Little Fluffy Clouds
October 2, 2009 5:35 PM Subscribe
Why are my cakes always too dense?
My GF's birthday is this weekend and I want to bake her a cake.
I bake cakes once or twice a year and they always come out too heavy and dense. Every time. Too moist! I think it's yucky even though no one else ever complains.
I've tried sifting cake flour, whisking egg whites to peaks, even following the recipe on the box. So there must be something wrong with my method.
What are your tips for making a very light and fluffy cake?
My GF's birthday is this weekend and I want to bake her a cake.
I bake cakes once or twice a year and they always come out too heavy and dense. Every time. Too moist! I think it's yucky even though no one else ever complains.
I've tried sifting cake flour, whisking egg whites to peaks, even following the recipe on the box. So there must be something wrong with my method.
What are your tips for making a very light and fluffy cake?
Old baking powder?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:39 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:39 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
Go to the library and get the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.
Flip through till you find a cake that matches the cake you're envisioning, and follow the instructions exactly.
posted by purpleclover at 5:39 PM on October 2, 2009
Flip through till you find a cake that matches the cake you're envisioning, and follow the instructions exactly.
posted by purpleclover at 5:39 PM on October 2, 2009
A light cake should have a smooth and fluffy texture. Cake mixes call for 2-3 minutes at a medium speed.
If you are using a recipe, not a box, my best guess is also that you have a problem with your leavening.
Also: make sure your cake is not 'fallilng' during the baking process. It's a really bad idea to keep opening the oven door to check on it.
And make sure that your oven is heated to the correct temperature. Use a thermometer.
Good luck!
posted by SLC Mom at 6:02 PM on October 2, 2009
If you are using a recipe, not a box, my best guess is also that you have a problem with your leavening.
Also: make sure your cake is not 'fallilng' during the baking process. It's a really bad idea to keep opening the oven door to check on it.
And make sure that your oven is heated to the correct temperature. Use a thermometer.
Good luck!
posted by SLC Mom at 6:02 PM on October 2, 2009
+1 for old baking powder.
Also, are you sure you're not making pound cakes? I'm not getting enough from this question to be able to answer it helpfully. What's a recipe that's gone wrong for you?
posted by purpleclover at 6:29 PM on October 2, 2009
Also, are you sure you're not making pound cakes? I'm not getting enough from this question to be able to answer it helpfully. What's a recipe that's gone wrong for you?
posted by purpleclover at 6:29 PM on October 2, 2009
If you don't want a moist heavy cake, don't use a box mix. 90% of box mixes are for extra-moist cakes. A lot of the "new" great cake recipes seem to be for "moist and tender" cakes -- stay away from a recipe with that description. Look in old cookbooks. If your mother/grandmother baked (or GF's!), look in their cookbook for the page with all the stains on it. :)
What SLC Mom said.
1) Make sure you're using the correct egg size. Most recipes call for Large eggs. Using Extra Large or Jumbo eggs will add extra moisture to the cake.
2) Make sure you're using fresh leavening. Old baking powder doesn't work as well as fresh. Make sure you're using baking *powder* and not baking *soda*.
3) Don't add pudding mix or cornstarch. Use plain milk instead of buttermilk or yogurt if the recipe calls for them.
4) Use a good basic cake recipe (1-2-3-4 Cake from Joy of Cooking is the canonical cake in ChezR; although there's one from an old Betty Crocker cookbook that we like).
5) don't over mix. Even stiff-peaked whites can break down when mixed in too well. Yes, the batter will be streaky. It's supposed to be.
6) Make a chiffon or angel food cake -- those are very light and fluffy.
7) Don't use a mixer for the final stages of making a cake. I rarely use a mixer past creaming the butter and sugar together -- I find that using a stand or hand mixer overmixes the batter.
posted by jlkr at 6:31 PM on October 2, 2009
What SLC Mom said.
1) Make sure you're using the correct egg size. Most recipes call for Large eggs. Using Extra Large or Jumbo eggs will add extra moisture to the cake.
2) Make sure you're using fresh leavening. Old baking powder doesn't work as well as fresh. Make sure you're using baking *powder* and not baking *soda*.
3) Don't add pudding mix or cornstarch. Use plain milk instead of buttermilk or yogurt if the recipe calls for them.
4) Use a good basic cake recipe (1-2-3-4 Cake from Joy of Cooking is the canonical cake in ChezR; although there's one from an old Betty Crocker cookbook that we like).
