Biscuit: types, recipes, features and cooking methods

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 16:12

Sponge cake is a dessert based on flour (usually wheat), sugar and eggs, sometimes with baking powder. It has a hard but well porous texture similar to a sea sponge. Biscuit can also be obtained from batter or fluffy dough.

A cake made using the batter method is known as a Victorian biscuit, when fluffy it is known as a sponge cake. The biscuit, which differs greatly from each other, is especially common in Europe and is most often found in Italian bakeries. This dessert was first invented in the 14th century, and got its modern name thanks to the Italian confectioner Giovanni Battista Carbona. Around the middle of the 16th century, the delicacy was called "biscuit".

How is it different

Biscuit is considered one of the first types of non-yeast dough pastries. The earliest recipe for such a cake can be found in English in a book by the English poet Gervase Markham in 1615. The method of preparing dessert is indicated as one of the skills that a good housewife should possess. At the same time, different types of biscuit are described at the same time in other European sources. So, in Spain it was called "sweet bread", in Italy it wasseveral regional names, etc.

Methods of obtaining

Biscuit, whose types are diverse today, also has a classic recipe. It uses eggs, sugar and flour. To prepare it, you first need to beat the eggs and mix them well with sugar. As a rule, mixing of products occurs until a light and homogeneous mass is formed. Then the flour is carefully sifted and the flour is gradually added (depending on the recipe, it can be mixed with a small amount of baking powder). Since there are numerous types of biscuits today, the preparation involves different techniques.

So, the yolks are ground with sugar first, while the whites are beaten separately into meringue-type foam, and then combined. The resulting mixture is then poured into a mold and baked. Regardless of the method of preparation, it is important to leave air in the eggs when beating and mixing with other foods. Thanks to him, a very light and airy dough is obtained. However, it is quite easy to lose this accumulated air if the cake is taken out of the oven before it is fully cooked.

As long as the dough is not chilled after baking, it remains quite flexible. This allows you to create various rolls from it. The classic recipe is also used for many desserts. However, the types of biscuits for cakes are numerous. So, the “angelic” version is popular, in which only egg whites are used, and some Belgianwaffle versions where the egg whites are separated from the yolks and added to the batter at the end of cooking.

Modern biscuit: types

The following varieties of such dough can be distinguished, which are found for making cakes and other delicacies:

• Classic - its recipe is given above. Instead of flour, starch can be used to make the dough more fluffy.
• Butter - when cooked, eggs are beaten with butter and sugar, and then flour is added.
• Chiffon - oil is also added during cooking, and the proteins and yolks are separated.
• Nut, or daquoise, - the dough contains two types of flour, wheat and nut, usually in equal amounts.

Types of chocolate biscuits can be any, because each of the above varieties of dough can be supplemented with cocoa. From each type of biscuit, sweets are prepared, which are widely used throughout the world. Some of them are worth considering separately. Types of biscuits, the recipes of which have received international recognition, are easy to prepare. What are these varieties?

Victorian biscuit

The Victorian biscuit was named after Queen Victoria, who loved to treat herself to a slice of cake with her afternoon tea. This delicacy belongs to the category of butter biscuits, because a mixture of vegetable and butter is used in cooking.

Typical Victorian cake consists of two biscuit layers topped with raspberry jam and whipped creamor vanilla cream. The top of the treat is usually uncoated or decorated with powdered sugar.

Victorian biscuit can be made using one of two methods. The traditional method involves mixing the powdered sugar with the butter, whisking the mixture thoroughly with the eggs, and then adding the flour and baking powder to the mixture. The modern method uses an electric mixer or food processor, so all ingredients are added at the same time and whipped immediately until fluffy. Since this greatly speeded up the cooking process, such a biscuit is now used in a variety of recipes, and not just for Victorian cake.

Angel Biscuit

The types of this delicacy are also varied. This delicate dough is used to make a cake with fruit fillings, ice cream or cream. It can be served warm or chilled and is often served with coffee or tea. You can cook it at home. For this you will need:

• 1, 5 cups egg whites (about 12 large eggs);
• 1 cup plus one tablespoon (240 g) sifted flour;
• 1¹/_{3 cup (270g) sugar;}
• 1/4 teaspoon s alt;
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract;
• 0, 5 teaspoons almond extract.

How to make an angel biscuit?

Separate the eggs and pour the egg whites into a liquid measuring cup. You need to dial1.5 cups of pure product. This will require about 12 large eggs.

Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Sift the flour before measuring its quantity. Add about half the sugar to the flour and sift it again.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl, adding s alt as soon as they are frothy. Keep whisking. Once the product begins to form soft peaks, add the remaining sugar and extracts. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Use a spatula, gently fold the flour and sugar mixture into the beaten egg whites and fold in with a quick top to bottom motion. You should have a batter that looks like sour cream. It is important not to shake the air bubbles out of it.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake immediately. The biscuit will be ready within 45 minutes. When you take the dessert out of the oven, immediately pull it out of the mold. The types of biscuit creams can be different, but in this case it is better to use the leftover yolks to make custard.

Biscuit dacquoise

You can impress your guests with a dacquoise hazelnut cake. What do you need?

Biscuit Ingredients:

• 250 grams roasted hazelnuts;
• 300 grams of powdered sugar;
• 25 grams of cornstarch;
• 6 large egg whites;
• a pinch of s alt.

How to make a cake?

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor and chop. Put the nuts in a saucepan and bake for10-12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every three minutes.

Remove the hazelnuts from the oven, transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool. Then mix with 100 grams of powdered sugar and cornstarch.

Reduce oven temperature to 150°C. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and, using a small plate as a guide, draw a 21 cm circle on each. Postpone. Carefully place the racks in the top, middle and bottom thirds of the oven.

Make egg white meringues. To do this, add s alt to them and beat at medium speed for about two minutes. Increase the speed and add the remaining 200 grams of powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. This is necessary to make a hard thick meringue. Gently add ground hazelnuts to it.

Spread the meringue on the baking sheets, spread with a spoon in the form of measured circles. Bake for one hour, swapping the top and bottom pans halfway through the cooking process. Turn off the oven and leave the cakes to cool there, but with the door open. This will take approximately 45 minutes. After that, the finished delicacy can be smeared with any cream.