Hi everyone,

Just wanted share a “what not to do.”  I find that I go on about my cake successes but not my failures, which are just as essential in learning the craft.

Well, the big lesson (or reminder) for me is, never measure a small ingredient using a scale with graduations that are larger than the weight of the ingredient.

Case in point: the smallest graduation on my scale is 1 oz.  I do not know what go into me that I decided to measure all my dry ingredients by weight, including the small measure of leavening. 

The result was an over-leavened cake that fell spectacularly.  I knew something was going to go awry five minutes after I placed the batter in the oven - it rose too quickly.  Later, it developed a mottled surface and I knew exactly where I was heading.

Oh well, that batch of white chocolate whisper cake will make an excellent trifle.

Oooo - sorry about your poor cake!  Search the blog for a discussion on weighing very small quantities.  If I remember correctly, there are some issues to take into consideration, even if your scale can accurately weigh the miniscule amount needed.

Posts from Rose regarding weighing small amounts:

“it’s not a good idea to weigh the leavening unless you have a super accurate scale desiged for such small amounts.”

“just wanted to mention that the soehlne ultra is the tiny one for measuring very small amounts of say baking powder or yeast. but my weigh also has one for weighing in small amounts and that would be my first choice.”

Thanks, Patrincia.

Now I have empirical proof that Rose is correct.

I should have taken a picture - it was a spectacular fall.  A cross section of the cake would have looked like a “V”.

Julius,

Did you make the Trifle? I’d love to hear exactly what you did and how it tasted.

Yikes!  I had a similar experience, but mine was with salt!!!  Can’t make much of a trifle with that!!