Cakes, Tortes, and Desserts
Cakes, tortes and desserts test formula balance, the aeration method and assembly that survives service. The exam asks you to match the right method to a formula, scale it correctly, and explain faults such as sinking, shrinking or drying.
Methods
Creaming: butter and sugar are aerated, eggs added gradually, flour folded in - suited to high-fat butter cakes. Foaming: eggs and sugar whipped to a stable foam, flour folded in - génoise and sponge, with little or no added fat. High-ratio: sugar weight exceeds flour weight, so emulsified shortening is needed to hold water and keep the crumb moist.
Structure and setting
Starch gelatinization and egg-protein coagulation set the crumb. Sugar raises the coagulation temperature and delays setting, so too much sugar gives a sunken centre. Acid and heat stabilize foams; folding must stay gentle to keep the air.
Assembly
Tortes are split, moistened with syrup (typically 20–30 °Bx), filled and masked. Cream fillings and fresh fruit need refrigeration; ganache and buttercream are more stable. Weigh soaking syrup rather than pouring by eye.
Worked example
A 20 cm round sponge formula must be scaled to a 24 cm tin. Area scales with the square of the diameter: (24/20)² = 1.44. Multiply every ingredient by 1.44. Baking temperature stays similar, but time increases and must be checked with a skewer or probe rather than multiplied.
Traps
Overmixing after the flour goes in; opening the oven during the first two-thirds of baking; scooping flour instead of weighing it; assuming a deeper tin needs the same time; and refrigerating butter cakes, which firms the fat and dries the crumb.