5) don't over mix. Even stiff-peaked whites can break down when mixed in too well. Yes, the batter will be streaky. It's supposed to be.
6) Make a chiffon or angel food cake -- those are very light and fluffy.
7) Don't use a mixer for the final stages of making a cake. I rarely use a mixer past creaming the butter and sugar together -- I find that using a stand or hand mixer overmixes the batter.
posted by jlkr at 6:31 PM on October 2, 2009
I'm not American, so have no clue if you're using cake mix, but if you're making it from scratch I have to agree with SLC Mom- check the temperature of your oven. Is it old and possibly dodgy? Are you opening the oven door while it's cooking - if so, stop it! Set your alarm, when that goes off take the cake out to check it's readiness (SHUT THE DOOR then use a knife or skewer right in the middle of the cake; if there's still wet cake batter on the knife put it back in for a few minutes but minimise the time the oven door is open as much as possible).
Otherwise ensure you are mixing the batter (creaming the butter and sugar especially) for long enough, and leaving it to cool for long enough (15mins in a loaf pan, 20 in a square cake tin) before turning it out on to a wire rack.
Also be aware that it's hard to replicate bakery sponge cake in a home kitchen - if that's what you're trying to do you will most likely be disappointed (domestic equipment, non-expert - if you want tips for home sponge cooking please let us know and I'm sure the hive mind will be able to help in some way).
Good luck! It's lovely that you're trying to bake your gf a cake!
posted by goo at 6:34 PM on October 2, 2009
Otherwise ensure you are mixing the batter (creaming the butter and sugar especially) for long enough, and leaving it to cool for long enough (15mins in a loaf pan, 20 in a square cake tin) before turning it out on to a wire rack.
Also be aware that it's hard to replicate bakery sponge cake in a home kitchen - if that's what you're trying to do you will most likely be disappointed (domestic equipment, non-expert - if you want tips for home sponge cooking please let us know and I'm sure the hive mind will be able to help in some way).
Good luck! It's lovely that you're trying to bake your gf a cake!
posted by goo at 6:34 PM on October 2, 2009
I agree with the other folks, but I'm going to be more explicit.
Use cake flour, or all purpose. never use bread flour.
Whip the hell out of the eggs, add the butter or oil and sugar, and continue to whip furiously.
Sift the flour together with the leavening/salt/other dry ingredients, place in bowl to the side. Mix other liquids that are called for, place in bowl to the side.
Add half your dry ingredients, mix at slow speed for 10 seconds, add half of liquids. Mix for just a second. Add last half of dry ingredients and last half of liquids, mix only until the flour is somewhat distributed.
Without delay, pour the batter into a pan and bake right away. Treat the batter and the filled cake pan with exquisite care at this stage.
Basically, you want the air that is whipped into your butter/sugar/eggs to expand in the oven. The dough should imprison the air bubbles, forming a structure that expands around the swelling gases. It's not even necessary to use leavener if you are willing to whip batter for a few hours.
posted by ohshenandoah at 6:34 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
Use cake flour, or all purpose. never use bread flour.
Whip the hell out of the eggs, add the butter or oil and sugar, and continue to whip furiously.
Sift the flour together with the leavening/salt/other dry ingredients, place in bowl to the side. Mix other liquids that are called for, place in bowl to the side.
Add half your dry ingredients, mix at slow speed for 10 seconds, add half of liquids. Mix for just a second. Add last half of dry ingredients and last half of liquids, mix only until the flour is somewhat distributed.
Without delay, pour the batter into a pan and bake right away. Treat the batter and the filled cake pan with exquisite care at this stage.
Basically, you want the air that is whipped into your butter/sugar/eggs to expand in the oven. The dough should imprison the air bubbles, forming a structure that expands around the swelling gases. It's not even necessary to use leavener if you are willing to whip batter for a few hours.
posted by ohshenandoah at 6:34 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
I've had wildly different results from different brands of double-acting baking powder. The cheaper brand (forgot the name, label was mostly white with a sort of old-timey illustration) didn't have nearly as much oomph as Calumet (dark red can), which performs as expected. Try Calumet, if you're currently using a different brand.
posted by Quietgal at 6:46 PM on October 2, 2009
posted by Quietgal at 6:46 PM on October 2, 2009
To test your baking powder, mix 1 teaspoon of it with 1/2 cup hot water. The mixture should bubble and fizz right away. If it doesn't, your baking powder is definitely too old.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:17 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:17 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
Nthing all the advice above. And adding: do you have an oven thermometer? If not, they're not expensive and will tell you whether your oven is reaching the temperature you've set it to. And, do you preheat the oven?
posted by x46 at 7:40 PM on October 2, 2009
posted by x46 at 7:40 PM on October 2, 2009
All flour is not equal. There are various mixes and grinds. There is cake flour, usually in a box, that is different than the general purpose stuff. Don't overlook this basic part. Do some research.
posted by FauxScot at 8:02 PM on October 2, 2009
posted by FauxScot at 8:02 PM on October 2, 2009
I think the cheaper brand that Quietgal is talking about is Clabber Girl. I've never had any problems with it but if it is older baking powder it won't work as well.
