Why aeration is important when making sponge

The addition of beaten whole egg. Added baking powder and baking soda produce gas in the batter. The heat causes the liquid in the batter to turn to steam. Follow our Social Feeds.

Used as an egg wash to brown the crust and for flavor and structure in specialty breads and rolls. Gels filling and adds color and richness to mass; excellent emulsifier. Aeration adds volume, height, and builds ingredients into product matrix; provides structure. While liquid and dry ingredients are mixed together, air is also added into the batter.

The amount of air blended in depends on the method of blending and the order ingredients are added. Aeration also depends on plasticity, consistency, emulsification, and fats and oils properties. Specific gravity measures how much aeration takes place in the batter by comparing the weight of the batter to the volume it takes up. With aeration, specific gravity is usually between 0. A specific gravity of close to 1. Creaming helps reduce specific gravity. Creaming, or the conventional method of mixing fat and sugar together first, introduces large air cells into the batter.

While the blending method mixes flour and shortening in one bowl while sugar and eggs are mixed separately before all are blended together with milk. This has less aeration, and a creates a finer grain. If a cake comes out of the oven with an open structure and is somewhat uneven, then the specific gravity should be adjusted. The easiest way to fix this is to change the mixing times.

To test times, check the specific gravity every minutes during a 10 minute last stage mixing. Refrigerating ingredients before mixing can also help with aeration. Emulsifier gels also help with air movement and lower specific gravity. Depending on the type of cake, different specific gravities are recommended.

Cake mixes usually list the best specific gravity, but below are some suggested ratios for cake type: 5. To achieve its characteristic light texture, sponge cake uses whipped eggs. Similar to angel food cake , it relies on the leavening action of air whipped into and trapped by egg protein. The increase in volume is achieved by trapped air and water vapor that expand during baking. Such cakes typically have a high volume and feature a light, fluffy texture.

Adjustments to the base formulation should be made for various product specifications and target markets. Sugar, water, milk solids, baking powder and other minor ingredients can be added only if proper formula balancing is exercised. In sponge cakes, eggs are structure builders that must be balanced against sugar, which functions as a tenderizer and tends to weaken the crumb structure. The heat ensures that sugars are dissolved, and helps the proteins to denature and incorporate air more efficiently.

Both whole eggs and egg yolks produce lighter and more stable foams at a faster rate when warm. Whipping is considered complete when creases begin to form and are slow in closing. This process involves whipping eggs that have been refrigerated or at room temperature prior to incorporating the rest of the ingredients. The cold process uses emulsifiers and baking powder to ensure aeration of the foam.

The cold process allows for higher tolerance to processing. What is the standard baking temperature and the standard internal doneness temperature of the sponge cake?

Hello Dinah, Dr. Lin answers your question here. I bought new pans and all of a sudden my batter is not rising to the required level.

Does the pan type affect batter expansion? Both are lined with silicone. Hi Shaun, Dr. Lin answers your question in this video. How about eggless cakes, what emulsifiers should be added in what quantity… In dry ingredients or wet?