Foam Cakes and Butter/ Shortened Cakes

The main difference between foam cakes and butter cakes are the type of leaveners being used. Butter cakes use baking powder or baking soda for leavening. The foam cake method uses beaten eggs to give the cake volume, not a chemical leavener as in butter cakes. When the eggs are beaten: air cells form in the batter and these cells will expand in a hot oven giving the cake its volume and structure. To make sure the beaten eggs reach their full volume, it is important they are fresh, the correct size and at room temperature. Foam cakes - The category of foam cakes includes sponge, roulades, Genoise, chiffon, angel food, meringue, and dacquoise. These cakes have a high proportion of eggs to flour and are leavened solely (except chiffon cakes) by the air beaten into whole eggs or egg whites. They contain very little, if any, fat and have a spongy texture.

Three Categories of Foam Cakes

1. Foam cakes that contain fat from egg yolks:

• Sponge - A light and airy cake that contains three basic ingredients: room temperature eggs, sugar, and flour and leavened solely by the air beaten into the eggs. A basic sponge cake is made by beating the egg yolks and sugar until thick and lemon colored (when beaters are raised the mixture will form a ribbon as it falls back into the bowl) and then stiffly beaten egg whites (with a little sugar) are folded in. Contains no fat. A very versatile cake flavored with extracts, nuts, citrus zests, liqueurs and baked in round cake pans or else a sheet pan. Best eaten plain or filled with whipped cream, buttercream, jam or preserves, fruit, fruit purees, nuts, chocolate, etc.
• Roulade - name given to a light and delicate sponge cake: baked in a sheet pan (jellyroll pan) and rolled up in a towel while still warm. Once cooled, it is unrolled and filled with whipped cream, ganache, buttercream, lemon curd, fruit, fruit purees, nuts, etc. and then rerolled. Often dusted with confectioners’ sugar or frosted with whipped cream, buttercream, ganache, etc.

2. Foam cakes that contain fat from (egg yolks, butter and/or oil):

• Genoise - named after its place of origin, Genoa Italy, it is a type of light and airy sponge-like cake. Different from a sponge cake in that whole eggs are beaten, and a small amount of melted butter added to the batter. This makes it more tender and flavorful but is less sweet than a regular sponge cake. Whole eggs and granulated white sugar warmed over a water bath: then beaten until very thick. Flour, and sometimes cornstarch, are first folded in followed by melted butter (usually clarified butter). Flavored with extracts, ground almonds, citrus zests, or liqueurs. The Genoise, is leavened solely by the air beaten into the egg and sugar mixture. Be careful not to deflate the batter when adding the flour and melted butter. This versatile cake is the base for many desserts. It is usually baked in a round pan and can be eaten plain but is often split (2 or 3 layers), brushed with a sugar syrup, and filled with jams or preserves, fruit purees, fresh fruit, whipped cream, buttercream, and/or nuts.
• Chiffon Cake - a moist and tender, light and airy cake that has the richness of a butter cake but the springy texture of a sponge cake. Similar to a butter cake in preparation and formula (although oil is used instead of butter), it relies on the whipped egg whites for its leavening, along with baking powder. A quick and easy batter to make as there is no creaming of the fat and sugar because the fat is in liquid form (the oil). First, mix the dry ingredients mixed and then the oil, egg yolks, water, and flavoring are beaten in. Flavorings include extracts, chocolate, cocoa powder, nuts, zests, spices or chopped fruits. The egg whites are first beaten separately until stiff, but not dry, and then folded in to the batter. A thin batter that is traditionally baked in a tube pan.

3. Foam Cakes that contain NO fat:

• Angel Food Cake - sometimes referred to as Angel Cake and because of its airy lightness, said to be the "food of the angels". This cake has no egg yolks, fat, or artificial leavener so it relies totally on stiffly beaten egg whites for leavening. Its sole ingredients are egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, flour, salt and flavoring (such as extracts). Angel Food Cake has the highest sugar content of all the sponge cakes; added sugar needed to support and stabilize the whipped egg whites. Because the egg whites give the cake its volume and structure, take care when adding them to the dry ingredients so they do not deflate. Traditionally baked in a ring-shaped tube pan, placed upside down to cool to prevent it from falling and sticking to the pan. Usually served plain or with fresh fruit, fruit purees, and/or whipped cream. A moist, fluffy, feather-light, delicate cake that is fat and cholesterol free.
• Meringues - Pronounced muh-RANG. This is simply a beaten mixture of egg whites and sugar (sometimes with cream of tartar), that are baked in a slow oven to produce a delicately crisp, white confection that seems to literally melt in your mouth. There are two types of meringue: soft and hard. The difference between the two is the amount of sugar added to the egg whites. Soft meringue is made with only a small amount of sugar. The whites and sugar beaten only to the soft peak stage and is then used as a topping for pies and cakes, puddings, mousses, and the famous Baked Alaska. Bake the meringue until the peaks brown and the valleys lightly brown. Hard meringue has a larger proportion of sugar to egg whites than a soft meringue. Hard meringues are beaten until stiff peaks form. The meringue is then placed in a piping bag and piped into various shapes. The cake is baked with a round shape in the center with a depression so the baked meringue can be filled with fruit, cream, custard, ice cream, chocolate, or into hearts, shells, disks, mushrooms, and cookies. When making a meringue, the egg whites should be at room temperature and free of any specks of egg yolk. Make sure the bowl and beaters are clean and free of grease to obtain maximum volume. Superfine sugar makes for a smoother meringue as it is easier for the sugar to dissolve. To make your own, take granulated white sugar and process in your food processor until very fine (about 30 seconds). Adding the sugar gradually to the egg whites ensures that the sugar completely dissolves and does not produce a gritty meringue. A test to see if the meringue is done rub a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger, it should be smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty, the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers. Cream of tartar is tartaric acid and is a fine white crystalline acid salt, which is a by-product of the wine making industry. It is used in the whipping of egg whites to stabilize them and allow them to reach maximum volume. Hard meringues bake in a slow oven to allow the evaporation of the moisture out of the meringues slowly. If the oven temperature is too high, the outside of the meringue will dry and set too quickly. The inside of the meringue will be chewy and sticky instead of dry, crisp and crunchy. In addition, the outside of the meringue separates from the inside. If meringues are prepared on a rainy or humid day, you will probably have to bake the meringues longer than on a dry day. If your meringue starts to brown, the oven temperature is too high causing the sugar to caramelize. To prevent cracking of the meringue, do not open the oven door during the first half to three quarters of the baking time.
• Dacquoise - traditional French cake consisting of two to three layers of nut-flavored (almonds or hazelnuts) discs of crisp meringue that are sandwiched together with whipped cream or buttercream (can be flavored), and sometimes fruit (especially strawberries) and the top is dusted with confectioners’ sugar.