The Function of Eggs in Cake
This is the fourth in a series of 7 “Cake Batter” classes. This article will explore an important ingredient in cake batter, eggs.
In the 3rd class we looked at one of the cake structure-builders, flour. We learned that low protein, chlorinated cake flour produced a cake with a light and tender texture. Now it’s time to learn about the other structure-builder for cake batter, eggs.
To learn detailed information about the composition and science of eggs as an ingredient, please visit the Baking Ingredients – Eggs page. This class will focus specifically on eggs in pound cake batter.
The Function of Eggs in Cake Batter:
The most important job of eggs in a cake batter is to contribute structure in the form of proteins from both the yolk and the white. The protein coagulates as the cake bakes and, along with the starch from the flour, forms the cake crumb.
So what does all this mean for our pound cake recipe? It means we can alter the cake significantly by manipulating the number of eggs, yolks and whites in the batter.
What Egg yolks do in cake batter
The yolk contributes protein, but also some fat, flavor, and emulsifying lecithin. Because emulsifiers hold water and fat together, adding extra egg yolks to the batter enables the batter to hold extra liquid and, consequently, extra sugar. This helps create a moister and sweeter cake that will still bake up with a good structure rather than falling into a gooey mass.
What Egg whites do in cake batter
When separated from the yolks and whipped to a foam, egg whites can be used to leaven a cake. Whipping egg whites has the same effect as cooking whites- the proteins unfold, reattach and trap water. Since the whipped whites are already partially “cooked” they don’t contribute as strongly to the structure of the cake.
In my testing I found that a cake made with the same proportion of yolks and whites had a softer texture when the whites were whipped and folded into the batter.
How to adjust the proportion of eggs in your cake recipe
- If you find your cake recipe tends to be on the dry side, try swapping out some of the egg whites for extra yolks.
- If you find your cake has a poor structure or is gummy, you can add some extra whites.
- To lighten a cake texture without adding more baking powder separate and whip the whites, then fold them into the batter.
Testing different amounts of eggs in cake batter:
I wanted to see how changing the number of yolks and whites in our pound cake recipe would affect the final product. So I baked six cakes, changing the number of yolks and whites for each test.
I kept the other ingredients (butter, sugar, flour) to 8 oz each. Though I varied the number of yolks and whites, I kept the total weight of eggs for each test at 8 oz.
For the last two tests I separated the eggs, whipped the whites with 2 oz of the sugar, and folded them into the batter before baking.
There is no “right” answer as to which outcome is the best. It’s a matter of taste and what works for your purposes. But knowing how to use eggs to tweak your recipes is a valuable tool for every baker.
You can learn how I used this information to create a great White Cake Recipe from my Vanilla Butter Cake Recipe.
Other cake batter classes:
Next up: Cake Batter Class #5 will explore the function of sugar in a pound cake recipe.
- About Reverse Creaming
- The function of salt and baking powder in cake batter
- The function of flour in cake batter
- The function of fat in cake batter
- The Cake recipe formula
When we’re done experimenting with all the ingredients for this “cake batter” course, we’ll use all we’ve learned to create Pound Cake Perfection.
So, just to clarify your process, you’re separating the eggs, whipping whites, and when you say folding that into batter, does that mean you have creamed the butter and yolks together, mixed them into the dry ingredients, and are now folding egg whites into that?
Well, this post is meant as more general information about how eggs work in cake batter. The process will vary based on the specific recipe. For my Vanilla Butter Cake I like to separate the eggs, mix the batter and then fold the whipped whites in at the end.
Hi Eileen, thanks for making this post. I realized my cakes come out too sweet. I use the same amount of sugar as my friend but mine often yields a more sugary result. I saw from your post that eggs hold extra sugar, could it be that I’m using more eggs than necessary? or there’s something else I’m not doing right? More Details, I use 500g butter (well creamed), 500g flour, 350g sugar and 12 eggs
What size eggs are you using? Large eggs. 12 large eggs would be about 550-600 grams. That’s a little heavy. Your recipe is very close the the original pound cake recipe which uses equal weights of flour-butter-sugar-eggs. I can’t say why your cakes differ from your friend’s cakes without seeing both recipes and know how you measure your ingredients, what type of flour you use and what size eggs.
Thank you for doing this research! very interesting!
I understand that it is a matter of taste, yet I am curious as to which result you liked the best.
If you look at my Pound Cake Perfection recipe you’ll see the final result of all the testing.
Hey Eileen!
Baking is obviously a skill one cannot acquire without much practice. This article helped so thankyou so much!
However I have a question. I have a habit of collecting egg yolk since my dad is diabetic and he doesn’t take it for breakfast.
There are times when I run low on eggs when I am baking and that is when the collected egg yolk may come in handy; only if I knew how much to use. Could you please answer this for me? like if I have to use 3 eggs for a recipe, how much egg yolk should I use so that it doesn’t make much difference?
I’d be glad if you helped!
Egg yolks and eggs whites will behave differently in the dough, as you learned in this article. If the eggs in a recipe don’t do a lot of the structural work (like for cookies) then I would say you could use egg yolks at the same weight as the whole eggs. But for other recipes, like cakes, that rely on the egg whites to provide some of the structure I would be careful not to overdo it with the yolks as you could compromise the structure. A great way to use yolks is for making custards. I have an entire collection of recipes that use more yolks than whites.
Hello,
I AM STUDYING GCSE FOOD AND NUTRITION AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE EGG DOES IN A CAKE. PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
Well, hopefully this article answers your questions. Let me know if you have any specific questions that aren’t answered in the post.