White cake: Difference between revisions

White cake
	White cake with white frosting
Type	Cake
Course	Dessert
Invented	late 19th century
Main ingredients	White sugar, white flour, egg whites, baking powder or baking soda

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Latest revision as of 18:12, 24 May 2024

White cake is a type of cake that is made without egg yolks. White cakes were also once known as silver cakes.^[1]

White cakes can be butter cakes or sponge cakes.^[2] They became widely available in the later part of the 19th century, and became associated with weddings and christenings.

Ingredients and techniques[edit]

The key difference between a white cake and others is the absence of egg yolks or other ingredients that would change the color of the cake. (Egg yolks give yellow cake its color.^[3]) This decision affects the cake structurally. Because of the lack of egg yolks, the cake has less fat to impede its rise.^[3] White cakes tend also to be slightly less tender than cakes made with whole eggs.^[4]

White cake typically calls for cake flour rather than all-purpose flour to create a lighter batter with a finer crumb.^[3] White cakes are often vanilla-flavored. Sometimes artificial clear vanilla extract is used to preserve the white color.

White cake can be made by the creaming or reverse creaming mixing methods; the latter can be used to make tiered cakes with a tighter crumb that will stand up to stacking.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Uses[edit]

White cake is a typical choice for tiered wedding cakes because of the appearance and texture of the cake.^[4] In general, white baked goods, which used white flour and white sugar, were a traditional symbol of wealth dating to the Victorian era when such ingredients were reliably available, though still expensive.^[8] The idea that white symbolizes purity at a white wedding was invented by the Victorians.^[9]^[8]

White cake is used as a component for desserts like icebox cake, and some variations on charlotte russe and trifle.^[10]^[11]^[12] It is also used as the base for brightly colored cakes, such as a rainbow-colored cake, as the food coloring will produce clearer, brighter colors on white cake batter than if the cake has its own color.^[13]

Plain Indonesian steamed white cake
White layer cake with white frosting and colored sprinkles
Lane cake, a white cake with raisin and nut filling
White layer cake with frosting
Swiss roll made from white sponge cake
Rainbow-colored cakes are usually made from white cake with added food coloring

History[edit]

White cake is a relatively new invention, as it depends on having refined white sugar and white flour, in addition to omitting the egg yolks.^[14] From the 17th century, a "white cake" meant a fruitcake (or other non-white cake) coated with white icing, made from egg whites and expensive double-refined granulated white sugar, rather than a cake that was itself white.^[8] Any type of cake coated in white icing, such as the fruitcake served at the 1840 wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was expensive and considered a status symbol.^[8]

In the early 19th century, a lady cake made of light-colored almond flour, and a tough white sponge cake that was a precursor to the modern, lighter angel food cake, were the only cakes that looked white when cut.^[15]^[16]

Modern white cakes appeared late in the 19th century, when white sugar, white flour, and reliable chemical leaveners such as baking powder became widely available.^[14] By the early 20th century, a tall, elaborately decorated white cake, called the bride cake, was established as the primary cake to celebrate weddings, with a dark-colored groom's cake disappearing or taking second place.^[14]

The first cake mix for white cake was introduced in the US around 1930.^[17]

By the end of the 20th century, chocolate cake had become more popular than any other cake flavor.^[16]

Versions[edit]

