Some of you may wonder what is medium stiff peak for meringue and how to reach that stage. Here are the two shots which I took to show everyone what is medium stiff peak. You can see that there is a hook at the tip when the meringue is whisk until this stage and it will stay there. From the second photo, you can see that the marking left behind by the balloon whisk is very clear. In other words, the meringue is quite firm and it is close to stiff peak.
If meringue is whisked until this stage, it is best for chiffon cake. When meringue is fold in properly (meaning not over folded, bursting the pockets of air), your chiffon cake will rise evenly and less air holes on the cake.
Maybe some of you may ask, how long do I have to whisk to reach this stage and what is the speed I used for my cake mixer? For my Kenwood Cake Mixer(old model), I used medium high speed. What I can said for how long do I have to whisk to reach this stage is that you have to observe and moreover all cake mixers has difference wattage and speeds.
Hope the details can help some of you. Happy Baking. :)
Thanks for sharing. This is a good info. By the way, is your Kenwood when knead dough, will it became warm/hot after 10mins? I heard Kitchen Aid has this problem. I going to buy a mixer, so make some comparison. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Happy Flour,
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us how medium stiff peak looks like. Hei.. I think we have the same old kenwood mixer. My mom handed down to me and i think mine looks older then yours coz my bowl is very yellowish :)
Hi Happy Flour
ReplyDeletethanks for your picture of the egg white. as the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words. l will pluck up my courage and try to bake this kind of cake again. honestly, i am a big failure in folding the white into the cake batter. thnaks for your generous sharing and yummy receipes.
best regards
lori
Thanks for clear explanation and taking the time to upload the meringue pics. I know many would appreciate your helpfulness.
ReplyDeleteJess
Hi Sonia,
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. :)
I think all cake mixer also have this problem. I feel that it is normal, because there is no fan inside the cake mixer to cool down the motor after rapid kneading of dough.
Hi Mysweetkitchen,
ReplyDeleteHahaha....:) mine already more than 15 years old already. It still in good condition.
Hi Lori and Jess,
ReplyDeleteThanks for both your kind words. :)
ya huh, you are right, any machine also will run warm if continue operate for too long. Thanks for your advise.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us. Do you have any advices for us on folding? I do not know if the way I fold is correct but I could not get soft and fluffy chiffon like you do. Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeletehi Happy Flour,
ReplyDeletei tried your swiss meringue method for my macarons. i was so happy my macarons finally develop their feet and with a nice dome shaped shell. but there is a huge air pocket between the shell and the base. how can I avoid this? thanks.
Hi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI just fold in a clockwise direction scraping from the bottom of the bowl now and then. Fold in lightly with a quick strode.
Hi Shiau Li,
ReplyDeleteYour Swiss meringue must double-boil until it reach 55C. If over cook your macarons will have thick feet, very crunch and air pocket will appear in the shell. And you can't use liquid colouring as the shell will become mushy and uncook, leaving air pocket in the shell too.
Hey, hello, you becoming very professiona. can open class already lah...
ReplyDeleteHi Lay Choo,
ReplyDeleteNo lah, just learned from experience and shared with others.