It ALWAYS sinks - this time, I kid you not, it was 3" lower in the center. I follow directions exactly and the darn cake only has 4 ingredients... just can't seem to make a perfect sponge and I make this cake often smileys/frown.gifhttp://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=71951
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What am I doing wrong with my sponge cake????!!
- Thread starter cheezz
- Start date
steve2-in-la
Well-known member
If you're following the recipe in the link, there's no indicator that the eggs are separated. Most
sponge cake recipes I've seen are very specific about no egg yolks getting even CLOSE to the whites, never mind being cooked like a custard.
Cooking the eggs pretty much guarantees you'll get no rise from them 'cause . . . well, they're already cooked. Wonder if there's an error in the recipe? Here's the cake directions from Alton Brown's version of Tres Leches with similar ingredients but different prep:
"Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F."
sponge cake recipes I've seen are very specific about no egg yolks getting even CLOSE to the whites, never mind being cooked like a custard.
Cooking the eggs pretty much guarantees you'll get no rise from them 'cause . . . well, they're already cooked. Wonder if there's an error in the recipe? Here's the cake directions from Alton Brown's version of Tres Leches with similar ingredients but different prep:
"Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F."
The recipe is from Sunset, May 2007 - the cake I "call" a sponge cake but I may have it wrong
It doesn't say 'sponge' anywhere in the recipe, I just assumed that is what it is. It is a very light cake with coarse texture that soaks up 2-2/3 cups of tres leches sauce quite well. My cake doesn't look like the perfect beautiful cake in the picture, even though it tastes fabulous. With the extreme sinking, I can't even cut it into layers like the picture. The very first time I made it, it DID look like the picture but I can't seem to do it "right" again.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611627
It doesn't say 'sponge' anywhere in the recipe, I just assumed that is what it is. It is a very light cake with coarse texture that soaks up 2-2/3 cups of tres leches sauce quite well. My cake doesn't look like the perfect beautiful cake in the picture, even though it tastes fabulous. With the extreme sinking, I can't even cut it into layers like the picture. The very first time I made it, it DID look like the picture but I can't seem to do it "right" again.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611627
steve2-in-la
Well-known member
Well then, I'm clueless(stop it!) 'sides, with all them steps, I'd go wrong at "preheat oven to 350"
Yr experience reminds me of making charlie's Blk Bottom Caramel Pecan Pie--my first attempt at
making the caramel layer came out perfectly, but tries #2 & #3 both clumped up which drove me nuts! Thank goodness several "caramel gurus" here helped me from continuing to be caramel-impaired.
Your recipe reminds me a lot of a genoise cake. Unfortunately, I have not mastered the French genoise yet. I tried making one once eons ago (back in 1990 I made Epi's Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake--which is really a genoise cake) but with awful results. It turned out rubbery and flat. charlie told me to give him a shout when I was ready to make another genoise attempt, but now his computer has died. In truth I haven't had occasion (or made an occasion, if truth be told!) to attempt genoise again.
Several folks here offered me excellent reading materials and hints on genoise back at Thread #15123, though. I have made the above Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe successfully using GayR's suggestion (in that same thread) of subbing Christopher Kimball's Foolproof Sponge Cake recipe in place of the epi genoise cake.
Thought I'd direct you to that old thread to see if anything in there might give you a clue and offer help as to why your cake has begun falling for you. Good luck and so sorry I cannot be of more help. wigs
making the caramel layer came out perfectly, but tries #2 & #3 both clumped up which drove me nuts! Thank goodness several "caramel gurus" here helped me from continuing to be caramel-impaired.
Your recipe reminds me a lot of a genoise cake. Unfortunately, I have not mastered the French genoise yet. I tried making one once eons ago (back in 1990 I made Epi's Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake--which is really a genoise cake) but with awful results. It turned out rubbery and flat. charlie told me to give him a shout when I was ready to make another genoise attempt, but now his computer has died. In truth I haven't had occasion (or made an occasion, if truth be told!) to attempt genoise again.
Several folks here offered me excellent reading materials and hints on genoise back at Thread #15123, though. I have made the above Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe successfully using GayR's suggestion (in that same thread) of subbing Christopher Kimball's Foolproof Sponge Cake recipe in place of the epi genoise cake.
