Experimental Taste Test

In my "Food" course this unit we explored the different ingredients used for baking. We discovered that something called a leavening agent was one of the 5 essential ingredient to baking. Leavening agents are assigned to raise the dough so it looks nice and fluffy. We left out the leavening agents for a holiday named "passover" where the jews didn't have time to use leavening agents for their cooking while they ran from. We cooked one batch of cupcakes with a leavening agent; Baking Soda. We then cooked a batch of cupcakes without a leavening agent. For this assignment, we were asked to substitute the leavening agent for two other ingredients. One group of cupcakes being the controlled group and one being the experimental group. I chose Lemon Juice and Olive Oil to substitute for the missing leavening agent.

The Cupcake Experiment

1. Introduction

We are trying to figure out if a acid-base reaction will help the cupcakes rise like a leavening agent would. Baking powder is a leavening agent. When a leavening agent reacts with heat and liquid, it produces carbon dioxide and causes the dough to rise. For our controlled group, we followed the recipe precisely, adding the exact amount of ingredients, mixing our batter until it is smooth, preheating the oven, and baking our cupcakes for 20 minutes in 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For our experimental group, we substituted the baking powder for lemon juice and olive oil. We decided to choose an acid and base because baking powder contains cream of tartar, an acid, and baking soda, a base. Using that logic, we wanted to create an acid-base reaction and therefore, our group chose lemon juice, which has a pH of 2.2, and olive oil, which has a pH of 8. We put in different amounts of lemon juice and olive oil in each of our 6 cupcake trials to see which cupcake rises the most. The ultimate test to see whether we successfully replicated the effects of baking powder is to measure the height of our cupcakes in our experimental group and compare it to the height of the cupcakes in the controlled group.

2. Research Question

Will an acid-base substitute help cupcakes rise like a leavening agent?

3. Hypothesis

If I substitute baking powder for lemon juice, pH of 2.2, and olive oil, pH of 8, in my cupcake recipe, then my experimental group cupcakes will rise less than my control group cupcakes.

4. Materials:

• Sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Flour
• Milk
• Baking Powder
• Lemon Juice
• Olive Oil

5. Procedure

For Control Group:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9×9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

For Experimental Group:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9×9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

6. Data

Cupcakes	Amount of Lemon Juice (tsp)	Amount of Olive Oil (tsp)	Cupcake Height (cm)
1	1/16	1/16	3.5
2	0	1/8	3.5
3	1/8	0	3
4 (Favorite)	3/32	1/32	3
5	1/64	7/64	3.5
6	7/64	1/64	2.7
Controlled Group	--	--	3.75

7. Graph

8. Recipe in Metric

Ingredients	Amount in Cups/Tsp	Amount in mL
Sugar	1/12 cup	20 mL
Butter	1/24 cup	10 mL
Eggs	1/6 egg	--
Vanilla Extract	1/6 tsp	0.82 mL
All-purpose Flour	3/24 cup	30 mL
Milk	1/24 cup	10 mL
Lemon Juice	3/32 tsp	0.46 mL
Olive Oil	1/32 tsp	0.15 mL

9. Conclusion

From this experiment, I learned that an acid-base replacement for Baking Powder, really does rise the pastry! While my trial cupcakes did not rise as high as the ones in the controlled group, one trial cupcake was only 0.75cm shorter than the controlled group cupcakes. This was the 4th cupcake where I put 3/32 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/32 teaspoon of molasses. I believe that the 4th cupcake was one of the more shorter cupcakes because the batter was more acidic than alkaline. Given that baking powder is slightly more basic, pH of 8.5, my batter would also have had to be slightly more basic to replicate the effects baking powder has on the pastry. Therefore, my 4th trial cupcake proved my hypothesis right because the height difference was less than less than the controlled group’s cupcakes. In conclusion, while the 4th cupcake was the lowest among my experimental group, I decided to submit my this cupcake because it tasted the lemony delicious and quite different. It’s hard on the outside and moist on the inside. This project has led me to experiment with my cooking more.