Are you craving cake but not willing to go out to buy it? Or facing a financial crunch due to which you can’t order cake online? Then, don’t get worried, as we have a perfect solution to satisfy your cake cravings. All you have to do is, get up from your seat and walk into the kitchen, put on your apron, and bake yourself a homemade cake. Yes, you can make some mouthwatering cakes just as you like to eat at the bakery. You just need to know what goes into the cake batter, and then you’re ready to test your baking skills.
To bake a cake, first, you need to know the core ingredients that you’ll need. All the ingredients are easily available at home so just sit back and read the article and gather all the listed items on your kitchen top.
Ingredients Used In Baking Delicious Cakes.
To bake a cake, the basic ingredients you need are; eggs, flour, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, milk, and leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder. These ingredients cannot be changed or substituted, as these are a few must-haves to make cakes.
However, eggs can be removed if you are going for a vegan cake. Some people who undergo medication are restricted from eating flour, and if you are on the list, you can use semolina instead of flour. Some optional cake ingredients that enhance the flavor and appearance of the cake are Cocoa, lemon, jam, curds, nuts, and dried fruits. These are optional items, so you can use them while baking; it’s for you to decide whether to use them or not.
Each ingredient used in cakes has its own functions and roles to play. Let us know about the basic cake ingredients and what role they play in the making of delicious cakes.
Flour
Flour is the most important ingredient in a cake as it gives the basic structure to the entire cake. Only cheesecakes and gluten-free cakes do not need wheat flour. Gluten is a protein that creates a web to trap air bubbles, binding the cake to itself. The formation of more gluten makes the cake tough.
Different types of flour used in cake baking are; all-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, pastry flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, etc. The most used flour used in cake is all-purpose or cake flour.
What Is The Difference Between All-Purpose Flour And Cake Flour?
The main difference between both flours is their gluten content. All-purpose flour has higher gluten than cake flour. This makes cake flour ideal to be used in the cake-baking process. They are milled from soft, low-protein wheat and have a silky- texture.
What Do You Do If You Don’t Have Cake Flour?
If you don’t have cake flour available, take a cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl and remove two tablespoons from it. Now put two tablespoons of corn starch to replace the amount of flour removed. Stir and mix for a minute, and your cake flour substitute is ready.
Fats And Oils
Fats move the heat all over the cake evenly while baking. The browning of the cake is also due to fats. They help to make the cake fluffier and also prevent the combination of gluten. Fats are generally solid, and oils are liquid.
Which Fats Or Oils Are Best For Cakes?
For baking cakes, we mostly use oils, shortening, lard, butter, and margarine. The choice depends upon you as to what you want to put in your cake.
The popular choice is unsalted butter, as it adds flavor to the cake. Never use clarified butter (ghee) for cake, as it ruins both taste and texture.
Are Fats And Oils Important Parts Of Baking A Cake?
Fats and oils are not only used for evenly cooking the cake but also for other purposes. It is used for creaming, where fat is beaten with sugar which creates air bubbles in butter. When it is put in the oven, those bubbles allow the leavening agents to expand them. Thus, fats and oils, when combined with sugar, act as a leavener in the creaming method.
Sugar
The sweetness in the cakes comes from sugar. This is the main role of sugar as an ingredient. Apart from this, it also helps in keeping the cake moist and soft. There are a few other roles of sugar in the cake.
What Is The Other Role Of Sugar In Baking A Cake?
Sugar is a crucial ingredient in baking a cake. Although sugar makes cake moist, it can also be used to make caramel. It comes like granulated and powdered sugar in liquid forms like honey and corn syrup. Granulated sugar is used within the cake, whereas powdered sugar is sprinkled on top of the cake. It is also used to make glaze or frosting.
Eggs
There are two parts to eggs- egg whites and egg yolks. These two have different roles and are equally important baking ingredients. They bind the ingredients and add volume to the finished product. Egg whites are used for making creams too. Both egg yolk and albumin can beat separately as it makes the cakes fluffier.
Liquids and leavening agents
Milk is the most used liquid ingredient to bake a cake. Sometimes water or juices are also mixed in the batter as per the recipe. They are put in to enhance the flavor of the cake. It adds moisture to the batter. The more liquid, the more moisture the batter will have.
Sometimes rum and wine are also used in baking to add a different flavor to the cake.
Baking soda, baking powder, and yeast are some leavening agents used in cakes. Yeast is a natural leavener, while baking powder and soda are chemical leavener. The most used one is baking soda. It helps in making the cake fluffier. Only one teaspoon is enough for the whole batter.
