Charming Chemistry Creations: Yellow Cake with High-ratio Shortening Method

High Ratio Shortening Method: High ration shortening refers to the use of the ingredient shortening in the cake recipe. This method can also refer to batters containing more sugar than flour. According to McGee, this method spurred the high ratio packaged cake mixes. And now have set the American standard for the moist cakes they produce. This method differs in that all ingredients will be mixed in one bowl instead of two like the creaming method (McGee, 555).

Enriched Flour

Whole Wheat Flour

	Whole Wheat Flour	Enriched Flour
Definition:	Whole Wheat Flour contains a large amount of protein form the germ and bran layer. The proteins interfere with the gluten structure making whole wheat breads dense. Whole wheat flour uses all parts of the grain so the flour is a brown color. Although healthier, most baked goods do not use whole wheat because it does not rise as well.	Enriched flour is flour that has been stripped of its nutrients when processed into the classic white flour. This flour is called enriched because, the nutrients are added back into the flour so that it has similar benefits like whole wheat flour. The protein content varies upon what was added back into the flour. Enriched flour is also known as all-purpose flour and as in the name, is used in a variety of recipe’s.
Ingredient Chemistry:	The main ingredient in both cakes was the addition of the shortening. The shortening replaced the butter as the fat source. The issue with shortening is its composition of trans fat and health concern. The increase in fat does give the cakes richness and moistness.	Since shortening is a trans fat, it is solid at room temperature. Solid fats hold onto air bubbles better and incorporate the air into the batter. The purpose of mixing the batter is to introduce more air into the mixture to give the final texture lightness.
Batter:	The whole wheat flour is dense and a light brown color. Since this is a denser flour, it was harder to incorporate the shortening and sugar. The batter hand a sand like texture. After the addition of the egg, the egg proteins did not “glue” the mixture together well. It was not until the addition of the milk that the batter became wet and easier to work with. The batter was not as gritty as before the milk. The end batter was thicker than the enriched flour cake.	The enriched flour batter was a white color. When the shortening was added, the mixture was creamy and a yellow color. When mixed with the egg, the flour clumped together and did not mix as well. Ten minutes were spent alone to throughly mix the batter. In this batter, the egg did a better job at holding the mixture together in the enriched flour. The end batter was a creamier consistency than the whole wheat batter.
End Product:	The end product was a dense cake that resembled a moist bread cake. The cake was the same tan color and had a more gritty texture like whole wheat breads. The consistency was the same chewiness found in the creaming method cakes. On the bottom of the cake, bubbles were present. The crumb of the cake was absent. There was only a few bubble dispersed throughout the cake. The lack of air pockets and the bubbles on the bottom of the cake indicate, the leavener was either forgotten or not fully incorporated into the batter. The cake taste was not as sweet at the creaming method cake. The whole wheat cake cooked for 31 minutes. This should be adequate time, but the cake top was not browned of crispy. By far, this was the worse cake by taste and appearance.	The enriched flour cake cooked for 36 minutes. The end product was similar to the creaming method cakes. The cake was a light yellow color and was a spongy texture. This cake tasted sweeter than the whole wheat cake and creaming method cakes. The increase in richness is due to the use of the ingredient shortening. The crumb of the cake was completely absent. There were not air bubbles in the cake and it had the consistency of a crumb cake. On the brighter side, the browning on the top of the cake was perfect. The top of the cake had a layer of caramelized sugar that was sweet. The top was also crispy. This cake did not stick together as much as the three previous cake did, due to the cooking time and a better structure set up so the cake was not as gummy.