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I have a cake recipe that calls for egg yolks and separately folding in egg whites. What would be the difference in eliminating folding in the whipped egg whites and just using the whole egg? Would it work if I want a "sturdier" cake? That was my thinking but I wasn't certain of the outcome.

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  • It depends upon what you're making. Whipped egg whites will add lightness and fluffiness. Those qualities are usually desired in recipes that call for whipped egg whites.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Dec 13, 2014 at 1:25
  • It's for a cake! So, it would work if I want a "sturdier" cake? That was my thinking but I wasn't certain.
    – Tanesha
    Dec 13, 2014 at 2:18
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    In a cake, egg whites provide lift. Without whipping the egg whites, the cake will be flat and dense.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Dec 13, 2014 at 2:36
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    It sounds like it's a chiffon cake ... in which typically the only leavening is the whipped egg whites. If you tried to use whole eggs, it would be ... not good. If you want a 'sturdy' cake, you'd be better off starting with a pound cake recipie.
    – Joe
    Dec 13, 2014 at 7:27

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I think, as mentioned above, it really depends on how the rest of the recipe goes. If the only source of air youre getting in the cake is from whipping the egg whites then foregoing that may result in very dense cake. However, if there is a step for example that asks you to whisk butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then I think it should be fine to skip it but either way skipping would result in a denser cake.

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There are some cakes that call for whipped egg whites but you can opt to skip that step. As an example, a 1-2-3-4 cake wants you to separate the eggs, whip the whites and add them to the completed batter. If you choose not to do that your cake will almost as "sturdy" as a pound cake. But as noted, that would not work with a chiffon cake.

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  • It'll work in a 1-2-3-4 cake, as you've creamed the butter & sugar together, as you would with a pound cake. If the cake only gets its lift from the egg whites (eg, chiffon, angel food, a soufflé), whole eggs won't work. (and yes, I know it's not angel food, as they mention that it also calls for egg yolks).
    – Joe
    Dec 17, 2014 at 2:48

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