It's probably the temperature of your oven -- you can get an inexpensive thermometer (this one is six dollars: http://www.amazon.com/Cook-90300-Thermometer-Stainless-Steel/dp/B000JRGBVG/ and you could definitely go to your local cooking store to find one) -- and use this to make sure that the temperature in the oven matches the temperature that your recipe calls for (and matches the setting on the oven dial).
If you sift the flour, measure first, sift second, unless the recipe specifically calls for sifted flour (i.e. if the recipe says "2 cups sifted flour," sift first and then measure two cups; if it says "2 cups flour, sifted," sift after measuring.) Sifting changes the volume of the flour.
I have also had better luck using cake flour for cakes; it's a bit lighter. If the recipe specifically calls for all-purpose flour and you want to use cake flour, add two tablespoons for every cup.
Another flour tip: don't use self-rising flour, which already contains baking powder and salt. It's easy to grab the self-rising flour instead of all-purpose since (at least at my grocery store) they're on the shelf side-by-side and their packages are fairly similar.
posted by k8lin at 8:08 PM on October 2, 2009
It's probably the temperature of your oven -- you can get an inexpensive thermometer (this one is six dollars: http://www.amazon.com/Cook-90300-Thermometer-Stainless-Steel/dp/B000JRGBVG/ and you could definitely go to your local cooking store to find one) -- and use this to make sure that the temperature in the oven matches the temperature that your recipe calls for (and matches the setting on the oven dial).
If you sift the flour, measure first, sift second, unless the recipe specifically calls for sifted flour (i.e. if the recipe says "2 cups sifted flour," sift first and then measure two cups; if it says "2 cups flour, sifted," sift after measuring.) Sifting changes the volume of the flour.
I have also had better luck using cake flour for cakes; it's a bit lighter. If the recipe specifically calls for all-purpose flour and you want to use cake flour, add two tablespoons for every cup.
Another flour tip: don't use self-rising flour, which already contains baking powder and salt. It's easy to grab the self-rising flour instead of all-purpose since (at least at my grocery store) they're on the shelf side-by-side and their packages are fairly similar.
posted by k8lin at 8:08 PM on October 2, 2009
Measure flour by weight, not volume, if you can. Flour density can vary +/- 10% or more, based on humidity, and grind, so measuring by weight eliminates these fluctuations. Store flour in a self-defrosting freezer, if you want the driest, densest, freshest product. Cake flours generally are low gluten wheat flour, and have a bit of cornstarch added. You don't want gluten to develop in dry, light crumb type cake, as it will then be tough and chewy, not light and crumby. Thus, the injunction against over mixing.
Baking powders come in single and double acting versions. Double acting baking powder needs a bit of acid to fully react, early in the baking process, but will push its product to higher, fluffier levels than single acting powder. Great for lemon or other citrus cakes, not so good for the simplest white cakes, which get part of their leavening from the air trapped in egg whites that are pre-beaten, and some from their single acting baking powder.
Baking is a matter of chemistry. Chemistry is recipes. To be a good, consistent baker, find good ingredients, that exactly match the intent of good recipes, and measure and time with a laboratory touch.
posted by paulsc at 9:50 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
Baking powders come in single and double acting versions. Double acting baking powder needs a bit of acid to fully react, early in the baking process, but will push its product to higher, fluffier levels than single acting powder. Great for lemon or other citrus cakes, not so good for the simplest white cakes, which get part of their leavening from the air trapped in egg whites that are pre-beaten, and some from their single acting baking powder.
Baking is a matter of chemistry. Chemistry is recipes. To be a good, consistent baker, find good ingredients, that exactly match the intent of good recipes, and measure and time with a laboratory touch.
posted by paulsc at 9:50 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
I disagree with ohshenandoah in that I let a mixed baking soda product sit for 5 minutes before I toss it in the oven. This gives the baking soda an extra 5 minutes to react and I believe produces a lighter end result.
