Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
linnea56chgo5b

Can anything be done when whipped eggs whites start to weep?

I was making a cake that uses 4 separated eggs – with the whites whipped to stiff peaks, then folded into the rest of the batter.


I whipped the egg whites first, so I could use the same beaters to mix the rest of the batter afterward.


But then I was interrupted for a good 20 minutes. When the time came to fold in the egg whites, I saw that they had started weeping. There was a good bit of liquid on the bottom of the bowl. At that point I didn’t know if they could be retrieved and re-whipped, so I went ahead and folded them in anyway.


The only times I have whipped egg whites - for years - has been to make meringues – and the added sugar stabilized them. I’ve never made a souffle.


So tell me what I did wrong, for the next time:


Was whipping the egg whites ahead of the rest of the batter a bad idea? Or just the unexpected delay did it?


COULD they have been re-whipped? I did add cream of tartar, but that obviously didn’t work.


Could they have been over whipped?


I was not sure when I got to stiff peaks. I looked at some pictures ahead of time, but I couldn’t tell. I did hold the bowl upside down, and they didn’t move.


Thanks.

Comments (14)

  • plllog
    2 years ago

    It's the sitting that made them shed. I don't know of a cure. If someone is bleeding, eggs are relatively cheap. If someone has a broken heart, it'll keep until your cake is in the oven. But maybe someone here knows a trick.


    There's usually salt in the recipe. Putting a quarter teaspoon of it in the eggs can help set them—or so I've been told. Telling if you have stiff peaks is easy. They're not as pretty as the whipped cream with sugar peaks, but it's the same theory: Lift the beater slowly and look at the foam mound where the beater was. If it remains as it was left, without flopping or sinking, it's stiff. I can't imagine the upside down test working if it's not stiff—or if there's unincorporated liquid.


    The thing about the acid, the cream of tartar, is that it helps the volume. I don't think it's a stabilizer. Sugar is. But if you put in a bunch of sugar it'll be a lot harder to fold into the batter.


    I haven't tried, but I seriously doubt rebeating would be a good idea. The eggs would be overbeaten and would collapse. I think you did right to use them if you didn't have another four eggs (you can make an omelette or regular cake or crepes, etc., with the collapsing whites and new yolks). So long as there's still volume, you'll have cake, and if you have In it, or add, baking powder no one but an expert would know.


    How did the cake come out?

  • Islay Corbel
    2 years ago

    You can beat the whites again. Overbeating can cause weeping. How was the cake?

    By the way, have a go at soufflé. It's easy. Too much myth and rubbish talked about it. Twice baked are especially easy and so good.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/double_baked_cheese_94727

  • plllog
    2 years ago

    IC, I think the myth and rubbish come from so many people refusing to follow directions. Also, bad ovens don't work. My house came with an oven that couldn't be set to any particular temperature. I managed to cook and bake a lot of things, but it couldn't even manage a personal sized soufflé.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    Cake was okay. Nothing special. The description made it sound wonderful. I found the limoncello flavor hard to detect. I felt like the almond flour overwhelmed it. But I do like almond.

    If I make it again I'd use amaretto instead.


    https://eatalianrecipes.com/grandmas-limoncello-ricotta-almond-cake/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost&fbclid=IwAR09BzSzUO6kWqeSRtxZUzjhaLwt15kAKlxhs5mJc9KNrgGqpytQXh5u_Rk



  • plllog
    2 years ago

    But how was the texture?

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    Texture was very moist, too moist. I did add 20 minutes to the baking time, as I felt it should be brown, based on the photo. It did spring back when touched.


    Not heavy, though. There is no regular flour in the recipe, only almond flour. I have never used almond floor, so I don't have any reference point.




  • plllog
    2 years ago

    The lightest cake I've made is a chiffon (whipped eggwhites, no baking powder) of mostly almond flour. It's flyaway light and moist. So it sounds like your cake didn't suffer from the sat eggwhites, though that might have contributed to the almost too moistness (wild guess there, not science or experience)


    It looks nice. Do you think you'll try this one again?.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    I still have more almond flour, so I might. I'd use amaretto or kahlua instead of the limoncello, and skip the lemon peel.


    The almond flour is $$ stuff, $ 8 for 1 pound, so I don't want it to go bad. Though I might just look for a different recipe to use it instead.

  • plllog
    2 years ago

    There's a big range of prices for almond flour. The nicest for cakes has absolutely no skin in it and does cost more, and then there's organic. For cakes, commercially made works best, but sometimes you can get a larger bag for the same amount as a small one. You can freeze the extra so it doesn't go rancid.


    My recipe is the Passover Lemon Sponge Cake by Jamie Schler. I made it with oranges instead and it was fab. Amaretto with almond flour sounds like a natural, but you might want a counterpoint with it. Maybe some fresh orange zest or a little ground anise. Whatever you like, just for a little complexity. I've never made a cake with Kahlua. That sounds interesting.


  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    I'm sure the one I bought was not blanched, as there WERE little flecks of skin in it. The photo of the cut cake in the original recipe looked light and yellow, and mine is definitely brown flecked.

  • plllog
    2 years ago

    It probably had more flavor, too. :)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    That sponge cake looks really good. There are several references to it online, but most don't have the recipe. I was able to print out the first page with ingredients, but not the instructions. It looks like a good choice for the next time we need a birthday cake.

  • plllog
    2 years ago

    Check your Houzz messages. :)

Sponsored
Franklin County's Preferred Architectural Firm | Best of Houzz Winner