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Cake help


SweetSide

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I see folding in egg whites more so in older recipes, so I am wondering to all the food historians out there if this is something left over from days gone by or trickled down from the genoise type cakes?  Interesting...

Haha, well if you are asking if this is an antiquated method that has been done away with, in more recent fad methods or more popular methods being used today, who knows, that could be true. This method could well be now dubbed "yesterday's news" as much as many folks seem to think sifting is a waste of time.

Personally in the recipes I have where either method is called for, it works well for me just as it is. I have tried just throwing the old egg whites in and mixing like a cake mix and I just haven't gotten the same results. If you have issues with egg whites deflating, then by all means throw in some of the called for sugar with the egg whites. It might work better for you. It probably does help a beginner establish what state their whipped egg whites are at easier than if they didn't add the sugar. And it probably will give them a bit more time to play with when folding in the whites before their batter is deflated. A lot depends too as was stated, on the stiffness of the batter before the whites are incorporated. With experience, that does become a judgement call.

I find with cake mixes, you can dump almost anything together in any order, let it all sit there for God knows how long and you are going to get some form of a good result. It ain't so easy with from-scratch. I figure if something is working, stick with it. I sift when it is to my benefit to do so and I separate when I am pleased with the results. If I try a recipe 3 times and don't like the results, it goes in the trash.

Much of the time, I don't believe there is only one way of doing things, whatever works for you and makes you happy is fine with me. I think there are many sound ways of doing things.

I think taste and results are very subjective, for example I am not usually a big fan of high-ratio cakes or cake mixes as I find them too sweet. I find cake mix cakes too spongey. I don't want rosemary or olive oil in my cakes or desserts. But that is personal taste and personal opinion. If someone wants those kinds of cakes, I am more than happy to accomodate them but I will always have my own expectations and preferences. And I don't expect everyone to agree with what I deem a good recipe or an average recipe or a bad recipe. I can tell by looking at a recipe whether or not I will like it and what to expect.

Yes there are formulas, but you can choose whether or not you are pleased with those formulas and make adjustments. I don't believe that you absolutely have to stick to those formulas or methods. But you do need to understand the effect changing the combinations or ratios of ingredients may result in. And then you play and have fun with it.

I couldn't care less if a recipe is from the 1900's, from Bessie down the street, from a famous cake decorator or a famous cookbook author, I either like it or I don't. I am not much given to fads or fashion when it comes to what I eat but I do like to experiment. I don't rush out and buy the latest "Decorator or Author of the Hour's" books.

I think everyone establishes their likes and dislikes and preferences very early on and I also believe it is important to keep an open mind and to experiment. Life is just an ongoing learning experiment with some experiments going well, others not so well. That is what makes it interesting. If time is not crucial, then experimentation is the way to go.

If you have the tools you require, good quality pans, good quality ingredients and some knowledge and experience and a working oven, you are well on your way. Sometimes you can accomodate an individual oven's idiosyncrascies, sometimes not. Then it becomes a balancing act of meeting your own expectations and meeting those of your clientelle. And through experience, feel does become very important. Haha, so does luck. Sometimes too, it is a crapshoot. Whatever...

If you are comfortable using a spatula or a plastic scraper to incorporate ingredients, then hey, whatever works for you. People have different reasons for using the tools of their choices. It could be habit, it could be disability, it could be whatever is handy.

I think the biggest risk is to close your mind to possibilities and change or to think that everything from a certain timeframe is no longer valid or good. But that is just my opinion.

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Is this thread actually helping, or just confusing things?

For what it's worth, this thread is VERY helpful and provides HUGE learning for other novices!

I'll second that! As a (struggling) home baker, I've found the information here to be very helpful. In fact, I just did a test-run of a pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving and ran into some of the same problems as Cheryl. I had about written it off as the worst thing I'd ever tasted, so I was grateful for finding this thread and might actually try the cake again!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I forgot one crucial detail --- does the recipe call for adding cream of tartar when whipping your whites?