Angel food cake, a sponge cake made using only egg whites^[2]
Lady Baltimore cake, a dish in Southern cuisine^[1]
Mary Todd Lincoln's white almond cake was a celebrated cake during the period surrounding Abraham Lincoln's presidency^[18]^[19]^[20]
White velvet cake, a yolkless cake from the 1860s that is a version of Red velvet cake^[21]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Castle, Sheri (7 August 2022). "The History Behind the Legendary Lady Baltimore Cake". Southern Living. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ ^a ^b "How to Make Angel Food Cake". General Mills.
^ ^a ^b ^c Campbell, Annie (21 April 2023). "What's The Difference Between Yellow, White, and Vanilla Cake?". Simply Recipes. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ ^a ^b Prakash, Sheela (10 December 2022). "What's the Difference Between White, Yellow, and Vanilla Cake?". Kitchn. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ "Cake mixing methods". King Arthur Flour.
^ "Tender White Cake". King Arthur Flour.
^ "White Cake | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia". American Baking Society. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wilson, Carol (2015). "Wedding cake". In Goldstein, Darra (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
^ Lee, John J. (2022-09-12). "The Victorian-Era Symbolism Behind White-Frosted Wedding Cakes". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. April 2015. ISBN 9780199313617.
^ Whitehead, Jessup (1891). The American Pastry Cook.
^ "Patriotic Berry Trifle". Food Network.
^ "How To Make the Ultimate Rainbow Surprise Cake". Kitchn. Retrieved 2024-04-28. The Best Cake for Rainbow Cake Is White Vanilla Cake: Snow-white cake batter takes readily to a rainbow of hues — no fighting yellow cake's buttery color.
^ ^a ^b ^c Woloson, Wendy A. (2013). "Weddings: Wedding Cake". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
^ Schmidt, Stephen (2015). "Celebration cakes". In Goldstein, Darra (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford New York: Oxford university press. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
^ ^a ^b Parham, Sally (2013). "Cake". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
^ Shapiro, Laura (2015). "Cake mix". In Goldstein, Darra (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
^ "Mary Todd Lincoln". National Park Service.
^ McCreary, Donna D. (2000). Lincoln's Table: Victorian Recipes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to the White House. Guild Press of Indiana. ISBN 978-1-57860-089-2.
^ "For a taste of history, try Mrs. Lincoln's cake recipe". History News Network. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ Loo, Stephanie (8 February 2024). "White velvet cake is as soft and silky as its name suggests". King Arthur Baking. Retrieved 2024-04-14.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Cake made without egg yolks}}
+{{short description|Cake made without egg yolks}}{{Infobox prepared food
+| image = Fair Culinary Competition (2881682604).jpg
+| type = [[Cake]]
+| course = Dessert
+| year = late 19th century
+| main_ingredient = [[White sugar]], [[white flour]], [[egg white]]s, [[baking powder]] or [[baking soda]]
+| caption = White cake with white frosting
+}}
+'''White cake''' is a type of cake that is made without [[Yolk|egg yolks]].  White cakes were also once known as '''silver cakes'''.<ref name=":0" />
+White cakes can be [[butter cakes]] or [[sponge cakes]].<ref name="General Mills" />  They became widely available in the later part of the 19th century, and became associated with weddings and christenings.
+== Ingredients and techniques ==
+The key difference between a white cake and others is the absence of [[egg yolks]] or other ingredients that would change the color of the cake.  (Egg yolks give yellow cake its color.<ref name="Campbell-2023">{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Annie |date=21 April 2023 |title=What's The Difference Between Yellow, White, and Vanilla Cake? |url=https://www.simplyrecipes.com/what-s-the-difference-between-vanilla-white-and-yellow-cake-7481069 |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[Simply Recipes]] |language=en}}</ref>)  This decision affects the cake structurally.  Because of the lack of egg yolks, the cake has less fat to impede its rise.<ref name="Campbell-2023" /> White cakes tend also to be slightly less [[Tenderness (food)|tender]] than cakes made with whole eggs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Prakash |first=Sheela |date=10 December 2022 |title=What's the Difference Between White, Yellow, and Vanilla Cake? |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-white-yellow-and-vanilla-cake-230663 |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[Kitchn]] |language=en}}</ref>
+White cake typically calls for [[cake flour]] rather than all-purpose flour to create a lighter batter with a finer [[Food texture|crumb]].<ref name="Campbell-2023" />  White cakes are often [[vanilla]]-flavored.  Sometimes artificial [[clear vanilla extract]] is used to preserve the white color.
+White cake can be made by the [[Creaming (food)|creaming]] or [[reverse creaming]] mixing methods; the latter can be used to make tiered cakes with a tighter crumb that will stand up to stacking.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cake mixing methods |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/04/28/cake-mixing-methods |website=King Arthur Flour}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tender White Cake |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/tender-white-cake-recipe |website=King Arthur Flour}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-22 |title=White Cake {{!}} Baking Processes {{!}} BAKERpedia |url=https://bakerpedia.com/processes/white-cake/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[American Baking Society]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
