Sugar is really important for making cakes tasty and giving them the right texture.
Sweetness
- Sugar makes cakes sweet. It adds great flavor.
- Usually, a cake recipe needs 1 to 2 cups of sugar for every 2 cups of flour.
That means about 100 to 200 grams of sugar for 240 grams of flour.
This amount really changes how the cake tastes.
Texture
- Sugar also changes how a cake feels in your mouth by:
- Making it Tender: Sugar fights with gluten for water, which makes the cake softer.
It usually slows down gluten growth by about 5% to 10%.
- Keeping it Moist: Sugar pulls in moisture, which helps cakes stay wet and fresh longer.
For example, cakes with more sugar can stay 15% more moist than those with less sugar.
- Adding Height: Sugar helps mix air into the batter when creaming with fats, which makes the cake puff up.
A good creamed mix can make the cake rise by about 20%.
Knowing how sugar affects cakes is very important for baking them successfully.