American cookery terms

sarahsarah

I've been looking at a lot of american birthday party sites and the recipes always start with 1 box of yellow cake mix or 1 box of white cake mix...

Now I know how to make yellow cake no problem, I just wondered what the white cake mix was and if it can be replicated?

MaggieBaking

I think a cake is yellow due to butter - so it's a margarine/lurpak type "white cake". I think, or made with oil perhaps?

Found this online http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100514104647AAciVYu

Perhaps the mixes you can buy in Tesco for sponges have a lighter colour than what you can make at home from scratch?

Edit: Here are the ingredients in an American recipe, it just uses egg whites, no yolks which would help with the colour as well.

White Cake (but not really)
2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
2 1/3 c (466 g) sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 c (375 g) flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c (355 g) milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp

http://whisk-kid.blogspot.com/2009/08/say-it-with-cake.html

sarahsarah

I've just read something else that says white cake has only egg white and no yolks.. i can imagine white cake being a bit flavourless in that case? I have a whole bunch of eggs to use up soonish though so I might give it a go..

ETA: you edited just as i added my next post, heehee,,

greenbee

White cake sounds like it might be an angel food cake http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/a/angel_food_cake.html

Fat fee, egg whites not yolks, ideally made with flour from soft wheat not hard (so not pasta flour!)

Penelope_Penguin

sarahsarah wrote: »

I've been looking at a lot of american birthday party sites and the recipes always start with 1 box of yellow cake mix or 1 box of white cake mix...

Now I know how to make yellow cake no problem, I just wondered what the white cake mix was and if it can be replicated?

Maybe it's just me, but I can;t imagine why anyone would want to replicate a cake mix, when you can just make cake, from ingredients You only need four, so it's easy as pie (or a piece of cake, if you prefer :rotfl: ).

sarahsarah

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Maybe it's just me, but I can;t imagine why anyone would want to replicate a cake mix, when you can just make cake, from ingredients You only need four, so it's easy as pie (or a piece of cake, if you prefer :rotfl: ).

I just wondered if there was a big difference in taste seeing as they seem so popular.. I think some of the box mixes you still have to add eggs and oil so it must just be flour and sugar lol...

lostinrates

greenbee wrote: »

White cake sounds like it might be an angel food cake http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/a/angel_food_cake.html

Fat fee, egg whites not yolks, ideally made with flour from soft wheat not hard (so not pasta flour!)

This is exactly how I always treat the distinction.

lostinrates

sarahsarah wrote: »

I just wondered if there was a big difference in taste seeing as they seem so popular.. I think some of the box mixes you still have to add eggs and oil so it must just be flour and sugar lol...

the difference in the packets might be anything...from the flour/sugar....to all the artificials in there. I wouldn't worry about it too muck if the recipe can be other wise followed with icing/simple home made cake etc.

Bronnie

If you wanted to use a fat substitute for a yellow butter or oil for a Victoria sponge type cake, what about Trex or similar white vegetable fat? ............they do use it for cakes in the Trex recipe booklet

http://www.trex.co.uk/recipes/cakes-and-afternoon-tea/luxury-lemon-cake

For a white cake, I would probably experiment, adding a little milk to the beaten egg whites to replace the yolks.

Penelope_Penguin

sarahsarah wrote: »

.. I think some of the box mixes you still have to add eggs and oil so it must just be flour and sugar lol...

........a bit like the pancake mixes "just add egg and milk" :rotfl: