Yogurt Pot Cake Uneven Texture

Asked by Spock70. Answered on 7th December 2013

Full question

Hi, I have made Nigella's Yogurt Pot Cake and it turns out well and tastes good. What I have noticed is that in parts of the cake and at the bottom (after turned out from tin), there are patches of 'denser' cake compared to the rest of the cake. I was wondering what it is I am doing wrong? Thanks

Our answer

Nigella's Yogurt Pot Cake (from Nigellissima) is a cake that does not have any chemical raising agents, such as baking powder. Instead the leavening comes from the air that is whisked into the egg whites. Our suspicion is that the whisked egg whites may not be quite fully incorporated and this is leading to a slight unevenness in the texture of the cake.

Folding in the whites is quite an important stage in the making of the Yogurt Pot Cake. If you don't fold them in enough then you may get an uneven texture, but folding too much can knock too much air from the mixture and result in a heavy cake. If you are unsure then we suggest that you first fold about a quarter of the whisked egg whites into the cake batter. Once this is fully incorporated fold in the remainder. This two stage method can help as the fist addition of egg whites lightens the batter and makes it easier to incorporate the remaining whites without losing too much of the air in the egg whites.