Basic Ingredients for Various Types of Cake
By PutoPinoy on Sunday, June 03, 2007 At
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Cakes are baked products that are sweet, soft and have a rich taste and a pleasing aroma. Cake ingredients can be classified into six categories, according to their "roles" in making a cake, such as the following:- toughening agent
- tenderizers
- moisteners
- dryers
- flavoring agents
- leavening agents
1. Toughening agents are important because they are responsible for making the cake ingredients stick together and providing the structure of the cake. Included in this category are flour, powdered milk and egg white. To be able to make good quality cakes, use cake flour that contains 7-9% protein. If you want to prevent the cake from shrinking, use very white flour.
2. Tenderizers make the cake soft. Included in this group are sugar, shortening, cocoa and egg yolk. Sugar softens the proteins in the flour so the cake becomes soft when baked. Shortening like butter, margarine or lard brings air into the cake batter. Air in batter makes the cake soft.
3. Moisteners gives moisture to the cake. Moisteners also act as preservatives, which make the cake last for days without spoiling. Sugar, water, liquid milk and whole egg are included in this category.
4. Dryers are responsible for maintaining moisture in the cake. Dryers maintain the balance in the consistency of the batter and provide the volume of the cake. Flour, powdered milk and starch are dryers.
5. Flavoring agents give the cake its taste - salt, sugar, cocoa, butter and egg. Salt enhances he taste of the other ingredients. If the cake is too sweet, it can be balanced by adding salt. Sugar, which may be used in the form of molasses or honey, is also considered a flavoring agent. Aside from helping the cake retain its moisture, it gives the cake distinct flavor.
6. Leavening agents make the cake rise. Baking soda, starch and cream of tartar are examples of leavening agents. The single acting baking powder makes the cake rise when it is already in the oven. When the double acting baking powder is used, the batter gets air while being mixed and further rises when baked.
Types of Cakes
Cakes differ according to their form and quality. The three types of cake generally known in the baking industry are the batter type, the foam type and the chiffon type.
1. Batter-type cake is composed of flour, egg and milk. It is greasy, heavy and dense. The batter-type is further classified into high or low ratio cake. The high ratio has more sugar than flour. The low ratio has sugar whose amount is equal to or less than the flour.
2. Foam-type cake is allowed to rise through the air trapped during beating if the egg, thus making the cake foamy and light. There are two types of foam-type cake - sponge and meringue.
- a. When preparing sponge type cake, the egg yolk and the egg white are beaten separately and then combined. The pianono and sponge cake are examples of this type.
- b. The meringue is also known as angel food cake. Brazo de Mercedes ans Sans Rival are examples. When making this type of cake, the egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar are beaten until frothy.
The basic ingredients of the chiffon-type cake are similar to the ingredients of the foam-type cake. Both rise due to the beaten egg white. The only difference is that egg yolks is included, which explains their greasiness.
The combined qualities of the batter-type and the foam-type give the chiffon-type cakes distinct softness and taste. This cake also lasts longer than any other type of cake. The custard cake and the orange chiffon cake are examples of the chiffon-type cake.
