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Butter sugar and eggs splitting
The last two cakes I have made the mixture has split once I get past the 5 egg mark. I do the usual add flour when adding the egg mixture a little at a time. Can you tell me why it is doing this and if it will affect my cakes. I’m now looking at two very large cakes cooling on the kitchen table and wondering what they are like inside. This has never happened to me before and I am worried I’m setting a trend. Advice would be appreciated.
ThankQ
The last two cakes I have made the mixture has split once I get past the 5 egg mark. I do the usual add flour when adding the egg mixture a little at a time. Can you tell me why it is doing this and if it will affect my cakes. I’m now looking at two very large cakes cooling on the kitchen table and wondering what they are like inside. This has never happened to me before and I am worried I’m setting a trend. Advice would be appreciated.
ThankQ
Hello AnnieLaurie
If this has never happened before it’s possible your eggs and butter were not the same temperature. Sometimes in warm weather eggs may still be colder than the butter at room temperature. If this happens the two ingredients will not emulsify very well and the mixture will split. Butter at room temperature should not be so soft that it is oily. It should still feel cool and leave finger indents when pressed.
Butter which is over soft becomes hot and oily during the beating process and will not mix nicely with the egg. It’s like trying to mix water and oil. The combined ingredients should look like mayonaise before adding more egg.
You’ve done the correct thing by adding a little flour to pull the mixture in and your cakes will be just fine. The worst thing that could happen is your cake may not be quite as tall. For more information take a peek here: http://www.cakeflix.com/questions/fruit-cake-mixture-splitting/
and my blog here: http://www.cakeflix.com/baking-the-perfect-cake-why-things-go-wrong/
Also take a look at Mrs Jones’ victoria cake tutorial for more beating and mixing guidance here:
Hope this helps.
ThankQ MIWL. You are always so knowledgeable and helpful.
When you give recommendations to view it would be really helpful if you could just click on the link and be taken there. Is this possible? Or am I missing a quick way to get there?
Unfortunately the site does not automatically highlight links. To highlight and open the link, place your cursor at the beginning of the link, catching only the words in the link and nothing before it. On your mouse left click, hold down and drag the cursor along the words to the end and no more. This will highlight the link in red. When you get to the end of the words, right click on the mouse and a menu will appear to your right. Left click on the words open link. That will open and take you to the link. To see more ways of opening links google ‘how to highlight and open a link’ .
I hope you manage to do it.
