# EGG WHITE HELP.



## justpicked (Nov 20, 2012)

So at work I make little chocolate cakes in ramekins,Im having difficulties getting my egg whites to the perfect soft peak.

Basically you take the chocolate mixture and then fold it into the soft peak egg whites and then bake them....my cake arent rising at all......so heres the situation and whats bringing me here...i made angel food cake and i brought egg whites up to 110 degrees while whipping them to a stiff peak,folded the flour and sugar into them,baked them and what do you know.....they rise!!

keep in mind,while whipping the whites for the angel food cake,im doing it by hand and the chocolate cake im doing at work with a stand mixture and whipping the whites without heat......whats going here?hopefully someone is following what i just explained


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Don't know if your explanation is correct or not.

Usually it's the whipped egg whites that are gently folded into the batter a little at a time.

If you are folding batter into the whites, you may be deflating them that way.


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## justpicked (Nov 20, 2012)

yes fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Um, I do it a little differently.

I fold/stir about 1/4 to 1/3 of the egg white into the chocolate to lighten it up, then pour that mixture over the remaining egg whites in preparation for folding the lightened chocolate into the egg whites.

I was taught to fold the base into the whites and avoid folding the whites into the base.

Then again, different strokes for different folks...


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## rowantree (Aug 24, 2011)

PeteMcCracken, I do it your way, too.  The lightening up of the batter ahead of the full whites makes it so much easier, and less likely to deflate the whites.


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## justpicked (Nov 20, 2012)

Will I get a different result after baked if I were to heat the whites up,then whip them up as oppose to just whipping them at room temperature?


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

justpicked said:


> Will I get a different result after baked if I were to heat the whites up,then whip them up as oppose to just whipping them at room temperature?


IMHO, YES, and not a good result!


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## justpicked (Nov 20, 2012)

well then.....why not?

when i make angel food cake,i heat the whites up to 110 over a double boiler then whip them,fold in flour and then bake and it turns out nice.....


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

OK, back to basics: what is your recipe for the angel food cake and the chocolate cake and technique?

Almost every cake recipe using egg white that I'm familiar with calls for *room temperature* whites beaten to medium to medium stiff peaks, regardless of the flavor or type of cake. Then again, I am definitely not a _baker_

Let me posit your question back to you: why do you thing heating the egg whites is a better technique?

How are you heating the egg whites?

Are you using any cream of tartar?

Explain how you are combining the chocolate base and the egg whites.

Are you making chocolate cakes in ramekins or chocolate souffles?

We need to start eliminating the multitude of variables, that means post the recipes.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Question... this recipe for the chocolate cakelets...where did it come from?

Is it a standard menu item and has been made many times using the same tools and oven that you are using now?

If yes then it is probably the egg whites.

Either you are over or under whipping or your folding technique needs work.

Something else has crossed my mind...egg whites and fat do not play well together.

The teeniest drop of yolk (or whatever was in the bowl last) will ruin all hope for a good meringue.

IMO wiping bowls and whisks down with a bit of vinegar is a good habit to have.

mimi


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## justpicked (Nov 20, 2012)

ok so here the breakdown for both recipes and techniques.....

chocolate cake:

bitter sweet choc......7oz

butter.....7oz

sugar.....3/4c

yolks.....2

ap flour....2tbsp

whites....4

melt chocolate with butter....add sugar,yolks and flour,set aside

beat whites till soft peaks form...fold into chocolate mixture.and bake in greased ramekins.

this recipe is done with a mixer at work....

angel food cake:

egg whites.....1 1/2c

lemon juice....1tbsp

sugar.....1 1/2c

salt....1/4 tsp

place 1/2c of sugar into the flour mixture and set aside

heat the whites in a double boiler till it reaches 110 degress and whip till soft peaks form.add the lemon juice and the 1c of sugar in small increments till hard peaks form.fold the flour and sugar mixture into the whites and bake in an ungreased vessel....i used a loaf pan(which is not the best decision because it was non stick,but mine came out nice fluffy)and i used ramekins.

hopefully this is more clear of both procedures.

so question is....can i just use the same angel food cake techniques and add chocolate to the equation at some point and get a nice fluffy result?


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## jcakes (Feb 18, 2007)

I think it might be technique - if you are just starting to do this recipe after someone else has been doing it successfully for a while, then it is definitely technique.  What kind of mixer are you using at work and what speed are you using to whip the whites?  Do you know how long it takes to get the whites to soft peak?   If you are using a high speed for a short time, your whites don't have the strength to maintain the peak and will lose all the air when you are folding the rest of the ingredients.

If you have a kitchen aid mixer - one of the counter top models, it will help us to know what size (5 quart? 6 quart? 7 quart?) and what it says on the side: 325 watts? 600 watts?  I have quite a collection of table top mixers and each one has it's own little nuances and quirks!  It will take the 5 quart 325 watt model longer to do the same job as the 6 quart; and the 7 quart gets it done faster than all the others.

Heating the whites in the angel food recipe might just be the way that recipe deals with making sure you have warm whites to get the maximum volume because you are doing it by hand.


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## fatherbeverage (Jul 17, 2011)

justpicked said:


> ok so here the breakdown for both recipes and techniques.....
> 
> chocolate cake:
> 
> ...


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## fatherbeverage (Jul 17, 2011)

PeteMcCracken said:


> Um, I do it a little differently.
> 
> I fold/stir about 1/4 to 1/3 of the egg white into the chocolate to lighten it up, then pour that mixture over the remaining egg whites in preparation for folding the lightened chocolate into the egg whites.
> 
> ...


 even though the base is lightened wouldn't the most efficient way be to keep adding the whites to the base to finish.

you are adding a heavier/denser substance on top of the lighter/airier whites, rather than putting the lighter/airier whites on top of the heavier/denser base, giving you slightly more leeway.

im sure both ways work fine...well perhaps depending on what you are making, but i only see a reason to avoid folding the base into the whites, not folding whites into the base.

do you know the reason why you were taught that?


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

FatherBeverage said:


> ...do you know the reason why you were taught that?


Yup, the way I was taught was to use a spatula and cut straight down through the base and into the whites and bring the whites up from the bottom and over the base to avoid deflating the whites, not the reverse.

With the base on the bottom, it is very difficult to incorporate all of the base into the whites without excessive action, the base coats to bowl instead of the whites.

Try it, you will quickly see the difference. I did, that's why I do not fold the whites into the base but the base into the whites /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif


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