Cupcake Science

All cupcake recipes need these key ingredients:

• Eggs

  Sugar

  Flour

  Salt

• Sugar

  Butter

  Flour

• Eggs

  Flour

  Baking powder

  Sugar

  Fat (oil or butter)

• Fat (oil or butter)

  Flour

  Eggs

  Baking powder

The protein that gives the cupcake its shape comes from flour and is known as ______________.

Answer explanation

Some of the proteins in the flour join together to create an extensive network of coiled proteins, known as gluten. It is this gluten that holds the cake together. Its elastic nature allows the batter to expand during baking (to incorporate gases).

To create a cupcake ___________ are essential. In fact, if you bite into a really dry or really crumbly cupcake, odds are that the baker did not use enough of these.

Answer explanation

Eggs are an essential ingredient.

They act as a binding agent, leavening agent, and emulsifier and also add a nice richness to the texture of the cake.

Eggs have the incredible ability to puff up foods when beaten. This is why most cake recipes call for the eggs to be beaten- this process traps the air in the mixture, and eventually, when the cake is baked, the heat causes the entire mixture to expand and hold its soft, spongy shape. Egg yolks also contain fat, which is another critical component for creating moist cakes.

Too many eggs can make a cake too dense or too heavy.

To rise, cupcakes need an ingredient that releases

Answer explanation

Carbon dioxide is released from baking soda or baking powder during the cooking process.

Instead of baking soda, baking powder is preferred in cupcakes because

• It does not need an acid to create CO2

• It tastes better than soda

• It adds protein to the batter and makes a denser texture

• Eggs and soda don't react well together

Answer explanation

Baking powder is made up of a base, an acid, and a buffering material to prevent the two from reacting before they're used. It only needs water to create a reaction, whereas soda needs a liquid acid like vinegar or yogurt.

Because baking powder begins to release carbon dioxide immediately when it is mixed with liquid, it is important for the baker to

Answer explanation

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine them at the last minute - just before the cupcakes go into the oven.

If dry ingredients and wet ingredients are combined too soon, the CO2 will be released before they are baked,and the cupcakes will not rise in the oven.

If your cupcakes rise around the edge but fall in the centre, what do you think you did wrong?

• I opened the oven before they were finished baking

• I forgot to add the oil

• I did not add the baking powder

The temperature change when baking powder interacts with liquid is a _________ reaction.

Explain the conditions that could cause the problem of the middle cupcake. Why did it come to a high peak in the middle?

Answer explanation

If the oven was too hot then the outer portions of the batter will have set before the inside has finished expanding, which produces a peaked, volcano-like surface with excessive browning.

The high heat in the oven caused the cupcake to rise too quickly.

The cupcakes didn't rise because

• The oven was not hot enough, so the thermal reaction was slow

• The oven was too hot, so the thermal reaction was too fast

• There was no sugar in the batter, which affected the CO2

• The eggs or butter were too cold and this slowed down the thermal reaction