Culinary IQ: Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Cake Methods II

One-Stage (liquid shortening) and Flour-Batter Method

The one-stage method utilizes liquid shortening which is next to impossible to find in small quantities for the home. It does make and incredibly moist cake however and if you can find it, the effort is not lost. Because liquid shortening is so effective at emulsifying the batter it is possible to mix the ingredients all at once. Adding liquid shortening first prevents dry ingredients from sticking to the bowl and makes mixing easier. The batter is first mixed on low speed to incorporate all of the ingredients, then mixed on high for period of time, and finally on medium speed to develop the proper air cells for a fine textured batter. This type of cake is perfect if you need to make the cake well ahead of your event due to the time involved in decorating. It stays moist for several days. I used this cake when I made the Hogwarts cake.

The flour-batter method is usually only used in specialty cakes like pound cakes. In this method the all of the dry ingredients are sifted into a bowl, excluding the sugar. The fat is then added and mixed until smooth and light. In another bowl the eggs and sugar are whipped together until thick and light, the flavorings are then added. The flour mixture and egg mixture are then combined and mixed until smooth. The liquids are then added and mixed until smooth. This method produces a fine-textured cake but some toughening may occur because of the development of gluten.


Tomorrow I will finish up the methods discussing all of the methods for making low-fart or foam type cakes and then on Friday will give you a recipe.


Adapted from Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen. John Wiley & Sons, Publishers.