In this cake video tutorial, I’m going to demonstrate the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing. Several of our popular cake recipes in the Recipes section refer to this method of mixing, which results in a slightly denser, more velvety texture with a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality.
I learned of this method from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum and it has become very popular with bakers over the years. For those who are used to the conventional method of mixing, this order of mixing may seem a bit odd, but once you get used to the method, it goes very quickly (and has great results)!
Today I am making our White Almond Sour Cream Cake, which is one of our FAVORITES! (If you aren’t a fan of almond, you can leave it out for an equally delicious vanilla cake!) For the recipe, Click Here!!
Notes:
The recipes in our Cake Recipes Section that use this mixing method are written up with the detailed instructions that we used in the video (re: the order, mixing times, etc.)
As we mention in the video, when adding butter to the dry ingredients, you want the mixture to be well coated with butter, but you want to stop mixing while the mixture is still crumbly. If you mix for too long, it becomes a big clump that will eventually result in a cake that doesn’t rise as it should.
When adding your butter, it should be just soft enough to leave a slight impression when touched, but it should still feel chilled. If your butter becomes too soft, you can refrigerate it for a few minutes.
If you have any questions about the Conventional method of mixing, you can find our tutorial HERE!
Gotta love Rose Levy Beranbaum
Yes! I love this method, I know that she popularized this way of mixing years ago in The Cake Bible–it makes such a difference!!
Very informative. I have Rose’s Book and I love it too. One of my favorites.
White Almond Sour Cream Cake is one of our all time favorites. Many of my clients ask for it! I’ll give this method a try…it’s an interesting method. Do you prefer one over the other when carving? Thanks for so much for the great job you both do to keep us informed and up-to-date on baking! ❤❤
Sorry…to clarify…do you prefer this method or the traditional method for mixing the batter when you need to carve a cake? ?
Hello Holly! We always make the White Almond Sour Cream Scratch Recipe using the Reverse Creaming Method (with the exception of our how to make a cake from start to finish video featuring the conventional method) ;0) -For projects that require a bit of carving, I would use the reverse creaming method because the crumb is going to be finer/denser.
Thanks you Melissa! This is exactly what I needed.
@Melissa Cox- Great, so glad it helps!
Hi Melissa
Thanks for this – I’ve made this recipe a few times and found it an excellent cake. Good to watch to make sure I’m doing it right!
Hi I am sooo!!! Happy to be a member of your school, The white almond recipe is great, I have a cake that will consist of several different layers. I would like to know the proper way to store cake batters while other cakes are baking, I need to make a 10 inch , 9 inch and 8 inch tier cake for someone. Your recipe will be 7 cups of batter, for the ten inch cake i will need to make this times two, 10 inch cake only needs 12 cups of batter and i will have 14 cups of batter, how do i reserve and properly keep the 2 cups of batter while the 10 inch cakes are baking and mixing the batter for the 9 inch cake and 8 inch cake. Please help me, I know when the wet ingredients are mixed with the dry ingredients it will activate the leaving agent(baking powder). I would not want to over crowd my oven causing my cakes not to cook properly, i would also like to make a day of just baking the cakes. Can I fill the cake pan with the two cups and place it in the refrigerator until ready to mix the next batter????, Very Lost and Need Your Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Carol, You are correct, the baking powder or baking soda will be activated as soon as liquid is added to the dry ingredients. It as been my experience that if it is not baked right away it will not bake properly, never rise as high as it should. I have never tried refrigerating the batter of a scratch cake recipe to bake later, but I assume it would not be an ideal result. Now when using a boxed cake mix, I have refrigerated batter while another cake was baking and the result was acceptable. Have you tried the White Almond Sour Cream doctored cake recipe? Would that be a possibility for you?
No I have not, but maybe this is what I should do in order to achieve the best cake results, will i get the same great flavor and texture with it? Again Thank You SOOO!!! much for Helping us achieve Beautiful Cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Carol, Here is a link to the WASC doctored recipe https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/white-almond-sour-cream-cake/. We like it and use it often, it is also good to use if you will be doing light carving.
Which Strawberry cake recipe on the site would be good for carving the cute Easter Egg cake (new tutorial) from? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I have a question. I make make the WASC doctored all the time and made the scratch recipe for cupcakes a few months ago, but I don’t recall using the reverse method. Anyway, I have a client who wants a fluffy white cake- he said fluffy is important.It is a 2 tier cake (7″ &9″ round). My vanilla buttercream filling will be fluffy. Any thoughts as to what recipe to use? I know fluffy isn’t good for tier as we want it sturdy. I’m going to try your white scratch cake, too, but would love your opinion in trying to get him the cake he wants.
Thanks so much, as always.
Hi, The scratch WASC and Melissa’s White cake both use the reverse creaming method. That method makes a more dense cake with a melt in your mouth quality. If your customer is requesting fluffy, this is probably not what he has in mind. Melissa often used the Doctored White Cake recipe when she had her cake business, here is the link https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/white-cake/. Even through it is softer it will be fine used for a tiered cake covered with buttercream. We don’t recommend it when covering in fondant. The recipes using the reverse creaming method can be mixed using the conventional method for a less dense texture. I recommend re-writing the recipe as conventional otherwise it is too easy to leave something out.
