Bad chocolate cake: Problem with recipe or me?

[Teeth Brusher]

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting. I’m excited to learn more about baking.

I tried a no-electric mixer recipe for chocolate cake, and the result was not great. The flavor was so-so, but the texture was totally wrong. The cake came out quite rubbery.

I’m wondering if the problem is the recipe or my poor technique? If the recipe doesn’t reflect any glaring issues, perhaps I over-mixed the batter? I really tried to avoid this.

The ingredients were:

4.25 oz (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coffee, warm not boiling hot
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

One alteration I made was using cake flour instead of AP. I’m not sure that substitution would result in a rubbery texture, but I’m an amateur to cake making.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting. I’m excited to learn more about baking.

I tried a no-electric mixer recipe for chocolate cake, and the result was not great. The flavor was so-so, but the texture was totally wrong. The cake came out quite rubbery.

I’m wondering if the problem is the recipe or my poor technique? If the recipe doesn’t reflect any glaring issues, perhaps I over-mixed the batter? I really tried to avoid this.

The ingredients were:

4.25 oz (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coffee, warm not boiling hot
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

One alteration I made was using cake flour instead of AP. I’m not sure that substitution would result in a rubbery texture, but I’m an amateur to cake making.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome to the forum. I’m glad you posted the recipe and your substitution as it really helps in troubleshooting.

I think the substitution of cake flour was the major problem

Cake flour is more finely ground and contains less protein. So by volume a cup of cake flour weighs 113 grams.

So if you are measuring by volume you need to use one cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour for 1 cup all purpose flour.

Depending on brand, all purpose flour has a protein content between 10% – 11.7%.

Cake flour has a protein content of about 8%. The lower protein means it absorbs less moisture. That’s part of the reason your cake was rubbery. The cake flour was not able to absorb all the moisture.

Cake flour is also bleached. Bleached flour absorbs moisture differently than unbleached flour. So The difference in grind, protein content, and bleaching really changes the performance of the flour compared to AP flour.

When you substitute one flour for the other you have to make adjustments in the hydration accordingly. Less hydration if you substitute cake flour for AP flour; more hydration if you substitute AP flour for cake flour.

Given this recipe is written in volume rather than weight, it’s not possible to determine the hydration to flour ratio. So the hydration cannot be properly adjusted for the cake flour substitution in this recipe.

So I would recommend you use AP flour. A lower protein, bleached AP flour, such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury, will produce a finer crumb than a higher protein unbleached flour like King Arthur.

If you would like to use cake flour I would recommend you find a recipe that was formulated with cake flour. In that way the hydration levels will be appropriate for the flour.

Regarding flavor and texture...the ingredients make it possible to use either natural or Dutch processed cocoa powder.

Natural cocoa powder is on the acidic side. So it requires an alkaline like baking soda.

Dutch processed cocoa powder is alkaline so it requires an acid. This recipe contains two acids, baking powder and yogurt. So you can use dutch process (alkaline) cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder has a more intense chocolate flavor. You may find it gives you better flavor than natural cocoa powder.

You can also improve both flavor and texture by substituting sour cream for the yogurt. Since sour cream has a higher fat content than yogurt, so it produces a better mouth feel.

Sour cream and kefir make a nice combination of dairy fats for cake as well.

 

[Teeth Brusher]

WOWOWOWOWOW. Thank you so much for this detailed and immensely helpful explanation!!

Before baking, I converted all of the measurements from volume to weight, but I don’t have my “cooking lab notebook” handy lol.

This all makes so much sense. I was really rather doubtful I overmixed the batter. Your comments on cake flour are so helpful. From my limited reading on baking from blogs, I thought that cake flour was supposed to help yield a softer, lighter cake. I wanted to go this route as I don’t have an electric mixer and was concerned the cake would turn out more like a quick bread. I see I was utterly wrong! I will try to avoid being so cavalier with baking recipe substitutions in the future!

Thank you so much again!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

WOWOWOWOWOW. Thank you so much for this detailed and immensely helpful explanation!!

Before baking, I converted all of the measurements from volume to weight, but I don’t have my “cooking lab notebook” handy lol.

This all makes so much sense. I was really rather doubtful I overmixed the batter. Your comments on cake flour are so helpful. From my limited reading on baking from blogs, I thought that cake flour was supposed to help yield a softer, lighter cake. I wanted to go this route as I don’t have an electric mixer and was concerned the cake would turn out more like a quick bread. I see I was utterly wrong! I will try to avoid being so cavalier with baking recipe substitutions in the future!

Thank you so much again!

You are very welcome. You’re correct cake flour indeed makes a much finer crumb. For some cakes I will not use any other flour and cake flour.

But the key is the recipe must be formulated for the specific type of flour used and appropriate for the application. For instance high protein bread flour can be used in more than bread when the recipe is formulated correctly. I use it in cookies, sweet rolls, and delicate puff pastry. Even pate a choux.

It’s great that you are baking by weight. Volume is just so inaccurate. You are on the right path.

 

[Teeth Brusher]

Thank you!! I think maybe I should give that recipe another try! Although I’m seeing a lot about Victorian sponge cake, and it’s giving me a massive craving.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thank you!! I think maybe I should give that recipe another try! Although I’m seeing a lot about Victorian sponge cake, and it’s giving me a massive craving.

Ohhh. Several of us just had a discussion on the Victoria! I’d highly recommend the Women’s Institute (WI) recipe. I included it in the thread. Link below.

The WI is considered the foremost authority on the Victoria sponge. So they are very specific about what goes in it, and, more important what does not go in it. Their recipe works.

https://www.baking-forums.com/threads/simple-cake-failure.4833/#post-35679

The mixing method uses an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar. But you can cream by hand. Use soft butter and a fork or hand whisk—not a spoon as many recipes instruct. Creaming is mechanical leavening. The back side of the spoon will never create the aeration needed to give good rise.

 

[Teeth Brusher]

YESYESYESYES!! Thank you so much for this recipe and thank you for addressing my electric mixer deficit.

Oh wow, I really appreciate your tip concerning the spoon v. fork/whisk. I’ve often wondered about the utility of a spoon in creaming butter. I wondered how a spoon would be able to make the butter “light” when you’re basically beating it down with a flat surface.

This is why I’m enjoying baking so much! I really like the observation of basic science principles guiding the process.