Many people like sponge cake, but not everyone can make a puffy cake that doesn’t fall off. But this problem can be solved. You can easily bake a classic fluffy biscuit without adding leavening agent to the batter.

To make a biscuit with a diameter of twenty centimeters, you will need: 4 eggs, 100 grams of flour, 150 grams of sugar.

For cooking, first of all, you should prepare a mold. This can be any special mold available in the house. The ring designed for baking will also work. In the first case, parchment is placed on the bottom, and in the second case, the ring at the bottom is wrapped with foil.

How to prepare biscuit dough correctly

In different containers, ordinary bowls will do, separate the yolks from the whites, most importantly, so that there is not a drop of yolk in the whites. In a bowl with the yolks pour half of the sugar, then thoroughly mix the mixture. You can do it by hand or with a blender. It depends on how you want it. We put this mixture separately and start whites. They need to be whipped. In doing so, it is important that the working part of the mixer (blades) is dry and not greasy.

The whipping process is carried out on a medium speed mode. The foam should be puffy as a result. At this stage, add sugar little by little in several steps, but do not stop beating the whites. Once all the sugar is in the whites, keep beating them. The mass should be soft and not friable, and if the container with it is turned over, the whipped whites should not fall out. It should be noted that it is the whipped whites in this case act as a substitute for the leavening agent. Provided they are well and properly whipped, there is no need to add more leavening agent to the dough.

When everything is ready, separate 1/3 of the whites and add it to the yolks. Stir the contents and add the flour, sifted, necessarily, as this factor also affects the puffiness and airiness of the finished product, and again mix thoroughly. The resulting mass is transferred to a container with the remaining whipped egg whites and mix it all gently from bottom to top. The process of mixing should not be delayed, the main thing is to combine the ingredients.

The biscuit dough is ready. It remains to transfer it to the form and bake. The sides of the form do not need to grease with oil, so that the biscuit does not stick to them. The fact is that in the oven, the volume of dough increases. In connection with this and the form is not filled completely, but 50 percent or 2/3 of the total height.

The cooking process

Another responsible step is baking. The oven must be preheated to 165-170 degrees, and the heat must be the same at the top and bottom. We put the form with the dough inside for about fifty minutes.

During baking, the dough should rise quickly and brown gradually. If the ruddy crust appears very quickly, it is necessary to reduce the temperature a little, but if it rises unevenly, sagging in the middle, then the temperature should be added.

If baking in convection mode, the temperature should be put 10-20 degrees less and the first time to observe the process and adjust it to find the best option. After the biscuit is ready, the oven is turned off, but not opened. It is required to take out the biscuit after ten minutes at the earliest.

After removing from the oven, the biscuit should be released from the mold, walking around the edges with a knife. We get a perfectly puffy, tall and very tasty product. After that, the biscuit cools and is wrapped in ordinary clingfilm for eight to twelve hours. From there, it can already be divided into cakes.

Many desserts have whipped whites as a separate component: soufflé, meringue, cream for cakes or cake. However, not all hostesses are able to bring whites to the right consistency. We offer a few best practices that will help to cope with this task and get the title of master.

General recommendations

For this purpose it is necessary to take a container of glass, ceramic, stainless steel or copper. Plastic is not suitable because it is porous and it can retain an oil film, and squirrels do not like grease. Before the procedure, wash the dish under running water and dry it well, since the whites will not be able to whip well in a humid environment. You should also degrease the bowl. Lemon will do an excellent job with this.

There are many nuances with the eggs themselves. Separating the whites from the yolks is much easier if the eggs are cold. At the same time, room temperature whites are easier to whip. The best option is to take the product out of the fridge, beat it and leave it at room temperature for at least an hour. If you don’t have that much time, simply heat the whites by placing them in a bowl of warm water (not boiling water). Note that the eggs must be fresh – those that have been in the refrigerator for a week will not do.

Don’t forget about additives. “Pure” whites will never whip up to the thick and dense consistency that you need. So, at the beginning of the work it is worth to salt the mass. This will help stabilize it. At the end it is worth putting a pinch of citric acid – it has the same function as salt, so it is used to consolidate the result. If you are making meringue, don’t forget to add sugar. However, do it gradually, not all at once. First, whisk the whites until they foam, then put a little sugar or powdered sugar, mix the mass well, and so on in a circle, until the powdered sugar runs out. The sugar will give the whites not only sweetness, but also a dense structure and a glossy surface.

How to whip whites with a mixer?

This is the easiest way, because the mixer will do everything for you – you just need to choose the right speed and add the ingredients in the right sequence. In the first stage the whites should be whipped at the lowest speed. To make the process go faster, salt the mass. The stage will be considered over when a light foam appears. The next stage is citric acid. This will “lock in” the foam, and when you switch the mixer to medium speed, it will produce soft peaks. How do you know when it’s there? Turn the container with the whites – they should not pour out, and the mass on the whisk should sink, because at this stage it is not yet able to hold its shape.

If you’re making dessert, it’s time to add the powdered sugar. Two spoonfuls at a time will be enough. At the fourth stage, using medium speed, the peaks should become stiff, that is, not fall from the mixer whisk and hold their shape. The mass should become dense and glossy. This consistency is considered excellent for all dishes except meringues, which are whipped whites with sugar. For its preparation, the fifth stage is important – after you have put all the powdered sugar, whip the whites for about five more minutes.

How to whip by hand?

We have already talked about the whisk container, the whisk or fork, depending on what you plan to use, must also be dry and clean. Be prepared for the procedure to take much longer than if you were using a mixer. If you do not adhere to the rule that the whites must be beaten in one direction, they will constantly fall off and you will not get a dense foam. Add additional ingredients in the same order as with the mixer. We advise you to use powdered sugar instead of sugar, which does not dissolve well when beating with a whisk, as it is much easier to work with it.