Shortened Cakesalso know as butter, conventional or creamed cakes

Differences from Foam Cakes

• Finer texture• More tender crumb• Richer flavor• Higher fat content – “shortened”• More sugar

Basic Ingredients

eggfatsugarflourliquidbaking powderflavoring

Types of Shortened Cakes

American Butter Cake• “Plain Cake”• White Cake• Chocolate or Devil’s Food - Color change with pH

Pound Cake – no leavening• Bundt Cake• Coffee Cake

Preparation Methods

Conventional Method• Cream fat and sugar• Blend eggs (emulsion)• Add ⅓ dry ingredients (pre-sifted together)• Add second ⅓ dry ingredients• Add rest of liquid ingredients• Add last ⅓ of dry ingredients

Preparation Methods, con’t

Conventional Method

Advantages: tender crumb, fine texture, excellent keeping qualities

Disadvantages: long mixing time, energy demands deter some people

Preparation Methods, con’t

Modified Conventional Method• Eggs separated• Yolks added to creamed mixture• Whites beaten to soft peaks and folded in at

end

Advantages: light cake achieved by additional air in egg white foam

Preparation Methods, con’t

Conventional Sponge Method• Eggs separated• Some sugar (2T per egg white) is reserved• Yolks added to creamed mixture• Egg whites and reserved sugar beaten into a

meringue and added at end

Advantages: good for cakes low in fat, yields light cake, good volume, fine texture

Preparation Method, con’t

Muffin Method• Fat is melted or oil is used• Fat blended with liquid ingredients and eggs• Dry ingredients sifted together• Liquid ingredients added to dry ingredients all at

once

Advantages: fasterDisadvantages: coarse texture, stales rapidly

Preparation Methods, con’t

Single-Stage Method• Dry ingredients added at at once to softened

fat and milk• Egg and any remaining liquid added

Advantages: very fastDisadvantages: coarse texture, stales rapidly

Preparation Methods, con’t

High Ratio Mixing Method (weight of sugar ≥ weight flour)

• Dry ingredients sifted together• Cold but softened butter beat in• Liquid ingredients added slowly

Advantages: high ratio cake can have smooth batter, light delicate cake

Baking of Shortened Cakes

• Wax paper or greased pan bottom• Preheat 365°F (400°F)• Baked until toothpick clean• Cooled until pan is warm• Not inverted to cool

Possible Causes of Loss of QualityProblem Possible Cause

Too dark a crust Too hot an oven; use of fructose or honey; position too near top or bottom of oven

Fallen center Too much sugar; too much fat; too much baking powder; inadequate baking; too cool an oven; oven door opened during baking

Peaked or humped Too much flour; too little sugar, fat or milk; too hot an oven; overstirring (too much gluten developed); too deep a pan

Poor volume Not enough leavening; too cool an oven; too much fat or liquid

Large cells and tunnels Too much baking powder; excessive mixing

Dry, tough crumb Too much flour; too much egg; too little fat; too little sugar; too little liquid

Sticky, sugary crust Too much sugar

Overflowing pan Too small a pan; too much sugar; too much baking powder

Cake ScienceCakes grow in volume when baked because . . .

• CO2 is generated from baking powder

• Gases (air, CO2 and steam from water) expand when heated

• Expanding gases push against cell walls

• Cell walls able to stretch due to elasticity of gluten

Cake flour is better to use than all purpose flour because . . .

• Cake flour has tender, less abundant gluten

• Cake will be less tender with all purpose flour

High Altitude Baking(over 3000 feet)

• Bake at 400°F• Decrease baking powder (⅛ - ¼ tsp)• Decrease sugar (1-3 T per cup)• Increase liquid (1 – 4 T per cup)• Reduce fat (1 – 2 T per cup)• Beat egg whites less (for foams)

• Experimentation for different altitudes!

Taste Test

Can you tell the difference between Box Cake Mix vs Homemade Cake?

Decorating Cakes

Cake Boss – Easy Bake Oven

You can write anything on a cake . . .