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Baking Terminology | Part 8
Stiff peaks = the final stage of whipped egg whites or whipped cream
Baking Science: When whipping egg whites or heavy cream, air gets trapped inside and causes the ingredient to foam, grow in volume, and become stiff. In the oven (in the case of egg whites), the trapped air expands making cakes and souffles[ˈsuːfls] fluffy.
soufflé = a light, spongy baked dish
Tips & Tricks:
◉ Use cream of tartar or a small amount of lemon juice to stabilize egg whites. Sugar may be used to stabilize egg whites when making meringues(=a type of dessert or candy).
◉ Egg whites should be at room temperature and free of any fat (e.g. yolks) for easy whipping and best volume.
◉ To whip easily, heavy cream should be cold and the bowl and whisk attachment should be chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Torte/Torting (a cake) = horizontally slicing a cake into layers. May also refer to levelling the cake by slicing off the domed(=shaped like a dome) part of a baked cake.
Baking Science: Torting a cake provides layers between which you can add frosting and filling, thereby increasing the moisture and flavour of your cake.
Tips & Tricks:
◉ Chill cake first so that it is easier to cut.
◉ Use a serrated knife(= having a row of sharp points along the edge) that is as long as your cake. Place cake on a flat surface. Move the knife back and forth in a gentle sawing motion to remove the crown of the cake. Once cake is levelled, evenly split cake into 2 or 3 layers, depending on the height of the baked cake.
See also
