Cooking For Engineers

TasteEverything · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Fargo, ND

My baker has a cake recipe which calls for both baking powder and baking soda. Can she safely double those ingredients when doubling the recipe? She's been having trouble with the cake falling and I think this may be the problem. All of her procedures are correct, so I was very confused about the trouble until she told me about doubling the ingredients today. Any thoughts?
-Patrick

GaryProtein · Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 535

You can double those ingredients when doubling the recipe in many but not all cakes.

If you are making this cake for a special occasion, I recommend making the recipe twice (side by side) and not doubling it in one large aliquot, especially if the recipe specifies adding wet and dry ingredients in an alternating fashion to completion. If the recipe calls for everything geting dumped together and mixed, you can most likely just double everything.

alison - uk · Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 17 Location: UK

When you say there's trouble with the cake 'falling' do you mean it's sinking in the middle?

I know nothing of 'aliquot's but I do know that when a cake mixture containing raising agents is mixed with liquids they need to go in the oven immediately. The liquid starts the raising action straightaway, & if the mixture hangs around for any length of time it will diminish & the cake won't rise properly.

It's also worth checking the use-by dates on the BP & BS packs, as they may be out of date.

I'm very wary of doubling-up on any recipe. For instance, if making a chilli with a pound of ground beef & one tablespoon of chilli powder, if you make that 2 pounds of beef & 2 tablespoons of chilli powder you know for sure that's it's going to be inedible.

Cake making is almost an exact science where the correct measurements are vital to the success of the finished product, I would have expected your baker to have known this.

MrPrezident · Joined: 31 May 2008 Posts: 9

alison - uk · Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 17 Location: UK

D'you know what, I can't actually tell you, but believe me
it's true, as I know from experience. I made a chilli doing
exactly that & had to cook an extra pound of beef & onion
without chilli to add to the original mix to temper it.

I've posted on food websites for years, & this has come up
so many times. There has to be some scientific 'law'
regarding the doubling-up of flavouring ingredients. It's the
same with many herbs, spices, syrups, sweetners etc.
Caution is the word.

DrBiggles · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 356 Location: Richmond, CA

alison - uk · Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 17 Location: UK

For a pound of beef?

But bear in mind I'm British, not a lot of us here
have got a handle on chilli yet, we even add red
kidney beans to ours Laughing Out Loud

which I
know is a travesty in the southern states.

Except for the larger cities most of our readily
available fresh chillies are for Indian/Kashmiri/Thai
dishes (which we do incredibly well) so most of us
have to rely on powdered blends for chilli.

SirShazar · Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 89

DrBiggles · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 356 Location: Richmond, CA

danicamoore · Joined: 16 Sep 2009 Posts: 58 Location: Illinois

We are starting to discuss things that is too far from the question. Well I guess It's not actually the same concept with doubling-up the ingredients of cakes and for meat. I am not sure about this maybe but I am quite sure it won't be the same with the one you guys are talking about.