white cake help

[jessiquina]

so i just started baking at this bakery about a month ago. there really isnt anyone there to teach me the recipes correctly. its kinda hard since things are hand written and they arent written clearly.
so im making white cake, and the batter looks great. i bake the cakes until golden, but as they cool, they arent spongy like a cake should be. they are hard. like almost shortbread or biscuit-y. i've never had a cake come out like this.

here is the method:
cream butter and sugar.
wisk together milk and egg whites to combine.
to the butter, add flour/salt/baking soda alternately with milk. starting and ending with dry.

i really dont think i over baked them. i think it has something to do with the method. hmmm...

thanks.

[siduri]

if the oven is too low, the cakes will dry out as they bake. If you beat in the flour after the liquid, it can get hard. Otherwise possibly the ingredients aren't right. I wonder if there's enough sugar? butter? too many egg whites?
I only bake at home, one cake at a time, but maybe you should post this in the professional forums, where people who bake dozens of cakes at a time can guide you.

[Erik]

Originally Posted by siduri

Otherwise possibly the ingredients aren't right.

That is my question too...what did it look like when the previous person made it?

[Norma]

I did not understand why there is baking soda in your recipe for White Cake.

This is the way I do it:
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla extract.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Alternatelly add the sifted dry ingredients and milk to the butter-sugar mixture. Beginning and ending with flour.
Beat the whites, and with a rubber spatula, gradually fold the whites into the batter.

My white cake always comes out nice and fluffy.

Norma

[Blueicus]

I agree with Norma, the use of baking soda is slightly unusual (there's not much acid in that recipe barring from the bit of lactic acid in the milk), I'd switch to powder.

I'd also whisk the egg whites separately (until medium peaks), although to be honest I'd cut out a few tablespoons of sugar out of the creaming with butter and put it in the egg whites to make a meringue. Add the milk and dry ingredients incrementally (as Norma suggested) then mix a third of the meringue to lighten it and then slowly fold in the rest. I bake egg white based cakes at 360 until it springs back when pressed then let it cool on the counter.

[jessiquina]

Originally Posted by Erik

That is my question too...what did it look like when the previous person made it?

there were no white cakes made for me to see when i started working there.. thats the problem.

i think it sounds right, to whip the whites and add it to the batter. see, my recipe did not say that. i feel like im reading my grandmothers long lost recipes- chicken scratched and smudgy! lol.. thanks guys..

[chrissi_e]

I would definetly try one with baking powder instead of bakng soda. Someone could have made the mistake when they wrote the recipe originally. The powder should make a much better leavener than the powder.

[m brown]

check your percentages.
look at a few books and see how they balance (bakers manual by joe amandola is a great referance for the professional).

unless you are using butter milk, brown sugar, molasses, cream of tartar, vinegar or lemon juice in this formula, switch to baking powder.

btw, what is the formula?

i have a wonderful white brides cake and i do not whip the whites and fold them in.

they are added along with milk in two stages.