TESTED! IS The Reverse Cream Cake Method Better? Glen And Friends Cooking

TESTED! IS The Reverse Cream Cake Method Better? Glen And Friends Cooking
The reverse cream cake method isn't new, recipe developers / chefs have been making cakes by creaming the fat and flour together first for years, decades... centuries. But the Reverse Cream Cake method (biscuit method / pie method) has been getting a lot more attention lately, and has become the media darling of 'new' and greatest.
What does reverse cream cake method mean? It simply means creaming the fat and flour together first - in order to shorten or inhibit the formation of gluten... That's why shortening is called shortening - it shortens the strands of gluten.
The recipe we used is a pretty standard yellow cake recipe:
Ingredients:
Cake
175 mL (¾ cup) butter
750 mL (3 cups) cake flour
175 mL (¾ cup) sugar
15 mL (1 Tbsp) baking powder
5 mL (1 tsp) baking soda
5 mL (1 tsp) coarse salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
375 mL (1½ cups) buttermilk
15 mL (1 Tbsp) vanilla extract
Frosting
1L (4 cups) powdered sugar
375 mL (1½ cups) cocoa powder
375 mL (1½ cups) unsalted butter
5 mL (½ tsp) coarse salt
60 mL +/- (¼ cup +/-) buttermilk
Method:
Cake
Preheat oven to 180ºC (350°F).
Grease and line with parchment two 9” cake pans.
Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream in butter, until mixture looks sandy.
Turn off mixer and add eggs, egg yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
Beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy.
Divide batter between pans.
Bake until tops are golden and spring back when gently pressed, 30-35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool in pans on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
Then turn out onto rack and allow to cool completely.
Frosting
While the cakes are cooling, sift together sugar and cocoa.
Cream butter and salt in an electric mixer, then beat in sugar / cocoa mixture.
With mixer running drizzle in buttermilk, and beat until light and creamy.
If mixture is too stiff add a small amount of buttermilk until the texture is just right.
This channel is nothing without you our viewers!
Video Chapters:
0:00 Welcome to Glen And Friends Cooking
0:15 Today we test 3 methods of mixing a cake
0:22 Conventional Butter Sugar creaming method
1:08 We are testing Cake Texture / gluten formation in cakes
2:08 Why use Cake Flour when baking cakes
3:30 What is the reverse creaming method of making a cake
4:40 How is gluten formed in cake batter
4:55 What is shortening
8:31 Hot Milk Cake Method
12:15 Taste testing 3 different cake mixing methods
14:42 Does the reverse creaming cake method work?
#LeGourmetTV #GlenAndFriendsCooking
Check out our Aviation and Flying Channel: / glenshangar

[@glennvanspa]

"Not changing the world, one cake at a time" great title 😂 Really like this series!

[@jeramybailey2381]

"Not changing the world, one cake at a time" should probably be on a t-shirt. Maybe.

[@EastSider48215]

No maybe about it. Definitely on a t-shirt. Also a coffee mug and a tattoo across my forehead.

[@bcRockstar]

“Reverse” method was called “rubbing-in” in England, 1960’s, when I was taught (biscuit has a different meaning there). Thanks for the video.

[@brissygirl4997]

Yeah I was taught the same way for scones and such. Use the tips of your fingers to rub the butter into the flour to create a sandy kind of texture.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

I did say it wasn't 'new' in the video - that I see this method in cookbooks in my collection going back to the 1700s.

[@cremebrulee4759]

@@Beruthiel45 he didn't say it was a new method. He said "reverse creaming" was the new name for the method.

[@Mrdirt22]

Does this mean you'll also do an episode with a purposely over mixed batter? 😁

[@sus1221]

I hope so!

[@ic_trab]

Batter mixed on loop for 10 hours perhaps?

[@rabidsamfan]

Another vote for trying to over mix it. Is it the flour being buttered or mild paranoia that makes the difference?

[@ben._.edition]

yes because I'm always so worried about over mixing sometimes I don't mix enough so I just stopped baking cakes all together them 😰 I'd love to make sure!

[@DuelScreen]

Do all three again but purposefully overmix them. Maybe that is the true benefit of the reverse cream method.

[@user-justbeingme]

I was asked how I liked my eggs cooked? I told them "in cake"! Lol

[@grievousangelic]

I'm a reverse creaming convert. I'd rather do nearly ANYTHING than wait for butter and sugar to cream together, and I never can quite tell when it's really fluffy enough. Reverse creaming, though -- yep. I can SEE when something looks like sand! Great video. Thanks!

[@Rachel-rv8db]

Love this "TESTED!" series. It's wonderful having a trusted source try them out and give honest feedback. A big question I have is: does letting a batter sit for a while matter? For example: Say I bake a batter in a special tin (mini-muffin tin, special shapes), but only half the batter fits in the tin. The second half has to wait until the first batch is done... is that detrimental to the "waiting" batter? I'm always concerned the batter that is waiting is being ruined. Would love to learn about that. Thanks!

[@Wizardofgosz]

If this was really TESTED this would be called THE ADAM SAVAGE TEST SERIES.

[@asilverfoxintasmania9940]

I've never had an issue when my batter has had to wait.

[@SeanQuinn4]

If you are using double acting baking powder(most is nowadays), theoretically you shouldn't have an issue. I think as long as you creamed well, so your little bubbles don't settle out of your batter, it should be okay?

[@60sSam]

The amount of dishes Glen is willing to do for something so simple as the method by which you cream the ingredients in a cake is amazing. Also, it's 4 a.m. and after watching seven of Glen's videos, I'm starving. Thanks Glen.

[@rs20894]

I'm wondering if the method would make more of a difference if you put the cakes at a disadvantage by using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. Maybe the lesson here is that using the right flour is the most significant factor. It would also have been interesting if you'd *tried* to overmix with the biscuit method to see if it really offered protection against longer gluten chains. I might have to do some of my own experimentation...

[@jimsackerman]

You sure you aren't Julie's throw-away account trying to get at least 3 more cakes out of Glen?? I would love to see this done with all purpose flower too.

[@jhowardsupporter]

You can use all purpose flour. A lot of chefs do.

[@jimsackerman]

@@jhowardsupporter the curiosity is in if the methods used will result in greater variability in the texture due to the increased protein content of all purpose flower. The methods may not have mattered as much for a 6 percent protein cake flour compared to a 10-11 percent all purpose flower.

[@bdavis7801]

@@jimsackerman 🤣

[@bdavis7801]

🤔 interesting

[@Raiden_N7]

I love when Glen looks at these things because I love looking at recipes as science.

[@LindaM2005]

I first encountered the "reverse creaming" method a few years ago in a pound cake recipe I found on the internet. I was skeptical because I had been thoroughly conditioned into the "you'll develop gluten!" mindset when I learned how to bake. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the result, and I agree that the method does produce a slightly, but noticeably, more tender crumb than the traditional method.

[@natsrome]

I feel like the hot milk method is probably easiest if you don't have a stand mixer, since there's no need to cream the butter, which is always a tedious step without one haha

[@Just.a.person59]

I didn’t know this method was possible. I agree with the statement “somethings aren’t worth the effort”, Knowing this I plan of using this method.

[@lizeggar2421]

I was given this recipe by my motherr in law in 1967 and have used it ever since. It is always a lovely cake. The only difference is that the recipe calls for oil instead of butter. Having said that, I have often substituted butter for the oil, and there is no difference. It is so easy to make, especially with a stand mixer. There is no way the mixture can be over mixed if the flour is added alternatively with the liquid.. I do find that the texture is tougher when the flour is added lastly, though. That may be down to the fact that South Africa has a different type of wheat to the UK and America.

[@Dr.Nagyonfaj]

With all the examples lined up - the reverse creaming method cake was noticeably taller and fluffier-looking, and the hot milk sample appeared to be the flattest and densest - so I would think the methods did make a difference - even though they all tasted good. Great test!

[@zachkucera3793]

I think the overmixing concern is a bit overblown. I think it depends on your ingredients overall. Last night, I made a Guinness Chocolate Cake for dessert. I got caught off guard by a problem on the stove and forgot about the mixer beating all the ingredients together (butter, cocoa, flour, sour cream, vanilla, salt, baking soda, Guinness stout, sugar and eggs) and went about five minutes past "mix until combined." The cake still turned out to be incredibly light, tender, soft, and moist (it still was this afternoon when I had a second piece). So, that is what happened to me by overbeating the batter. Seems like a good idea to me.

[@leahmencer5463]

I wonder if it has something to do with the cocoa powder, which has no gluten, being a large portion of the dry ingredients. In my experience, chocolate cakes tend to be more forgiving and white/yellow cakes are much harder to get right.

[@mbrennan459]

Julie is a girl after my heart. Get that frosting on the top AND the bottom of each bite! 🤣

[@joebykaeby]

As someone who makes a pretty damn good cake almost entirely by accident, and who tends to roll my eyes at warnings that “you must do it this way or things will go badly,” I’d say the difference between the first two methods is negligible in my experience. The “hot milk” method, though, I always thought of as just a different kind of cake, rather than a different method.

[@jhowardsupporter]

Yeah usually the cake is fine what ever way you do it.

[@singing4fun]

LOL same boat. Once you slather the icing on, nobody really cares but I do appreciate the science behind the testing process here :-)

[@kevlarandchrome]

I really like the side by side experimental comparisons.

[@capsel22]

Hi Glen, love the video and the idea of new series to challenge preconceptions and cooking myths.

[@mixturebeatz]

Does It Really Matter? Is a perfect title for this show.

[@PwnageFury]

The hot milk method seems like a really good option if you do not own a stand mixer. The other two seem to be a lot more labour by hand.

[@rath60]

for commercial applications the reverse cream method clearly came out taller. Get similar or better results by separating the eggs and foaming the egg whites. I would even say that taking the eggs to ribbon stage, like in in a genovas, in the hot mik method would have a similar result. The point is getting as much air into the cake before baking as possible leading to a much more uniform distribution of air bubble size and ultimately smaller bubbles. I was surprised when the reverse cream method worked better until I realized that commercial cake mix is prepared in reverse cream method. Except even more beating is applied.

[@awalkthroughtorah6897]

The third method is close to what I use to make got water chocolate cake. You just need the liquid hot enough to bloom the cocoa powder. Then pull it out warm and make a pour over frosting with butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Easiest cake ever. It was the way my grandma did it, but it's just a simple recipe. The cake batter is runny, but it works out every time.

[@amandahodgin9316]

I love hot water chocolate cake. So easy and delicious. Next time you make it try replacing the hot water with hot coffee. The coffee really boosts the flavour of the cocoa without actually tasting like coffee.

[@lizeggar2421]

I akways add a tsp instant coffee powder to my choclate cakes. Usually ny go to method is oil and milk, heated and added to beaten eggs and sugar. Then fold in dry ingredients. Makes a beautifully light and tender cake. Fir chocolate cake I replace a quarter cup of flour with a quarter cup cocoa powder. Still add the vanilla. My mother in law gave me the recipe when I first got married, 1964.

[@beckyrubin3754]

I’ll tell you what’s better! My husband cooking anything ever, much less 3 cakes!

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

I thought the fluffiest cake would win at the fair, just as Glen said the same thing!

[@robviousobviously5757]

Doesn't Really Matter (DRM) is a wonderful title for the SUB series...

[@EastSider48215]

I really, really love this series. Not as much as the Old Cookbook series, of course, but A Whole Lot.

[@Mister_Mag00]

This new series is the perfect ratio of educational and shade throwing/salt I love it

[@ellasy825]

This right there is the information I needed,thank you!❤

[@peterdoe2617]

Great job, Glen! Science @ it's best! One thing I found out about making meringue: recipes ask for either a tbsp of water, a tbsp of hot water or a pinch of salt. Now, the "hot water" thing is obviously bull..frog: if your spoon is red hot, the water will evaporate. If it's water temp, it'll be room temp by the time it hits the egg white. And the amount? Like testing the body temp of a fly with a quicksilver thermometer. *sigh* But what the salt does: it's drawing water from the egg white. There we go: we need some free water in the mixture. Done! Greetings from the far north of Germany!

[@marlonheinen5938]

Love this new format! Please more.

[@profrumpo]

Love this series, really interesting. Many thanks.

[@crazyrobots6565]

I love these tests. I especially love when you prove that what you were skeptical of is actually better. Keep it up! Probably one of favourite series.

[@andreacarr1506]

Fantastic video more of these please 🎂🎂🎂🎂

[@loam6740]

Id love to see you tackle bread baking next for this series, there are lots of good wives tales surrounding almost every step of baking bread

[@winkieandleah]

I feel like this would be an excellent one. I treat my yeast bread dough like a sourdough, and my loaves are beautiful. Great crumb, structure

[@sharons6290]

love when you experiment, they all look great and I'll take a piece of each

[@boozeontherocks]

I love this technique testing. Its fun to see the differences and what they more may not produce.

