In this section I will trial different ingredients to see their effect within recipes. I welcome any suggestions for alternative ingredients or recipies i.e. diabetic, gluten free.
Also I would be happy to trial any recipe you wish to send me and I will publish the results of the test on this site.
Posted by: Sheila | 05-08-2008 | 08:05 PM
Posted in: Test Bakes | Comments (0)
Having been recommended to try this ingredient by a visitor to the site, I undertook two test bakes:
Rock Cakes and Boiled Fruit Cake
Rock Cakes
Having undertaken some research on coconut oil, it is generally recommended to subsitute half of the usual fat in a recipie with coconut oil. Therefore this is what I did when making the rock cakes.
The appearance of the mixture while making the cakes, was no different. However the baked cakes did not look rocky but smoother and flatter (very like the “Fat Rascals” sold in the famous “Betty’s Tearooms”).
I then asked my “test panel” (my ever willing family) to taste half a rock cake made traditionally and half a cake made with the coconut oil.
The results were very favourable. The look did not deter them at all and whilst a slight coconut taste was noticed on the first bite this was very subtle. In fact the overall opinion was that they preferred the flavour of the coconut oil rock cake and also the softer texter that it had.
In conclusion I would definately use the coconut oil again, but would top each bun with a blanched almond prior to baking to enhance the appearance and thus createing my own “Fat Rascals”.
The only downside is the cost. £9.99 for a 453 gram tub is very expensive for everyday use. However, if you are dairy intollerant or are baking a celebration cake for someone else who is, then it is an excellent choice as it has a much nicer flavour than the white Trex I normally use.
Boiled Fruit Cake
For this test, I used all Coconut oil, although I reduced the overall amount by 25grams as it is more oily.
Again the uncooked mixture did not look any different and the cooked cake looked fantastic.
I sealed it in a tin and let it mature for two days and then let my family at it. The cake sliced nicely and was beautifully moist. Again my tasters noticed the coconut flavour, but overall it was liked very much, although in this case they said they would prefer the traditional flavour.
In Conclusion
If you or a member of your family are dairy intollerant, I would fully recommend using coconut oil. It has a much nicer flavour then other non dairy fats and it gives the same texture as dairy fats unlike some dairy free fats, such as soya, which give a very dry crumbly texture.
Another positive result is that the rock cakes were still fresh 5 days after baking and the boiled fruit cake just got better and better and was absolutely delicious 8 days after baking with a wonderful light but moist texture. (Both were kept in air tight tins).
Posted by: Sheila | 05-04-2008 | 03:05 PM
Posted in: Test Bakes | Comments (0)