The Fresh Loaf

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Sponge cake often rubbery and dense..

MattBaker's picture
MattBaker

Sponge cake often rubbery and dense..

My muffins come out perfect every time  but with sponge cakes (I'm making rosewater cupcakes )  so many times they come out hard, dense and rubbery. I know overmixing can create gluten and cause this but there's no way I could be overmixing. 

 Anything else that can cause it? O.o

 

 

semolina_man's picture
semolina_man

What recipe/formula are you using?  Can you post it here?  Can you post photos?   The formula and photos will help people here to make suggestions. 

 

Possibilities: 

- too little liquid

- too little leavening

- too many eggs

- baking time too long

- too much gluten development possibly caused by too much mixing, or (less likely) using flour with too high protein content

- baking temperature too high (how is the color of the cupcakes?) 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

the temp of an oven with a sponge cake.  She'd set the dial for 300°F  (about 150°C)  and bake.  If it needed more heat, the oven ran cold, and if it came out rubbery, the oven ran hot.

MattBaker's picture
MattBaker

I really must get a better cam...  

 

I actually had it on a lower temp that I usually do. 160c fan oven. 

It's very heavy and dense.  Lack of leavening perhaps? I used up some old plain flour and only added 2 tsp of baking powder for 230g flour. 

 

Another thing I can think of is I used 4 eggs, which weighed around 260g with shells on...  maybe too much egg?

 

 I didn't follow a recipe but then the times I have and it came out a disaster it didn't help. :D

 

Still the rosewater buttercream icing was delicious I've only had it in Turkish delight before.  

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

need a better cam, or back up a little bit.  Looks like something my dog puffed out of a stuffed toy.  About the same colour too.  She had a good time with her crumbs.  Parts all over the place.  Anyway... How did you work the eggs?  That's enough eggs to lift the sponge all by itself without the leavening. Maybe too much flour.  Compare to this recipe...  160°C with fan is much warmer than 160°C.  Try this one and really beat the h, e, l , l out of the eggs.

http://m.joyofbaking.com/cakes/SpongeCakeorBiscuit.html

Amy90's picture
Amy90

Hi,

Here is a sponge cake recipe I have used recently. I got it from Delices and Gourmandises. I hope it helps. I will be glad to answer any question you have for the preparation. Anyway, you shouldn’t have any problem. I got it right on my first try. Now it is like one of my specialties :)

Amy