1/2 to 1 tsp. of cream of tartar per cup of whites will make a huge improvement in the egg foam's stability. It doesn't compromise the flavor or interfere with the chemical leavenings to any great extent, since it's a very weak acid. I've gotten in the habit of using cream of tartar for every recipe that incorporates folded-in whites, including ladyfingers and mousses. The amount used depends on the volume of eggs to be whipped --- use 1 tsp. per cup if you're whipping more than a cup of whites at a time.

Just add the cream of tartar and mix with the whites for a minute on low speed to dissolve, then whip the whites as usual.

BTW, Gayle Ortiz' Poppyseed Cake recipe from The Village Baker's Wife is a delicious and very reliable butter-based cake with folded-in whites...

Have fun!

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^ No, Miriam, and I thought of that afterward. I was wondering if it would affect the chemical balance of the recipe, but if not, I should make that a habit when I'm using little to no sugar with the whites.

I haven't played with this recipe again -- got sidetracked as it always seems -- but did have success with all the mentioned tricks and tips with another recipe.

And, for chefpeon, started using my hand to fold no matter the size of the batch, and it goes way quicker and more efficiently.

Thanks everyone!

Cheryl, The Sweet Side
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Wait wait wait. This could be a factor for someone. I am doing a tier cake with this SW formula. It is working better than perfectly. I did check my baking powder before I started and each of the three previously opened but well sealed cans contained a bit grainy, not purely powdery baking powder. So I dumped each one and jumped in the car~~had to fix my hair first :rolleyes: drat that~~and bought a new fresh can of baking powder at the store. (Picked up some almond paste for the holidays too but I digress.)

Your baking powder must be super free flowing and powdery for best effect. No kibbles and bits no matter how small. Sifting does not restore the action of the spent baking powder.

Then again, maybe that's just in olden times when baking powder had to be all nicey nice. That hasn't changed has it??? Sarah??? Patrick??? Is this still true???

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Wait wait wait. This could be a factor for someone. I am doing a tier cake with this SW formula. It is working better than perfectly. I did check my baking powder before I started and each of the three previously opened but well sealed cans contained a bit grainy, not purely powdery baking powder. So I dumped each one and jumped in the car~~had to fix my hair first  :rolleyes:  drat that~~and bought a new fresh can of baking powder at the store. (Picked up some almond paste for the holidays too but I digress.)

Your baking powder must be super free flowing and powdery for best effect. No kibbles and bits no matter how small. Sifting does not restore the action of the spent baking powder.

Then again, maybe that's just in olden times when baking powder had to be all nicey nice. That hasn't changed has it??? Sarah??? Patrick??? Is this still true???

Hi K8! Did you test the baking powder to see if it was still active? That's the key! If there were lumps throughout the baking powder, then somehow the baking powder became moistened or damp, which activates it. It's always sound advice to use dry, unspent powdery baking powder and baking soda when you bake! ~ (YUM! Almond paste is soooo delicious!)

Happy Baking! Sarah Phillips, President and Founder, http://www.baking911.com

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Hey, Sarah, Cake&Bake-Buddy, :biggrin:

No, I didn't test it--I tossed it--3 of 'em. I just remember eons ago, I think it was my Mom told me not to get any iota of moisture in baking powder--in Memphis it just happens automatically. Yes, it was lumpy though at least throughout the first inch or more down into the can. Which is how I happened to have collected three cans of it. Which in turn made me think of this thread.

But this tier cake had to be all trimmed down each side before icing it because the torted layers were wonky, not even and straight and level. When I use doctored mixes I have a much better product. Better in the sense of more uniform down the sides.

While I like the idea of scratch cakes, they don't have the shelf life of a mix. I usually bake on Tuesday/Wednesday or even Monday and freeze for decorating later in the week. This one I finished baking on Friday & I made myself a bit nervous. "Cause scratch cake is good out of the freezer if you can microzap it a few seconds. But they don't fit in the microzapper.

This cake I used the Sylvia formula on was a 125-150 serving 4-tier.

I have a much larger cake this week that I'm using doctored mixes for. I don't need any additional drama this week. This one's dramatic enough as is. :biggrin:

This way I can bake well in advance, stuff 'em in the freezer, breathe huge sighs of relief and ... Have I rambled long enough?? :laugh::raz:

Edited by K8memphis (log)
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