Factors affecting the production of cakes from
heat-treated cake flour

Understand the factors that affect the production of cakes from heat-treated flours as a first step in optimising end product quality.

Heat-treated flour has become widely accepted as one alternative to the use of chlorinated flours in cake production, since the use of chlorination was prohibited in the EU in 2000. At that time, CCFRA published a review of the technical alternatives in The production of cake from non-chlorinated flour (CCFRA Review No. 20), assessing the pros and cons of each. With the subsequent adoption of heat-treated flours, it has become apparent that good end-product quality can be achieved, but that it is not just a matter of replacing chlorinated flour with heat-treated flour, as other recipe adjustments need to be made.

Focusing on the use of heat-treated flours in cake production, this supplement presents and discusses in detail the findings of a series of experiments designed to assess the significance and impact of factors that affect the quality of cakes produced with heat-treated flour. It will be of use to anyone involved in the production of high ratio cakes.

Contents

• Introduction
• Experimental methods
  - Materials for baking trials
  - Experimental design
  - Processing method
  - Baking trials
  - Product evaluation
• Results and statistical analysis
  - CCFRA standard bake
  - Phase 1
  - Phase 2
  - DSC analysis of chlorinated and heat-treated flour
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendices:
  - Flour data
  - Formulation sheets for phases 1 and 2
  - Cake method
  - Batter relative density measurement
  - Formulation sheet for CCFRA standard recipe
  - ERH measurement
  - Determination of cake volumes
  - Cake scoring system
  - Results of assessments