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I have an old box of Koopman's Oud-Hollandse Appelkaneel cake mix.

The recipe calls for you to whip some butter using a mixer before adding the cake mix and eggs. Then it should be beaten some more with the mixer. Presumably, this is to include air into the mix and assist in the leavening process.

However, I don't have a mixer. I do, however, have a handheld immersion blender. Would it be possible to use thus tool for this purpose? If so, should I add a bit of full-cream milk to the butter to help it whip, since it should still blend as long as it has a fat content above 30%?

Ola Ström
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nick012000
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1 Answers1

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I no longer have an immersion blender, but the one I used to have wouldn't do a very good job. It had a whisk attachment (replacing the stick part of the blender) that would have helped, but only with really soft butter.

The problem with immersion blenders and solids that stick themselves back together (like butter) is that very little actually ends up reaching the blade.

But it's worth a go: I'd try it if I had nothing else on hand, starting by softening and chopping the butter. Then I'd beat in the egg (by hand) but not yet the cake mix, and at this point really go for it with the blender. That's your best opportunity for getting some air in there. Then I'd mix in the contents of the packet by hand. As it's got raising agents in there, it's not a purely whisked cake - I'd just fold it into the beaten egg/butter mix, rather than beating.

Chris H
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  • Would adding a bit of milk help mitigate the "sticking itself back together" problem? – nick012000 Jan 21 '22 at 10:26
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    @nick012000 You will not succeed in whipping together milk and butter. – Sneftel Jan 21 '22 at 10:40
  • @Sneftel Really? Huh. I guess "Why is it possible to whip together ice cream and milk but not butter and milk" would be worth a question in it's own right. – nick012000 Jan 21 '22 at 10:43
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    Keep in mind where butter comes from: You whip cream until it *stops* being mixed together. – Sneftel Jan 21 '22 at 10:46
  • @nick012000 even if I thought it would work, I wouldn't add the extra liquid. That's why I'd mix the egg in early (and perhaps a little at a time. You still won't get much air in but you won't spoil the rise, and using an immersion blender to beat in the flour would end up with a sticky mess with the air knocked out of it. Now I think of it, adding just a little of the flour (etc.) with the egg might be useful – Chris H Jan 21 '22 at 11:12
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    Softening the butter by leaving it out to half-melt really worked to help with the whipping with the immersion blender. I was surprised by how hot it got in my hands, though, especially when I added in the cake mix. I think I might have been pushing the limits of what it was capable of. – nick012000 Jan 22 '22 at 08:08