+== Uses ==
+White cake is a typical choice for tiered [[Wedding cake|wedding cakes]] because of the appearance and texture of the cake.<ref name=":1" /> In general, white baked goods, which used white flour and white sugar, were a traditional symbol of wealth dating to the [[Victorian era]] when such ingredients were reliably available, though still expensive.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Carol |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-931339-6 |editor-last=Goldstein |editor-first=Darra |location=Oxford ; New York |chapter=Wedding cake}}</ref> The idea that white symbolizes purity at a [[white wedding]] was invented by the Victorians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=John J. |date=2022-09-12 |title=The Victorian-Era Symbolism Behind White-Frosted Wedding Cakes |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/999375/the-victorian-era-symbolism-behind-white-frosted-wedding-cakes/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[Tasting Table]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
+White cake is used as a component for desserts like [[icebox cake]], and some variations on [[charlotte russe]] and [[trifle]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1bCBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA353 |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=April 2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199313617}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Whitehead |first=Jessup |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WVBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA12-IA4 |title=The American Pastry Cook |date=1891}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Patriotic Berry Trifle |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/patriotic-berry-trifle-recipe-1973225 |website=Food Network}}</ref>  It is also used as the base for brightly colored cakes, such as a rainbow-colored cake, as the [[food coloring]] will produce clearer, brighter colors on white cake batter than if the cake has its own color.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How To Make the Ultimate Rainbow Surprise Cake |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-the-ultimate-rainbow-surprise-cake-242554 |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Kitchn |language=en |quote=The Best Cake for Rainbow Cake Is White Vanilla Cake:  Snow-white cake batter takes readily to a rainbow of hues — no fighting yellow cake’s buttery color.}}</ref>
+<gallery mode="packed" widths="200" heights="150">
+File:White Round Steamed Cake.jpg|Plain Indonesian steamed white cake
+File:Andronico's Iced White Cake (31129007297).jpg|White [[layer cake]] with white frosting and colored sprinkles
+File:Slice of lane cake.jpg|[[Lane cake]], a white cake with raisin and nut filling
+File:White cake (no egg yolks) (30490346232).jpg|White layer cake with frosting
+File:Ice Cream swiss roll.jpg|[[Swiss roll]] made from white sponge cake
+File:Rainbow Slice (44341236502).jpg|alt=Slice of rainbow-colored layer cake|Rainbow-colored cakes are usually made from white cake with added food coloring
+</gallery>
+== History ==
+[[File:Winter Wedding Cake.jpg|alt=multi-tiered cake decorated in white icing|thumb|For several centuries, a "white cake" referred to any kind of cake covered with white icing, such as this wedding cake decorated entirely in white.  Underneath these white [[rolled fondant]] and [[gumpaste]] decorations lies a chocolate [[devil's food cake]], which means it is not a white cake in the modern meaning of the term.]]
+White cake is a relatively new invention, as it depends on having refined [[white sugar]] and [[white flour]], in addition to omitting the egg yolks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last1=Woloson |first1=Wendy A. |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973496-2 |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=Andrew F. |edition=2nd |location=New York, NY |chapter=Weddings:  Wedding Cake}}</ref>  From the 17th century, a "white cake" meant a [[fruitcake]] (or other non-white cake) coated with white [[Icing (food)|icing]], made from egg whites and expensive double-refined [[Granulated sugar|granulated]] white sugar, rather than a cake that was itself white.<ref name=":2" />  Any type of cake coated in white icing, such as the fruitcake served at the 1840 [[wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert]], was expensive and considered a status symbol.<ref name=":2" />
+In the early 19th century, a lady cake made of light-colored [[almond flour]], and a tough white sponge cake that was a precursor to the modern, lighter [[angel food cake]], were the only cakes that looked white when cut.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schmidt |first1=Stephen |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford university press |isbn=978-0-19-931339-6 |editor-last=Goldstein |editor-first=Darra |location=Oxford New York |chapter=Celebration cakes}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Parham |first1=Sally |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973496-2 |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=Andrew F. |edition=2nd |location=New York, NY |chapter=Cake}}</ref>
