Baking can sometimes feel like a bit of a slog. So why not let those who were born to do it take over? To make everyday kitchen tasks quicker and easier, it's worth equipping your kitchen with essential appliances and accessories. A stand mixer is one such gem! This reliable and functional device will make preparing cakes, desserts, and other delectable treats a pure pleasure.
A stand mixer – your reliable kitchen helper
Cakes and cookies, creams, meringues, and mousses – who among us doesn't have a sweet tooth? However, to truly savour the taste of homemade desserts, you first have to prepare them. And kneading, creaming, mixing, and whipping, whether by hand or with a traditional mixer, can be quite a time-consuming and arduous task. At FormAdore, however, you'll find a device that will take the strain out of all these laborious activities. What is it? It's a stand mixer!
You're probably wondering now what makes stand mixers better than traditional blenders and other food processors. Besides their myriad functionalities, their phenomenal uniqueness lies in the way they combine ingredients. The beater in these devices moves not only around its own axis but also along the perimeter of the entire bowl, thoroughly collecting ingredients from every corner and blending them into a uniform mixture. This planetary motion of the beaters ensures quicker and more efficient mixing, resulting in a smooth, lump-free dough.
A stand mixer consists of a body, a movable head to which various attachments are fixed, and a spacious bowl that can hold several litres of dough. These types of food processors are incredibly convenient appliances that don't need to be manually controlled or held during operation. Simply pop the necessary ingredients into the mixer bowl, attach the appropriate accessory, set the speed, and off you go! While our kitchen helper kneads the dough or whips egg whites for meringue, we can line a baking tray with parchment paper or wash up. A good few minutes saved in the kitchen really makes a world of difference, especially when you have several cakes or desserts to prepare. You can also use the saved time to beautifully decorate them afterwards – with the right baking and decorating accessories for sweets, it's really a piece of cake! How easy is it? We tell you in the article: Ways to decorate cakes.
How about... a cake?
What functions does a stand mixer have?
It will thoroughly mix liquid and dry ingredients, cream, knead, and whip – one appliance, so many possibilities! After tossing the ingredients into the bowl, we just need to attach the correct accessory, depending on the dessert we want to prepare. The most common attachments include:
- beater
- whisk
- dough hook
- flexible beater
It's worth noting that while the mixer is working, we don't have to worry about ingredients splattering all over the kitchen, as the bowl has a special splash guard. At the same time, mixers are equipped with a convenient feeder, so we can add more products at any time.
It's also important to highlight that the functionalities of the robot presented above can be expanded by purchasing additional accessories. This will save us a lot of kitchen space – instead of several small appliances, we'll have a multi-functional food processor with which we can prepare many dishes and desserts. A KitchenAid mixer is a device for which you can buy various attachments and accessories at FormAdore, including:
- meat grinder,
- grating and shredding machine,
- sausage stuffer attachments,
- sorbet maker,
- coffee grinder,
- ravioli maker,
- chopper,
- citrus press,
- grain mill,
- coffee siphon.
As you can see, the selection is truly impressive, allowing you to easily complete and tailor your stand mixer to your needs.
Below, we present 3 tried-and-tested recipes for delicious desserts that you can prepare with its help.
Chocolate Mousse
A dessert like chocolate mousse probably needs no introduction, and you certainly don't need any convincing to make it. And, of course, the reliable and always-ready-to-work stand mixer is here to lend a helping hand!
Ingredients:
- 200g dark chocolate
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 5 eggs
- 50g butter
Break the chocolate into squares and melt it in a bain-marie.
When the chocolate starts to melt, add the butter, mix, and leave to cool.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Place the egg yolks with sugar in the mixer bowl and beat until a light and fluffy mixture forms.
Turn off the mixer. Gently fold the cooled, but still liquid, chocolate with butter into the egg mixture.
In a separate bowl, add the egg whites, a pinch of salt, and whisk with the robot until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the prepared mousse into glasses or bowls and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Before serving, you can decorate the mousse with chocolate shavings or fresh fruits, such as strawberries or raspberries.
Orange Cake
Fluffy, aromatic, moist – simply delicious! Orange cake is an ideal treat for the upcoming holidays, when every minute is truly golden in the whirlwind of festive preparations.
Ingredients:
- 250g flour
- 250g butter
- 200g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of 1 orange
- 100ml juice squeezed from 1 orange
Put the soft butter and sugar into the mixer bowl. Cream until a light and fluffy mixture is formed (approximately 6-7 minutes).
Then add the eggs – one by one, with short intervals.
Add the orange zest and the sifted flour with baking powder. Wait a moment until the ingredients combine.
Turn off the mixer. Add the orange juice to the cake mixture and gently fold it into the mass with a spatula.
Line a round cake tin with a diameter of 20-22 cm with baking paper.
Transfer the cake batter to the tin, place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
You can dust the baked cake with icing sugar, drizzle with glaze, or cover with white or dark chocolate ganache. You'll find more tools for creating decorations in the decorating accessories category.
Our advice
Pavlova Meringue
This is the true queen of meringues! Pleasantly crisp on the outside and marshmallow-soft on the inside. Pavlova meringue is an incredibly simple yet delicious and spectacular meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Ingredients for the meringue:
- 6 egg whites
- 300g sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Other ingredients:
- 500ml whipping cream (30% fat)
- 250g mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- Fresh fruits, e.g., strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrants
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Gradually, spoon by spoon, add the sugar, continuing to whisk until a very stiff, glossy, and thick mixture is formed.
Add the lemon juice.
Turn off the mixer, add the sifted cornflour, and gently combine it with the mixture using a wooden spatula.
Line a baking tray (the one from your oven will do) with parchment paper. Draw a circle with a diameter of 22 cm on it.
Spread the prepared mixture onto the circle and form a mound using a spoon or spatula.
Place the tray in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius, and after 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius. Bake the meringue for 90 minutes.
Leave the meringue to cool in a slightly ajar oven.
Pour the cream into the mixer bowl, add the mascarpone and sugars. Whip everything until a stiff cream is formed.
Spread the cream over the cooled meringue, and decorate the whole thing with your favourite fruits.
As you can see, stand mixers open up a world of culinary possibilities for you! But not only are they functional and useful, they're also incredibly stylish. Just look at the KitchenAid or Smeg mixers – their intriguing shapes and abundance of colours are truly impressive. Practical and reliable, stylish and elegant – they'll look stunning in any kitchen interior! What more could you ask for?
More possibilities
