Realized my cakes were dry because I stopped creaming butter long enough

I used to beat butter and sugar until they 'look combined' maybe 2-3 minutes tops. Then I timed things last Sunday and went a full 5 minutes until the mix was super light and fluffy. First time my vanilla layer cake didn't come out crumbly and dry. I guess I was just under aerating the whole time. Has anyone else noticed a big difference when you actually count the minutes on creaming?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_white9d ago

Blew my mind when I actually timed it. I always just went by feel, like "okay that looks fluffy enough." Then I tried stubbornly creaming for 6 full minutes with my stand mixer on medium and the batter literally doubled in volume. My chocolate cake turned out so light it almost felt like a different recipe. Now I set a timer on my phone every single time. Its embarrassing how long I just guessed at it.

wells.olivia8d ago

Does that timer trick work with stand mixers that have a weirdly uneven bowl like the one @ray_miller84 mentioned in the other thread? My KitchenAid takes forever to actually scrape the sides.

ray_miller848d ago

Yeah the "fluffy enough" thing got me too. I read somewhere that creaming butter and sugar actually traps air bubbles in the butter's fat molecules, and if you don't go long enough those bubbles just collapse and you end up with a dense cake. Something about the sugar crystals cutting into the butter to make those little pockets of air. Six minutes sounds like forever but I tried it with my hand mixer and it really did make a difference. I still catch myself guessing sometimes though, especially when I'm in a rush.