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Mark Floerke
 
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Default Cake texture help

Reading the ingredient declaration will give you a lot of information on
what you are getting in to before you buy it. If starch or modified starch
is high on the list, it might be a bit gummy in texture and lack strength.
Things like wheat flour, whey, barely flour, soy flour, milk powder, egg
albumen all add strength.
Just add water mixes usually have powdered egg already in the mix. Adding
an egg will give some strength but may also increase aeration in mixing and
emulsifying beyond the capacity of the batter structure to maintain the gas
expansion. i.e. the cake could collapse in the oven if over mixed.
The old adage of you get what you pay for usually applies as well.

Mr. Pastry

"Roy Basan" > wrote in message
om...
> (Jayne Doe) wrote in message

. com>...
> > I recently made a cake from a pudding-type box mix. It smelled
> > terrific, but it had no body to it. It fell apart as I was frosting
> > the bottom layer and would certainly never made it throught the
> > ganache I prepared for the top.
> > Any suggestions on how to amend a box mix to give the cake more
> > density without going as far as pound cake?

>
> They are usually weak bodied cakes due to high moisture content.
> That is why I usually add more eggs to the recipe but reduced the
> water so that your cake will be stable.
> In that way I was able to produce a cake that is stable to covering
> with icing.
> Some boxed cakes used only 2 eggs and a cup or more of water.
> If you increased the level to 3 eggs but reduced the water
> correspondingly to accomodate the moisture in eggs the cakes will come
> out stable.
> Another peculiarity is some of this cakes need add water only.
> If that is what you have adding eggs and oil will improve the cake
> structure and strength.
> Roy