Tiger-skin cake has a golden-yellow outer layer with tiger stripes. Mastering the whipping of egg yolks and baking temperature is key to achieving a soft and elastic tiger-skin layer. Higher baking temperatures quickly brown the yolks, creating caramel textures. If the color is uneven, rotate the baking pan halfway through baking. Avoid overbaking, which can cause the tiger-skin to dry out and lose its elasticity. The tiger-skin effect is the result of caramelization and egg white coagulation in a high-sugar egg yolk mixture at high temperatures. After whipping the egg yolks and sugar, the sugar and fat form a stable emulsified foam. During baking, the bubbles expand, and the surface egg whites coagulate into a honeycomb structure. With a surface temperature exceeding 160°C, the sugar caramelizes, producing golden stripes and aroma. Due to the high sugar and low fat content, low moisture content, and strong shrinkage, the tiger stripes form upon cooling. This is the result of "stable foam × caramelization × moisture shrinkage." [Common Pairings] Swiss rolls, coffee cream rolls, sesame whipped cream rolls, etc., add tiger-skin texture to enhance the overall flavor.
Materials
FL Tiger Skin Cake: Baking Principles and Steps
Whisk the egg yolk batter: Put 139g of egg yolks and 50g of granulated sugar into a stainless steel bowl and whisk with an electric mixer on high speed for about 10 minutes, until the volume expands to 3 times, the color lightens, the lines are clear and do not disappear easily, and the batter feels bouncy and firm to about 90% done.
Add cornstarch: Sift in 28g of cornstarch and gently stir with a spatula until there are no lumps.
Baking and spreading: Spread the batter evenly on a 28×28cm baking pan lined with parchment paper, about 0.5cm thick. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (top heat) / 180°C (bottom heat) for about 7-8 minutes (flipping halfway through), until the surface is golden brown and tiger stripes appear. If the surface color is uneven, rotate the baking pan once halfway through to avoid overbaking.
Cooling and use: Remove from the mold immediately after baking and let cool before using as the outer layer of a cake roll.
Tips on the Baking Principles of FL Tiger Skin Cake
【Summary】 - The stability of the egg yolk bubbles during whipping is key to the delicate tiger-stripe texture. - Cornstarch makes the texture light and prevents it from becoming glutenous. - High-temperature, short-time baking produces the fine tiger stripes and caramel aroma.
