Over-beaten cake mixture

[brockleybelle]

Watched the Great British Bakeoff and Mary Berry was saying that to get a light sponge you must avoid overbeating the mixture. I'd never heard of this possibility before - I always thought you were meant to beat the life out of it to get as much air in as possible.

Can anyone tell me how to know when to stop beating and what does an overbeaten cake mixture look like?

Didn't watch the programme but as I understand you must beat the life out of the butter and sugar and then beat in the eggs, then FOLD in the flour, no beating there. That's for a basic sponge. If you beat the flour in too much it loses its air and becomes heavy.

If you overbeat the mixture after the flour has been added it develops the gluten and the cake won't rise very well.

If you make sponge cakes by the old fashioned creaming method then you beat the life out of the sugar/butter mixture to incorporate the air. You also beat it well when adding the egg. Once you add the flour you have to fold it in carefully to avoid knocking out all the air you have beaten in.

I don't bother with the creaming method any more, but use the all-in-one method. I simply place all my sponge ingredients in a bowl with the addition of some baking powder and beat it until the mixture is blended. It take about 30 - 40 seconds as opposed to several minutes if you use the creaming method.

I find the all-in-one method more reliable and easier and quicker. I really don't know why anyone bothers with the faff of the creaming method any more.