Feeling like baking and indulge yourself with your own creation but held back by your diet restrictions? Foam cakes are just right for the people who are concern with their food intake because it contains very little fat compared to shortened butter cakes. Foam cakes can be divided into 3 categories, angel food cakes, chiffon cakes and sponge cakes. The recipes require more eggs than butter cakes and in different cakes; eggs are used in different ways. The cakes are very airy because they are leaven by the air that is beaten into the eggs.
The batter is baked in tube pans and the hollow centre allows the heat to circulate in the middle and shorten the baking time. The pans are made by aluminized steel or stainless non-stick steel. Recently, they found out that silicon moulds and paper tube pans make better pans compared to the traditional ones. The paper tube pans come in various sizes and with a matching lid – convenient for those who intent to bake and give out as gifts. Silicon pans are heat resistant and durable, but people do get turned off by the price tag.
Generally, yolks and whites are separated and yolks are whisked to light yellow form with sugar, while a little cream of tartar is added into the whites. Cream of tartar helps to stabilize and form stiff white foam the egg whites when it is whisked. Next, fold in the whites and flour gently into the yolks without deflating the batter. Bake as soon as you are done with the batter because the whites deflate easily. Pour the batter into a tube pan and bake in a preheated oven.
When it is out of the oven, turn and place it upside down and allow it to cool. Do not take off the pan right away as it might cause the foam cake to collapse. Cut the cake in sawing motion with a serrated knife because they are very fragile. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
