THESIS

have different properties, which are applicable to different types of cake products.
However, most flours do contain wheat, which contain varying proportions of
glutenin and gliadin proteins. Cake flour, chlorinated soft wheat flour, is used in cakes.
Chlorinated cake flour improves the performance in high-ratio cakes (Bennion,
1995g). Chlorine breaks inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds and some peptide
bonds in flour proteins, resulting in increased dispersibility. The percent of protein in
flour determines gluten strength in baked products. Gluten proteins found in wheat
flours give structure to baked goods. Soft wheat flours contain less than 10% protein,
while hard wheat flours have more than 10% protein. Cake flour usually has about
7.5% protein, whereas all-purpose flour has about 10.5% protein (Patil, 1991). Soft
wheat flours are preferred in soft baked goods, such as cakes because soft baked
goods require a small amount of gluten formation. All-purpose flour, however, can be
substituted in cakes using one cup minus two tablespoons of all-purpose flour to
replace one cup of cake flour. Since little gluten is developed in cakes, the
gelatinization of starch is more important to a cake’s structure (Bennion, 1995b).
Flour contributes structure to cakes. If too little flour is used, the cake structure is
weak and may fall, and the texture is coarse (Bennion, 1995b). If too much flour is
used, a compact, dry cake is produced.
2) Eggs
In cake batters, eggs could account for as much as 70% of the
cost of the ingredients in the batter (Goldstein, 2001). In baked goods, eggs impart
binding, shortening, leavening capabilities as well as aid in coloring and browning
during the baking process. Milk is also an integral part of a cake batter. Because it
contains protein, sugar, and butterfat, it adds color, nutritional value, and moistness to
the product (Goldstein, 2001).
3) Sweetener
Sugar adds sweetness to cakes. But more importantly, it affects
texture, volume, moisture retention and color. Cake tenderness is increased because
sugar delays the gelatinization of the starch and interferes with gluten development.
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