Baking Science

A Taste of Something New The Food Science Behind Vegan Cakes

Baking Science February 2020

8

Secrets to making perfect cookies

oV How t

a g e

ake Rec C a ipe e z i n

d o o F e d h n T i h e b e c n s e i e k a Sc C n a g e V By: Mattie

S

ometimes you just have a recipe that you like. You grew up with it.

Like the teddy bear that accompanied you through the thick and thin of your youth, certain sweets have always been there for you to bring you up when you’re down, celebrate your milestones and bring you and your friends together.

They’re almost a part of you. You have a subconscious bond with these types of foods because you identify with them, they make you feel good and they define part of the personal culture that is you. This is part of the definition of comfort food.

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 •

But now you’re vegan and that german chocolate cake that your grandmother bought you up on is strictly verboten by the vegan police.

Or it might not be, but you’re trying to eat less of it as you transition your diet to one that involves less animal products. You could just find a cake that’s been designed to be vegan from the ground up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to measure up to Grandma’s cake.

What a crisis! What are we going to do?

For me it was my Mom’s carrot cake. Oh so luscious, with the kind of carrot shreds you could see and

the perfect balance of pineapple, raisins and a hint of cardamom. “Sorry Mom, I’m vegan now and I’m not going to eat that anymore”. I was almost as surprised to say it as she was to hear it. Enough of this nonsense! I was going to have to figure out how to veganize her recipe. But where would I start? I wish I could go back in time and write an article that would help me understand the food science behind veganizing cakes- Wait a minute! If I write one now, all we’ll need is for time travel to be invented. Then I’ll be able to go back in time and email it to myself. Well then, let’s get started!

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 1

Vegan cake disasters Have you ever veganized a cake before? What was the result? When I started experimenting with converting traditional cake recipes to be vegan, I started to get real familiar with overly moist cakes that appeared to rise in the oven, but would then crash into an almost pudding consistency in the middle.

Sometimes the sides would come out almost okay, if a bit on the dense and sticky side. These cakes also seemed more sweet which was likely due to them containing considerably less air which tended to concentrate sweetness. Even after adding more baking soda and baking powder, I could never get them to hold their rise and have an acceptable crumb. I was starting to get really good at baking up really moist sunken discs.

I decided that my sunken discs were occurring because there were no eggs in my cake batter. After all, you must have eggs in order to make cake right? Oh and cake flour too! Bakers have been using eggs in cakes for at least a hundred years.

So I made several different versions, all using different types of vegan egg replacers for the batter. I also baked cakes with and without cake flour and the cakes became even more sunken! I was either going to have to pioneer a dessert based off sunken discs, take up skeet shooting, or figure out this cake veganization thing once and for all.

Understanding traditional cakes It wasn’t until I started to look into the building blocks of traditional cake that things started to become more clear. That’s right, in order for cake batter to bake into a light and airy cake, certain variables absolutely must be in place.

Cake building blocks Both traditional cake and vegan cake share the same end goal: to bake a sweet batter that rises via trapped The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 2

Tenderizers These ingredients are the opposite of structure builders. Tenderness can refer to the softness of the cake and the fine, small size of the crumb.

Fats cause proteins to get slippery so they’re inhibited from coagulating to form structure. Water disperses glutenin and gliadin, the proteins that combine to form gluten, to the point of where they can’t join as completely. Sugar’s insatiable appetite for water can leave too little left over for egg proteins and/or gluten to bind together completely, leading to cakes that rise and crash.

Moisturizers

C02 (carbon dioxide) and steam bubbles before setting and cooling in place which results in a light and airy crumb. This is achieved with ingredients that fall into the following four categories, with some ingredients falling under multiple categories.

coagulated egg proteins and/or gluten that forms a three dimensional protein network throughout the starches, fats, sugars and steam/ gas bubbles of our cake. Too much structure results in a cake that can be dry and stiff like bread. Too little Structure builders can result in a cake that rises and crashes into a moist pudding These are the scaffolding of our cakes, working like rebar in concrete. consistency.

These ingredients usually consist of

Water is obviously a moisturizer but since sugar is first in line to absorb it and hold onto much of it during baking, the amount of sugar is directly proportional to the moistness of your cake. Fats get interspersed with water and also tends to make cakes more moist.

Drying agents As egg proteins and/or gluten and gliadin coagulate, they require a large amount of water which can reduce the moisture level of the cake.

Starches in the flour also absorb liquid to a smaller extent.