[@adamd5910]

As always great video fun to watch you cook and always informative 👍

[@bettabgood]

This channel is great. Answering questions, I didn't know that I had.

[@garymerrick3620]

Very interesting,many thanks, love the videos.

[@Benni-rp9or]

Love your videos as always, but I really enjoy your comparison videos like this. Keep up the great work!

[@snowsam6563]

I am loving this series !! just so interesting thank you !!! and I am going to try the biscuit method next time :-)

[@AW-fb8hr]

Love this series!

[@falconeagle3655]

This is an excellent series.

[@SunshineMichelle]

So interesting. Thank you for the experiment.

[@elisabethairey3447]

I could see a visual difference in he three and I guessed right before you even tasted them. Very cool experiment. I am loving the "TESTED!" series.

[@onahanson-gustafson7203]

Since I don’t have cake flour, the reverse method makes even more sense.

[@helenedesmarais8697]

Easy substitute; for 1 cup of AP flour, remove 2 tablespoons and replace by 2 tb of cornstarch .

[@rarevisionog]

Actually works wonderfully with all purpose. Cake flour just helps with texture, not necessary any mixing method.

[@scottclay4253]

Interesting video! I will have to try the reverse creaming method. I love you two together, sweet chemistry between you! My foodie daughter is enjoying your channel as well.

[@anthonydolio8118]

Fun experiment. Thanks.

[@allegg8804]

Thank you again. love eating via You Tube three cakes for breakfast. and no dirty pots to clean. I really enjoy you.

[@murilloreyes]

Such a great content as always... greetings from Brasil!

[@iceyleeil]

Very informative, thanks a lot for sharing. 🙏🙏🙏

[@figmo397]

Fascinating! The "reverse cream" method was perhaps slightly easier to do than the other methods, too!

[@eveh3841]

Thanks for doing this… was very curious and you spared me the mess in my kitchen. :)

[@terryli340]

Well done. Thanks for sharing your results.😋😋😋

[@zissou666]

Love this already!

[@anneirenej]

Oh fascinating. I always wonder about the order of mixing the ingredients. Also great video as always.

[@kellybryson7754]

Interesting. And surprising that there are different methods.

[@Groagun]

I really like this series.

[@JoshJordison]

This was great!

[@1979Smelly]

Very interesting 🤨 wow 3 different methods and they all great cakes I

[@cajunstix]

hell yes, there's my favorite bowl.

[@thekaliko]

thank you for doing this!

[@samiraesmaili7021]

Thoroughly enjoyed the video. It was the first time I saw a baker comparing these three methods and I have to say reverse creaming for me has always given the best results. Thanks 👍🏻❤

[@Ordolph]

Since you're doing baking science; one thing I've always wondered about, but never tested for myself. I was told in culinary school that you only wanted to use pure vanilla extract in situations where it wouldn't be heated, and that otherwise, artificial vanilla would work just as well while being far cheaper. I think it'd also be cool to see if pure vanilla makes a difference even in situations where it's not heated.

[@cdavidtabor]

Alvin Zhou has a video on this

[@juergenurbas6395]

Hi Glen. What a great idea. Top Video. Thank you … Greetings from Germany 🌲⛰🌲

[@WilliamWallace14051]

If I understand correctly, box cake mixes are basically a form of the reverse cream method since the box contains the flour coated with shortening, you add wet ingredients?

[@meruem313]

Very interesting video, thank you. I'll keep that in mind next time I bake a cake :D

[@damonroberts7372]

Thanks for doing this experiment. I also make pancake or griddle cake batters by the "reverse cream" method. Most packet-mix batters have the shortening pre-mixed into them, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that the method works.

[@noraduff3914]

Here in Ireland we call your pie method "the rubbing in " method. It's used for some cakes and lots of bun recipes including rock buns and raspberry buns. I came across your Channel recently and have made your No Knead bread and delighted with it. Keep up the good work I'm enjoying watching your videos.

[@NoZenith]

Thank you

[@1995FrenchFry]

Love this! Would you consider making a video where you test if over mixing makes a difference? It's something I've been very curious about for a long time!

