Baking at High Altitude - New Challenges

 Photo courtesy of Cake Spy

Growing up in Sacramento, California I learned to bake at an altitude of 25 feet above sea level.  My next baking adventures took place during the 13 years I lived in New York City, New York.  Only 6 feet above sea level.  Baking in Centerville, Utah at just under 5,000 feet above sea level presents an entire new set of challenges in making sure my cupcakes and other baked goods turn out perfect every time. There's nothing worse than spending time and money on a yummy batch of cupcakes to take them out of the oven and they have either overflowed their cases or fallen into a sunken mess.

When I first started baking cupcakes seriously last summer I took a "Cupcakes and Cake Bites Class" at the Viking Cooking School in Salt Lake City.  The most valuable information I took away from this class was this - when baking in this altitude all you need to do is cut the leavening in your recipe by half.  What that means is if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda, add 1/2 teaspoon.  If the recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Powder, add 3/4 teaspoon.  This was an incredibly easy fix and since doing this I have yet to have any cupcake baking disasters.

Because not everyone who will read this Blog will live in a high altitude I always post the original recipes I use.  No recipes posted here have been adjusted for high altitude baking.  I leave that up to you.

I also found this very helpful article regarding high altitude baking on Allrecipes.com.  Understanding that baking is actually chemical reactions of the ingredients helps understand the importance of following recipes exactly as written.

High Altitude Cake Baking
By: Allrecipes.com Staff

Ahh, the joys of mountaintop living. Clean fresh air, snow capped peaks, falling cakes . . .

Why is high elevation a problem when baking?

Lower air pressure at high elevations causes air bubbles trapped in the batter to rise at a faster rate. When this happens, cakes rise very fast and high . . . then fall. As a result, you end up with a dense, dry cake--typically, a change in the proportion of ingredients used in leavened foods is needed.

Occasionally, you may even need to adjust the baking temperature in your oven as well, but this can start a chain reaction of additional problems. When you increase your baking temperature, liquids will evaporate faster and the rest of the ingredients become concentrated. Generally, this means you end up with too much sugar in the batter, which will prevent the cake from setting (i.e. you will be left with a gooey mess).

So, how does one solve these problems?

Cooking at high altitudes generally requires two basic adjustments:

1. An increase in time for boiled foods.

2. A change in the proportions of ingredients used in leavened foods such as cakes and yeast breads. In some instances, a change in baking temperatures may also be necessary.

Most cake recipes need no modification for sea level up to the altitude of 3,000 feet. Above that, it is often necessary to adjust recipes slightly. Usually, a decrease in leavening or sugar (or both) and an increase in liquid are needed. Remember, ingredients such as eggs or butter are considered liquids.

BAKING

For any baked goods that rise (yeast breads, cakes or breads made with baking powder, etc.), it is important to adjust the recipe so that the rapid rise time doesn't make the resulting bread or cake too dry. This can be done as follows:

For yeast cakes:

Yeast cakes rise more quickly at high altitudes, so be sure to watch your dough carefully and judge the rise time by the change in the dough's bulk, not by the amount of time it takes. Proofing time for yeast cakes should be reduced.

For cakes using baking powder:

Don't over beat the eggs. Over beating adds too much air to the cake.

Raise the baking temperature slightly; the faster cooking time will keep the recipe from rising too much. At elevations over 3,500 feet, the oven temperature for batters and doughs should be about 25 degrees F higher than the temperature used at sea level.

Decrease the amount of baking powder slightly; this also prevents the recipe from rising too much.

For foam cakes:

Cakes tend to stick more when they are baked at high altitudes, so be sure to always grease your baking pans well and dust them with flour, or line them with parchment paper. Exceptions are angel food cakes and sponge cakes, which should always be baked in un-greased pans. Also, fill pans only 1/2 full of batter, not the usual 2/3 full, as high altitude cakes may overflow.

Follow the chart below for more specific adjustments. When adapting a recipe for high altitudes, always start out with the smallest adjustment then add more adjustments later and only if necessary. Keep in mind that any or all of these adjustments may be required, for every recipe is different in its balance of ingredients. Only repeated experiments with each different recipe can give the most successful proportions to use. It's a good idea to keep notes of how you adjusted your recipes until you know what works best for your particular location.

GUIDE FOR CAKE BAKING AT HIGH ALTITUDES

Adjustment for 3000 feet:
Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 teaspoon.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 0 to 1 tablespoon.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 1 to 2 tablespoons.
Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

Adjustment for 5000 feet:
Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 0 to 2 tablespoons.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

Adjustment for 7000+ feet:
Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/4 teaspoon.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 1 to 3 tablespoons.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 3 to 4 tablespoons.
Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.