Help me improve my bundt cake

[Steve]

I made a chocolate chip marble bundt cake the other day that was very, very good. But it was VERY dense. It would have been perfect a bit lighter. The batter couldn't pour or spread easily.

The recipe called for 2 and 2/3 cup flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 4 eggs, 2 and 1/2 cups sugar, 2 sticks butter, and a few other ingredients like choc chips and cocoa powder. What is the best way to adjust for a slightly lighter cake? I'd rather add and make a bigger cake than subtract and make it smaller.

TIA.

[PBSF]

Is there liquid such as buttermilk or sour cream in your recipe?

[Steve]

Aha, that could be it, no milk.

[silverhawk]

you need to burn several--offering them to the heavens as sacrifice bundts.

[Steve]

our 'sacrifice' was eating it, but it came out more like a huge choc chip brownie than a cake. The Gods Must Be Hungry.

[purplefoodie]

I love making bundt cakes. I think that a wonderfully light bundt cake can be made by substitution some flour for some ground hazelnuts or almonds, whichever you prefer. That way you will add flavour to your bundt as well as acieve a lighter texture because you are adding lesser flour. I've made a marbled bundt cake with hazelnut flour before, and it got gobbled down in no time. http://www.purplefoodie.com/2009/12/c...

I also agree with PBSF that adding some milk is a very good idea. However, I'm alittle partial to buttermilk/sour cream/yoghurt because they yield a more moist crumb.

[toveggiegirl]

You could try substituting some AP flour with pastry flour and/or replace an egg with 2 egg whites. Also, make sure you cream properly (for long enough, but not too fast, currect butter temp. is important, add eggs gradually). There are some good creaming tips here: http://www.baking911.com/howto/cream.htm
Also, what oven temperature are you using?

[Steve]

I definitely creamed properly. Temp is 350. The recipe probably should have added a cup of milk, Maybe a misprint. But the sour cream substitution seems like a very good idea.

To purplefoodie, because of the snowstorm I'm in, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get any nut flour, but that sounds like something I'd be interested in experimenting with.

Thanks everyone!

[toveggiegirl]

It does seem like there is missing liquid.
Baking is so precise, I would probably try a new recipe before adjusting yours. You could try this recipe from LA's Buttercake Bakery that sounds very similar to yours but has a cup of milk. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/...

[middydd]

I think it probably needed a cup of milk/buttermilk instead of one of the sticks of butter.

[funniduck]

Liquids (milk, buttermilk, sour cream) release the carbon dioxide (gas) from the baking powder that make the cake rise. If I am using buttermilk or sour cream, you should add baking soda because of the higher acid levels in the buttermilk and they can release more gas.

[Steve]

Hwomuch baking soda should I add if using a cup of sourcream?

[PBSF]

If your recipe has 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda would be enough. If your recipe doesn't have salt, I would add 1/2 teaspoon, otherwise, the cake tastes flat. To add sour cream to the recipe: after beating in the the eggs, at low speed alternate the flour mixture (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and another other dry ingredients such as cocoa powder sifted together) with the sour cream in three additions. Mix only just to combine. Fold in chocolate morsels. The recipe should work. There are many good bundt cake recipes out there, therefore, trying a different recipe as suggested by an earlier poster might be a good idea.

[weezycom]

I would switch to cake flour and to sift before measuring. Then separate the eggs and whip the whites and fold in separately as the last step. Those two things should make for a less dense cake, if you want to keep to the same recipe.

[PBSF]

Without liquid, the batter is so dense that it is impossible to fold in the egg whites. There has to be some liquid to yield a lighter style bundt cake, otherwise, one would get a classic pound cake (the French Quatre Quarts). Cake flour is fine if one is looking for a very fine crumb, more of a melt in your mouth feel.

[chowser]

If you don't have cake flour at home (good luck finding any flour in a store right now), you can substitute 2 Tbsp of cornstarch for 2 Tbsp of flour for per cup of flour. You can also separate the eggs and beat the whites to peaks and then gently fold that into the mix. Also, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (light in color), more than just creaming. I think if you were to add a liquid/sour cream, it would make the cake even more dense. You could also mix the dry ingredients and then sift it over the wet, to minimize how much you mix it.

[Steve]

Thanks everyone for chiming in!

I remade the bundt cake. I think the first time I made it, I was following a post from the internet that left out the milk by accident.

As there was a wee bit o' snow, I decided to make the cake with what I had on hand. I added 1 cup of mostly sour cream with some milk. I added it as PBSF said. The recipe did include salt, but I didn't mention it as I didn't think it would affect density. Also, 2 tsp. of baking powder were in the recipe.

The cake came out much more like a picture perfect bundt cake. However, I did miss the chewy 'brownie' aspect of the first one I made. The grass is always greener, I guess. I think the next time I will add just a 1/2 cup of liquid and see how it goes.

Consumer note: my wife preferred the second version. The kids and I preferred the first. I think it has something to do with expectations. Someone expecting a classic bundt cake, or someone who is a cake lover in general would be appalled by the first version, but a dedicated 'brownie' person would have been pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for the insight and help!

[chowser]

For more "chew", try using brown sugar instead of white. AP flour instead of cake.