Acids such as apple cider vinegar can increase the tenderness of cakes because they slightly inhibit the coagulation of egg and glutenin/ gliadin proteins. They can also promote tenderness by reacting with the alkalinity of baking soda, which produces more C02 gas that results in a higher rising, and thus, lighter cake. When I first got into baking I kept hearing people saying that cake recipes using acids such as apple cider vinegar produce cakes with a nicer crumb.

I always thought, “what the heck do they mean by that?” This tenderness is what is most likely meant. Acids also have the benefit of increasing flavor depth as well as reducing browning to some extent.

Salt should have a special mention here, because it tends to increase gluten strength to some degree.

This is the opposite of tenderizing but it’s worth knowing that it can play a role. Whether it’s noticeable in a cake is up for debate; it’s a more well known variable in hearth breads.

Cake methods There are several popular methods for mixing cake batter. The two most popular are:

The Quick Bread Method In this method, also known as the one-stage method, the dry ingredients are mixed in one bowl and the wet ingredients, including eggs in traditional cakes, are mixed in another bowl. The wet ingredients are then transferred to the bowl containing the dry ingredients in one The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 3

How To Veganize a Cake Recipe

S

ometimes you just have a recipe that you like. You grew up with it. Like the

The

teddy bear that accompanied you through the thick and thin of your youth, certain sweets have always been there for you to bring you up when you’re down, celebrate

Food

your milestones and bring you and your friends together. They’re almost a part of you. You have a subconscious bond with these types of foods because you identify

Science behind

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 •

they define part of the personal culture that is you. This is part of the definition of comfort food.

But now you’re vegan and that german chocolate cake that your grandmother bought you up on is strictly verboten by the vegan police. Or it might not be, but you’re trying to eat less of it as you transition your

Vegan Cakes

with them, they make you feel good and

diet to one that involves less animal products. You could just find a cake that’s been designed to be vegan from the ground up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to measure up to Grandma’s cake. What a crisis! What are we going to do?

For me it was my Mom’s carrot cake. Oh so luscious, with the kind of carrot shreds

By: Mattie

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 1

batter to bake into a light and airy cake, certain I decided that my sunken discs were occurring

gas bubbles of our cake. Too much structure results

variables absolutely must be in place.

in a cake that can be dry and

because there were no eggs in my cake batter.

After all, you must have eggs in order to make cake

Vegan cake disasters Have you ever veganized a cake before? What was the result?

When I started experimenting with converting traditional cake recipes to be vegan, I started to get real familiar with overly moist cakes that appeared to rise in the oven, but would then crash into an almost pudding consistency in the middle. Sometimes the sides would come out almost okay, if a bit on the dense and sticky side. These cakes also seemed more sweet which was likely due to them containing considerably less air which tended to concentrate sweetness. Even after adding more baking soda and baking powder, I could never get them to hold their rise and

right? Oh and cake flour too! Bakers have been using eggs in cakes for at least a hundred years. So

stiff like bread. Too little can

Cake building blocks

result in a cake that rises and

Both traditional cake and vegan cake share

crashes into a moist pudding

the same end goal: to bake a sweet batter that

consistency.

I made several different

rises via trapped

versions, all using differ-

C02 (carbon diox-

ent types of vegan egg

ide) and steam bub-

replacers for the batter.

Tenderizers

bles before setting

These ingredients are the opposite of structure

I also baked cakes with

and cooling in place

builders. Tenderness can refer to the softness of

and without cake flour

which results in a

the cake and the fine, small size of the crumb. Fats

and the cakes became

light and airy crumb.

cause proteins to get slippery so they’re inhibited

even more sunken! I was

This is achieved with

from coagulating to form structure. Water dispers-

either going to have

ingredients that fall

es glutenin and gliadin, the proteins that combine

to pioneer a dessert

into the following

to form gluten, to the point of where they can’t join

based off sunken discs,

four categories, with

as completely. Sugar’s insatiable appetite for water

take up skeet shooting,

some ingredients

can leave too little left over for egg proteins and/

or figure out this cake

falling under multi-

or gluten to bind together completely, leading to

veganization thing once

ple categories.

cakes that rise and crash.

and for all.

have an acceptable

Acids such as apple cider

crumb. I was starting

vinegar can increase the

to get really good at baking up really moist sunken discs.

