Experimental cookery

185°C. the cake became more compact because the crust formed too rapidly, although the texture was still velvety. Sugar content and baking temperature. It is known that sugar is a good peptizer of egg proteins and elevates the coagulation temperature of egg proteins. It is also possible that sugar may affect the coagulation tempera- ture of the flour proteins. From a few isolated observations some evidence has accumulated indicating that the higher the sugar content the higher the baking temperature should be for cake. But the work has not progressed far enough at present to draw definite conclusions. 100 95 90 85 80 75 70 / Recif &a/ „--" 1 ^y Y / / peB N r 165° 175° 185° 195° 205° Oven Temperature ' C. 215° Fig. 54. — The effect of baking temperature upon scores of a rich (Recipe A) and a less rich (Recipe B) chocolate cake. (Rogosheski and Bernds) Baking temperatures for chocolate cake. Rogosheski and Bernds used two chocolate cake recipes, one a very rich cake {A), the formula for which is given in the laboratory outline, Experiment 85A. The other recipe {B) was identically like Recipe A except one-fourth cup less of butter and of sugar were used. The batter for one series of cakes was divided, 250 grams being weighed into each pan. The effect of baking temperature upon cake volume is shown in Fig. 53, the richer cake giving a smaller volume than Recipe B. But for both recipes the volume increased with higher baking temperatures. The relation of baking temperatures to total scores is shown in Fig. 54. The results should be taken as suggestive rather than final, for only small loaf cakes were used. But since the texture and eating quality im- prove and the velvetiness of the crumb increases progressively with increase 478 BATTERS AND DOUGHS of oven temperature up to 205 °C., it suggests that there has been too much tendency to sacrifice texture for the appearance and shape of the top of the cake. The shape of the top and the way the cake shrinks from the sides of the pan are characteristic for each temperature. During the last of the baking period and cooling, the cake baked at the lowest temperature shrinks the most, both in height and from the sides of the pan. As the oven tempera- ture is elevated, the shrinking progressively decreases, until none occurs in cakes baked at 195° C. At the lowest temperature the top of the cake was level or had a slight depression in the center. As the baking temperature increased the top became rounded until at the highest temperature the top punched up in the middle entirely too much for a good appearance. There was a tendency for the cakes baked at 205° and particularly at 215° to become too brown on the edges. If these factors as well as eating quality are taken into con- sideration, the preferable baking temperature for these formulas appears to be from 195° to 205°C. (Approximately 385° to 400°F.) Schaal suggests that for bakers' chocolate cakes 380°F. is a good baking temperature. He says, "Bake the goods until they are just barely done. It is a mistake to overbake, since overbaking impairs the flavor just as much as a flashy oven, or an oven at too high a temperature."