What is Leavening?
Leavening is a chemical process important for successfully baking cake or bread.
It has the role of making the dough or batter to rise to result with a soft, sponge-like texture.
In the presence of heat, moisture and acidity, the leavener (e.g yeast, baking powder) starts to ferment within the batter and produces carbon dioxide which is then trapped inside until the cake is set. The bubbles of gas trapped inside causes the final product of the cake or bread to have tiny air bubbles, making them spongy with a pore-filled structure.
Type of food made by leavening includes:
It has the role of making the dough or batter to rise to result with a soft, sponge-like texture.
In the presence of heat, moisture and acidity, the leavener (e.g yeast, baking powder) starts to ferment within the batter and produces carbon dioxide which is then trapped inside until the cake is set. The bubbles of gas trapped inside causes the final product of the cake or bread to have tiny air bubbles, making them spongy with a pore-filled structure.
Type of food made by leavening includes:
- Cake
- Bread, excluding flat bread
- Cookies, biscuits or crackers
- Scones
Why is it important?
Leavening is a significant spiritual metaphor used in the Bible. Leavening symbolises evil, sin, hypocrisy and disobedience after the passover, when the Israel people were slaves for the Egyptians. After the celebration of the passover, people had seven days without leavened food.
This shows the importance of leavening for religious cultures and how this has changed people's aspect of leavened food.
Without leavening, so many popular and common food around the world such as cake or bread would not have existed and we would not have had the chance to explore and discover this unique chemical reaction from a gastronomical perspective.
This shows the importance of leavening for religious cultures and how this has changed people's aspect of leavened food.
Without leavening, so many popular and common food around the world such as cake or bread would not have existed and we would not have had the chance to explore and discover this unique chemical reaction from a gastronomical perspective.
Physicial Changes
Physical Changes of Food:
- Develops a soft, sponge-like texture.
- Develops a crumbly, porous structure
- Change of color compared to when it wasn't baked. The color depends on the ingredients that is used.
Chemical Changes
- Chemical reactions with the leavener and other ingredients cause fermentation to occur during the time the food is baking.
- The leavener (e.g yeast, bicarbonate, etc) produces gas (carbon dioxide) and the trapped gas causes air bubbles inside the food while setting.
Live life with Leavening
Blueberry, Lemon and Passion fruit Cake
Servings for 2 people
Ingredients:
Servings for 2 people
Ingredients:
- 150g softened butter
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 2 larger eggs at room temp.
- 1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
- 50ml milk
- Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup passion fruit pulp.
Equipments:
Method:
When you are beating your butter and caster sugar, the butter will spread everywhere, therefore, to makes sure that your mixture is being thoroughly mixed, use a spatula to scrape down the butter from the side of the bowl into the center.
What are the ingredients that contribute to the successful rising of the cake?
The major ingredients which are the keys to the leavening of the cake includes- self-raising flour (leavening agent), caster sugar, eggs to keep the cake together and milk.
Did you know?
Did you know that the egg in this recipe when it is in the oven, it starts to denature itself and coagulate. This is why egg is so important to hold the cake together, because its coagulated state is a solid and therefore stabilizes the cakes whole structure.
- 2 metal bar tins
- Baking paper
- Electric beater
- Zester
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Large bowl
- Plastic spatula
- Wooden spoon
- Greaser
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius fan bake.
- Grease the two bar tin's sides and bottoms. Cut out baking paper and line just the bottom of the tin by tracing the base.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl with an electric beater on low, until your mixture is fluffy and pale colored.
- After that, from low to medium (electric beater), add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating in between each.
- Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon and then stir in the milk, lemon zest and passion fruit pulp
- Carefully, fold in the blueberries
- When your mixture is thoroughly mixed, pour your mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
When you are beating your butter and caster sugar, the butter will spread everywhere, therefore, to makes sure that your mixture is being thoroughly mixed, use a spatula to scrape down the butter from the side of the bowl into the center.
What are the ingredients that contribute to the successful rising of the cake?
The major ingredients which are the keys to the leavening of the cake includes- self-raising flour (leavening agent), caster sugar, eggs to keep the cake together and milk.
Did you know?
Did you know that the egg in this recipe when it is in the oven, it starts to denature itself and coagulate. This is why egg is so important to hold the cake together, because its coagulated state is a solid and therefore stabilizes the cakes whole structure.