EXPERIMENT 12 BAKING OF CAKES - SPONGE CAKE AND DECORATION Structure
12.1 Introduction Objective
12.2 Experiment Principle Requirements Procedure Observations Result
12.3 Precautions
12.1 INTRODUCTION
There are wide varieties of cakes and broad range offormulations. The cakes can be leavened mainly by baking powder but occasionally by air incorporation as in case of foam type cakes. The foam type cakes depend for their structure and volume primarily on the foaming and aerating properties of eggs. The sponge cakes do not contain fat, they depend on whipping of eggsfor their lightness and aeration. Angle food cake and chiffon cakes are the examples of sponge cake. The sponge cakes serve as the bases for birthday cakes and cakes that are made on other occasions. They are decorated with icing of different types.
The icings are sweet coverings or coatings in which sugar is the predominant ingre- dient. The materials used and manner in which they are mixed determine the type of icing. The icing used and the finish of a baked product add to its sales appeal as it attracts the customer.
The basic ingredients in an icing are sugar and water, but additions such as egg white, gelatine, fat, milk etc. may be made to produce a variety of different icings. The butter cream used for decoration of cakes is a mixture of butter / margarine and icing sugar blended in a certain proportion to give a cream free oflumps. It is spread on the base or it is piped. The royal icing is made by whipping egg white and icing sugar to form a stiff paste and then it is piped on the sponge cake bases. Fondant icing comprises of granulated sugar and water which is gently heated to 38°C and then it is used when warm so that it sets to a firm coating when cool. Objective After performing this experiment, you should be able to • prepare a sponge cake. 12.2 EXPERIMENT 12.2.1 Principle Sponge cakes are those which are primarily leavened with eggs - whole eggs, egg yolks, egg whites or a combination of these. The aeration of the sponge cakes is achieved by beating the egg into a foam which is constituted by trapping air in the 55 Practical Manual form of small cells. This property of egg is mainly due to the protein albumin of the egg white which partially coagulates forming a semi-rigid membrane around each air cell. The sugar added to egg when it is beaten helps to stabilize the foam. Sugar is whisked with egg to a thick light foam and flour is carefully blended in to prevent the structure from breaking down.
12.2.2 Requirements
• Baking oven
• Hobart mixer (500g capacity) and a cake whipper
• Balance (lest count 0.01 g)
• Plastic bowls, spoons and spatula
• Cake pans (previously greased / lined with butter paper)
• Softflour
• Castor sugar (crystal sugar)
• Fresh eggs of good quality
• Vanilla flavour (Liquid, Manufactured by: Bush Boake &Allen Ltd.)
• Fat (Marvo, bakery shortening, Manufactured by: Hindustan Lever Ltd.)
• Icing sugar / sugar power
• Food grade colours (permitted)
• Set the baking oven at specified temperature/
The fatless sponge (or sponge cake) is prepared as per the following formulation and method.
Quantity (g)
Refined wheat flour (maida) 200
Eggs (without shell) 400
Sugar (crystal) 200
Vanilla essence (liquid, ml) 5
Method
rd • Beat eggs, essence and sugar in 1st speed for 1 min, 4 min at 3 speed till a stable foam is formed,
• Add flour at 1st speed little by little and mix for 2 min at 1st speed.
• Pour the batter to previously greased pans upto 3th / 4 ofthe pan.
• Bake at 200°C for 30 min.
• Take out the sponge cake from the pan carefully and cool it over a mesh.
56 • Cool thoroughly and pack. Baking of Cakes- Preparation oflcing Cream Sponge Cake and Decoration Quantity (g)
Powder sugar or Icing sugar 200
Margarine 100
Vanilla (liquid, ml) 10
Method
rd • Cream fat, sugar and essence at 1st speed for 2 min, 3 speed for 5 min till a 1ight fluffy cream is obtained.
Icing of sponge cake
• Use different food grade colours (a small pinch of powder or 3-4 drops of liquid colour) and mix with little quantity of white cream (above mentioned) and mix well with flat knife till the colour is uniformly distributed in the cream.
• Fill the piping cones with colour.
• Take the sponge and remove the crust.
• Apply the cream of desired colour to the base and spread evenly.
• Decorate on the top with coloured cream using piping bag.
12.2.3 Result
. The desirable quality characteristics for sponge cake are good volume, soft, moist and tender texture, fine uniform crumb grain and a pleasant mouthfeel.
12.3 PRECAUTIONS
• Select fresh eggs of very good quality as egg is the most important ingredient to get a good quality sponge.
• It eggs are refrigerated, bring the eggs to the room temperature before use.
• Whips the egg-sugar mixture to the right consistency.
• Add flour carefully to the whipped egg-sugar mixture.
• After pouring the batter to the pan, bake it immediately to prevent loss of air cells.
• Do not move the pans in the oven before the cakes are set.
• Remove the cake gently from the pan after it is baked and cool it thoroughly over a mesh.
57 Notes