Sponge cake is a class of puffy snacks made by utilizing the foaming properties of egg whites to fill the egg mixture with a large amount of air, and adding flour to bake. Because its structure is similar to the porous sponge and named. Foreign also known as foam cake, the domestic known as clear cake (PlainCake).
In the cake making process, the protein through high-speed mixing so that the globulin in it reduces the surface tension, increasing the viscosity of the protein, because the viscosity of the ingredients contribute to the formation of foam in the early stages of the formation of foam, so that it is quickly beaten into the air, the formation of foam. The globulins and other proteins in the protein are mildly denatured by the mechanical action of agitation. Denatured protein molecules can condense into a layer of skin, forming a very strong film will be mixed into the air surrounded, at the same time, due to the role of surface tension, so that the protein foam contraction into a spherical shape, coupled with the protein colloid has a viscosity and the addition of the flour raw materials attached to the protein foam around the foam, so that the foam has become very stable, can hold the mixed gas, the process of heating, the gas within the foam and the expansion of the heat, make the The product is loose and porous and has a certain degree of elasticity and toughness.
Second, the sponge cake ingredients, recipe
Sponge cake ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour and a small amount of fat, etc., of which fresh eggs is the most important condition for the production of sponge cake, because the fresh eggs colloidal solution consistency is high, can be hit into the gas, keep the gas properties stable; long time storage of eggs is not suitable to use to make cakes. Making cake flour often choose low-gluten flour, its powder should be fine, gluten should be soft, but there should be enough gluten to bear the expansion force when baking, for the formation of the cake unique organization to play the role of the skeleton. If there is only high gluten flour, it can be processed first by taking some of the flour and cooking it in a cage, removing it to cool, then sieving it to keep it free of lumps before using it, or adding a little cornstarch to the flour and mixing it well to reduce the gluten of the dough. Sugar for cakes is often sucrose, which is finely granulated and white in color, such as white sugar or powdered sugar. Those with large particles tend not to dissolve easily when mixing for a short period of time, which can lead to a decline in the quality of the cake.
Sponge cake in the production process, there are generally two practices: one is to use only egg whites without egg yolks "angel cake", the other is to use the whole egg "yellow sponge cake", and therefore the recipe is also different.
Angel cake is made from egg whites, sugar, flour, and fat in the ratio of 5:3:3:1. Because the recipe doesn't use egg yolks, it has good foaming properties, relatively fine internal organization, white color, soft texture, and almost puffy.
There are two traditional recipes for yellow sponge cake: one is the ratio of eggs to sugar and flour 1:1:1, and the other is the ratio of eggs to sugar and flour 2:1:1. The difference with angel food cake is that not only does it use egg whites, but also yolks, and if it is made in the right way, the quality of the finished product is the same as that of the angel food cake.
Third, the sponge cake paste process
1. egg white, egg yolk separate mixing method
Egg white, egg yolk separate mixing method of its process is relatively complex, the order of its feeding is more critical to the quality of the cake. Usually need to separate the egg white, egg yolk whisking, so it is best to have two mixers, one whisking egg white, the other whisking egg yolk. First, beat the egg white and sugar into a foam, dip your hand in it, and stand it up, until the tip is slightly drooping; the other mixer whisks the egg yolks with the sugar and slowly adds the egg white foam to the batter, and finally adds the flour and mixes it well to make the batter. In the process of operation, in order to solve the problem of drier eating mouth, can be in the whisking egg yolks, add a little grease together with the whisking, using the emulsification of egg yolks, oil and egg yolks mixed evenly.
2. Whole egg and sugar whisking method
Egg and sugar whisking method is the egg and sugar whisking foam, and then add other ingredients and a method. The production process is the recipe for all the eggs and sugar together, into the mixer, the first slow speed beating for 2 minutes, to be sugar, egg mixing, and then switch to medium speed mixing until the egg and sugar was milky white, hooked up with a finger, the egg paste will not flow down, and then switch to fast beating to the egg paste can be vertical, but not very solid, the volume of the original volume of the egg sugar to reach 3 times, the choice of the sifted flour, and slowly poured into the egg sugar has been whipped up! The flour is sifted and slowly poured into the whipped eggs and sugar, and hand mix the flour (or use slow mixing flour), mix well.
3. emulsification method
Emulsification method refers to the production of sponge cake added to the emulsifier method. Cake emulsifier is also known as cake oil in the country, can promote foam and oil, water dispersion system stabilization, its application is an improvement of the traditional process, especially to reduce the difficulty of the traditional sponge cake production, but also to make the production of sponge cake can be dissolved into more water, oil and grease, so that the product is not easy to aging, dry and hard, more moist mouth, so it is more suitable for mass production.
