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Just like having a pan ripping-hot is the key to a perfectly seared steak, the way you whip eggs (even if it's just the whites) into batter is crucial to the final texture of a cake. The lofty height and delicate "crumb" of the lightest and fluffiest desserts like angel food cake, soufflé, or sponge cake can be created—or destroyed—depending on how you incorporate whipped eggs or whites with the rest of the batter. No pressure, right?
Yes, the whole "folding" process can be a tricky beast. That rubber spatula seems to take forever to incorporate flour into whites, or whipped eggs into a batter base, and the whole while, you watch as all the lovely volume you've whipped into your eggs slowly deflates and loses its oomph. What's a cake lover to do?
Luckily, there's an alternative to the flat and oomph-killing rubber spatula: the balloon whisk. What's that, you ask? It's a jumbo whisk with an especially large, round, "balloon-shaped" end, as opposed to the flat or straight-edged kind. And thanks to its wide, balloon-shaped wire coils, it preserves the beautiful airiness of whipped eggs while quickly helping you blend in other ingredients.
The good news is, the whisk on your kitchen counter might already be a balloon one. You've just got to start using it for more than whisking salad dressing. Here's how:
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients over the whipped whites, covering as much surface area as possible. Using a turning motion, scoop the balloon whisk through the center of the bowl, bringing some of the dry ingredients down and through the whites, while giving the bowl a quarter turn counter-clockwise (left-handed folks will prefer to go clockwise). Gently tap the balloon whisk to shake out the batter that collects inside of it, then repeat this motion 3-4 times, just enough to incorporate the dry ingredients into the whipped eggs.
When making recipes where whipped eggs are folded in to lighten a batter, a balloon whisk can also help to avoid over-mixing and deflating the eggs. Start off by whisking one-quarter of the beaten eggs/whites into the batter in a large bowl to lighten the batter. Then, working in 2 batches, use the balloon whisk to fold in remaining whipped eggs, placing the whisk in the center of the bowl and scooping up and around as you give the bowl that quarter-turn. Gently tap the whisk to shake out the batter that collects inside of it and repeat just until there are no more streaks of egg visible.
Thanks to those wide coils, a balloon whisk is also your best friend when whipping cream. The easiest way to do it: pour cream into a large, chilled bowl and sweep the balloon whisk in a circular motion, bringing it down and around the sides of the bowl, to quickly incorporate air into the cream. Who needs an electric mixer when you've got a balloon whisk on your side?
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