Genius Hour 2.8

    This week I attempted to make a chocolate cake. It was a simple recipe that made a moist, good-tasting cake. All that needed to be done what to add the flour and the other dry ingredients together, and then mix the oil and the rest of the ingredients with it. Then the cake is to be baked at 350 degrees for half and hour.
     My goal for this week was for the cake to turn out how I had hoped. This goal was met, and then it wasn’t. I had made two cakes, a small one for home and a big one to bring to class. I tasted the small one and it turned out very well. So I was excited to try the other, until I cut into it and I could tell it hadn’t cooked all the way. Because of this issue, I decided to not serve the cake and potentially bring in another one. This goes to show that there will always be setbacks, but there are always different ways to get things done.
    My overall goal for this project is to further my baking skills and my problem-solving skills. I believe this has been a good learning experience, and it had taught me many things, such as: patience, problem-solving, the ability to ask for help, and many other things. I hope to keep baking in the future and hopefully continuing to get better at it.

Genius Hour 2.7

https://docs.google.com/document/d/105YFKgsErLs2-LJiiBAWtingmMB-d6EhgmNlPT8cleE

Genius Hour 2.6

     This week for genius hour I made homemade brownies. I had never made them from scratch before so I was nervous that they weren’t going to turn out. The directions weren’t very clear so I found myself second guessing every step. In the end they turned out fairly well so I realized that I should be able to trust my abilities. This genius hour has definitely improved my baking skills, and I think that will be useful in the future.

     First, I added all of the dry ingredients together (except the sugar). Then I melted the chocolate chips and butter together over the stove. I set these bowls aside and whipped the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together. Finally, I added all of the mixtures together. I put the batter in a cake pan and baked at 350*. The recipe didn’t give a bake time, it only said to take them out when the middle was slightly firm. This was a setback because I had to check on them frequently to make sure they weren’t burning. Overall, I think they turned out well. The people that I had give me feedback gave me a 9.5 and 10 out of ten.

Flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

Melted chocolate and butter.

The brownie batter before it was baked.

Genius Hour 2.5

For the fifth week of genius hour, I decided to make coffee cake. Coffee cake doesn’t actually contain coffee, it was given its name because it is usually eaten with coffee. I had never made coffee cake before, so my goal for the week was to make a batch that tasted good and looked how it was supposed to. I believe that I achieved this goal because I got good feedback from classmates. They both rated the taste 10/10 and said the texture was good. While I was making it, the batter didn’t looks right to me, but my grandma said that that was how it was supposed to look. Baking will increase my patience and my problem solving skills in the future. I have enjoyed this genius hour so far and I look forward to continuing.
Here’s some pictures of the process:

This is the batter. It didn’t look right to me because it had the texture of cool whip and wasn’t runny like other cake batter.

Here is the cake before it was baked. The chunks on top are the brown sugar topping.

Genius Hour 2.4

For the fourth week of this project, I decided to make raspberry pies. I used a recipe that I had done once before for Thanksgiving. The pie turned out pretty well the first time around, so my goal for this week was to improve my skills or improve the pie itself since the first time I made one. I hope to become a better baker and problem solver from this project. I get frustrated sometimes and it’s hard for me to except help in these times. I have improved on this in the past few weeks because I have been able to let my grandma help me and show me things.
    First, I had to make the crust. I made this the day before I baked the pies and left it in the fridge. The next day I took the dough out and let it warm before rolling it out. I didn’t have much trouble rolling the dough out. Then I make the raspberry filling. This filling is simple and easy for beginners. The raspberries can be tart so add more sugar if you prefer it sweet. I put the filling in the pan on the first layer of crust, then I laid the second half on top. The part that I struggled with the most was punching the crust. My grandma showed me two different techniques and I tried them both. They looked better than the first pie I had made but the fork technique didn’t work very well.
   I got good reviews this week also: 9/10 and 10/10. Some comments were that it was visually appealing, the crust was good, and that it was tart. I expected it to be tart so I served it with ice cream. Here are some pictures of the process:

                                                           
 

Genius Hour 2.3

This week, I baked one of my favorite treats: lemon bars. I have never baked lemon bars so my goal for this project was to get them to be the right texture and have a good lemon flavor. I had to start the process by finding a recipe since my grandma didn’t have one. I thought of looking on the internet to find one, but sometimes they don’t turn out very well. Then my mom suggested that I asked Mrs. Shock, my former elementary teacher. She is an experienced baker so we knew that she would have a good recipe. There is always a way to obtain something that you need.
     After getting the recipe, I began then baking process. I first mixed the crust and baked it for ten minutes. The crust only consisted of three ingredients: butter, flour, and powdered sugar. After the crust was lightly browned, I took it out to cool before putting the lemon filling on top. The filling consisted of lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and eggs. I was nervous when making the filling because I have done made lemon bars or anything like them. I had my mom come help me so I could have a second opinion on how they looked. I hope to eventually be confident enough in myself to trust what I think, in baking and other things. Everything went smoothly until it was time to bake them. I was sure how firm or goey they should’ve looked, so I stressed about that, but the turned out to be okay.
     My reviews were really good this week. I received and 11/10 and a 10/10. They both said that I did a good job making them. One commented on how the flavors complimented each other well. This feedback shows that I can trust myself more than I think. Here are some pictures of the baking process:

Lemon filling mixture 

Finished product

Genius Hour 2.2

For the second week of this genius hour, I decided to bake banana bread. Banana bread has always been one of my favorite treats so I was glad I could share it with the class. The making of the mixture for the bread isn’t a long process, but it takes an hour to bake. This gives you free time for a little while, but you can’t forget to check on the bread. First, you mix the butter, sugar, and eggs together. Then you mash the bananas and set them aside. Last, you measure the flour and baking soda into a third container. With thus recipe, we also add mild to the mixture. Then you combine the flour into the butter mixture along with the milk, then slowly add the mashed bananas. Pour the mixture into the pans and make them for an hour at 350 degrees. That is all that this process requires.
     I got amazing feedback this week from the class. The ratings were 11/10 and 10/10. One person said that it had good flavor and the bananas weren’t overwhelming. Another person said that the texture and moisture was good. I am happy with this feedback and didn’t run into too many complications this week. Here are some photos of the process: