FoodNet

Experimental cookery

1932

Page 297

Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Amount of Sugar and Flour per Gram of Egg White and Ratio of Sugar TO Flour (Angel Cake) Formula and source Egg white Gm. Sugar Flour Gm. Gm. 1.02 0.41 1.23 0.41 0.82 0.27 0.68 0.23 0.70 0.22 0.82 0.41 1.08 0.36 0.69 0.20 0.90 0.36 Ratio of sugar to flour I Standard II III Thirteen egg IV Cedarquist V Prize (I. A. P. I.)*. VI Hunt and St. John VII Barmore (1000 ft.) VIII Barmore (1000 ft.) IX Barmore (5000 ft.) 2.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.0 2.9 3.5 2.5 * Institute American Poultry Industries. show the comparative volume of the cakes, and the cells are nearly actual size. Beating the egg whites for angel cake. The beating of the egg whites is one of the important steps in making angel cake. For the best results, the whites should not be beaten quite as stiff as for foamy omelets and souffles. The probable reasons for this are the stabilizing influence of sugar on the egg-white foam and the absorption of moisture by the flour. If the egg whites are not beaten a cake of small volume and very soggy texture is obtained. When the egg white is beaten the volume of the cake increases with the degree of stiffness of the whites, until a stage is reached at which the greatest volume is attained. Continued beating of the egg white after that to produce the maximum volume gradually reduces the volume of the cake, the reduction in volume being in proportion to the amount of over-beating of the egg white. The influence of the extent of beating the egg white on the volume of the cake is shown in Figs. 40 and 41, Experiments 69, C and E. Result of insufficient beating of the egg white. The egg whites for the cakes in Fig. 40, Experiment 69C, were all beaten together. One-third of the total weight of the egg white was removed for cake 1 after the egg whites were beaten until they flowed when the bowl was partially inverted. The volume is less than when the whites were beaten to flow very slowly for cake 2. When the egg whites are whipped too little, not as much air is enclosed and the film of egg white surrounding the air bubbles is not as thin as it is with longer beating. If the egg white is beaten still less than for the illustration, the volume is still smaller. With very little beat- ing, the egg white is quite runny and the cake is tough and compact. 362 EGG COOKERY Occasionally a gummy layer is found in the bottom of the baked cake. It is often difficult to give an explanation for this, but it may sometimes be due to insufficient whipping of the egg whites. Maximum beating of the egg white. The whites for the cakes in Fig. 37, for cake 2, Fig. 40, and for cake 1, Fig. 41, were beaten until the tip end of peaks was slightly rounded and fallen. The cakes are more tender and have a larger volume than when the whites are not beaten sufficiently. The appearance and stiffness of the egg whites for a maximum volume in the cake vary slightly with the type and kind of egg beater used. Fig. 36. — The bowl on the right with the sloping sides is a good type for mixing and folding. The bowl on the left has sides that are too straight for efficient folding. The spatula on the right has a round handle that fits the hand. The spatula on the left has 4 edges that tend to blister the hand with long folding.