EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FATS FOR USE IN HIGH-RATIO LAYER CAKES

Abstract Shortening is a major ingredient used in high-ratio layer cakes. Plastic shortenings are the most commonly used by the U.S. baking industry. However, the high levels of trans- or saturated fats in some plastic shortenings cause health concerns. Compared to plastic shortenings, liquid shortenings could significantly reduce the dependence on high melting point fats and the emulsifiers they contain would enhance the shortening’s functionality. The objective of this research was to compare the influence of different types of fats on the texture and shelf-life of high-ratio layer cakes. Cakes were baked with soybean oil to evaluate the function of three emulsifiers [propylene glycol monostearate (PGMS), glycerol monostearate (GMS), and Lecithin] on layer cake quality, including volume, cake score, and firmness. An optimum emulsifier combination was chosen (PGMS 1.8, GMS 1.0, and Lecithin 0.8 in g/100g flour) for addition to the liquid oil. Four groups of layer cakes were baked using: plastic shortening, liquid shortening, liquid oil, or liquid oil plus emulsifier combinations. Cake performance and firming over-time were evaluated. The liquid shortening provided the best fresh cake characteristics and cake firmness performance. Liquid oil with a combination of added emulsifiers performed very similarly in terms of firmness to the liquid shortening. This indicated that emulsifiers played an important role on the improvement of cake firmness shelf-life.