Cereal Chem 67:451-457   |  VIEW ARTICLE

The Influence of Sugar and Emulsifier Type During Microwave and Conventional Heating of a Lean Formula Cake Batter.

B. A. Baker, E. A. Davis, and J. Gordon. Copyright 1990 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

A modified lean cake formualtion was evaluated to compare the effects of sucrose added in its crystalline state versus sucrose solubilized in distilled water before incorporation into batters. and the effects of different types of emulsifiers (saturated or unsaturated monoglycerides) on the batter formulations heated by microwave and conventional heat sources. Temperature profiles during baking, cake quality characteristics, photographs of cross-sectioned cakes, and scanning electron micrographs were recorded for each experiment. The temperature profiles differed more based on the heating mode than on formulation variation. Overall weight loss and cross-sectional areas differed as a function of mode of heating. Also, cake structure appeared more variable for the thermally heated cakes than for the microwave-heated cakes as a function of formulation change. The unsaturated monoglyceride (trans form) increased air incorporation in cake batters. Also, unsaturated monoglyceride appeared to result in cross-sectional areas greater than those of cakes made with saturated monoglyceride. Solubilized versus crystalline sucrose influenced weight loss and cross-sectional area. All low-magnification scanning electron micrographs showed differences in air cell uniformity with the variously formulated and heated batters. At high magnification, starch granule swelling and matrix development appeared different with variation in formulation.