YELLOW BATTER CAKE RESEARCH STUDY

Yellow batter cakes are ubiquitous in bakeries across the United States. In fact, yellow cake is one of the most commonly available varieties in retail stores and home kitchens. This fact, combined with its simple flavor profile led to the selection of yellow cake as an application to test egg replacers.

APPLICATION ABSTRACT

CONCLUSIONS

The use of ingredients to reduce or replace eggs in yellow batter cakes is challenging for even the most accomplished baker.

The tests concluded that no one single egg replacer performed as well as or better than real eggs in yellow batter cake.

All areas of cake quality are negatively affected when eggs are removed and/or replaced with another ingredient, including the batter viscosity and aeration, rise, color/appearance, and most importantly, baked good flavor and texture.

Formulators must determine the best ingredients for yellow batter cakes through hands-on testing on the bench and in the plant to achieve the desired results, balancing cost with functionality and flavor. Ultimately, that may mean using real eggs in yellow cake formulations.

STUDY PARAMETERS

For this study, eggs were reduced and/or removed from yellow batter cake formulas and substituted with products marketed as egg replacing ingredients for food manufacturers. Egg replacers were used at the manufacturer’s suggested rate. The research team then conducted common analytical tests and sensory panelists evaluated organoleptic properties of the finished samples to measure results against desired yellow cake characteristics or a gold standard comparison.

SELECTED REPLACERS

After researching egg replacers, seven were chosen, based on their manufacturer’s recommended use to reduce or replace whole eggs in yellow cake.

The ingredients selected included:

• Starch-based blend
• Soy-based blend
• Whey protein concentrate
• Blends of various ingredients, including starches, proteins, emulsifiers, leaveners, enzymes and hydrocolloids
• Whole algal flour

PROCESSING OVERVIEW

For testing purposes the research team followed the method recommended by the cake mix manufacturer for pan preparation, mixing order, mixing speed, ingredient addition, portioning, baking and cooling. All cakes were baked in the same conditions, in the same oven, on the same day.

Both the batter and cooked, cooled cakes were analyzed using industry standard, category-specific tests.

The batter and finished cake samples were tested for the following as appropriate:

• Batter specific gravity
• Batter viscosity
• Baked good height
• Cooked appearance & color
• Eating quality
  • Moisture
  • Water activity
  • Texture
  • Cooked aroma
  • Overall flavor
  • Overall likability