Cake Making

Chef Girish D

 Cakes are defined as baked mixture of fat,

sugar, eggs and flour with or without milk,
baking powder, fruits etc, in which the strands
of gluten in the flour are stretched by the gas
until the heat finally hardens the cake to light
sponge like texture with a firm crust.

Chef Girish D

Cake Batter Ingredients

Basic ingredients of sugar, eggs, and flour.
The addition of milk, fat, and chemical leavening
agents created additional varieties.
Balanced formula resulting in sweetened, light,
tender, and moist cake.
Quality ingredients show the successful product.
Recipes are formulated similar to bread recipes,
where ingredients are listed as ratios (with flour =
100%)

Chef Girish D

Cake Batter Ingredients (continued)

Flour
Cake flour is preferred (higher percentage of
starch and neutral pH)
Low gluten flour gives batter moist and tender
consistency

Sugar
Used as a tenderizer, keeping moisture away
from the flour
Adds tenderness and sweetness, while aiding
in leavening, crust color, and texture
Chef Girish D

Cake Batter Ingredients (continued)

Fat shortening
Moisture suspends liquids via emulsions
Tenderness shorten gluten strands
Volume absorb air when beaten

Milk
Adds flavor and helps create golden brown
crust color
Adds proteins to help form the structure of the
cake
Chef Girish D

Cake Batter Ingredients (continued)

Eggs
Egg proteins provide structure of the cake
Yolks and whites have different functions
Egg yolks add color and tenderize
Egg whites:
Stabilize
Retain air from foaming mixing

Chef Girish D

Cake Batter Ingredients (continued)

Flavoring agents
Spices cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove,
ginger and cardamom
Extracts vanilla, lemon, orange, and almond
Emulsions essences mixed with oil, water,
and vegetable gum
Nuts
Fruits
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Leavening
Chemical leavening agent baking powder
or baking soda
Mechanical methods
Foaming whipping air
sugar and egg mixture
Creaming incorporating
air into sugar and fat

Chef Girish D

into
air
mixture

Formula Balancing of Cakes

Two basic types of cakes High Fat , Low
fat/ Foam type.
Major ingredients
Sugar
Flour
Eggs
Shortening
Water/Milk
Leavenors
Chef Girish D

Formula Balancing of Cakes

(continued)
General aspects:
Stable structure is required to retain gas
generated by leavening agents
Stabilizing ingredients must be balanced with
tenderizing ingredients
Ingredients that impart moisture must be
balanced with those that absorb moisture
Leavening (chemical or mechanical) is required
to provide cake volume
Chef Girish D

Cake Mixing Methods

The goal of mixing cake batter is:
to combine ingredients uniformly
incorporate air cells
develop proper texture
Cake Mixing Methods are divided into two categories:
High fat, whose structure relies on creamed fat and
includes butter cakes and high-ratio cakes
Low fat / foam type, whose structure relies on whipped
eggs and includes genoise, spongecakes, angel food and
chiffon cakes
Chef Girish D

High Fat - Creaming

Creaming Method

Cream the butter and sugar

until the mixture is light and
fluffy.

Beat in the eggs a little at a

time.
Chef Girish D

High Fat - Creaming

Creaming Method

Add one-fourth of the dry

ingredients and mix in.

Add one-third of the liquid

ingredients and mix in. Repeat
until all the dry and liquid
ingredients are incorporated.
Chef Girish D

High Fat 2 Stage

Blending Method/ 2 stage method:
It was developed for use with modern high
ratio shortening. In this method cake contains
a large percentage of sugar more than 100 %
based on weight of flour. More simpler than
creaming method. & produces smooth batter
that bake up in fine grained moist cake. It is
called two stage because liquid is added 2
times.
Chef Girish D

High Fat 2 Stage

The first step in making high ratio cake is
blending flour, salt, baking powder & other
dry ingredients with shortenings to very light
& fluffy.
In second stage when mixture is smooth add
liquid i.e .water/milk, sugar etc. also
flavourings are added in this stage.
In third stage eggs are beaten separately &
added to above mixture.
This method is used to prepare wedding cakes,
birthday cakes.
Chef Girish D

High Fat Flour Batter

Flour Batter Method:
This method is used mainly in high ratio
cakes, i.e. cakes that have a higher ratio of
sugar and liquid as compared to flour. These
cakes have a greater shelf life, good eating
quality and are moist, light and tender with a
fine even grain. The flour batter method
requires 2 machines.
Chef Girish D

High Fat Flour Batter

Machine 1: Cream fat and flour of equal
quantity until light and fluffy
Machine 2: Sugar and eggs of equal quantity
are beaten together until stiff.
Add both mixtures together.
Sieve remaining flour, baking powder and
any other dry ingredients and flavorings and
fold in.
This method is used for preparing Madeira cake,
Pound cake etc.
Chef Girish D

Foam type Sponge

Foaming or Sponge Method

With a wire whip or the whip

attachment of a mixer, beat
the eggs until they are very
thick and light.

Fold in the sifted flour in three

or four stages, until all the
flour is blended in.
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Foam type Sponge

Basic Mixing Methods
Foaming or Sponge Method

If melted butter is used, fold it

in after the flour.

Use: Fatless sponge

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Foam type Angel Food

Sift flour and half the sugar
Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Add salt and cream of tartar.
Beat in sugar until they form soft glossy
peaks.
Fold in flour-sugar mix until thoroughly
absorbed, but not too much.
Pour into prepared pan and bake
immediately.
Used for preparing angel cakes.
Chef Girish D

Foam type Chiffon

Sift all the dry ingredients including part of the
sugar.
Beat and add the oil, then the yolks and water,
liquid and flavourings, all in a slow steady stream.
Mix until smooth.
Whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add
cream of tartar and sugar and beat until thick and
glossy
Fold whites into the flour-liquid mix
Pour immediately into baking pans and bake.
e.g. Yellow chiffon cake.
Chef Girish D

Difference
In angel food, flour sugar mixture is folded
into egg whites.
In chiffon, a batter containing flour, egg yolk,
oil & water is folded into egg whites.

Chef Girish D

FAULTS

Chef Girish D