Why not just use a cake mix?
Mar 23, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
Cake mixes contain emulsifiers which give them what is known as tolerance, i.e., the ability to keep their texture despite additions of various extra ingredients. These emulsifiers result in an unpleasantly metallic after-taste. The flavor of a cake baked from scratch is incomparably superior.
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Zach Townsend
03/23/2006 02:57 PM
Rose, have you ever seen a difference in the result of beaten egg whites if the chalazae of the egg is left in or removed?
Thanks, Zach
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
03/23/2006 07:22 PM
azeno i haven't. the only time i remove the chalazae is for scrambled eggs bc it never sets in them and i find the texture disagreeable.
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Queen of Puddings
06/26/2006 08:17 AM
Rose, can you tell me why cake mixes have such a regular texture (lots of tiny, evenly-spaced bubbles) and whether it would be possible to reproduce that effect in a home-made cake? Thank you, Lucy
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
07/01/2006 03:04 PM
lucy, the reason is due to the emulsifiers present in cake mixes (my cake kit being launched this fall will not have them). they are also responsible for the unpleasant after-taste.
you could use part vegetable shortening in place of some of the butter keeping in mind that vegetable shortening is 100% fat and butter is only about 83%. this will give you a more even texture but it does, in my opinion, compromise the flavor.
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