Baking Science – Dry Sponge Cakes

No recipe has told me this.

I have always marvelled at the simple but cottony soft and moist sponge cakes that taste delicious on their own. In the past, I’ve used a chiffon cake recipe as the basis for my cakes. The egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks. It gives the cake more stable air pockets and a stronger body to the cake but…also results in a drier texture.

For sponge cakes that taste delicious on their own or just with cream, egg whites are beaten to soft peaks. This means smaller air pockets are created. As you fold the soft peaks into the rest of the cake mixture, the result is a softer and more moist texture.

Now there’s nothing wrong with chiffon cakes. You can use a simple sugar syrup to moisten each layer of the sponge before topping with cream. But for my preference I like the cake to have a softer texture without using any syrups.

That’s my baking epiphany of the week. What is something you have learnt in your baking journey that no recipe explicitly explained? Help me and fellow bakers from hitting the wall and drop it down in the comments!