How to make a tall and fluffy cake

When we start to prepare a cake we think that there is one thing that we want to achieve above all, and that is that a super spongy cake rises and comes out . To do this, there are some tips and tricks that are very useful, and you don't have to be a super chef to follow them.

Here are the most popular tips to get perfect sponge cakes that are fluffy, tall and do not crack during baking.

Tricks to get a sponge cake

To get a cake that rises and is very spongy, there are several aspects to take into account, related to:

• mold preparation,
• the preparation of the dough,
• the quality of the ingredients,
• and the baking.

Let's go get them! At the end of the post I leave you with a few super fluffy cake recipes to put it all into practice.

1. Choice and preparation of the mold for the cake to rise:

• Remember to the extent that you can always use ceramic molds to make cakes. Contrary to others, it is a humid material, which will help to maintain humidity in the cake (steel dries them out).
• Choose the right mold: if you want the cake to rise, it is ideal to choose a tall mold , to help it rise.
• If you want to make tall cakes from the recipes you follow, use a mold with a smaller diameter than the one recommended in the recipe (but with taller walls), so with the same dough you will get a taller cake.
• Grease the mold well with butter or spray : we don't want the dough to stick or it will prevent the dough from rising. That is why it is important to brush the entire surface of the mold very well with butter, so that the cake really climbs through it. You can also coat it with flour, or replace the butter with release spray .
• Never fill the mold to the top, or it will overflow. Always fill the mold up to 3/4 parts of the mold, to allow room for it to climb.

2. How to make the cake dough so that it is fluffy:

Although it is not essential, there is a trick that is very helpful, and that is to separate the whites from the yolks :

• Preparation of the whites: start beating the whites until pale, and then add half the sugar. Keep beating and mount them to the point of snow.

This step is very important, and it is vital that you always use a manual whisk or an electric whisk : with the whisk you will help to incorporate air into the mixture (as opposed to using a cutting whisk or a fork), air that then it will give fluffiness to the cake.

• Preparation of the yolks: on the other hand, mix the yolks with the rest of the ingredients of your recipe (oil, fruit zest, vanilla essence, flour, yeast, the rest of the sugar... everything that the recipe includes) . It is interesting to do it in a large bowl , in which you work comfortably, because when you have it well mixed, you will add the whites that you have mounted separately to this mass.

• Make the mixture of the two parts: To mix the dough that you have prepared and the egg whites, it is very important to make enveloping movements. That is, with the help of a large spatula , mix from the bottom up, along the side of the bowl and towards the center, wrapping the mixture. You can keep turning the bowl to help this movement to wrap all the dough. It is important to do it gently, taking care of the dough. It is important to respect it and mix just enough to achieve a good integration, because with each movement the whites will lose air (the more they will lose the more abrupt you are), which does not matter: remember that the air that you have incorporated with the shake is the one that it will give it fluffiness, and you don't want to lose it.

To get a sponge cake, choose the mold well (one that is tall, like the Push Pan ), separate the whites from the yolks (an egg separator is very helpful) and beat the whites until stiff with a hand whisk or an electric mixer to incorporate air before incorporating them into the rest of the preparation.

3. About the ingredients:

• All the ingredients, especially the eggs, but as well as milk, juice and butter, should be at room temperature.
• The eggs are fresh (fresh on date, not on temperature!) and of good quality.
• It is recommended to use pastry flour , because a flour with an inadequate amount of gluten can prevent it from rising correctly.
• Put the amount of flour indicated in the recipe (if you put too much, it may not rise well).
• Also make sure that the flour is in good condition: a flour that has been open for a long time, with humidity, that is expired... It will once again prevent the cake from rising.
• Sift the flour before incorporating it : by sifting the flour you will make it loose, airy and without lumps. All this will help the cake to rise more easily and be more spongy.

Use a wide bowl and a large spatula to work comfortably and effectively. Before incorporating the flour, sift it with a sieve .

4. How to properly bake a cake

• Always preheat the oven a little more than the baking temperature, since when you open it to insert the mold, the oven will lose a little temperature (preheat to 185-190ºC and change to 170-175ºC when you insert the mold).
• Do not put the mold in the oven until the oven is hot.
• The cake needs time to develop, it has to rise slowly. If it rises too quickly or browns early on, it means the temperature is too high and you need to turn it down. But each oven is different, so it is interesting to adjust the temperature that each one requires after the experience (perhaps 170º in one oven is 180º in another...).
• Use an oven thermometer to find out the actual temperature of the oven - most ovens do not work correctly or indicate the temperature incorrectly. With a thermometer you will know at what temperature you really have it at all times (and it will be very useful for everything, not only biscuits but also for cooking meat and fish in the oven).
• Remember that the oven should not be opened during baking when making cakes, or they won't rise properly (oven temperature changes drastically and can drop the cake instantly or cause it to stop rising).
• You can bake the first 15 minutes with the oven only turned on from below, to help the cake rise through the base, and then heat up and down.
• If you doubt your oven, cover the cake with baking paper or aluminum foil, loosely and without touching the dough (remember that it will rise!). This way the surface will not be made from the start and the dough will be able to rise more easily, to get a tall and spongy cake.
• Never bake cakes with the air function , if you can avoid it. The air dries out the biscuits a lot, apart from the fact that it heats up the dough very quickly, so much so that it doesn't give them enough time to rise at their own pace.
• Put a ramekin filled with water in the oven. It will generate steam and moisten the dough, making it more tender, the crust won't harden as easily, and it will rise higher.

Additional note about baking:

• Often we believe that the cake is done and we prick it with a toothpick to check that it is still missing, since the inside is still very raw. Before piercing it, you can move the mold (the cake) with some kitchen gloves, to see if the central part of the cake moves: if it is raw you will appreciate how the central part moves as if it were jelly. If that is the case, leave it a while longer; if it does not move, you can check that it is indeed well done by poking it and seeing if there are any wet remains in the dough.
• After baking, leave a few minutes for the cake to settle, lose heat and the steam retained in the dough. You will see that the flavors shine more when it is not hot and it will also be more convenient for the stomach that the cake has rested.

Super fluffy sponge cake recipes

If you want to start preparing sponge cakes, you will be interested in these recipes:

• Japanese Cheesecake or 3 Ingredient Cake
• Traditional yogurt sponge cake
• Sponge cake or "pa de pessic" with 3 ingredients
• Lemon cake
• Angel food cake or white cake
• Orange chiffon cake with chocolate glaze and candied oranges

Post updated in October 2021