Emma Miller
For many housewives, biscuits are the most difficult baked goods to make. While the recipes are relatively simple, not everyone makes perfect biscuit cakes. Anyone who has ever tried to bake something knows that making biscuits is not the easiest task. Unlike puff pastry, a biscuit is a very capricious dough. It is a biscuit that may not rise, maybe soggy on the inside, may taste rubbery, or may be completely dry.
Why sponge cake fails
There are a huge number of reasons why a biscuit may not turn out. If you don’t beat the eggs well enough, the dough will rise but then fall off. If you open the oven while cooking, the dough will not rise at all.
Too much flour or sugar will make the dough stiff, and too high a baking temperature will prevent the biscuit from baking inside. The crust will appear ruddy on top, while the inside of the biscuit will still be raw.
What to do if the sponge cake does not rise
The main reason for the biscuit not rising is badly beaten eggs. Eggs should be beaten with sugar into a white puffy foam and only then combined with flour.
Also, note that it is strictly forbidden to open the oven while the biscuit is baking. By opening the oven door you lower the baking temperature.
If you have started baking a biscuit and it does not rise, you will not be able to correct the situation. It will be easier and more effective to make a new batter and bake the cake, taking into account the previous mistakes.
Why the sponge cake is heavy
The main reason for a heavy biscuit is a broken recipe and improper selection of ingredients. Excessive flour in the dough will make the biscuit heavy. In addition to flour, the dough can be ruined by extra eggs and butter. Also, note that biscuit dough does not like long kneading and especially does not tolerate adding flour. The more you knead the dough and add flour, the greater the chance that you will simply ruin it
What to do if your sponge cake is soggy on the inside
If your biscuit has a crust on top but is still soggy inside, you can still save it. Reduce the temperature in the oven, if possible – turn off the top ten. Lower the baking tray with the dough and bake until done.
What to do to keep biscuits from settling
To prevent the biscuit from settling, introduce the beaten eggs into the batter very gently. If you add the beaten eggs quickly, the biscuit will definitely shrink, as mixing the dough quickly with the beaten eggs will burst the air bubbles that were in the beaten whites.
Why the biscuit is dense
The most common cause of a dense biscuit is a clogged batter. Excess flour will make the dough dense and the biscuit will not turn out. Also, if the eggs have not been beaten well, the air bubbles in the batter will settle and the biscuit will be dense.
Why sponge cake is rubbery
If you violate the recipe and add too much sugar to the dough, the biscuit will turn out rubbery.
Also, the biscuit can turn out rubbery if you have used unsifted flour.
Another reason for a rubbery biscuit is that the flour is not properly combined with the beaten eggs. For a perfect biscuit, you need to whip the whites into a fluffy froth and only then carefully add the flour. Combine the whites and flour only with a spatula. Using a mixer is strictly forbidden.
What to do if the biscuit is hard
If you leave the finished cake in the oven until it cools completely, it will turn out hard. The fact is that even turned off the oven stays hot and the cake will give up moisture. As a result, 30 minutes in an oven that is off but hot will turn your biscuit into a dry cake.
A hard biscuit can be grazed by soaking but don’t overdo it so it doesn’t become soggy.
If you want to make a soft biscuit, you not only need to take it out of the oven immediately after turning it off but make sure to soak it.
Why won’t the biscuit rise around the edges?
The biscuit will not rise around the edges if you grease the mold with butter. The dough will slide around the oiled edges of the mold. The result will be a mountain in the center of your biscuit, but it will not rise to the edges. If you are not sure of your baking sheet, use parchment paper, but never butter the sheet before baking the sponge cakes.
Why the top of the sponge cake is sticky
Your sponge cake will turn out sticky if you set the baking temperature too low. The optimal baking temperature for a biscuit is 180-200 degrees. At a baking temperature of 150-160 degrees, the biscuit will be sticky.
As a rule, this problem is encountered by hostesses who have an old-style stove and an oven without a temperature scale. In this case, you will have to learn to set the correct temperature by eye by trial and error.
Why does the middle of the biscuit not rise?
The main reason for such a problem is the wrong baking temperature. If you set the temperature too high, the biscuit will simply not have time to rise in the middle.
Another reason that the middle of the biscuit does not rise is not properly beaten eggs. Many housewives prefer not to separate the yolks from the whites, but professional chefs agree that for a perfect biscuit, you need to separate the yolks from the whites, whip them separately, and only then combine them with flour.
Why can’t I make a buttermilk sponge cake?
Buttermilk biscuits do not like high temperatures. If you set the temperature too high your biscuit will burn on top, but will not bake inside.
Much depends on the fat content and quality of the kefir. The fatter the kefir, the more delicious your biscuit will be. Another important point: kefir should be room temperature or slightly warm. Adding kefir to the dough from the fridge is strictly prohibited.
Also note that if you make a sponge cake on kefir, you need to add to the dough a little baking soda. There is no need to put out the baking soda, the kefir will extinguish it.
Why does the cocoa cake not rise?
Biscuits with cocoa will not rise if you put the dough in a cold, not preheated oven. Also, cocoa biscuits will not rise if you use a mixer to combine the whipped whites and flour. The whites should be combined with the flour only with a spatula and in no other way.
