We think of gluten mainly when we made bread doughs: you have to knead the dough and work it to "develop" the gluten, essentially to help those proteins assemble correctly into a strong network. The combination of stirring and water allow glutenin and gliadin to assemble into the gluten network, giving batters and doughs elasticity, plasticity, and strength. The network forms when all-purpose flour comes into contact with water and it's all mixed well together. Gluten is a network of proteins (made up of glutenin and gliadin proteins). The number one culprit is, most likely, gluten. See the difference in the bubbles in 3 cakes made with the same recipe, but different mixing methods! Clockwise from top left: muffin method of mixing, creaming method of mixing, two-stage reverse mixing method (used in high ratio cakes usually)Ĭonsider the mixing method you are using. So I had to ask the question: what's up with the bigger bubbles in some (but not all) of my cakes? Gluten can lead to large air pockets in cakes We know the obvious source of bubbles in most cakes would be chemical leaveners, like baking soda and baking powder, which react to release a gas and make your cakes rise. Other times, the bubbles are uneven, mostly tiny but with a few larger holes, even though I was careful to bang the filled tins on the counter several times to push out trapped air before sliding the layers into the oven.Įvery time I slice off the top of a cake, I ask myself: is this what cake is supposed to look like inside? I think, in a perfect world, every time we slice into a homemade cake, the bubbles would all be teeny tiny and quite even. Sometimes the bubbles are teeny tiny, quite even, and hardly noticeable. Because every time I make a layer cake, when I cut off the tops of each layer of cake to level them and even them out, I get a glimpse of what the interior of the cake looks like, the bubbles, and the "crumb". More specifically, I think about the bubbles and cake texture problems. Like any sane person, I lie in bed at night wondering what the inside of a cake should actually look like. How to avoid large holes or air pockets in your cakes.There are other possible reasons, obviously.The way you fill your pan with cake batter can cause air pockets.Broken emulsion and inconsistent ingredient temperatures can cause air pockets in cakes.Too much chemical leavener, like baking powder, can lead to large air bubbles in cakes.Gluten can lead to large air pockets in cakes.Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |