SPONGE CAKE/POUND CAKE Flashcards
POUND CAKE
1 PART BUTTER: 1 PART SUGAR: 1 PART EGG: 1 PART FLOUR
SPONGE CAKE
1 PART EGG: 1 PART SUGAR: 1 PART FLOUR: 1 PART BUTTER
The author divides cakes into two categories. What are they?
With and without fat. Cakes with fat are sponge cakes (or a variant we call pound cake). They’re rich and moist. Cake without fat (no butter, no yolks) are angel food cakes. These are very soft and delicate.
Do pound and sponge cake contain the exact same ingredients in the same quantities?
Yes, only difference is the mixing method.
What is the foaming method?
Whipping whole eggs (you can add sugar with eggs) until they’re frothy before adding remaining ingredients.
What do you do if you want more rise and sponginess in a sponge cake?
Double the amount of eggs. You could also whip the whites separately and fold in later. Baking powder also works.
Why is pound cake perhaps the best known recipe called by its ratio?
It’s one pound each butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
What is the creaming method?
Paddling sugar into butter, until the sugar is uniformly distributed and the butter has increased slightly in volume and become pale and bright.
What happens if enough air isn’t incorporated during the creaming process?
Air bubbles won’t expand and help leaven the batter. This will result in a dense, heavy finished product.
Even when eggs are added one at a time after the creaming method, what happens?
Batter appears to break but remember, this isn’t a sauce. The batter should come back together.
What would happen if you added yeast as a leavener to a finished pound cake?
It would become a brioche, not a cake.
When are dry ingredients added during the creaming method?
At the end they are folded in gently.
If more liquid is to be added after creaming butter, sugar and eggs, when would it be done?
Often in between additions of the dry ingredients.
Pound cake is something straight out of pioneer cooking but why is it easier today?
A little jolt of electricity and stand mixer.
What happens if you decrease the flour in a standard pound cake recipe?
More moisture comes into play.
What happens if you increase the sugar in a standard pound cake recipe?
More sweetness and delicacy.
What creates more air bubbles, creaming or foaming method?
Creaming results in many tiny air bubbles while foaming results in lots and lots and lots of bigger air bubbles (and results in a lighter, fluffier cake).
How much do the eggs increase in volume during foaming?
Triple in size.
Can eggs be cold or warm before foaming?
Yes, cold or gently warmed with sugar (to dissolve it) over a water bath to prime eggs for their volume tripling work.
How should other ingredients be added after foaming?
Zest or extracts should be added after foaming while dry ingredients should be mixed together and sifted before gently folding in. Sticking them in a food processor is a good idea.
If there’s one part of the sponge cake ratio that’s most variable, what is it?
Quantity of butter added. You don’t need to add any, but I like my cake rich and delicious.
How much baking powder and salt would you add to a sponge or pound cake recipe?
2 teaspoons of each for a standard ratio.
How hot should the oven be for sponge and/or pound cake?
350ºF
How warm should eggs be before whipping?
Warm, just above body temperature. The sugar should begin to melt; about a minute or so.
When should melted butter be added to sponge cake?
Folded in at the very end.