Its operation, in the traditional process of stirring the egg sugar, so that the egg sugar beat well, you can add 10% of the amount of flour cake oil, to be beaten white egg sugar, add the selected flour, stirring at medium speed to the cream color, and then you can add 30% of the water and 15% of the grease can be stirred well.
Fourth, sponge cake filling mold
The cake ingredients by stirring evenly, generally should be immediately filling the mold into the oven baking. Egg sugar stirring method should be controlled within 15 minutes, emulsification method can be appropriate to extend some time. The shape of the cake is determined by the shape of the mold.
1. the choice of mold
The cake is generally formed with the help of molds to complete. General often with molds made of tinplate, stainless steel, white iron, metal aluminum and heat-resistant glass materials. Its shape round, rectangular, lace-shaped, chicken heart-shaped, square and so on. The edge can also be divided into two kinds of high side and low side. The selection should be based on the different recipes, different specific gravity of the cake, and different internal organization conditions, and flexibility in the choice. Sponge cake because of its soft tissue, easy to mature and can be flexible to choose the mold, generally based on the shape of the finished product to choose the mold.
2. cake batter filling mold requirements
In order to make the baked cake is easy to remove from the mold, to avoid the cake sticking to the baking pan or mold, batter in the mold before the mold must make the mold clean, but also in the mold around and the bottom of a clean layer of greaseproof paper, greaseproof paper on the layer of grease also evenly coated. If you can sprinkle a layer of flour on the grease is better.
Sponge cake according to the whipped fluffy and egg-sugar-flour ratio is different, generally to fill the mold of the seventy-eight percent full is appropriate. In practice, in order to bake the cake just full of baking pan, not overflowing edge, the top does not protrude, this time to fill the mold batter capacity is just right. If the amount is too much, after baking the cake expansion overflow, affecting the beauty of the product, resulting in waste. On the contrary, loaded amount is too little, in the baking process due to too much water evaporation and reduce the fluffiness of the cake.
V. Sponge cake baking
1. Correctly set the temperature and time of the cake baking
The baking temperature has a great impact on the quality of the baked cake. If the temperature is too low, the top of the baked cake will be sunken, and the inner part will be rough; if the baking temperature is too high, the top of the cake will be bulging, the center part will be easy to crack, and the four sides will be shrinking inward, and the cake will be hard. Usually the baking temperature is 180℃-220℃. Baking time also has a great impact on the quality of the baked cake. Under normal circumstances, the baking time is about 30 minutes. If the time is short, the internal sticky, not cooked; if the time is long, it is easy to dry, hard and brittle around. Baking time should be based on the size and thickness of the product to decide, and can be adjusted flexibly according to the sugar content in the recipe. Sugar content is high, the temperature is slightly lower, longer; low sugar content, the temperature is slightly higher, longer.
2. Cake out of the processing
Before the oven, should identify the cake is mature or not, such as observing the color of the cake surface to determine the degree of maturity. With a hand on the cake gently pressed, after releasing the hand can be restored, said to have been baked, can not be restored, then said not baked. There is a more direct way, is to use a thin bamboo stick inserted into the center of the cake, and then pulled out, if the bamboo stick on the very smooth, no egg paste, said the cake is cooked; if the bamboo stick on the sticky egg paste, said the cake is not cooked. If it is not cooked, you need to continue to bake until it is cooked.
If the test cake is cooked, it can be removed from the oven, from the mold, the sponge cake immediately turned over, placed on a cake stand, so that the front face down, so that it is cold, and then packaged. There are two ways to cool the cake, one is natural cooling, cooling should reduce the products moving, products and products should be kept at a certain distance from each other, products should not be stacked. The other is air-cooled, the wind should not blow directly to prevent the product surface crust. In order to maintain the freshness of the products, the cake can be placed in the refrigerator at 2 ℃ -10 ℃ cold.
Six, sponge cake quality standards
Sponge cake quality standards are: the surface is golden yellow, creamy yellow inside, uniform color, cake body is light, flat or slightly raised on top, the organization is fine and uniform, no large pores, soft and elastic, no raw heart, the taste is not sticky and not dry, slightly moist, relatively moderate egg sweetness.
In short, after mastering the above selection of materials, recipes, principles and methods, you can also make a plate of fragrant cake!