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Ryleigh Ewanicki

Tori Gan English 10H P.4

1 December 2020

Vegan Cake Baking

Cake is something familiar to many people around the world, with countless flavors,

textures, colors, combinations, and more, whether you love it or hate it, you have probably made

a cake before and thought nothing of it. Most people are so used to the idea of mixing ingredients

and heating them up to create something new that they don’t question the reasoning behind it.

The truth is, there is a lot that goes into the spongy familiar bite of cake that we don’t often focus

on. If one has ever failed at baking a cake, understanding the science behind it may help the

aspiring baker fix any problems they’ve encountered. Ingredients in cake baking work together

as different forms of a chemical reaction, there are various reactions that connect to create the

texture and appearance of the final outcome and there is a science to substituting these chemical

components.

The Chemistry of Cake Baking

Forming​ ​gluten

During the baking process, when mixing flour into the creamed sugar and butter, gluten,

a mixture of protein, ​(e.g. ​see fig. 1​)​ ​begins to form giving the cake structure. These proteins

create a flexible chain around the air bubbles that are created by whipping the sugar and butter

together. (The Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make You a Better Baker)

Without the presence of gluten, the air pockets would quickly collapse, these chains have the

ability to give the cake that delightful sponge-like texture and hold everything together. Not
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enough bonds may leave the cake crumbly, and too many bonds may leave it tough. (The

Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make You a Better Baker) Next in the

series of chemical reactions that take place when baking a cake, is the explanation of why the

structure and texture of cake change so much in the oven.

Fig. 1, drawing of proteins that make up gluten

Changes to a Cake When Heat is Applied

When the cake begins to heat up, the leavening agent, usually baking soda or baking

powder, is activated. A leavening agent is ​a substance used in dough or batter to make it rise.

Carbon dioxide is released, pumping air into the little pockets that were created before, when

mixing batter. ​(e.g. ​see fig. 2​) ​(The Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make

You a Better Baker) Vapor from the moisture in the batter enlarges these air bubbles even more

and the gluten chain acts as a protective layer for all of the air-filled pockets so no gas escapes.

(The Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make You a Better Baker) After the

cake passes its peak in baking, peak being the middle point in the series of changes, things begin
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to settle and solidify, the proteins in the egg (or substitute) begin to coagulate or turn solid. The

starch in the flour absorbs leftover liquid and the gluten loses its elasticity leaving the cake in its

final form. (The Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make You a Better Baker)

But what changes the flavor of a cake in its journey from batter to solid, what leaves the edges

golden brown?

Fig. 2, drawing of reaction that occurs when heat is applied

The Maillard reaction

When the cake reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven, the Maillard reaction begins

to take place. Sugars and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) break down and form

flavor compounds. (Gillespie, Claire.) This reaction also gives the cake a slight browning around

the edges. The Malliard reaction is the reason that the flavor of the cake changes after baking,
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not just the texture. (Gillespie, Claire.) This reaction isn’t exclusive to cakes either, it gives many

other familiar foods their cooked/baked flavor.

Troubleshooting Cakes Using Chemistry

Tough cake

In the situation where the cake is too tough, the most likely error is that it’s been mixed

too long. After prolonged mixing, too much gluten was formed after the flour was added, (Ngo,

Hope.) this is why flour is often added last to the wet ingredients. From information on the

forming of gluten one knows that the more the batter is mixed, the more gluten is formed, so it

makes sense that after too many protein chains surround the air pockets, the cake will come out

gummy and dense. (Ngo, Hope.) To ensure this doesn’t happen, the aspiring baker should halt

all mixing after white streaks dissipate. (Ngo, Hope.)

Crumbling/unstable cake

There are instances where a cake may seem crumbly or unstable, if this is an issue there

are two things that may have gone wrong. The first error has an easy fix, the baker was impatient

and didn't let the cake cool enough, the cake was still warm and didn't have time to completely

set before being pulled out of the pan, because of this, the delicate cake split apart. (Ngo, Hope.)

The second error is a bit more complicated. We know one side effect of mixing the batter too

long is a tough cake but it can actually also result in almost the opposite, a crumbly cake. When

the batter was stirred for too long, the baker got lucky, not too much gluten formed so the cake

didn't come out dense. However, the baker didn't get that lucky because so much excess air was
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whipped into the pockets of the batter that now the cake has an unequal ratio of air. Unable to

support all the air pockets, the cake must sacrifice structure and becomes unstable. (Ngo, Hope.)