[@sigrid129]

Very interesting

[@Unassuming_Gay]

This is amazing, please keep doing this, you are helping me eat more cake :D

[@toomiepal]

Great, very interesting episode! I used to make a special muffin at Christmas and it was the reverse cream method, I think. But it was so many years ago, I just thought the method was quite different. It did make a wonderful tender and textured muffin. It was a marigold muffin with dried fruits. The petals were steeped in hot milk to make a sort of a poor man's saffron. I think the recipe was Dutch and that marigolds would have actually been calendula. But I dutifully saved and dried marigold petals for the Christmas muffin each year.

[@carychiasson9834]

Jules, Glen is the best at Decorating cakes. He's a master.

[@carolynhughes4991]

If you want to win at the fair you need to separate the eggs. Doesn’t matter which method you use as long as you beat the whites by themselves and fold them in at the end. This is always true and applies to white, yellow and chocolate cakes. Try it and amaze yourself!

[@margaretmaurer6238]

Good show

[@giafreed8403]

Great video- cake 3 looked better right from the beginning.

[@pal98111]

Great experiment and interesting results. Next time try the “dump everything in the bowl and mix method”. I suspect it will work well too.

[@gordthompson4664]

Great idea for a series! I always enjoy "myth busting" content. Probably a bit more time-consuming than a regular segment, and this appears to be just before C-FMVU started consuming a lot of your time, but perhaps you can add more installments in the future. Cheers!

[@karlaanderson566]

That was quite interesting!

[@AlanDayley]

They are tasting so much, it’s cake for lunch!

[@dvillebenny1445]

We have PBS's America's Test Kitchen in the USA - high tech. In Canada we have Canada's Test Kitchen at GIen's and JeweI's house! 😊

[@lolojackx]

That's the sablé method, here in spain we use it for cookies, it's interesting to see you can use it in cakes too, great video.

[@GlaucusBlue]

Ohhh I really wanted to see one left in the mixer for like 5 mins and see what over mixing really does and how much it really matters.

[@joansamuels3241]

Made a lemon loaf cake using reverse creaming as the recipe directed. Was fussy to mix. Took it out of the oven to 'toothpick test' it and watched the center fall while using the toothpick. Returned it to the oven to keep baking it. Cooked end portions were coarse crumb while center was still damp. Remade it using usual butter/sugar method and baked it longer before 'toothpick testing' it. Resulted in a softer crumb and no soggy middle. Was baking the lemon loaf as part of a bday visit so I had to repeat it. Both loaves had the weight of bricks.

[@GrahamSmith1523]

you two are great.

[@Beehashe]

A new novel from Stephen King…The Shortening! A terrifying tale about a haunted tub of lard?

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

Mwahaha!

[@kiddedbliss]

The Joy of Cooking used the reverse cream method for their banana bread. I love how tender it is every time.

[@gsandau]

That cake is noticeably taller, as well. It looks fluffy and delicious.

[@Mranshumansinghr]

Glen is a Genius!!

[@PlatinumDestroyer]

Man these videos are just the best

[@maryjanegibson7743]

That was fun. And I loved the result. That after all the fuss online and in the cooking shows, it doesn't really make all that much difference in the end. What matters is having a good recipe. If you do, then it's basically going to work out fine unless you do something horrendous. I'd be more conerned with making sure the the oven is calibrated to work at the proper temperature.

[@mrsmac1974]

I'm going to try the county fair winning method. LOL. I really am having envy over your (can't say the name) red mixer. I want one!

[@emkav551]

Yay cake 🎂. The reverse cream just seems ti be similar to making muffins with adding the wet to dry. Best kake I make is Nigellas old fashioned chocolate cake and everything is dumped in food processor and whizzed until fluffy and is a crowd pleaser and what is asked for for birthdays..

[@kadlerio]

I'd love to see a comparison of putting the eggs in one at a time vs all at once. What's the difference in time for it to mix in and if it changes the final result.

[@RobinCafolla]

My mother always made one pot cakes in a similar way to your 3rd version; melt the butter into the liquid then add the sugar and flavouring, then the flour all in one go and finally the eggs. Texture was always good, and it only uses a single pot so cleanup is minimal.

[@TheTimeshadows]

Poor Julie! All of that delicious testing. :D

[@alanblott4559]

It's a CAKE. That's so we need to know. Thanks. I've enjoyed this video. Be well to both of you.

[@lydiamashcka4362]

Now you did it, I'm craving cake, I wasn't before but now I am.