Ben Mims Shares 4 Tips For Baking Better Cakes
Credit: Todd Coleman
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1.All-purpose flour isn't really made for every purpose. For the best results when baking a cake, you need to use cake flour, a finely milled and typically bleached variety of flour made from soft winter wheat. With a lower content of gluten-producing proteins than in all-purpose flour--around 7 percent versus 10 percent to 12 percent--cake flour yields baked goods with a fine, soft texture. The bleaching process also raises the acidity of the batter, which allows the starch in the flour to absorb more moisture, further enhancing the cake's tenderness. Although cake flour is readily available at grocery stores, in a pinch, you can substitute three-quarters of a cup of all-purpose flour mixed with two tablespoons of cornstarch for each cup of cake flour called for in the recipe.Back to Sweet Southern Dreams » |
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The acidity of an ingredient such as cocoa or buttermilk activates the leavening property of the baking soda. You don't add baking soda to balance pH, you add it to a recipe for it's leavening qualities, which are only activated in the presence of an acid ingredient.
Chlorination of cake flours and most soft southern flours not only damages gluten forming proteins but also breaks down starches so they will absorb more water. Cake structure is formed by the foaming of the batter and is supported by the gelatinization of these starches during baking. Higher hydration of batter enables the formation of tiny bubbles to create the air spaces then the starches "lock in" as the cake bakes. Hence the fine structure, small crumb, and tenderness of a cake compared to a bread.
Cake flour, pastry flour, and most southern "biscuit" flours are more finely milled than "regular" AP flours, which contributes to the breakdown of starches. Hence these flours are better suited to biscuits, pancakes, cakes, etc.
In a cake batter, Xanthan gum not only acts as an emulsifier, it also affects viscosity - by increasing viscosity it supports the formation of the foaming properties of the batter, resulting in a lighter end product.
Personally I'd prefer to just use chlorinated cake flour but at about 3 times the cost of White Lily AP (not self-rising) I seldom use it. I get results approaching those of actual cake flour from the more finely milled, slightly chlorinated White Lily, and better than from "regular" AP flours such as Pillsbury or Gold Medal, without having to resort to heat treatment or additives.
Reduce eggs to 2 whole eggs and one yolk
change to table salt
use buttermilk or 1/2c plain yogurt mixed with 1/2c milk (stir well or whisk to mix, to make a smooth mixture)
You may actually get better results by switching from butter to shortening
Shortening supports the structure of light cakes better than butter - if you want a lighter loftier cake shortening supports that because it is a solid at room temp.
If you still don't get the results you want you can try changing to 2 tsp double acting baking powder from the 1 tsp of baking soda. The baking soda, with the acid ingredient of the buttermilk, should be fine, though. One thing you could try (though it honestly shouldn't be necessary) is to reserve 1 T of the buttermilk and the baking soda til the end, then quickly whisk the two together (I have a teensy whisk for tasks like this) and gently stir this into the batter. DO NOT OVERSTIR the batter at any stage, it will make it dense.
In any case it is important to pan and bake immediately - cakes generally have a 2 stage leavening process where there is some leavening at room temp and then additional leavening at oven temps. If too much time passes between mixing in the chemical leavener and getting the pan into the oven, you will lose the advantages of that first stage of leavening - it will "poop out".