Cakes always deflate (1 Viewer)

[skald89]

If I follow a recipe I have no issue. When I try to change it or make my own recipe it deflates while cooling. Can you help figure out why and how to avoid?

Recipe I made up last night:
3 egg whites whipped
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whipping cream (non dairy)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Under 1 cup of flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 cup carrot pulp

I whipped the egg whites with the sugar and set it aside. Whipped the whipping cream with vanilla and set it aside. Whisked the egg yolk in a third bowl. In a new bowl I sifted the flour, salt, and baking powder. I added the whipping cream and egg yolk to the flour. Mixed in the carrrot pulp. Then folded in the whipped egg white. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

[Joan]

Welcome to the forum skald89, I can't help with your problem but just wait for a while and Angie will be along to give you all the help you need.

Enjoy the forum and have a look around while you wait I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

 

[Angie]

Hi Skald89

Currently looking at your recipe there isn't enough sugar to start with. It seems you are trying to make a light sponge ( with you mixing the egg whites and sugar together like you would if making a swiss roll/roulade) but then you are adding in dense ingredients such as the carrot pulp so the cake doesn't seem to have any structure. Are you trying to make a healthy dense carrot cake or a light sponge?

There is actually a science to baking which is why I think you are having problems with your own recipes. You can deviate slightly with flavours but if you start swapping and changing recipes this is where things can go wrong. I admire the fact that you are getting creative but you have to understand the fundamentals of baking.

Egg whites, flour and sugar will give you a light sponge but currently you will definitely need to increase the amount of sugar you have in your recipe. 2 Tablespoons is not enough.

Butter and sugar bound together create air in your cake mixture, the lighter the batter the better the fluffiness of you cakes. I know you don't have any fat in your mixture but I thought I would include this tip as it may help you out in the future.

Baking Powder - Once this has been added it starts to reacts with your wet mixture and emits gases, once baked in the oven it reacts with heat and creates more gases and causes the cake to rise. You have put tap in your recipe did you use a tap of baking powder or a teaspoon of baking powder?

Eggs - Add structure to your baking so too much egg in you recipe that is not balanced out with enough sugar and fat can cause adverse baking results.

Once your cake came out of the oven was it fully baked? Did you use a skewer to test it? Was your oven pre heated prior to baking?

There are many factors as to why a cake can go wrong and hopefully I have helped you out a little, if nothing else re try your recipe and increase the sugar level to at least the same or slightly less than your flour amount and see how you go.

 

[skald89]

Thanks for the in depth response! I know there is a science behind it but I never learned it, since I follow recipes. Only recently have I truly deviated or tried my own ideas. I did mix the egg whites and egg yolk based on a roll/rollete recipe I recently baked.

To answer what I was trying to make, I don't have a real answer. I thought it would be a regular cake texture but very moist with all the whipped egg whites and whipping cream.

If I do my own recipes, I try to make it on the healthier side. I either add 1/4 cup oil or half an avocado pureed and a little bit of oil. I thought this recipe would have fat from the whipping cream. I never use butter in a recipe, if I have to I swap it for oil.

Baking powder, I put a tsp. Tap was an autocorrect on my phone.

I tested it with a toothpick, at the edge center. Came out with a little bit of cooked cake on it, no batter.

Is there books or anything to read to know the basics of ratio of the different ingredients?

"if nothing else re try your recipe and increase the sugar level to at least the same or slightly less than your flour amount and see how you go."

It always scares me that recipes call for so much sugar. I've always cut down on how much sugar it calls for. Sometimes also swap it for a pureed banana.

 

[Angie]

You're most welcome, I tend to stick with the baking rather than all the science behind it but it is good to know when things go wrong.

I gathered from your ingredients you were trying to make light and healthy option cakes but unfortunately even those options contain far more sugar than you'd like to use. I think in all honesty you are looking at alternative baking whereby you can substitute other healthier ingredients than those found in a normal cake. I would like to point out that as you mentioned using oil a lot please note this too can also leave you with flatter and denser cakes.

Yes the whipping cream is fat but your ratio's are still off with the sugar, generally it's pretty much equal parts of each, have you ever thought about substituting the sugar for honey or alternative sugars like Xylitol?

I thought your tap rather than tsp was a typo but it's always good to check these things.

There are books that you can buy relating to baking science, baking answers and healthy recipes but I think you're looking for a book that contains all three. I do have a book called 'How Baking Works' by Paula Figoni which explains a lot about the science of baking, storage, handling of products and how ingredients works it has question and answer sections, tables and information. This may help you in your quest to understand ingredients and their uses. The only other thing I can suggest is to start looking up healthy fat free sugar free recipes and see if those recipes work out for you. Then once you have found recipes that work for you, you can then try substituting small elements at a time and modify the recipe to your tastes and what bakes great.

 

[skald89]

You're most welcome, I tend to stick with the baking rather than all the science behind it but it is good to know when things go wrong.

There are books that you can buy relating to baking science, baking answers and healthy recipes but I think you're looking for a book that contains all three. I do have a book called 'How Baking Works' by Paula Figoni which explains a lot about the science of baking, storage, handling of products and how ingredients works it has question and answer sections, tables and information.

Im going to try to read the book. Found a pdf of it online. Its a very long read.

 

[Angie]

I'm glad you managed to obtain it, the book itself is over 500 pages, hopefully it will help you out with your quest for healthy eating.