ingredient for human consumption Manufacturers are addressing some of these problems and uncertainties For example, the effects of flour chlorination can be approximated by heat treatment, and vegetable oils can be hardened without the production of trans fatty acids So it’s likely that cooks will eventually be able to make high-ratio cakes with less questionable ingredients Cake Ingredients Cakes are generally made with flour, eggs, sugar, and either butter or shortening Eggs are 75% water and may provide all the moisture in a recipe; or various dairy products — milk, buttermilk, sour cream — may be included to provide moisture as well as richness and flavor Because the sugar is used to incorporate air into the mix, the preferred form is finely granulated (“Extra-Fine,” “Superfine”) so as to maximize the numbers of small sharp edges that will cut into the fat or eggs Because they’re filled with bubbles in the mixing process, cake recipes usually call either for no chemical leavening, or for less than other batter recipes Flours, Starches, Cocoa Cake bakers use lowprotein pastry or cake flours to minimize the toughening that comes with gluten formation They’re not really interchangeable; cake flours are both chlorinated and milled into very small particles to produce a fine, velvety texture Cooks who prefer not to use cake flours can approximate their protein content and increase fineness by adding starch to allpurpose or pastry flours Corn starch is the most commonly available starch in the United States; potato and arrowroot starches lack cornstarch’s cereal flavor and gelate at lower temperatures, which can reduce cooking times and produce a moister cake Some cakes are made with pure starch or starchy chestnut ... approximate their protein content and increase fineness by adding starch to allpurpose or pastry flours Corn starch is the most commonly available starch in the United States; potato and arrowroot...into the fat or eggs Because they’re filled with bubbles in the mixing process, cake recipes usually call either for no chemical leavening, or for less than other batter recipes... Flours, Starches, Cocoa Cake bakers use lowprotein pastry or cake flours to minimize the toughening that comes with gluten formation They’re not really interchangeable; cake flours are both chlorinated and milled into very small particles to produce a fine, velvety