Thought I'd direct you to that old thread to see if anything in there might give you a clue and offer help as to why your cake has begun falling for you. Good luck and so sorry I cannot be of more help. wigs
here's a link to that thread. lots of good advice found in it. Gay's link is excellent.
http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=122377
http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=122377
wigs!! You're a genius - this prompted me to look a little deeper and see my cake is 'genoise'
not typical 'sponge' as I had thought. Apparently, a sponge is moister whereas the genoise is very light and dry and MUST be soaked with some kind of liquid - which is what my recipe is. I think I will ditch my recipe (or amend it) and try this one from The Cake Bible instead
http://www.pastrychefonline.com/Genoise.html
not typical 'sponge' as I had thought. Apparently, a sponge is moister whereas the genoise is very light and dry and MUST be soaked with some kind of liquid - which is what my recipe is. I think I will ditch my recipe (or amend it) and try this one from The Cake Bible instead
http://www.pastrychefonline.com/Genoise.html
Ha, ha, cheezz, & bless U, but if there were any truth 2 my having superior intelligence, I'd have
remembered 2 post the link back to all the genoise advice 4 U! Duh. A big THANKS 2 AngAk for doing that!
cheezz, I see w/ yr Rose Beranbaum recipe that it calls for clarified butter. Not all genoise recipes I've seen say to do that step.
In fact, the REC I tried originally from the Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake never stipulated that so I merely melted unsalted butter but did not clarify. Since I have not seen clarified butter being listed in every genoise recipe I've read, I don't know if that was my total problem or not, but I will point that out to you for whatever it might be worth.
I have a gut feeling that my genoise flop was due to several errors on my part and not just one--shades of my Black-Bottom Caramel Pecan Pie experience as I later found out!
Making BG's (BEST OF GOURMET) above Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake using Christopher Kimball's Foolproof Sponge Cake recipe from GayR (instead of using the white chocolate genoise ingredients & instructions in the Gourmet recipe) worked very well for me! I made 2 of those towering desserts w/ Kimball's sponge cake for the Senior Center Dinner/Dance in August 2009 and received rave reviews. I even got a couple orders from guests that evening to make 2 more.
Okay, since I was asked in a PM for the recipe, I am going to remember to post a link to the White Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe now just to see if that old neuron will fire. Smile. Wigs
PS: You know, with some of these culinary techniques, it truly takes a village to get me on the right track, and I thank all of you out there for past help and total advice rendered!
PPS: cheezz, please let me/us know how Rose's genoise comes out for you.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raspberry-White-Chocolate-Mousse-Cake-11829
remembered 2 post the link back to all the genoise advice 4 U! Duh. A big THANKS 2 AngAk for doing that!
cheezz, I see w/ yr Rose Beranbaum recipe that it calls for clarified butter. Not all genoise recipes I've seen say to do that step.
In fact, the REC I tried originally from the Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake never stipulated that so I merely melted unsalted butter but did not clarify. Since I have not seen clarified butter being listed in every genoise recipe I've read, I don't know if that was my total problem or not, but I will point that out to you for whatever it might be worth.
I have a gut feeling that my genoise flop was due to several errors on my part and not just one--shades of my Black-Bottom Caramel Pecan Pie experience as I later found out!
Making BG's (BEST OF GOURMET) above Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake using Christopher Kimball's Foolproof Sponge Cake recipe from GayR (instead of using the white chocolate genoise ingredients & instructions in the Gourmet recipe) worked very well for me! I made 2 of those towering desserts w/ Kimball's sponge cake for the Senior Center Dinner/Dance in August 2009 and received rave reviews. I even got a couple orders from guests that evening to make 2 more.
Okay, since I was asked in a PM for the recipe, I am going to remember to post a link to the White Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe now just to see if that old neuron will fire. Smile. Wigs
PS: You know, with some of these culinary techniques, it truly takes a village to get me on the right track, and I thank all of you out there for past help and total advice rendered!
PPS: cheezz, please let me/us know how Rose's genoise comes out for you.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raspberry-White-Chocolate-Mousse-Cake-11829