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 5:25 AM on October 3, 2009
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 5:25 AM on October 3, 2009
Could elevation above sea level be a factor here? IIRC, it'll mess with bread recipes. Where do you live?
posted by Decimask at 7:39 AM on October 3, 2009
posted by Decimask at 7:39 AM on October 3, 2009
Agree with everything, but add this:
When you combine the wet and dry ingreedients, use a large metal spoon to mix the stuff together. Don't use a spatula, wooden spoon or even a beater.
I don't know why it works, but it takes fewer strokes to mix the batter if you do that.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:48 AM on October 3, 2009
When you combine the wet and dry ingreedients, use a large metal spoon to mix the stuff together. Don't use a spatula, wooden spoon or even a beater.
I don't know why it works, but it takes fewer strokes to mix the batter if you do that.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:48 AM on October 3, 2009
For those answers telling you specific order in which to mix the cake: ignore them! The recipe should specify order (if it doesn't, follow the advice I said to ignore). See, the order can vary with recipe. The order in the recipe is important.
As for over mixing, I've never encountered that with cake. I've never had any real problems with cakes I've made, except I'm not as artful with applying frosting as I'd like. The cakes themselves come out just fine. I only use a stand mixer, as I like having 2 hands to handle adding ingredients.
Use fresh eggs, not eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for a week or more. Also, make sure your ingredients have been sitting out to achieve room temperature before you start mixing things. On really hot days, for the fat in the cake, you don't want that to be starting to melt (unless the recipe says to melt it, of course).
Have your oven preheated and your pans ready to accept batter, before you start mixing the batter! Timing is important. The heat in the oven helps activate the baking powder, although the moisture also starts that process, when you mix. So getting batter into pans and then into the oven is time dependant.
Until you start getting good results, I'd suggest avoiding any recipe that depends on vinegar and soda as leavening (recipes without baking powder). I've not done any of those, but have seen them fail miserably. If a recipe has both baking soda and baking powder, fine. Probably something else in there that is acid, so you increase the alkaline with baking soda. (like buttermilk pancakes. Buttermilk is acidic, as is yoghurt, and sour cream).
posted by Goofyy at 12:03 AM on October 4, 2009
As for over mixing, I've never encountered that with cake. I've never had any real problems with cakes I've made, except I'm not as artful with applying frosting as I'd like. The cakes themselves come out just fine. I only use a stand mixer, as I like having 2 hands to handle adding ingredients.
Use fresh eggs, not eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for a week or more. Also, make sure your ingredients have been sitting out to achieve room temperature before you start mixing things. On really hot days, for the fat in the cake, you don't want that to be starting to melt (unless the recipe says to melt it, of course).
Have your oven preheated and your pans ready to accept batter, before you start mixing the batter! Timing is important. The heat in the oven helps activate the baking powder, although the moisture also starts that process, when you mix. So getting batter into pans and then into the oven is time dependant.
Until you start getting good results, I'd suggest avoiding any recipe that depends on vinegar and soda as leavening (recipes without baking powder). I've not done any of those, but have seen them fail miserably. If a recipe has both baking soda and baking powder, fine. Probably something else in there that is acid, so you increase the alkaline with baking soda. (like buttermilk pancakes. Buttermilk is acidic, as is yoghurt, and sour cream).
posted by Goofyy at 12:03 AM on October 4, 2009
Oh, I forgot to add this bit of advice: measure everything before you start mixing. Yes, you end up with lots of dirty bowls to wash, but it makes a difference. You can pay better attention then to mixing instructions, instead of struggling with measuring while mixing.
Also, with multiple eggs: Break each egg into a bowl, as you go, so you can see that the egg looks fine. Sometimes (rarely) you get a bad egg. It doesn't pay to break eggs into a mix, only to discover the egg is bad as it is mixed in! It's yet another dish to wash afterwards, but the one time you find a bad egg, you'll never skip this again.
posted by Goofyy at 12:09 AM on October 4, 2009
Also, with multiple eggs: Break each egg into a bowl, as you go, so you can see that the egg looks fine. Sometimes (rarely) you get a bad egg. It doesn't pay to break eggs into a mix, only to discover the egg is bad as it is mixed in! It's yet another dish to wash afterwards, but the one time you find a bad egg, you'll never skip this again.
posted by Goofyy at 12:09 AM on October 4, 2009
« Older Softwarefilter: Free Citrix Windows based style... | How soon will i know if i have food poisoning Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kthxbi at 5:36 PM on October 2, 2009