Hi Paintmycake, I have been thinking about your cake and I wasn’t sure if you were looking for a scratch recipe instead of a doctored mix. I did want to add that if your customer wants a truly white cake, Melissa’s White Cake (new version) did bake up higher than the WASC (scratch) version. Here is a link to the WASC written in the conventional mixing format if you would like to use as a guide if you convert the White Cake (reverse c.) to conventional mixing. https://www.mycakeschool.com/images/2015/11/White-Almond-Sour-Cream-Cake-.pdf
Is it supposed to sink once cooled?
Would love to see pics of how it should look
This is slightly domed
2nd batch , did nothing different
Sunk!
I live in Denver. Do I have to make any changes because of the altitude? Will this reverse method work at 5280 altitude? Thanks.
Hi Marji, I’m sorry but I am not sure if the reverse cream method will be affected by high altitude, and I could not find any information on the subject.
Hi Melissa.
Will this batter fill three 6×2 pans?
Can I use buttermilk I make (1 tbsp. Vinegar + milk = 1 c buttermilk) or does it have to be store bought?
Thanks.
I’m sorry, I was supposed to leave the above comment for the Scratch White cake recipe. ?
To do this reverse method in yur recipes, is it only possible to do this with a stand up mixer? Can I use a hand held one, being that’s the only one I have for now? Just wodering, coz I really would like to make these cakes here in yur cake school. Thank You
Hi Wayne, Yes, you can use a hand mixer, you will just need to mix a bit longer.
Ty soo much for the quick response. I really do appreciate it. Now let me get started on these cakes. Lol Ty again!!!
I really want to try this but I don’t own an electric mixer or beaters. Can I get the same result with a wisk and wooden spoon?
Hi Sophie, I have never tried but I think it could be done. Mixing the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse sand might take a bit of whisking. I hope all goes well. If you give it a try, l would like to know your thoughts on the recipe.
Hi
Great tutorial. I have made this recipe before but now I am going to do the White Cake new version. My question is can I double this recipe?
Thank You!!
Hi Debbie, yes, you can double this recipe.
I have a recipe i’ve Used for years. Can the reverse method be applied to a standard recipe.
Hi Frances, The reverse creaming method does best in high ratio cakes. That is a cake recipe where the weight of the sugar is equal to or greater than the weight of the flour. Do you use a scale to weight your ingredients? If you do it will be easy to determine if your favorite recipe will do well using reverse creaming. If you don’t have a scale, just check some of our recipes to see the weights of flour and sugar, hopefully some will be similar to the flour and sugar in your recipe. If you do use the reverse method, I suggest rewriting your recipe into that form and counting the ingredients to make sure nothing is left out. Hope all goes well
Hi, Where is the video? When I click on the picture it just enlarges the pic. How do I view the video? Thanks!
Hi Gloria- Your computer may not be getting along with that first video–I’ve just added the video in a different format lower down on the page (embedded from YouTube)- Let me know if you continue to have trouble!
I found this tutorial to be very helpful, usually I’m not very successful with homemade cake. They are always too dry and flavorless. This method was easy and the step by step instruction made for a successful result.
my question is from the video it states to add all dry ingredients regardless, then add all wet ingredients. Which are all mixed together as well? I have a recipe which calls for buttermilk to be added before the butter. I’m assuming you you’re referring to butter as a dry ingredient, in your video about the procedure, about reverse mixing? Sorry really just been baking last few years, So if I sound like a dummy’ its because i just learning. Much thanks
Bob G
Hi Bob, I consider the butter to be a separate ingredient. All the dry ingredients are added to the mixing bowl and whisked or blended with paddle attachment to combine. Then the slightly softened butter is add a few pieces at a time and mixed on medium speed until it looks like coarse sand. The flour has been coated with the butter, this will slow down the formation of gluten and make for a more tender cake. At this point, if you pinch some of mixture between your thumb and forefinger it will stick together. Method is important when using the Reverse Creaming Method. Next, using medium speed on your mixer, you will Slowly add 1/2 of the liquid mixing 1 1/2 minutes. Then 2 more additions of liquid, mixing 20 seconds after each. Do not mix over medium speed or mix too long. Since the recipe you are using specifically instructs adding the buttermilk before adding butter I would not use the Reverse Creaming Method. The general rule for this method is that the weight of the sugar should be equal to or greater than the weight of the flour. Hope this helps.
Hello, I have a question, If we have oil instead of butter we do the dame?
Hi Graciela, I am sorry but we have never experimented with only oil in a recipe when using the reverse creaming method.
the video isn’t working!
Hi Laura, is it working for you now?
Can this method be used with any cake recipe?
The reverse creaming method should only be used in recipes when the weight of the sugar is greater than or equal to the weight of flour in the recipe.
Thanks for this tutorial. I don’t get cake flour where I am. I usually substitute all purpose flour + cornstarch when recipes call for cake flour. Will this substitution work with the reverse creaming method? Thanks
Hi Emen, Yes, the substitution will work with the reverse creaming method.