Baking & Snack - November 2006 - 72

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

and flour, thus delaying hydration of the flour and minimizing gluten formation.
Using the blending method, the shortening and flour
are creamed until fluffy. In a second bowl, eggs and sugar are whipped into a semi-firm foam. The two mixtures
are combined, and other formula liquids added. While
this method allows use of higher levels of sugar and liquids than the creaming method, it results in somewhat
less air incorporation.
In single-stage mixing, all major ingredients are mixed
at once into a smooth mass. Mixer speeds are varied to
allow low speeds at the beginning of mixing, medium
speeds at the middle and low speeds at the end. Typically,
baking powder is withheld until the final mixing stage.
Bakers have made variations in these methods. Emulsifiers can be used to boost the air incorporation and
reduce chemical leavening usage. As liquid shortenings
became more popular for cakes, such emulsion methods
also gained popularity.
Foam cakes are different. These start with creation of
an egg-based foam. Whipping denatures the egg proteins, stretching them to better entrap air. The longer
egg whites are whipped, the more air is included in increasingly smaller cells. Sugar may be added along with
the eggs to prevent the whites from over-whipping. The
rest of the ingredients are folded into the eggs, with any
shortening delayed until the final stages of mixing.
For volume production of cakes, mixing typically involves both an incorporation/dispersion stage and an
aeration stage. To accommodate depositing, all cake batters will encounter some holding time. "Slurry mixing
will incorporate ingredients," said the sales manager for a
horizontal mixer company, "and the second stage of aeration will beat in air to reach proper specific gravity."
Choice of mixer depends on the style of cake being
made, on the volume of batter needed and, for the most
part, on the preference of the baker. The truth is that
not all mixers are the same, but proper mixing can be
achieved many different ways. Current developments in
ᮢ A 3-tool planetary
mixer accomplishes
incorporation,
dispersal and aeration
of cake batters.
TONELLI MIXING SYSTEMS

ᮡ The double-sigma arm design provides more intense mixing - more
shear - than single-sigma configurations.
SHAFFER MANUFACTURING

volume-rated mixers prove the point.
"Bakers should do their due diligence on mixing technologies to get the right machine for the product," said
the mixer company president.
SIGMA SIGNS. "Although cake batter can be mixed in
horizontal mixers, this is not the primary application
for this technology," the mixer company president
observed. "However, many bakers do use horizontal
mixers for cake products.
"Sigmas are easy to clean and easy to maintain," he
continued. "And sigmas can produce very smooth, nicely
mixed cake batters."
When employing horizontal mixers for cake batter
mixing, the agitator design of choice is the sigma arm.
Such S-shaped arms blend and fold ingredients while
also wiping bowl sides. "Sigma arms produce less sheer
than other style agitators and less than a double-sigma
arm," the horizontal-mixer sales manager said, "and
the single sigma is generally better for doughs containing particulates than a double-sigma style." It's a
matter of math that double arms run at twice the revolutions of single arms.
He explained that a volume baker will typically use a
double sigma-arm mixer for the first stage of
cake mixing and then transfer the batter to a
continuous mixer for aeration before depositing it into baking pans.
"We have done some stiffer icings in
sigma arm mixers, using a dough pump to
move the icing to the use point, because it
is so stiff," the horizontal-mixer sales manager said. "You have to pump it, because it
doesn't flow as well as cake batter."
Cheesecake provides an interesting
test for horizontal mixers. "For this application, the mixer arm must have the
strength to cut through the cold cream

November 2006 / BAKING & SNACK / 75

Baking & Snack - November 2006

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