Japanese souffle pancakes, Tres leches cakeAND Pandan Chiffon Cake share a basic element in common: meringue. Whipped egg whites and sugar are whipped until soft peaks form, which is what gives these cakes their rise. But egg foam is a fickle beast: deflated meringues lead to cakes that have no loft and meringue-topped pies that weep within hours.
An often-advocated remedy against deflated meringue: cream of tartar. But when recipes call for whipping cream, the amount can be as insignificant as a pinch—which calls into question whether it's really essential. So how important is cream of tartar to your baking and is it really worth keeping hidden away in your pantry?
While the sugar helps stabilize the beaten egg whites, as you beat more air into it, there is still a risk of collapse. Stone cream is an additional protection; it gives more stability to that foam structure, thus setting the meringue up for success.
Rick Holbrook
Despite its slightly misleading name, cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate, is an acid salt. A fine white powder you'll often find in the spice aisle of the grocery store, it's a byproduct from the fermentation stage of wine, where it crystallizes inside wine barrels.
You'll most often see cream of tartar in recipes that call for whipped egg whites, where it's included to provide support. “Weak acids, such as cream of tartar, stabilize egg white foams by lowering the pH, which increases foam stability,” he explains. Baker's Hotline Specialist David Binkley.
However, this baking agent has more uses than just stabilizing egg whites. David adds that you can mix it with baking soda to create baking powder if you are in a pinch or use it to prevent crystallization in syrups and candies, such as caramel.
The short answer: yes, if you want to ensure a better end product. (Who doesn't?) “I think of it as baking insurance,” says Molly Marzalek-Kelly, Senior Recipe Developer. “It's something that's going to give me a stronger, more stable, more durable product — if I have access to it, I'll always use it.”
Keep in mind that more cream of tartar doesn't necessarily mean a better, more consistent result. “Too much cream of tartar will impart a metallic, tin-like taste,” warns Molly. She recently used cream of stone while developing a recipe for Japanese souffle pancakeswhich have a meringue base that is essential to achieving their characteristic reindeer-like texture and notes: “I tried a batch of souffle pancakes with a lot of cream of tartar (1 teaspoon) and they were terrible – straight into the compost !”
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Technically you can—egg whites will still whip into stiff peaks without cream of tartar—but we recommend including it whenever called for in a recipe.
During the development of high ones Japanese souffle pancakes, Molly quickly realized how integral a stabilizer was to creating the perfect pancake texture. “Without the cream of tartar, the meringue wouldn't be as firm, which can result in pancakes that aren't as long and fluffy as they could be,” she mentions. “Or you'd have a dough that cries or starts to separate as it waits its turn in the pan.”
In other applications where whipped whites provide structure, the meringue base would be weaker, and possibly collapse, without a stabilizer like whipping cream. Or the meringue towering atop your perfect lemon pie may begin to weep over time, drastically reducing its shelf life.
If you don't have a jar of cream of tartar on hand, that shouldn't stop you from making a recipe. Instead of cutting out a stabilizer entirely, there are substitutes that will give your whipped egg whites the texture they need.
David and Molly both recommend lemon juice or vinegar as a substitute – start with small amounts as there may be a risk of imparting their strong flavors in the final result.
How to substitute cream of tartar: When recipes call for a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar for egg whites, use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to start, Molly advises.
Ready to beat egg whites with confidence? Break out your jar of cream of tartar and use that Seven-minute frost, Classic Lemon Meringue Pie, Chiffon cake, PavlovAND Blueberry-Lime Swirled Meringues.
