How Do I Make the Cake Lighter When I'm Baking?

by Deborah Lundin

While box cake mix tends to come out nice and fluffy every time, making a cake from scratch requires a skilled balance of exact ingredients, gentle mixing and precise oven temperature to achieve that same light and airy texture. Knowing your ingredients and what roles they play in the creation of your cake's final texture is essential. With a little food chemistry know-how and attention to detail, you can achieve a light, fluffy cake in no time.

Place an oven thermometer in your oven before you even begin thinking about baking a cake. Preheat your oven to the temperature called for in your recipe and check the thermometer. If your oven does not heat to the correct temperature, adjust it accordingly. Temperatures too low can result in underdone cakes while too high can lead to an over-browned top and undercooked center.

Combine your fat -- typically butter-- and sugar in a mixing bowl as directed. This can be done with a mixer or by hand if you are feeling strong. Begin with room temperature butter and beat for 30 seconds. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy, yet with a grainy, clay consistency. Add the remaining ingredients to your batter as directed. This mixing, known as creaming, is what adds the air bubbles to your cake batter, resulting in the light, fluffy cake texture. Air bubbles develop on the sugar crystals and become trapped by the fat.

Substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour in your recipe. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour -- cake flours have an average of 8 percent protein while all-purpose flour has an average of 10 to 12 percent. The lower protein content yields a lighter cake texture. Sift the flour before adding it to the cake batter. Gently stir in the flour to avoid breaking the air bubbles you created with the creaming.

Items you will need

  • Oven thermometer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixer or spoon
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs and any additional ingredients called for by your recipe
  • Cake flour
  • Sifter

Tips

  • Follow your recipe instructions to the letter. If the recipe recommends creaming the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, set a timer and mix for those 3 minutes. If the recipe asks you to stir in the flour gently, do not use an electric mixer to beat in the flour.
  • If you forget to set the butter out to room temperature before creaming, take out a stick of butter and, using a grater, grate the butter into the bowl before creaming.
  • If you do not have cake flour on hand, you can make your own homemade cake flour. Measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift these together three to four times to incorporate the cornstarch. Make up the amount of cake flour you need for your recipe following this basic formula.

About the Author

Deborah Lundin is a professional writer with more than 20 years of experience in the medical field and as a small business owner. She studied medical science and sociology at Northern Illinois University. Her passions and interests include fitness, health, healthy eating, children and pets.

Photo Credits

  • BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images