There are many different cake batter options for making cake, and the type of batter you choose will depend on your personal preference. Here is information on the primary batters used to make cakes, along with information about what they’re like once baked.
What Kind Of Batter Do You Use To Make A Cake?
The three types of batters you can use to make cakes are the creaming method, the reverse creaming method, and the oil-based method. The most popular method used is the creaming method as it creates a soft and fluffy moist cake that most people love.
Here’s a table just showing an overview of how you usually mix the ingredients and in what order based on the batter that you choose..
| Type Of Cake Batter | Method To Create Batter | Texture created once baked |
| Creaming Method | Mix the butter and sugar first until creamed. Then add egg one at a time and then the dry ingredients | Light and fluffy |
| Reverse Creaming Method | Mix the flour and a fat (butter) until combined and fluffy then add the dry ingredients and follow with the wet ingredients | Fine crumb and super soft |
| Oil Based | Mix the wet ingredients including oil and then the dry ingredients separately and then combine. You can mix with a spoon or spatula | Super moist! |
Creaming method
This method includes mixing the butter and sugar together until it creates a creamy fluffy batter. Once this is created then the egg is added one at a time and then the drying ingredients are added. The creaming method creates a fluffy and soft moist cake because of the fats.
Given the order that the ingredients that go into this recipe, you have to be aware of not over-mixing because of gluten development.
This batter makes sponge cakes.
Reverse creaming method
The reverse creaming method is, even more, softer than the creaming method and has a very fine crumb. This method is great especially if you’re new at making cakes and you’re not quite sure when to stop mixing. Given the way, the ingredients start it allows for the gluten to develop slower so it’s harder to overmix when completing this method.
First, you will start with flour and a fat and mix it until creamy, then you add all the dry ingredients and then you add the wet ingredients once everything is combined. Hence why it’s called reversed creaming.
This batter makes White Cake.
You can also check out this article about more different types of methods of cakes beyond this.
Oil-based Method
The oil method cake is very easy to make and the difference is instead of using butter you use oil to make your cake. The cake is very moist because of the oil base. You will mix the wet ingredients together first and then mix the dry ingredients and mix the rest until combined.
This can be mixed by hand and it’s one of the easiest cakes to make because you don’t need any machines you don’t have to worry about if you have the right consistency of the batter. The ingredients that are included in this oil-based method itself is very easy to mix together and combine and bake.
This batter makes carrot cake and vanilla cake.
You’re now in a much better position to make a choice about what kind of batter to use when making your cake.
We’re going to talk more about the batter and how long it’s good for once mixed and just things you need to know about the batter.
How Long Is Cake Batter Good For After Mixed?
How long your cake batter is good for is dependent on the ingredients added to the cake. If you have baking soda mixed into your batter this is going to account for how long your cake batter would be good for as soon as you mix it. Baking soda once mixed within a recipe combined with acid will start to rise and create gases/bubbles. This will double in size once it connects with heat.
This doesn’t mean that the cake is going to rise right before your eyes but leaving the cake batter for more than 30 minutes runs the risk of the baking soda starting to create gasses and rise.
Think of it as a balloon being blown up and then as it sits there it starts to deflate. That’s what happens to the cake. When you decide to leave the batter for a while you run the risk of the cake not baking properly or not rising just because you decided to leave it out on the counter for an extra 30 minutes to an hour and not put it in the oven right away.
Baking powder is usually added in combination with baking soda and the baking powder is what helps to slow down the rising From baking soda.
Now there are some cases where you would hear people who have left it for an hour on the counter or in the fridge and nothing happened. But it’s the exception to the rule because most times when you leave it you risk the leavening agent starting to get weaker and having a cake that doesn’t rise after all that work.
Despite what others may say it is highly recommended to set aside time. So if you are making a batter put it in the oven right away and avoid leaving it for later. If you can’t bake it right away don’t make the batter.
How Can You Tell If Cake Batter Is Bad?
One of the ways to tell if your batter is bad is if it’s really sticky, super thick, and very difficult to pour in a pan. Basically, you are using a spoon to force the batter to spread in the pan. The way your batter feels and looks will determine how good your cake comes out.
As a result, this makes the cake come out really uneven once baked and in some instances the cake not tasting good.
Using The Wrong Ingredients
The batter can be thick and sticky if you use the wrong ingredients. For example, if the recipe calls for butter and you decide to use margarine that can affect your recipe. Margarine and butter are not the same and don’t have the same purpose in a recipe. Margarine is known to add more water causing the cake to be very hydrated.
Which leads to your batter becoming too sticky and wet and thick because of having the wrong combinations.
So use butter if your recipe calls for butter.
The liquid is off in the recipe
Most cake recipes follow a certain ratio of 1-2-3-4. It would look like this: 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs. This is meant to be a guideline so if there were to be 1 cup of flour and three cups of sugar and two cups of butter for example that would cause the liquid ratio to be off.
This would cause the batter to be runnier because there’s not enough flour and doesn’t fit the standard amount which should be 3 cups of flour, not 1.
If you’re following a recipe from somewhere and you find that your batter is off and the consistency is not the way it should be, this could be the reason why, the ratio in the recipe is not correct.
Batter Curdling
The batter is starting to curdle meaning there are lumps within the batter. This is caused by having cold ingredients such as butter or eggs. A lot of people think that it’s just the butter that should be at room temperature but it’s also the egg.
If your batter is still curdling even after you added room temperature butter. Most likely it wasn’t at room temperature. Because room temperature doesn’t mean the actual room temperature your butter needs to be at a certain temperature and that’s why it’s recommended to have a thermometer to test this out and make sure it’s the right temperature for the recipe so it doesn’t curdle.
How Do You Check Cake Batter?
The way to check your batter will depend on the type of cake that you’re making. For example, if making a victoria sponge batter it should be liquidy in the sense that you should be able to spoon-drop it but it’s not runny.
If you’re making a cake that should be a little bit denser or sturdier especially if you’re going to be layering the cake you want to have a thicker batter, when you scoop it’ll be like a very thick pudding texture. It is usually stiffer and sometimes the cake can be a little dry.
Thinner batters tend to have a closer crumb and tend to be a little bit looser hence the liquid consistency. Cakes like these come out lighter and fluffier.
This is just a standard guideline but there’s always an exception to the rule.
If you find that your cake is very thin sometimes the creaming process will determine how big your cake rises. The creaming method helps creates air So sometimes if you don’t do it long enough you’ll find out the cake doesn’t rise enough. Consider mixing it for a little longer, it can help your cake to be bigger and rise more.
So whether your batter is thin or thick, it doesn’t matter. It’s the method you use and what kind of cake you are making that determines how big the cake will be when it rises.