EFFECTS OF INGREDIENT AND PREPARATION VARIATIONS Opalka 1

Evaluating the Effects of Ingredient and Preparation Variations on the Appearance, Taste and

Texture of Baked Custards and Angel Food Cake

Victoria Opalka

NTR 402

October 23, 2018

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Introduction

The ingredients and preparation techniques utilized play an important role in the final

outcome of a food product. For instance, in this lab, eggs have many functions such as

thickeners, emulsifiers, binders, and foams. The egg white, also known as the albumen, is

composed of a lot of different proteins that give dishes their structure, such as foams and

custards. Stabilization of egg white foams occurs through denaturation of proteins and can be

enhanced by the addition of cream of tartar which decreases pH and reduces browning of the

food product. While these denatured proteins are being whipped, the proteins coat the leavening

agent, air bubbles, that are being incorporated into the egg white (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p.

85). As a result, an airy and voluminous cake is created. Also, it is important that only egg whites

are used in angel food cakes because the yolk interferes with leavening (McWilliams, 2017, p.

329).

In addition, sugar not only imparts taste but serves as a tenderizing agent in cakes which

influences the texture of food products (McWilliams, 2017, p. 79). Besides from ingredients,

preparation techniques are crucial for desired results. The utilization of water baths aids in heat

distribution while baking different food products. As a result, the food bakes evenly throughout

(McWilliams, 2017, p. 43). Water-baths are essential for optimal appearance and texture of

custards.

In this experiment, groups of participants were assigned various recipes. Only the

custards and angel food cake recipes were included for analysis. Three custard recipes were

made including: water-bath (control), without water-bath, and twice the egg of the control

variation. Also, there was three variations of angel food cake including: standard recipe (control),

Splenda substituted recipe, and box mix. Then, participants evaluated the food product variations
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based off their appearance, taste, and texture. In addition, percent sag was measured for the

custard recipes which indicates gel strength. The purpose of this experiment is to assess how

variations in ingredients, such as eggs and sugar, and preparation techniques, with or without

water-baths, influence the appearance, taste, and texture of custards and angel food cake

variations.

Methods

The experiments and procedures are from Walter and Beathard’s Understanding Food

Principles and Preparations lab manual. The specific unit that was performed in this experiment

was Unit 8- Eggs Sections D and F (2015, p. 90- 96).

In experiment A-1, different custard variations were created. The basic recipe for baked

custard was followed for the water-bath variation. Modifications to the experiment included

omitting the stirred custard variation, omitting the water bath in the second variation, and

doubling the egg in one of the custard variations. Finally, the custards were evaluated for its

appearance, taste, and texture. In addition, the Percent Sag Test directions were followed and

measured for each custard variation (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p. 275). These observations were

recorded in Table A-1: Comparison of Different Variations of Custards.

In experiment B-1, the preparation of angel food cake variations was performed. The

basic recipe for angel food cake was followed for variation one. Whereas, in variation two,

Splenda was substituted for sugar. In the last variation, the directions on the box mix were

followed to create the angel food cake. There was not a variation on egg substitute like indicated

in the lab manual. An important modification was the substitution of cake flour for all-purpose

flour. This modification will have implications on the final texture. Finally, the angel food cake
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variations were evaluated for appearance, taste and texture. These observations were recorded in

Table B-1: Comparison of angel food cake products.

Results:

Table A-1: Comparison of Different Variations of Custards

Custard Appearance Taste Texture % sag=

((Height in container- height
Variation out of container)
(height in container))
X 100
Water-bath Gel-like Eggy Smooth ((1.5 cm- 1.25 cm)
(control) structure, firm, (1.5 cm))
X 100 = 16.7%
shiny
W/out Water- Curdled, liquid Eggy Lumpy ((1 cm- 0.75 cm)
bath on surface (1 cm))
X 100 = 25%
Twice Egg of Firm, Dense, Potent Eggy Smooth ((2.5 cm- 2.25 cm)
control shiny (2.5 cm))
X 100 = 10%

The most evident characteristic the curdled appearance and lumpy texture of the custard cooked

without a water-bath. In addition, the custard with twice the egg variation was very dense

compared to the water-bath variation.

Table B-1: Comparison of Angel Food Cake Products

Product Appearance Taste Texture

Standard Angel White, puffy Light sweetness Airy, tender
Food Cake Recipe
Splenda substituted Sunken, crummy Bland Chewy
recipe
Box mix White, puffy Very sweet, acidic Airy, fine

The most notable difference was the tender texture of the standard angel food cake recipe

compared to the chewy texture of the Splenda substituted recipe. Also, the box mix had a very

acidic taste.
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Discussion

The preparation process and the ingredients of the custards and angel food cake

variations affect the final outcome of the food product. In the first experiment, different

variations of custards were compared. It was expected that the variation without the water-bath

would have an undesirable appearance and texture due to the lack of heat distribution. The

curdled appearance and lumpy texture are characteristic of uneven heat distribution. Also, while

the proteins coagulate, this results in water squeezing out on the surface of the custard which

explained why there was liquid on the custard (McWilliams, 2017, p. 299). In addition, the

custard variation with twice the egg of the control had a very dense appearance and structure due

to the greater protein content compared to the other variations. It was expected that the a more

tender gel would have a greater percent sag (McWilliams, 2017, p. 492). The variation without

the water bath had the greatest percent sag, 25%, which was the most tender of all variations.

Whereas, the custard with twice the egg variation had the least percent sag, 10%, which was

expected with its tough texture.

In the second experiment, there was interesting results. A major modification in the

experiment was the use of all-purpose flour rather than cake flour. This is an important

difference because all-purpose flour has a greater protein content than cake flour. Therefore, the

texture of the angel food cake variations would be harder than preferred (McWilliams, 2017, p.

315). This was apparent in all of the variations. Besides that, sugar is a tenderizing agent in the

angel food cakes. According to McWilliams, sugar works “… by retarding gluten

development… by elevating the coagulation temperature of the structural proteins…” (2017, p.

329). The standard variation had a tender texture due to the sugar content. However, the texture
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of the Splenda variation was chewy and had a crummy appearance. This result can be due to

human error since the cakes were made by different people or can be due to the Splenda lacking

the effective tenderizing quality of conventional sugar (McWilliams, 2017, p. 93).

Also, it was unexpected with the taste of the angel food cake variations. The standard

variation had a light sweetness while the Splenda variation had a very bland taste. This was a

surprise result because Splenda is 600 times sweeter than glucose (McWilliams, 2017, p. 91).

Besides that, the box mix had an acidic taste. This taste can be attributed to the baking powder in

the ingredients, whereas this ingredient is not in the standard recipe (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p.

96).

These experiments can be applied to food science. Before custards are baked, they are

considered a sol. A sol is are solids dispersed in liquids (McWilliams, 2017, p. 54). When the

custards bake and cool, the sol becomes a gel which forms bonds between the gelatin molecules.

This results in a semi-solid network and trapping of the water (McWilliams, 2017, p. 55). It is

important to have even heat distribution, with the utilization of water baths, to create this

network. Without a water bath, this results in the lumpy, coagulated texture seen in this

experiment. All things considered, ingredients and preparation techniques impact the appearance,

taste, and texture of custards and angel food cake variations. Processes like gelation and

coagulation are impacted on ingredients used in the recipes. Therefore, knowing how different

processes work in food products is important to achieve desired results.

References

McWilliams, M. (2017). Foods: Experimental Perspective. (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson.
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Walter, J.M. & Beathard, K. (2015). Understanding Food Principles and Preparation Lab

Manual (5th ed.). Stanford, CT: Cengage Learning.