Understanding traditional cakes It wasn’t until I started to look into the build-

Structure builders These are the scaffolding of our cakes, working like rebar in concrete. These ingredients usually

ing blocks of traditional cake that things started to

consist of coagulated egg proteins and/or gluten

become more clear. That’s right, in order for cake

that forms a three dimensional protein network throughout the starches, fats, sugars and steam/

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 2

tenderness of cakes because they slightly inhibit the coagulation of egg and glutenin/gliadin proteins. They can also promote tenderness by reacting with the alkalinity of baking

The Science of Baking • 2 March 2014 • 3

8 N

Secrets to Making Perfect Cookies

o one expects to make perfect cookies as a beginning baker. But if you've got the basics

down, don't have any bad baking habits, and are ready to take your cookie game from good to great, use these eight tips that will help you get there. But first, make sure you follow a few pieces of universal wisdom: 1. Follow the recipe.

2. Preheat the oven.

3. Don't open the oven while the cookies are baking. If you can't see through the little window, you might need to clean it!

Now, follow these more detailed tips for tasty treats every time.

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020 • 1

Let Your Butter Sit at Room Temperature for 15 Minutes

Fifteen minutes! Not more and not less. If the butter is too cold, it won’t cream properly and the resulting cookies will be too dense. On the other hand, if your butter is too soft, it won’t hold enough air during the creaming process and thus produce a heavy, greasy dough rather than a fluffy one. Fifteen minutes on the counter is the exact right

Use Light-Colored Pans

length of time.

Speaking of pans, your baking

Use High-Quality Butter

pans should be light-colored rather than

dark. Cookies baked on dark pans will tend to

by: Danilo Alfaro

Don’t Grease the Pan

burn on the bottom. Dark sheets absorb more

Cheap butter can contain up to 19 percent

heat than light ones, enough that it will actu-

water, which not only makes it harder for the

ally make a material difference in the outcome of the cookies. Keep that in mind

It’s simple to remember this tip. Don’t grease your pans. Greasing them can cause your

when it’s time to spring for a new baking pan.

cookies to spread too much, possibly merging into one giant cookie. If you’re really having trouble with your cookies sticking to your pan, there might be something wrong with it. Check if your pan is clean and shiny or encrusted with the blackened residue of years of baking and roasting. If it’s the latter, that’s why your cookies are sticking.

eggs and butter to emulsify, but it will also contribute to excess spreading. European butter tends to have lower water content and a higher fat content (which is what you want), as does butter from some small domestic dairies. Not surprisingly, butter with a higher fat con-

Measure the Flour Correctly

tent also tastes better. Whatever you do, don’t use that spreadable whipped butter that comes in a tub. This

The issue with measuring flour by volume

product is high in water and as the name indi-

is using units like cups is wildly imprecise. The problem is further compounded by the fact that

You can use a baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper, but you might be better off replacing the blackened pan with a

scooping the measuring cup into the bag of flour

will throw off everything from creaming to baking.

can add up to 30 percent more flour than what is

new one. Also, for future reference, greasing your pans

called for. The solution is to measure your flour in

is the primary cause of this baked-on gunk. If you

grams instead of cups. When a recipe calls for a

break from this habit, your new pan will last much longer.

cates also has air whipped into it, which

cup of flour, measure out 130 grams of flour instead. A small kitchen scale is very helpful here.

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020• 2

Handle the Dough Gently

This is mostly an issue with rolled cookies, which is difficult since you need to use a rolling pin and that’s not exactly gentle. The more you roll, the tougher your cookies will be (due to the working of the glutens). There are a couple of things you can do to minimize this.

1. Dust your surface with powdered sugar instead of flour. Excess flour will contribute to cookies that are too hard. (With chocolate cookies, dust with cocoa powder instead.)

2. Roll your initial dough into as uniform shapes as you can.

3. When you use your cutters, get as close to the edge of that dough, and as close to each other, as possible. This minimizes the amount of scraps you will have to re-roll, as those re-rolled cookies are usually mis-

Use a Cooling Rack

Letting your cookies cool directly

shapen and tough.

on the hot pans will continue to cook them, which can lead to over-browning on the bottoms.

Don’t Rotate Your Pans

In addition, because the steam can’t escape as well when the cookies are sitting on the pan, they can get a bit soggy. As soon as they’re cool enough to move (no more than 2 to 3 minutes), transfer them with a spatu-

Some bakers believe there are hotspots in an

la to a cooling rack with at least 1/2-inch of clearance

oven and rotating your pans during baking will

underneath to ensure proper airflow. The best

help mitigate them. The relatively minor benefit of

racks for cookies are formed from a tight

rotating your pans is completely nullified by the fact you’ve just let all the heat out of the oven by opening the

wire grid (rather than the wide bars of a roasting rack).

door. Instead of eliminating hotspots, you’ve eliminated all the heat, period. Considering cookies only bake for 10 to 12 minutes, opening the oven midway through baking leaves no time for that heat to build back up again. The results are cookies that don’t brown enough on top and might not rise properly.

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020 • 3

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020•

8 Secrets to Making Perfect Cookies

Measure the Flour Correctly

The issue with measuring flour by volume is using units like cups is wildly imprecise. The problem is further compounded by the fact that scooping the measuring cup into the bag of flour can add up to 30 percent more flour than what is called for.

The solution is to measure your flour in grams instead of cups. When a recipe calls for a cup of flour, measure

by: Danilo Alfaro

N

o one expects to make perfect cookies as a beginning baker. But

if you've got the basics down, don't have any bad baking habits, and are ready to take your cookie game from good to great, use these eight tips that will help you get there. But first, make sure you follow a few pieces of universal wisdom: 1.

2.

3.

Follow the recipe.

Preheat the oven.

Don't open the oven while the

cookies are baking. If you can't see through the little

out 130 grams of flour instead. A small

Don’t Grease the Pan It’s simple to remember this tip.

Don’t grease your pans. Greasing them can cause your cookies to spread too much, possibly merging into one giant cookie. If you’re really having trouble with your cookies sticking to your pan, there might be something wrong with it.

Check if your pan is clean and shiny or encrusted with the blackened residue of years of baking and roasting. If it’s the latter, that’s why your cookies are sticking. You can use a baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper, but you

window, you might need to clean it!

Now, follow these more detailed tips for tasty treats every time.

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020 • 1

might be better off replacing the blackened pan with a new one.

Also, for future reference, greasing your pans is the primary cause of this bakedon gunk. If you break from

this habit, your new pan will last much longer.

Use Light Colored Pans

Speaking of pans, your

kitchen scale is very helpful here.

Let Your Butter Sit

at Room Temperature for 15 Minutes

baking pans should be

Fifteen minutes! Not

light-colored rather

more and not less.

than dark. Cookies

If the butter is too

baked on dark

cold, it won’t cream

pans will tend

properly and the

to burn on the

resulting cookies

bottom.

will be too dense.

Dark sheets absorb more heat than light ones, enough that it will actually make a material difference in the outcome

On the other hand, if your butter is too soft, it won’t hold enough air during the creaming process and thus produce

of the cookies. Keep that in mind when

a heavy, greasy dough rather than

it’s time to spring for a new baking pan.

a fluffy one. Fifteen minutes on the counter is the exact right length of time.

Use High Quality Butter

Cheap butter can contain up to 19 percent water, which not only makes it harder for the eggs and butter to emulsify, but it will also contribute to excess spreading.

European butter tends to have lower water content and a higher fat content (which is what you want), as does but-

1. Dust

your surface with powdered sugar instead of flour. Excess flour will contribute to cookies that are too

ter from some small domestic dairies.

Not surprisingly, butter with a higher fat content also tastes better. Whatever you do, don’t use that spreadable whipped butter that comes in a tub.

This product is high in water and as the name indicates also has air whipped into it, which will throw off everything from creaming to baking.

Handle the Dough Gently

This is mostly an issue with rolled cookies, which is difficult since you need to use a rolling pin and that’s not exactly gentle. The more you roll, the tougher your cookies will be (due to the working of the glutens). There are a couple of things you can do to minimize this.

hard. (With chocolate cookies, dust with cocoa powder instead.)

2. Roll your initial dough into

as uniform shapes as you can.

3. When you use your cutters,

get as close to the edge of that

dough, and as close to each other, as possible. This minimizes the amount of scraps you will have to re-roll, as those re-rolled cookies are usually misshapen and tough.

Don’t Rotate Your Pans

Some bakers believe there are hotspots in an oven and rotating your pans during baking will help mitigate them. The relatively minor benefit of rotating your pans is completely nullified by the fact you’ve just let all the heat out of the oven by opening the door.

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020• 2

Instead of eliminating hotspots, you’ve eliminated all the heat, period.

Considering cookies only bake for 10 to 12 minutes, opening the oven midway through baking leaves no time for that heat to build back up again. The results are cookies that don’t brown enough on top and might not rise properly.

Use a Cooling Rack Letting your cookies cool directly on the hot pans will continue to cook them, which can lead to over-browning on the bottoms. In addition, because the steam can’t escape as well when the cookies are sitting on the pan, they can get a bit soggy.

As soon as they’re cool enough to move (no more than 2 to 3 minutes), transfer them with a spatula to a cooling rack with at least 1/2-inch of clearance underneath to ensure proper airflow. The best racks for cookies are formed from a tight wire grid (rather than the wide bars of a roasting rack).

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020 • 3

The Science of Baking • 8 January 2020•

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