+Modern white cakes appeared late in the 19th century, when white sugar, white flour, and reliable chemical leaveners such as [[baking powder]] became widely available.<ref name=":3" />  By the early 20th century, a tall, elaborately decorated white cake, called the [[bride cake]], was established as the primary cake to celebrate weddings, with a dark-colored [[groom's cake]] disappearing or taking second place.<ref name=":3" />
+The first [[cake mix]] for white cake was introduced in the US around 1930.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Laura |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-931339-6 |editor-last=Goldstein |editor-first=Darra |location=Oxford; New York |chapter=Cake mix}}</ref>
+By the end of the 20th century, [[chocolate cake]] had become more popular than any other cake flavor.<ref name=":4" />
+== Versions ==
 [[File:Angel food cake with strawberries (4738859336).jpg|thumb|[[Angel food cake]], a type of white [[sponge cake]]]]
+* [[Angel food cake]], a sponge cake made using only egg whites<ref name="General Mills">{{cite web |title=How to Make Angel Food Cake |publisher=General Mills |url=https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-make-angel-food-cake}}</ref>
-'''White cake''' is a type of cake that is often [[vanilla]] flavored and made without egg yolks. White cakes can be [[butter cakes]] or [[sponge cakes]]. [[Angel food cake]] is a type of sponge cake that is considered a white cake because it is made using only egg whites.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to Make Angel Food Cake |publisher=General Mills |url=https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-make-angel-food-cake}}</ref> White cake is used as a component for desserts  like [[icebox cake]], and some variations on [[charlotte russe]] and [[trifle]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=April 2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199313617 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1bCBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA353}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Whitehead |first=Jessup |title=The American Pastry Cook |date=1891 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WVBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA12-IA4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Patriotic Berry Trifle |website=Food Network |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/patriotic-berry-trifle-recipe-1973225}}</ref> White cake can be made by the [[Creaming (food)|creaming]] or reverse creaming methods; the latter can be used to make tier cakes with a tighter crumb.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cake mixing methods |website=King Arthur Flour |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/04/28/cake-mixing-methods}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tender White Cake |website=King Arthur Flour |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/tender-white-cake-recipe}}</ref> It is a typical choice for tiered wedding cakes because of the appearance and texture of the cake.<ref>{{cite web |title=What's the Difference Between White, Yellow, and Vanilla Cake? |website=kitchn |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-white-yellow-and-vanilla-cake-230663}}</ref>
+* [[Lady Baltimore cake]], a dish in Southern cuisine<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Castle |first=Sheri |date=7 August 2022 |title=The History Behind the Legendary Lady Baltimore Cake |url=https://www.southernliving.com/food/desserts/cakes/layer-cakes/lady-baltimore-cake-history |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[Southern Living]] |language=en}}</ref>
+* [[Mary Todd Lincoln's white almond cake]] was a celebrated cake during the period surrounding [[Presidency of Abraham Lincoln|Abraham Lincoln's presidency]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mary Todd Lincoln |url=https://home.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/liho/printVersion.html#whiteCakeRecipe |website=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=McCreary |first=Donna D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNoKAAAACAAJ&q=Lincoln's+table |title=Lincoln's Table: Victorian Recipes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to the White House |date=2000 |publisher=Guild Press of Indiana |isbn=978-1-57860-089-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-02-07 |title=For a taste of history, try Mrs. Lincoln's cake recipe |url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/for-a-taste-of-history-try-mrs-lincolns-cake-recip |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[History News Network]] |language=en}}</ref>
+* [[White velvet cake]], a yolkless cake from the 1860s that is a version of [[Red velvet cake]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loo |first=Stephanie |date=8 February 2024 |title=White velvet cake is as soft and silky as its name suggests |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2024/02/08/white-velvet-cake |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=[[King Arthur Baking]] |language=en}}</ref>
 ==See also==
 * [[List of cakes]]
+* [[Foam cake]], a style of cake that includes some white cakes
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+== Further reading ==
+* {{Cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Carol |date=2005-05-01 |title=Wedding Cake: A Slice of History |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article/5/2/69/46511/Wedding-Cake-A-Slice-of-History |journal=Gastronomica |language=en |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=69–72 |doi=10.1525/gfc.2005.5.2.69 |issn=1529-3262}}
 [[Category:Cakes]]