In most parts of the world, the production of cakes began shortly after the production of flour. For example, in England, even in the Middle Ages, cakes were considered flour-based products. It was produced from nuts and honey. It can also be referred to as a simple cake in villages belonging to the Neo-lithic period, which was obtained by mixing crushed grains and water and baked on hot stones (Ashwinia et al., 2008).
types of cake
1- Flat cake: This type of cake is free of oil and consists of 100 parts flour, 300 parts liquid egg white and 300 parts sugar, the softer and finer the sugar used, the better. In this type of cake, tartar cream with salt or both are used simultaneously to expand the egg white and stabilize the foam (Bent, 1997).
2- Layered cake: Layered cake is one of the most common types of cakes today and in them two or more types of cakes are sandwiched with a kind of filling material and sometimes it is covered with a layer of icing.
3- Sponge cake: In this type of cake, the amount of sugar, flour and whole eggs is more or less equal, and due to the use of whole eggs, which swell less than egg whites, care must be taken in proper control of the dough volume. .
Raw materials used in cake preparation
In cake formulations such as cookies or biscuits, soft dough is made with a high amount of sugar and fat consumption, but the main difference between the two is that the cake formula has more water. Unlike cookies, which have a compact texture after baking, the texture of the cake is crisp and porous. The presence of large amounts of water in the cake formula allows gelatinization of starch at lower temperatures and also improves the volume of the product (Payan, 1998).
In general, the raw materials used to prepare the cake are as follows:
Water
The water used to make the cake should be free of any suspended and foreign matter, colorless and pure in terms of organic matter and low hardness. In general, the role of water in cake production includes the following:
1. Help to mix the components of the cake dough evenly
2- Dissolution of solid components in the mixture
3- Forming a gluten network and helping to create the desired texture
4- Keeping gas and air bubbles in the dough and helping to increase the volume
5- Maintaining freshness and improving the edible quality of the product (Payan, 1998).
egg
Eggs are one of the most complete animal food sources for humans, with a balanced amount of the most complete protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Egg protein is essential as a reference for amino acids (Baradaranrad, 1996).
In general, the role of eggs in cake production is as follows:
1- Keeping the texture of the cake moist due to having some moisture
2- Aeration, due to the ability to hold air bubbles when hitting or mixing quickly
3- Enrich the formulation, the presence of large amounts of fat in the yolk and protein in its white
4- Stabilizing the dough emulsion due to the presence of lecithin in the yolk
5- Stabilization of product texture, due to coagulation of yolk and white proteins during cooking
6- Improving the color and appearance of the product (End, 1998).
Oils and fats
Oils and fats are a source of energy and enrich and increase the nutritional value of the product. The role of fats in cake production are:
1- Crushing effect: Fats and oils interact with flour protein, especially gluten, and prevent the formation of a hard gluten network, and as a result, cause the product to be brittle. The fat forms layers in the dough texture, weakening the gluten structure of the dough and making it crispy.
2- Creaming effect: One of the most important properties of fats is keeping air bubbles during the dough mixing stage, which has a great effect on improving the volume and texture of the cake.
3- The effect of creating a layer: In some products, including layered cakes, the presence of fat or oil is important to create the final desired property of the product. In these products, oil or fat is placed in layers in the texture of the dough. The fat used for this operation must be of good plasticity at a moderate temperature so that the fat is not soft enough to be easily melted and absorbed by the dough, nor is its melting point so high that it is difficult to digest and undesirable.
4- Emulsion stabilizing effect: Cake dough is a kind of oil-in-water emulsion that consists of a fat phase and a phase composed of other additives. The higher the fat emulsifying power, the higher the water phase of the dough formula. For example, short to high proportions have high emulsifying properties. The advantage of such fats is that the raw materials can be easily mixed in such a way that a dough with a soft and uniform texture is created (Payan, 1998) and (Rajabzadeh, 2004).
Sugar
Ordinary or ground sugar (icing sugar) is used in cake dough formulations. In addition to sugar, other sweeteners of natural origin such as liquid glucose, invert syrup, malt extract, honey, molasses, etc. are used, which in addition to creating sweetness helps to improve the color of the skin and the flavor of the product and usually instead of Some of the sugar used is used. In general, the purpose of adding sugar to the cake formula is to include the following:
1- It is used as a sweetening agent in the product.
2- Sugar acts with gluten flour and has a crushing effect on it, which in turn causes the final texture of the product to be crisp.
3- Improves the color of the shell (due to caramelization and Millard reactions)
4- Helps to maintain the moisture of the product as a result of keeping the cake fresh
