Conventional Creaming Method
- Creaming
- Egg incorporation
- Alternate addition of the dry and moist ingredients
The fat and sugar are creamed together by working the fat until it is light and foamy and then gradually adding small portions of sugar until all of it is well blended. A well-creamed combination of fat and sugar incorporates air while suspending sugar crystals and air bubbles in the fat. As the fat melts during baking, it creates air cells which migrate toward the liquid, resulting in a very fine-grained texture.
The eggs or egg yolks are then added one at a time to the creamed fat and sugar. An alternative method is to whip the egg whites separately and fold them into the cake batter after all the other ingredients have been mixed.
Finally, flour, baking powder or soda, and salt are sifted together with other dry ingredients such as cocoa in order to distribute the leavening agent evenly. The sifted dry ingredients, divided into three or five portions, are then added alternately with a liquid (usually milk) into the fat, sugar and egg base. After one portion of dry ingredients has been incorporated, a portion of liquid is added and stirred or beaten until well blended. The process begins and ends with the dry ingredients.
As with any type of mixing method, too much or too little stirring can cause problems. Over-stirring a cake batter creates such a viscous mass that the cake may not be able to rise during baking, and the texture will tend to be fine but compact or lower in volume, full of tunnels, and have a peaked instead of a rounded top. Too little stirring can also result in a low-volume cake from an uneven distribution of the baking powder or soda or an incorporation of air into the foam. The texture of an under-stirred cake tends to contain large pores, have a crumbly grain, and brown excessively.
