INTRODUCTION TO CAKE

CAKE

Cake is a rich, sweet dessert food produced from wheat flour and other ingredients. Typical cake ingredients are flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, leavening agent such as baking powder.
Additional ingredients with the primary ingredients  are flavour such as dried or fresh fruits or vanilla flavour. It is baked in an oven and often covered in icing.
 Cake is often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, anniversaries and birthdays.
 A cake can fall, whereby parts of it sink or flatten, when baked at a temperature that is too low or too hot, when it has been underbaked and when placed in an oven that is too hot at the beginning of the baking process. The use of excessive amounts of sugar, flour, fat or leavening can also cause a cake to fall. A cake also can fall when subjected to cool air that enters an oven when the oven door is opened during the baking process.
It is the most important product next to bread in our bakery industry, it can be served as snacks or as desserts.

 CAKE INGREDIENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.

1. FLOUR : It is the ingredient in which most baked products are based. Although flour can be milled from a variety of grains, it is most typically composed of wheat. 

FUNCTIONS

*It is used to bind ingredients to form dough or batter.
 *The protein in flour creates volume and texture while the starches sustain form after the product is removed from heat.
*When water is added to flour, it hydrates the proteins and binds to form gluten. Gluten when combined with heat and moisture provides elasticity and strength to cakes.

2.SUGAR : Sugar gives cakes and other baked products sweetness. Sugar can be in form of granulated sugar, castor sugar or icing sugar. It also comes in liquid forms such as syrup treacle, corn syrup, honey and caramel.

 FUNCTIONS

 * Creates  tenderness and fineness of texture.
* Add sweetness and flavour.
 * Improves flavour and helps to retain moisture, keeping products softer, for longer, and so reducing staling.
 * Acts as a preservative.
* Assists with the aeration and stabilizing of batters thereby acting as a creaming agent with Fat/Butter and as a foaming agent with eggs.


3. EGGS : This is another basic ingredient in producing cakes.

 FUNCTIONS

Beaten eggs incorporate air. In a batter, trapped air expands when heated and aids in leavening.
*Egg protein coagulates to give structure to baked products.
* Egg yolks ( Known as Lecithin)  contain natural emulsifiers which helps to produce smooth batters. This contributes to volume and texture.
* Adds flavour.
 * Improves the nutritional value of the cake. * Adds moisture.
* Helps to improve the colour of  the cake.

4. FAT : Fat are solid and its origin is from a variety of animals and plants. It is important to add the correct amount of fat because too much fat will make the cake greasy and unpleasant to eat while too little fat will make the cake lack flavour and to stale quickly. In baking, butter, margarine, shortening or oils are commonly used.

 FUNCTIONS

 * To provide some nutritive value.
* To prevent curding by forming an emulsion.
 * To trap air during creaming and so aerate the cake during baking therefore giving the cake good volume and texture.
 * To add flavour.
 * To tenderize the cake and soften the texture.
 * To assist in leavening.

  5. MILK

FUNCTIONS

 * To improve texture and mouth feel.
 * Helps to retain the moisture.
 * Improves the nutritional value of the cake. *Protein in milk helps to give a soft crumb structure in cakes.
* Contains lactose which helps to give crust colour.
*Helps to bind the flour protein.
 * To improve taste and flavour.
 * Helps to extend the shelf life of cakes.

6. RAISING AGENT

* Baking powder : This is a common raising agent. It is made up of bi carbonate of soda and cream of tartar. When combined with liquid, it produces carbondioxide which helps to incorporate air and expands the gluten in the flour (as aerating agent). The application of heat causes the cake to set while in the 'risen'position.

FUNCTIONS
* Increases the volume
* Enhance the crumb colour, softness of the texture, taste and aroma
* Causes tenderness
* Improves the digestion quality.

* Baking soda : Produces gas for leavening when combined with an acidic ingredient such as vinegar, lemon juice. Reducing the amount without replacing it with another leavening agent will reduce the volume and lightness of the cake

Other ingredients used to produce cake are

* Flavour : For taste

* Preservative : To extend the shelf life of the cake.

* Salt : Used to enhance the flavours and sweetness of other ingredients in the cake.

*Dried fruits : Adds nutritional value to the cake. These fruits must be soaked for at least a week before adding them to the cake mixture else, they will compete with the mixture for moisture.