Heavy, medium or light-textured sponge cake?

As previously discussed, there are different types of sponge cake, made according to different baker’s maths, techniques and methods.

Today I want to talk about the “heaviness” of sponge cake.

Based on the amounts of sugar and flour related to the quantity of eggs, we get very different structural results.

In this article I will deal with three types of balancing, referring to the cold whipped method with whole eggs.

In the photo, starting from the bottom upwards:
light texture

medium texture

heavy texture

The first thing that catches your eye is the thickness:

the difference among these three is given by the quantity of whipped dough in a cake pan of the same diameter (in this case 20 cm):

• in the case of heavy-textured dough the total weight of the ingredients is 450g
• in the medium-textured dough it is 360g
• in the light-textured dough it is 270g

Thickness is a parameter that can be adjusted increasing the ingredients amounts of the medium and light-textured doughs.

My aim here is to discuss their structural differences.

Heavy-textured Cake

• 33% eggs
• 33% sugar
• 33% flour

Eggs, sugar and flour are generally contained in equal weight (in this case for a 20 cm diameter cake pan: 150 g eggs,150 g sugar, 150 g flour).

With this ratio cavities are very small and the cake scaffold is quite sturdy:

this type of sponge cake is widely used in the case of monumental cakes and in cake design because of its resistance to cream and sugar paste. It lends itself well to moistening and filling without deforming excessively.

Medium-textured cake

• 41% eggs
• 29,5% sugar
• 29,5% flour

The quantities of eggs, sugar and flour differ (in this case, for a 20 cm diameter cake pan: 150 g eggs, 105 g sugar, 105 g flour).

The cavities are slightly more expanded and the cake structure is weaker than the heavy-textured one.

This type of sponge cake is the most suitable for stuffed cakes and for desserts that do not require a very compact structure.

Both damp layers and cream stuffings have a good grip with this structure.

Light-textured cake

• 55% eggs
• 22,5% sugar
• 22,5% flour

Also in this case, the cake contains eggs, sugar and flour in different quantities (in this case, for a 20 cm diameter cake pan: 150 g eggs, 60 g sugar, 60 g flour).

This light structure is suitable for desserts that do not require particular stability.

Thanks to its elasticity this dough can be easily rolled, which is why some people use it to make roulades.

It is less sweet and less resistant to moistening.

Have a nice dessert… no matter if heavy or light-textured!