Do you have a favourite pastry or dessert? One that you would eat on a daily basis if not for the scale and the dentist? Me too! Cakes come in different sizes, shapes, textures and recipes and almost all of them have some form of fat in them—butter. In today’s more health conscious world, everyone literally wants to have their cake and eat it too! For this to happen, bakers and pastry chefs everywhere are doing their best to make their specialty healthy for everyone. This is an article about using oil in cakes! The truth is that, almost all the edible natural oils out there can be used in baking but some of them have a very strong taste and flavor so it can also be up to preference.
Here is what you should keep in mind when looking for oils suitable for baking:
– high smoke point
-plant-based oil
-low in saturated fats
-high in monounsaturated fats
1. SUNFLOWER OIL
Some people—my older brother included—are lactose intolerant: they cannot take in dairy. So cakes and other pastry treats that have had butter substituted for oil are a better choice. Oil makes the cake more moist and actually, makes it last a lot longer.
Sunflower oil is one that is favoured due to its mild taste. It is a healthy oil that is made up of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats, 79%, 7% and 14% respectively. Its make-up is similar to that of extra-virgin olive oil’s so that should give you an idea of just how healthy it is. Unsaturated fats have the ability to lower the risk of developing heart disease in a person.
When it comes to baking, high temperature cooking is involved and sunflower oil has a very high smoke point. This is simply the temperature at which an oil becomes unhealthy to consume. This is also the kind of oil that is best for baking: one that has a high smoke point.
2. GRAPESEED OIL
This oil is made mostly in the countries of France, Italy and Switzerland. It is great for baking a cake.
It is said that grapeseed oil is actually better for you than olive oil.
3. OLIVE OIL
Olive oil will make your cake very moist but it will also retain its “olive” taste which I personally don’t mind; olives are delicious! But it also depends on the kind of olive oil you use: extra-virgin or light.
What is the difference?
High quality extra-virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point than the virgin oil.
4. CANOLA OIL
Canola oil has a very mellow taste so if you do not like the taste of olive oil in your cakes, then try your hand at Canola oil.
Conclusion
All the oils mentioned above are very healthy and are great for baking. Remember that you can use either one according to your preference.