Dry Cake

There are also two reasons the cake could be dry. ​(e.g. ​see fig. 3)​ ​ The first reason is there

are too many dry ingredients, things like flour and cocoa powder absorb moisture while baking,

(Eppich, Kristen.) while some moisture absorption is good, too much can leave the cake

dehydrated. The other reason the cake may be too dry is over baking, this connects to the first

reason because the longer a cake is baked, the more moisture the dry ingredients will absorb.

Maybe the baker didn’t make the mistake when measuring, but they might have made it when

baking.

Fig. 3, drawing of dry crumbly cake

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Egg Substitutes and When to Use What

When thinking about the science behind cake baking, an important ingredient that may

come to mind is an egg. Eggs seem like an integral part of a cake, so it may be surprising that the

classic ingredient can be skipped out on, however, there is an abundance of egg substitutions and

a time and a place for each one. Eggs give the cake structure, color, and sometimes texture,

depending on the type of cake that is being baked and the desired texture, the egg substitute may

need to be swapped, here is how and why.

Flax

Flax eggs are created by mixing ground down flax seeds ​(e.g. ​see fig. 4)​ ​and water to

create a goopy egg-like mixture. As was earlier explained, eggs help give the cake structure

through protein, flax seeds are high in amino acids and that's one reason they help emulate the

action of an egg so well. However, flax seeds alone can't do the job of the egg because they lack

moisture, that's where the water comes in.(The Science behind Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking.)

Adding water to the flax seeds simply creates a gelatinous texture that hydrates the cake. If one

does choose to use flaxseeds, they must not forget to grind them down if they aren’t already, in

order to minimize the seed-like texture and best mimic a classic cake. (The Science behind

Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking.)

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Fig. 4, flax seeds (un-ground)

​Aquafaba

Aquafaba is a surprising egg substitute, but a great one, it’s the leftover liquid in the cans

of chickpeas or garbanzo beans. A reason one might choose to use aquafaba over flax egg is for a

lighter and fluffier recipe. (What Exactly Is Aquafaba, and How Do I Use It?) Although flax

eggs can replicate the moisture and structure of an egg, they won’t form fluffy white peaks, no

matter how long they are whipped. Aquafaba on the other hand can do exactly that, consider

using this in recipes that call for whipping the egg whites as it can trap air similarly to the way

eggs do. (What Exactly Is Aquafaba, and How Do I Use It?) Additionally, aquafaba is a clear

liquid that becomes completely unnoticeable by taste and texture after being mixed into a cake, if

the texture of flaxseed sounds undesirable or taste testers are texture sensitive/picky, aquafaba

may be a better choice.

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What About Butter?

Butter is the easiest ingredient to replicate in cake baking! Technically, because it is an

oil, it can be replaced with any oil such as vegetable or olive, however, from my experience with

vegan baking, cakes made with those oils come out dense, that’s why coconut oil is such a great

choice. The reason being, coconut oil acts almost exactly the same as butter as it hardens at room

temperature. Store-bought vegan butter is also a great option to perfectly emulate cow/dairy

butter in a recipe.

Conclusion

There are many factors that go into the final outcome of a cake, most have probably

never thought of. After learning more about the science hidden within this sweet treat, it's easier

to understand where things went wrong, why, and how to fix the mistake next time. Additionally,

it's beneficial to know why each ingredient is used in order to gain the ability of adjusting recipes

to your own liking and substituting certain ingredients. The points made in this essay show that

ingredients in cake baking work together as different forms of a chemical reaction, there are

various reactions that connect to create the texture and appearance of the final outcome and there

is a science to substituting these chemical components.

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Works Cited

“The Science of Baking: How Physics and Chemistry Can Make You a Better Baker - Pepper.ph

- Recipes, Taste Tests, and Cooking Tips from Manila, Philippines.”

source: Gillespie, Claire. “Chemical Reactions Involved in Baking a Cake.” ​Sciencing​, 2 Mar. -

- 2019,

Ngo, Hope. “What Happens When You Overmix Batter?” ​Mashed,​ 24 Feb. 2020

Eppich, Kristen. “7 Rules For Baking The Perfect Cake (And What To Do When You Mess -

- Up).” ​Chatelaine​, 17 June 2020

“The Science behind Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking.” ​Science Scholars 2017,​ 25 Sept. 2017, - -

sciencescholars2017.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/the-science-behind-gluten-free-and-vegan-bakin

g/.

“What Exactly Is Aquafaba, and How Do I Use It?” ​America's Test Kitchen.​