Developing Texture

Both the uniform mixing of ingredients and the formation of air cells are important to a cake’s texture, as we discussed in the preceding sections. Another factor of mixing that affects texture is gluten development. For the most part, we want very little gluten development in cakes, so we use cake flour, which is low in gluten. Some sponge cake formulas call for cornstarch to replace part of the flour, so there is even less gluten (the high percentage of eggs in sponge cakes provides much of the structure). On the other hand, some pound cake and fruit cake formulas need more gluten than other cakes for extra structure and to support the weight of the fruit. Thus, you will sometimes see such cake formulas calling for part cake flour and part bread flour.