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40 Tips & Tricks Every Budding Baker Should Know

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Know the Phases of Whipped Egg Whites 19/40

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Know the Phases of Whipped Egg Whites

There are four distinct phases of beaten egg whites: foamy, soft peaks, firm peaks and over beaten. You don't want to get to the overbeaten stage, so here's how to distinguish each one. The foamy phase usually occurs after you've started beating the egg whites on low. They'll be liquidy and maybe have some bubbles. This is when you can increase the beating speed and power (progressively). You've entered the soft peak phase when the whites are actually white in color and form soft peaks that may slump over. You can either opt to stop here, depending on the recipe, or continue to the firm peaks phase, which is when you see peaks forming, and they don't budge. This is when you should stop! If you keep going, you'll get over beaten egg whites, which is when they begin to lose their structure and get grainy or liquidy. 


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Ingredients

  • 2 large water or soda bottles (empty)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Ready 2 large plastic bottles, cleaned and dried.
  3. Add 1 cup of flour to each bottle.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each.
  5. Melt butter, then add equal halves to each bottle.
  6. Add 6 eggs, 3 in each.
  7. Add 1/2 tbsp of baking powder to each.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to each.
  9. Shake the bottles thoroughly until the contents are well mixed.
  10. In one of the bottles only, add the cocoa powder.
  11. Beginning with the cocoa powder mixture, add a dolop of batter to the center of a circular
  12. baking tin. Do the same with the other mixture, placing the dolop directly in the center of the previous one.
  13. Continue with alternating additions of each mixture until all batter is used and the tin is full.
  14. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  15. Serve and enjoy!