So, my skill of making roll cake had disappeared somehow. The same technique, the same recipe, and the same baking-temperature technique had failed. The cake raised very high, not moist, and sturdy. I mean, when i tried to press it, it bounced back quickly. I CANT ROLL IT. I didn’t know what was happening. I forgot how finally i got into the suspected caution, that was HUMIDITY.
The humidity in my town somehow dropped. I bought humidity-meter a.k.a hydrometer for macaron but apparently, it was useful for a whole baking
First, i tried to make my kitchen humid using hot steam. I boiled a water and beat white eggs near to it. It didn’t work. I also always use low protein flour but it failed. It slightly worked on ‘new’ opened-flour-package but after a while, it didn’t work anymore. I concluded, after sometime, that the flour itself was already affected by humidity.
Second, i tried to replace 1/3 flour with corn flour. it worked but still slightly sturdy.
Third, i tried to replace (almost) 1/2 flour with corn-flour (or some people said maizena or corn starch). When I baked it, the top skin wrinkled. If you think, I was panic and thought it was a bad sign, nope. It was actually a good sign; for me, it means, when i roll it, the skin will be stretch out and the cake surface will be smooth
Also, before and on 3rd technique above, i also rolled it while it was hot. First time, it was peeled off. It’s not my usual technique to roll while it was hot but after few times, i concluded that i need THE STEAM THAT IS STILL TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAKE to make the cake moist and thus i can roll it. Yet, another bad risk is, the skin can be peeled off. So, one day, i watched a youtube, i was like being reminded that another technique to prevent peel off is by spreading icing sugar on peeling paper. So, i did it, and it was good. I just don’t like the white colour of icing sugar on my cake…hahaha. Yet, i need it. May be next time, i will try not using icing sugar OR let the cake until it is cold; I just want to know if 1/2 flour replacement with maizena, at low humidity condition, the cake will still be roll-able (no crack, no peel off).
Oh, last…if you think, the thinner cake is better to be rolled, nope, that’s not always the case. The most important is the moist and the flexibility. I made thin roll cake recently (the recipe was written to make thin roll cake). was it able to be rolled? NO. Haha.
For me now, it’s better not to reduce the total ‘flour’ in the recipe. I’d rather replace 1/3-1/2 of it with cornstarch. As a whole, the weight of ‘flour’ is the same but the nature of the cake result is different.
Anyway, i haven’t tried the cake while this is written. Usually, using some kind of flour give kind of different aroma and/or different texture. As for using cornstarch, so far, I didn’t feel the aroma is bad but the texture is different in terms of it’s softer. Usually, if you don’t have low protein flour, you can combine regular cake flour with cornstarch. Yet, i still need to taste this cake. Is it good? and how if it is out from the refrigerator? Will the texture is still good like using 1/3 cornstarch combination.
By the way, there’s a roll cake that use full cornstarch. It is usually combine with chocolate powder. It’s called SNOEP. Have you heard about it? It’s delicious yet very light. For me, i still prefer using regular flour roll cake because i like the ‘fullness’ of the cake texture
note: cornstarch = maizena (in some countries, the name is maizena)