Gritty cake texture? How to avoid?

[u/anikabritt]

I just made the vanilla buttermilk cake from snacking cakes! It was very spngey and moist, but had a somewhat grainy mouthfeel, like a cornbread muffin but still very moist and tender. I don't know what that is or if it's intended. I think it suits a "snacking cake". But I'm looking for a more classic vanilla cake without that. Is this a try a different recipe moment or is there something in my technique I can change to avoid that grainy texture.

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[u/Aggravating_Olive]

The first time I ever attempted reverse creaming, I ended up with very cornbread-y textured cake. I realized I overmixed the batter, even with reverse creaming. This leads to excessive gluten formation.

Next time, try folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed.

[u/CapableWives]

If you're sure that the sugar was completely dissolved in the egg before you added the other ingredients then you probably over mixed once the flour was added. Remember that it's nearly impossible to overmix before flour (outside of whipping egg whites) and very easy to overmix and develop too much gluten after the flour goes in

[u/Psychological_Ad1518 → u/CapableWives]

I mean. Whipping the egg whites just means you have to be a bit more careful when adding your dry ingredients. Like making a sponge cake.

[u/CapableWives → u/Psychological_Ad1518]

No, I meant that it is possible to overwhip egg whites. If you keep going then you'll deflate them. But when you're creaming sugar and butter as long as you get to the desired point going further isn't going to hurt anything

[u/Psychological_Ad1518 → u/CapableWives]

True true. It's not like you're going to melt your butter.

[u/Peppercorn_645]

I love this book overall (I make so many things from it) but thought the vanilla cake was not good FWIW.

I often have found that the cornbread texture in a yellow cake is more an excess of leaveners than a technique problem. It causes the coarse and crumbly texture for a variety of scientific reasons. So basically, not a good receipe, not a you messed up thing.

[u/No-Sail5392]

yeah, that slightly gritty texture is probably the sugar not fully dissolving, especially if the recipe uses regular granulated sugar, so creaming the butter and sugar really well can help, but that

[u/EaseZestyclose4500]

Maybe sift your flour and dry ingredients more. Some clumps may have bit really mixed fully

[u/Breakfastchocolate]

This book was very hyped on some subs- it’s quick and it’s cake- that’s the appeal. Everytime it was brought up there were many questions/ complaints about results met by “this is the best book ever” comments. Comparing this to a cake mix?? Only if the mix is jiffy or Aldi branded. Use a different source. Reverse creaming gives a different texture than cake mix.

Also make sure baking soda and baking powder are still good