Foam Cakes (2024)

Sponge,Genoise,Angel Food cakes,Chiffon,Biscuit (French), and someFlourless cakesareknown as Foam, Spongeor Unshortened cakesbecause they contain alarge proportion of foamed eggs and/or egg whites to a lesser proportion of sugar and very little wheat flour, if used at all.Much of the cellular structure of the cake is derived from egg proteins and they areclassically leavened by steam and air from beaten eggs. As a result most foam cakes can be described as extremely light and fluffy with good volume and an open, even texture, although textures can vary from dense and spongy, to crispy and dry to melt-in-your-mouth tender, depending on any extra ingredients added. These cakesare typically baked inungreased(tube) pans so as not to deflate their egg white foams andinverted to coolas a result.

Most foam cakes tend to bedrier than butter and oil cakes because they typically have little or not fat, with the exception of the Chiffon Cake andsomeGenoises. Some liquid fat, vegetable oil, is added during the mixing of Chiffon Cakes, although not in great proportion; the fat usedis notto serve for its air holding qualities but rather to coat the flour proteins to prevent gluten formation. Thisresults in an extremely tender cake, adds greatly to the perception of moistness and makes it a good keeper. Melted butter (clarified) is optionally folded into aGenoisecake after mixing and right before baking, adding flavor, reducing dryness and/or increasing tenderness.

Egg foams, along with their other ingredients, create exceptional protein meshwork structures, which hold the cake together, enabling them to be used in many applications; they have the ability to not disintegrate when flavored with light brushings of soaking syrups, in which equal parts of sugar and water are brought to a boil and then flavored with liqueurs or extracts; Some can baked in cake pans and can be easily cut crosswise into layers and filledor used as a base for another recipe; Thinly baked foams cakes can be tinted, cut into strips without falling apart, and be bent around fillings without cracking, such as roulades, perfect as a decorative encasem*nt for a strawberry mousse or chocolateganache.Foam cakes, especially Angel Food,tend to have a subtle and sweet fragrance to them, making perfect to serve with vibrantly flavored fruit or chocolate sauces, whipped cream and fruit.​

WHAT MAKES UP A FOAM CAKE?
The main ingredient in all foam cakes are eggs; beaten whole or separated, or in a combination thereof. These recipes begin with theEgg Foaming Mixing Method, which is very different from theCreaming Mixing Method used for butter cakes. Simply put, you can perform the Egg Foaming Method by beating a cracked egg in a bowl with an implement, such as a whisk. The result is the egg’s yolk and white mixed together with tiny air bubbles, called an egg foam.Egg foams eliminate the need for much flour, added chemicalleaveners(baking powder and baking soda),and the necessity for plastic fat (butter, shortening) for encapsulating beaten air in these cakes.
Beaten eggs and the proteinmeshworksthat result in the egg foam, contribute the main structure, strength, stability, and leavening to their recipes.All parts of the egg can be foamed – separated whites and yolks or whole egg. However, not all parts of the egg are equal in their foam ability; separated whites foam the best, followed by whole eggs and then yolks, only.Separated beaten whites have the best potential to form voluminous (leavening) and stable foams (structures with strength and stability) because oftheir unique proteins, ample waterand lack of fat.At the beginning of creating an egg white foam, an acid, such as cream of tartar (or lemon juice or white distilled vinegar), is added.It is used to lower the pH of the whites, stabilizing them and thus helping to increase their volume during whipping. It also whitens the cake and produces a fine grained texture. (The use of salt, another ingredient long thought as a foam stabilizer, is being debated. I add it in with the flour.)

Sugar is an important ingredient when whipping foams, and is the second main ingredient in a foam cake. By raising the temperature at which egg proteins set during baking, sugar delays coagulation long enough to permit entrapment of optimum air. The resulting cakes have tender texture and excellent volume. In some recipes, part of the sugar is added during the egg foaming process (the other part added with the flour), enabling the foam to be whipped more readily, thus becoming more voluminous and more stable. In Genoise cakes, whole eggs are heated with all of the sugar during the foaming process until they “ribbon” which helps dissolve the sugar better and improves the emulsifying properties of the eggs. As a result, it helps them reach maximum volume when beaten.

The third main and optional ingredient to a foam cake recipe can be a small proportion of high starch flour, typically bleached cake, to further help with the foam’s structure and stability. In some roulades, finely ground nuts and the cocoa particles in chocolate stand in for most or part of the flour. Some foam cakes are made without flour, such as meringuesandflourless cakes. Meringues are simply comprised of beaten egg whites and sugar without flour or fat, creating especially strong foams. The ratio of these ingredients, how much beating has taken place and baking at different temperatures and times, meringues can range from soft or chewy to crispy.

If the sugar has been separated in two parts, with the first part being used in the egg foaming process, the second part is combined and sifted with flour (and salt) before it is folded into the foam mixture, so it incorporates easily. This sugar disperses throughout the flour, separating the flour’s starch particles and keeping them from lumping when the flour is folded into the foam mixture.
Some recipes contain one or more foams, always with at least one type of egg foam, typically an egg white for structure and leavening. The popular Angel Food Cake is made from a single egg foam (egg whites beaten with sugar) until the eggs increase in volume and then sifting flour over them while folding it in, resulting in a snowy-white, airy, and delicate cake that marries beautifully with fruit. Most angel food cakes have a spongy, chewy quality derived from their relatively high sugar content and the absence of egg yolks. The Sponge cake, for example, can contain both an egg white and an egg yolk foam. This dictates a certain mixing (folding) protocol: the flour is sifted and folded into the yolk only foam, so as to create a batter, and then, the egg white foam is folded in. Its resulting texture is spongy and delicate.

OTHER TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Every egg foam’s capabilities and the resulting cake are, of course, influenced bymany factors such as type, proportion and timing of ingredients added during beating, the amount and speed of beating and whether heat is applied, tools used, mixer speeds, egg freshness and size, amount of folding, baking pans and their preparation, baking temperatures and cooling techniques.

Baking Pans and Preparation
Cakes pans for foam cakes have to be prepared in special ways appropriate for each type of foam batter so the egg foams can rise to their fullest and/or not collapse. Fat is the enemy of egg white foams, and the recipes containing them must be baked in grease-free pans. Other cakes, such as the Genoise, comprising both egg white and egg yolk foams, folded together, need not be greased on the pan side, but rather on their bottoms, enabling the egg white portion to do its job fully; this is so the egg foam can rise to its fullest without deflating or slipping from the pan sides because of greasing.

Temperature / Timing
Typical of foam cakes are they need to be placed in a well preheated oven right away. They need the sudden blast for heat and air to be able to rise fully, and set quickly. It’s because of the the nature egg foams – beaten air bubbles have a limited life. Beaten whites will coarsen, settle and separate over time, the result being the loss of precious air bubbles and a poorly leavened cake.
Testing for Doneness
The unshortened cake is baked when its surface is lightly browned and springs back slightly when touched or feels firm. Using a toothpick to test for doneness does not work. Some will sound when tapped on the side of the pan with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Cooling
Some cake recipes needing to be cooled in their pan upside down, such as Angel Food and Chiffon cakes. This enables their stretchy egg proteins, not bolstered by a great proportion of wheat proteins or highly tenderized, to stretch, not sink and compress as it cools, producing the lightest texture.

Sponge Cake (not to be confused with aButter Sponge Cake orGenoise) is sometimes used to refer to the whole category offoam orunshortenedcakes, and is also a type of cake in itself. A Sponge cake is wonderfully versatile, and can be found with a multitude of recipes. It varies by two types: American and European, but the distinction between the two has been blurred. The texture and flavor of sponge cakes is so delightful and subtly flavorful that they are usually eaten without or without adornment.Because these cakes are based on precious and delicate air bubbles, these batters require precise techniques when making, special pan preparation, and must be placed in a well-preheated oven right away, so none of the air cells are broken down.

EUROPEAN SPONGE CAKES
Among the more popular Sponge cake types are the European styledItalian GenoiseandFrench Biscuit(Dacquoise, Roulades,etc),which more often than not are moistened with syrups because of their tendency to be naturally drier thanAmerican butter cakes. The right amount of syrup – usually brushed on lightly – helps result in soft and tender crumb; too little can render the cakes dry or tasteless, while too much produces soggy. Hardcore European versions have liqueur as part of their syrupy additives, resulting in notably enhanced flavors. In both theGenoiseand Biscuit, cornstarch replaces some of the flour, causing the cake to be tighter. Superfine sugar is recommended because is dissolves faster than regular granulated.

LADYFINGERS
Known in Italy as “Savoiardi”,Ladyfingersare sweet, little, fairly dry, tongue depressor-shaped Sponge Cakes, but are they can also be referred to ascookies. Ladyfingers are used to make charlottes, tiramisu, and other desserts or filled and eaten as is. They rely heavily upon eggs for their characteristics; separately beaten eggs and egg whites are folded in with flour and sugar

Ladyfingers can be made at home or purchased in bakeries or supermarkets. I like the Forno Bonomi Ladyfingers Brand.

The Jelly Roll Cake (American), also known as aFrench Biscuit Rouladeor Swiss Roll (English), is typically made from a thinspongeorfoam-type cake, that is baked and then rolled into a tube-like or log shape around a filling and sliced to display the ingredients swirled into the rolled base of food. The type of cake used is flexible enough to withstand being rolled without cracking.To make the cake base, the batter is spread into a thin layer in a jelly roll pan, baked until firm but still moist. Some cakes are cooled flat or rolled immediately and cooled so the cake forms a log shape. The cake is filled or carefully unrolled if first cooled into a shape and then filled, and rolled tightly. (The Swiss Roll is baked thicker than the other types of rolls and as a result isn’t rolled as tightly.)

Fillings for the cake vary widely and can include pastry cream,buttercream, lemon curd, seedless jam or jelly or chocolateganache. Many times the cake is refrigerated if it contains a perishable filling to help set it. Right before serving, the roll can be can be simply dusted with powdered sugar or covered with whippedganache, whipped cream orbuttercream. It is sliced into disks, where it shows its pinwheel design when served flat on a plate.

Angel food cake is a type offoam cakethat became popular in the U.S. in the late 19th century. It is sometimes referred to as Angel Cake and named because of its airy, light texture and tasteis said to be the “food of the angels.” It is one of the most versatile cake choices around, leavened from lots of stiffly beaten egg whites (typically a dozen) beaten with sugar, or a meringue, folded with very little bleached cake flour. The cakes are mostly simply flavored with different extracts, such as vanilla, almond, lemon or orange. Small amounts of cream of tartar and salt are added. It is also fat free and fits in with any diet.

Unbaked flourless cakes, can also be cheesecakesas well asmousse cakes, which are typically molded in a dessert ring orspringformpan then simply chilled beforeunmolding. They often have a crust or bottom layer that’s baked before the mousse is added. Sometimes other foam cake layersare alternated with the mousse.Flourless cakes can be baked or unbaked, and are made without flour. They generally have a creamy or silky textures; it’s because they are comprised of justegg foams(usually whole eggs and/or egg yolks) with lots of added fat, from sources such as butter, cream cheese, cream or sour cream. These ingredients aremixedwith the minimal incorporation of air to prevent the cake from puffing in the oven and collapsing from the lack of structure from wheat flour and tenderizing fat.For easy removal, flourless cakes are often made in aspringformpan, though some can also be made in regular round layer cake pans.