Experimental cookery

With a maximum volume of the cake the cell walls are thinner, w^hich tends to produce a more tender cake. Effect of over-beating the egg white. For cake 3, Fig. 40, the egg whites were beaten until quite stiff. The volume is decidedly less than for cake 2. Longer beating results in a still smaller volume, see cake 3, Fig. 41. The smaller volume with over-beating is due to excess coagulation of the egg white by beating. This lessens the elasticity of the egg white; hence, w^hen the air bubbles enclosed in the beaten egg white expand from the heat during baking, some of the cell walls rupture instead of expanding. When a number of the cells rupture during baking, several cell walls coalesce, the cell walls are thicker, and the volume is reduced. Mixing angel cake. After the egg whites are beaten the other ingre- dients are folded into the cake. The water, cream of tartar, and the salt are added to the partially beaten egg whites. The flavoring may also be added to the egg white at the same time as the cream of tartar. This eliminates extra folding after the sugar and flour are added. For directions for fold- ing, see Experiment 68 ; and for types of bowls. Fig. 36. MIXING ANGEL CAKE 363 Sugar. The sugar may be folded into the egg whites after they are beaten or whipped with the whites. The latter is sometimes called the meringue method. A certain amount of folding of the sugar with the egg white results in a cake of the best texture and tenderness. Too little folding does not blend the sugar sufficiently with the beaten whites ; then the flour does not fold in readily and heavy spots may be found throughout the cake. They may be quite small, but soggy and thick, and sometimes they contain just a trace of dry flour in the thickened spot. Such a spot is shown in Fig. 37, cake 1. The cakes usually increase in volume with longer folding of the sugar, reaching a maximum with about 60 strokes; then a slight decrease occurs with longer mixing. Sometimes the maximum volume occurs after folding about 40 strokes and sometimes after about 80 strokes. The tenderness of the cakes usually varies more with longer folding of the sugar than the volume. When the sugar is whipped into the whites, it may be added before whipping is started but this materially lengthens the time for whipping. The preferable time for adding the sugar is after the cream of tartar and salt are added. The sugar is added gradually for hand beaters and the whites beaten until stif¥ and shiny. The peaks stand up with slight rounding or bending of the tip ends. The meringue method is particularly good to use with an electric beater, for the rapid revolutions can soon over-whip the whites to the dry stage. Adding the sugar during whipping of the whites increases the time for beating but also tends to prevent mechanical coagulation and tends to pre- vent leakage, thus stabilizing the foam.