Probably the most common fault in making sponge cake is insufficient
beating of the egg yolks and sugar. These two ingredients, plus the liquid,
if water or lemon juice is used, can be beaten until they are extremely
light and foamy. This is most successfully done with rapid beating, prefer-
ably by an electrically operated beater or a rotary beater rather than a
whisk. Excellent sponge cakes may be made from only the yolks, provided
some water is added and the yolks and sugar are beaten rapidly until very
light. In the type of sponge cake recipe given in Experiment 70, when the
flour is mixed too long with the sugar and egg yolks the cake is more com-
pact and tough. But in some types of sponge cake in which considerable
water is added, that is, the ones called water sponge, it is often necessary
to beat the flour and egg yolks a long time to obtain a cake with thin cell
walls and a uniform texture. In other words, this can be interpreted to
mean that, for each recipe in which the proportion of ingredients varies
from those in another recipe, the amount and the kind of manipulation to
produce a cake of the best texture vary.
Different methods of combining the ingredients may be used in mixing
sponge cake. Several are suggested in Experiment 70. Excellent sponge
cakes may be made by any method of mixing. The method of adding the
water and lemon juice to the sugar, given in Experiment 70,3, produces
rather uniform results when used by many different students.
Piatt and Kratz have reported means of measuring and recording some
characteristics of test sponge cakes, which can also be used with angel
cake. These include measuring tensile strength, volume, and specific gravity.
Whether the temperature for baking sponge cake like that for angel
cake should be increased has not been reported. It has been shown in the
author's laboratory that sponge cake made from egg yolks only is more
desirable when baked at 350°F. than at 325°F. It is likely that most
sponge cakes should be baked at the same temperatures as angel cake.
LITERATURE CITED AND REFERENCES
Almquist, H. J., and Lorenz, F. W. The Solids Content of Egg White. Poultry
Sci. 12: 83-89 (1933).
Almquist, H. J., Givens, J. W., and Close, A. Transmission of Light by Egg
Albumen. Ind. Eng. Chem. 26: 847 (1934).
Bailey, M. Irene. Foaming of Egg White. Ind. Eng. Chem. 27: 973 (193S).
Balls, A. K., and Swenson, T. L. The Antitrypsin of Egg White. J. Biol. Chem.
106: 409 (1934).
Bancroft, W. D., and Rutzler, J. E., Jr. The Denaturation of Albumin. J.
Phys. Chem. 35: 144-161 (1931).
Barmore, M. A. The Influence of Chemical and Physical Factors on Egg-White
Foams. Technical Bull. 9. Colo. Expt. Sta., Fort Collins, Colo. (1934).
Barmore, M. A. Baking Angel Cake at Any Altitude. Technical Bull. 13.
Colo. Expt. Sta., Fort Collins, Colo. (1935).
Barmore, M. A. The Influence of Various Factors, including Ahitude, in the
Production of Angel Food Cake. Technical Bull. 15. Colo. Expt. Sta.,
Fort Collins, Colo. (1936). Also Cereal Chem. 13: 71 (1936).
374 EGG COOKERY
Bryant, R. L., and Sharp, P. F. Effect of Washing on the Keeping Quality of
Hens' Eggs. J. Agri. Research 48: 67-89 (1934).
Page 302
Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
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Probably the most common fault in making sponge cake is insufficient
beating of the egg yolks and sugar. These two ingredients, plus the liquid,
if water or lemon juice is used, can be beaten until they are extremely
light and foamy. This is most successfully done with rapid beating, prefer-
ably by an electrically operated beater or a rotary beater rather than a
whisk. Excellent sponge cakes may be made from only the yolks, provided
some water is added and the yolks and sugar are beaten rapidly until very
light. In the type of sponge cake recipe given in Experiment 70, when the
flour is mixed too long with the sugar and egg yolks the cake is more com-
pact and tough. But in some types of sponge cake in which considerable
water is added, that is, the ones called water sponge, it is often necessary
to beat the flour and egg yolks a long time to obtain a cake with thin cell
walls and a uniform texture. In other words, this can be interpreted to
mean that, for each recipe in which the proportion of ingredients varies
from those in another recipe, the amount and the kind of manipulation to
produce a cake of the best texture vary.
Different methods of combining the ingredients may be used in mixing
sponge cake. Several are suggested in Experiment 70. Excellent sponge
cakes may be made by any method of mixing. The method of adding the
water and lemon juice to the sugar, given in Experiment 70,3, produces
rather uniform results when used by many different students.
Piatt and Kratz have reported means of measuring and recording some
characteristics of test sponge cakes, which can also be used with angel
cake. These include measuring tensile strength, volume, and specific gravity.
Whether the temperature for baking sponge cake like that for angel
cake should be increased has not been reported. It has been shown in the
author's laboratory that sponge cake made from egg yolks only is more
desirable when baked at 350°F. than at 325°F. It is likely that most
sponge cakes should be baked at the same temperatures as angel cake.
LITERATURE CITED AND REFERENCES
Almquist, H. J., and Lorenz, F. W. The Solids Content of Egg White. Poultry
Sci. 12: 83-89 (1933).
Almquist, H. J., Givens, J. W., and Close, A. Transmission of Light by Egg
Albumen. Ind. Eng. Chem. 26: 847 (1934).
Bailey, M. Irene. Foaming of Egg White. Ind. Eng. Chem. 27: 973 (193S).
Balls, A. K., and Swenson, T. L. The Antitrypsin of Egg White. J. Biol. Chem.
106: 409 (1934).
Bancroft, W. D., and Rutzler, J. E., Jr. The Denaturation of Albumin. J.
Phys. Chem. 35: 144-161 (1931).
Barmore, M. A. The Influence of Chemical and Physical Factors on Egg-White
Foams. Technical Bull. 9. Colo. Expt. Sta., Fort Collins, Colo. (1934).
Barmore, M. A. Baking Angel Cake at Any Altitude. Technical Bull. 13.
Colo. Expt. Sta., Fort Collins, Colo. (1935).
Barmore, M. A. The Influence of Various Factors, including Ahitude, in the
Production of Angel Food Cake. Technical Bull. 15. Colo. Expt. Sta.,
Fort Collins, Colo. (1936). Also Cereal Chem. 13: 71 (1936).
374 EGG COOKERY
Bryant, R. L., and Sharp, P. F. Effect of Washing on the Keeping Quality of
Hens' Eggs. J. Agri. Research 48: 67-89 (1934).