Foam Cakes
These cakes are based on a foam made from beaten eggs, egg whites, or whipping cream. Foam cakes include angel food cakes, chiffon cakes, and sponge cakes.
Angel Food Cakes
- These cakes are made from egg whites, sugar, flour, cream of tartar, salt, and flavorings. Cream of tartar makes the mixture more acidic, forming a favorable environment for protein bonds. Sugar adds flavor and tenderness, and helps form and stabilize the protein bonds. This is important: the bowl and all utensils which come in contact with egg whites must be totally clean and free of grease. Fat will destroy the foam by interfering with the protein bonds of the egg white.
- Have the whites at room temperature for the best volume; the protein bonds will be more relaxed and the foam higher. Start beating egg whites slowly, then gradually increase the speed of the mixer as you add sugar. Flour and flavoring ingredients are added by gently folding into the egg white foam. Using a spatula or wide spoon, cut down the side of the bowl, then scoop along the bottom of the bowl, gently turning the mixture, until the dry ingredients are incorporated. This is a delicate process, but take your time and you can do it!
- Angel Food cakes must be baked as soon as the batter is finished. The pans are not greased, so the delicate structure can grab onto the pan sides as the steam forms and the air bubbles increase. Some recipes tell you to cool the cake upside down. This stretches the protein bonds as they cool so the cake doesn't collapse. Don't worry - the cake won't fall out of the pan as it cools.
Chiffon Cakes
- Chiffon cakes are angel food cakes with egg yolks and vegetable oil (not butter or margarine) added. They still depend on an egg white foam, but the fat makes a more tender cake that stays moist longer. It is very important to make sure that the egg white foam is beaten until very, very stiff. The foam provides most of the structure for the cake. We'll address chiffon cakes and look at some recipes for them in the next baking series.
Sponge Cakes
- Sponge cakes are made of whole eggs, and use no other leavening ingredient. Egg yolks are beaten with sugar to incorporate air into the batter, then the whites are beaten with more sugar for stability, structure, air, and volume. The two mixtures are folded together, with flour added for structure. Sponge cakes will also be addressed in the next baking series.
One Bowl Cakes
It was a big deal in the 1960s when home economists discovered that cakes could be made by simply combining all ingredients in one bowl and beating them together for an extended period of time (4-5 minutes on high speed) to incorporate air, instead of the method of creaming the shortening and alternately adding liquid and dry ingredients. Many cake recipes use this method. There is also the two-stage method of cake making, a variation of the one-bowl cake. The dry ingredients are combined in a mixing bowl, the fat and liquid are added, then eggs are beaten into the batter. This method 'greases' the proteins in the flour in the first step, so it's harder for them to combine with each other, making a very tender cake. Simple Chocolate Cak is a variation of the two-step method.
