a chocolate cake. That day my uncle took me to chuckie cheese to celebrate my birthday and my little cousins to and we However chocolate cake doesn’t start here.

Chocolate cake goes back to 1764 when Dr. James Baker discovered how to make chocolate by grinding cocoa beans. Later on in 1879 a process for making silkier and smoother chocolate was developed, making it easier to bake. In the mid 1930’s devils chocolate mixes were introduced but it was put on hold during World War II. In the U.S chocolate decadence became popular not till the 1980’s.

No matter how or when of this chocolaty desert was it’s still important to me. Every July 25 th I anxiently wait for this as a celebration for my birthday. I always get chocolate cake for this occasion at the Monarcha Bakery at HP (Huntington Park). Since I have a passion for baking I always make this for my friends and family. I always try new recipes for chocolate cake and it brings memories to me, such as the ones where my grandmother completely burned it. No matter what this dessert will always be my favorite.

Hi--love what you have so far. The introduction is strong. Is this the whole essay? Though I like the story of your grandma, I feel like you are writing more about burning the cake than why the cake is your favorite. How does that link to chocolate cake on your birthday? Does your grandma ever make you the birthday cake? That would be an good contrasting story to tell.

I like the history but please be careful that it is not copied from the internet--put the information in your own words.

Also, please proofread again for spelling.

Don't forget to post your 1st memoir before Christmas break!