The Egg Foam Method In Baking

The Egg Foam Method of Combining Ingredients When Baking

The egg foam method is the last of the series describing how to mix (combine) ingredients when baking with my friend and professional baker, Chef Jenni. She saved this method for last because it is the only method in which adding chemical leaveners is not the norm and is probably the trickiest mixing method.

Here's how Jenni describes the Egg Foam Method, and if you want to learn more about the other baking methods for combining ingredients, check out my post, Important Mixing Techniques For Baking.

The Egg Foam Method

The egg foam method creates light, airy cakes like genoise, macarons, sponge cake, and angel food cake. These batters are low in fat. Some use only the fat from egg yolks if the recipe calls for whole eggs. The method depends on eggs and steam to make the cake rise, giving it structure and lift.

Egg foam cakes are often dry and firm after baking. The dryness doesn’t come from gluten. It’s due to the high amount of eggs. To add moisture, brush cooled cakes with simple syrup.

Angel food cake doesn’t need syrup. The sugar in its batter keeps it moist. Sugar acts as a tenderizer. It’s also hygroscopic, meaning it pulls moisture from the air and holds it.

The process seems simple. You beat egg whites, whole eggs, or a mix of yolks and whites. Then, you sift the dry ingredients and gently fold them into the eggs. But don’t be fooled. It takes practice to get right.

Beating Egg Whites

The trickiest part? Beating egg whites correctly. How much sugar should you add? Should you use acid? A copper bowl?

Here’s the key: Use a clean, fat-free metal bowl and whisk. Even a small amount of fat prevents the whites from reaching full volume. Wipe your tools with lemon juice or vinegar, then rinse with hot water. There is no need to dry them—some water and acid help the foam.

Never use a plastic bowl. Plastic holds fat, even after washing.

Start beating the whites slowly. Once they turn frothy, increase the speed. Gradually add sugar. At this stage, you can add up to half the sugar from the recipe. This will give you a glossy, elastic foam that expands well in the oven.

Want perfect egg foam? Practice, prep your tools, and follow these steps.

The sugar will help to stabilize the foam and add to its elasticity.   We already know that sugar is hygroscopic and that it holds onto water. Sugar in an egg foam inhibits evaporation in the oven, allowing the proteins in the egg foam to set and ensuring a higher rise.

Beat the whites to medium peaks. When you turn the beater upside down, the peaks should curl like a soft-serve ice cream cone. If you beat the whites to stiff peaks before folding in the rest of the ingredients, you risk breaking down the foam.

If your foam has become grainy, it means it is broken. The protein matrix is destroyed, the bubbles are popping, and all the water leaches out of them—complete foam devastation. Throw it out and start again. So, let's not even call it medium peaks—let's call it "done" at the soft serve stage.

Once you've reached the soft serve sweet spot, it's imperative that you get your dry ingredients incorporated as quickly and as gently as possible.

Quickly, because, even with the addition of the sugar, meringue does not like to sit. So it will start to set up, and re-whisking will break it down.

Gently, because you've worked hard to build a stable foam, the last thing you want to do is crush it by dumping a ton of dry ingredients on top of it.

As you begin to whip your whites, sift all dry ingredients together. Keep your sifter out. Once the foam is at the soft-serve stage, immediately remove it to the largest metal bowl you have—it should be one of those wide, shallow bowls—perfect for folding. (If you're feeling gung ho, you can whip the whites by hand or with a hand mixer in the large bowl, so you don't have to move it).

Gently sift the dry ingredients evenly over the surface of the foam—you want to distribute the weight of the dry ingredients evenly over the foam. Finally, fold everything together gently but thoroughly with your largest spatula. You can even fold with a flat whisk if you have one.

Holding the bowl with one hand, cut straight through the batter in the center, sweep along the bottom of the bowl (the spatula's blade should be flat on the bottom), and come up the side of the bowl nearest you, folding the ingredients back toward the center. Turn the bowl ¼ turns or so, and repeat the motion.

Keep turning/cutting/sweeping/folding until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Yes, stirring would be faster, but you'd kill your foam.

Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food pan (2 parts), run a knife through it to remove any large air pockets, and bake. Then, let it cool upside down in the pan.

Whole Egg (Genoise) versus Separated Egg (Sponge)

Now that you know the basics, let’s look at two variations: the whole egg (genoise) method and the separated egg (sponge) method.

Beating Whole Eggs for Genoise
When you beat whole eggs, it takes about ten minutes to reach full volume at medium to medium-high speed. You’ll know they’re ready when the mixture looks like sabayon. Drop some batter back into the bowl. It should sit on top in a pile for at least five seconds before sinking.

Count it out—one Mississippi, two Mississippi, up to five. If the batter sinks before five, keep beating. Don’t rush. The yolk’s fat works against you, so reach full volume before folding in dry ingredients. Otherwise, your cake will fall flat.

Beating Separated Eggs for Sponge Cake

You’ll beat whole eggs (or just yolks) and whites separately for sponge cakes like ladyfingers. Start with the yolks or whole eggs. Use the same Mississippi test to check if they’re ready. Set the mixture aside in a large bowl. Don’t worry—it stays stable while you whip the whites.

Next, beat the whites with some sugar. While they whip, sift your dry ingredients. When the whites are stiff, pour them over the yolk mixture. Then, sift the dry ingredients over everything.

Folding It All Together

Fold all three parts gently but thoroughly. Some recipes say to fold two parts first, then add the third. Skip that. Folding everything at once reduces folding time and keeps more air in the batter.

Less folding, more volume. That’s the secret to a perfect sponge or genoise!