Cookies & Cakes
Cookies & Cakes
Cookies and cakes are always a delicious treat for any occasion. Both of course involve using sugar and the creaming method which aids in creating the volume and texture desired.
- Creaming Method
Creaming butter (or shortening) and sugar together is a part of baking cookies and cakes. This action is known as creaming. When shortening and sugar are creamed together, sugar crystals become interspersed among the fat molecules. By incorporating air into the fat, sugar helps promote lightness in these recipes.
On the face of sugar's irregular crystals, air becomes trapped. When sugar is mixed with fat, this air becomes incorporated as very small air cells. During baking, the air cells expand when filled with carbon dioxide and other gases from the leavening agents, resulting in a smooth, stable consistency.
The temperature and ratio of the ingredients, as well as the rate of air incorporation, are key to achieving success during creaming (room temperature ingredients are recommended).
After creaming occurs, the remaining liquid and dry ingredients are incorporated into the batter in alternate stages. Once the batter goes in the oven, the viscosity soon begins to decrease. At about 185°-195°F, this process then reverses as the starch from the flour gelatinizes and hydrates with a sharp increase in viscosity.
While the starch gelatinizes, it sets and forms the structure of the cake. Simultaneously, maximum carbon dioxide production occurs. Sugar functions to delay this starch swelling to about the same time as the maximum carbon dioxide production is reached, so the carbon dioxide will be entrapped within the batter to leaven the cake and give the characteristic cake structure.
Foam type cakes like angel food cake, sponge or chiffon are typical when performing whipping methods with sugar.
Check out some of our cake recipes for your next occasion.