If you have come this far, it is because you had the same question as me… What is the perfect flour to make sponge cakes?
Everyone has their own opinion on what is the best flour to make sponge cakes: on some websites, they say low protein is the best, on others, they prefer strong or high protein flour, and some even claim you can not make sponge cakes with just any flour… I understand that each person has their opinion and experience, but I still have not found a webpage where the difference in sponge cakes using different flour is clearly seen.
In fact, after researching on the internet, I still had the same question: What is trully the best flour to make the best sponge cakes?
That is why I decided to do the following experiment: make the same yogurt sponge cake using three different types of flour: whole wheat, low protein and strong or high protein flour.
I decided to do the following experiment: make the same yogurt sponge cake using three different types of flour: whole wheat, low protein and strong or high protein flour.
Through different analyses, ranging from weight to appearance and flavour, I will try to reveal which of these flours deserves the title of the best for making your homemade sponge cakes (of course, always with this recipe. For any other recipe, we would need to do the same experiment).
Well, and now, after this short introduction… Let´s get started! These are the points I am going to follow to do and explain this experiment:
Introduction. What wheat is, its composition and what are the existing types of flour.
Try the same sponge cake recipe with three different flours:
- Whole wheat
- Low protein
- High protein
Observe the sponge cake resulting in each case. Analyzing different characteristics:
- Measure the initial and final weight of each sponge cake
- Document the expansion of each sponge cake during baking (time-lapse)
- Evaluate the post-baking external appearance, including photographs of the sponge cakes.
- Record the maximum height reached by each sponge cake
- Examine the internal structure, including crumb formation, hole size, etc.)
- Conduct a sensory evaluation (tasting)
And decide (if possible) which flour (in my opinion) works best for making this yogurt sponge cake recipe.
1. Introduction. What wheat is, its composition and what are the existing types of flour.
Before starting the experiment and making the sponge cakes, let´s take a look at what wheat is, its composition, the existing types of flour, and what strong or high protein, low protein, and whole wheat flour mean.
Wheat (Triticum) is a plant that belongs to the grass family. The whole wheat grain (it is the seed of the plant) is called caryopsis and is divided into 3 parts: bran, endosperm, and germ.
The germ is the minority component of the grain (around 2 – 3 % of its size). Is the embryo and mainly responsible for the plant´s germination. It is a part rich in proteins and fat and contains most of the vitamins and minerals present in the wheat grain.
The bran represents approximately 15 % of the grain. It is the group of outer layers that have the function of protecting the interior of the grain (the endosperm and the germ) against insects, climate, diseases, … Bran contains some vitamins, traces of minerals and certain dieraty fibers, most of which are insoluble
And lastly, the endosperm represents about 83 % of the grain. It serves as food for the germ or embryo when the grain germinates. Its main components are carbohydrates and proteins but also contains vitamins, minerals and soluble fiber.
The endosperm is the part of the wheat grain from which we obtain the white flour we know.
This flour is obtained from the milling of wheat grains, where the grains are initially crushed to remove the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm and transform it into a fine white powder.
Both, the high protein and the low protein flour I have used, are obtained from the milling of the endosperm (white flours). While whole wheat flour came from the milling of the entire grain (endosperm, bran, and germ) and, it has a non-homogeneous particle size (granulometry) and colour.
And as a curiosity, the name “harina” (flour) comes from the Latin farina, which, in turn, is derived from the word far or farris. This word was used to refer to ancient wheat (Triticum dicoccum), a cereal similar to wheat, that was widely used in ancient Mediterranean and Anatolian civilizations (Asian minor).
The name “harina” (flour) comes from the Latin farina, which, in turn, is derived from the word far or farris, used to refer to ancient wheat (Triticum dicoccum), a cereal similar to wheat, that was widely used in antiquity.
2. Try the same sponge cake recipe with three different flours:
For this trial, I have used three different types of flour* (whole wheat, low protein, and high protein or strong flour) with the following nutritional information:
*(The three products used are commercial flours, and can be found in any Spanish supermarket)
Table 1. Nutritional information
Depending on the country you are in, or if you use a different brand of flour than the ones I have used, the nutritional values may change. However, this table will help you to assess the flour you buy, and see what results you can achieve with it when making your sponge cake.
2.1 Whole wheat flour.
It is the resulting product from the milling of the whole wheat grain (endosperm, bran, and germ). It has a non-homogeneous particle size (granulometry) and colour.
Whole wheat flour has a high nutritional value. It contains important amounts of fiber, proteins, essential fatty acids, minerals, and B-group vitamins. Whole wheat or whole grain flour are also other ways to name it.
2.2 Low protein flour.
Low protein flour has the lowest protein content (10 %). Easy to work, and extendable, making it ideal for pastry as it results in greater volume.
This flour also makes desserts fluffier and provides a finer texture. Depending on the country, low protein flour is also known as week or flour 0000.
Unlike self-rising flour, low-protein flour does not contain leavening agents in its formulation (which is the one I used).
The main difference between low protein and high protein flour is the amount of protein or gluten they contain.
2.3 High protein flour.
On the other hand, high protein flour is a type of wheat with a higher gluten content (greater protein quantity). The higher the percentage of gluten, the higher the strength and plasticity of the dough. A dough with a higher gluten content will have better structure and elasticity.
It is also know as: baking, bread, hard flouw or flour 0 and 00.
To make each one of the sponge cakes, I have used the following ingredients:
- 2 eggs (L size)
- 60 g yogurt
- 50 g sunflower oil
- 75 g sugar
- 95 g flour
- 8 g baking powder
As I mentioned previously, I have decided to use the yogurt sponge cake recipe to conduct this experiment. But using a smaller mould (18 cm diameter) allows me to use half the amount of ingredients compared to a 26 – 28 cm diameter sponge cake.
After mixing all the ingredients and pouring the mixture into the mould, I baked each one of the sponge cakes at 180 ºC (top and bottom heat) for 30 min.
3. Observe the sponge cake resulting in each case. Analyzing different characteristics:
3.1 Measure the initial and final weight.
The first step is to weigh both the initial mixture of each sponge cake and the final weight of each baked sponge cake (after taring the mould). And see if there are differences between the sponge cakes in terms of evaporation during baking.
The weight values obtained are the following:
Table 2. Initial weight, final weight, and weight reduction (in g and %) during baking.
During baking, in the low protein and high protein flour sponge cakes, there is a reduction in weight of 25 g, which is equivalent to 6,3 % of the sponge cake weight. In the whole wheat sponge cake, 24 g evaporated during baking, which means 6,0 % of the sponge cake weight. There is only a 1 g difference between the 3 sponge cakes.
Taking into account that the scale I use measures in whole numbers without decimals, we can consider that all three sponge cakes evaporated the same amount of water during the baking process. Therefore, there are no differences in evaporating among the three sponge cakes.
3.2 Maximum expansion of each sponge cake during baking.
During baking, I recorded the expansion of each cake in time-lapse. Below, you can see the time-lapse video of the 3 sponge cakes.
All the sponge cakes grow in a similar way. It is true that the whole wheat sponge cake grows slightly less than the other two sponge cakes. It also does not crack or form as much crest as the other two.
3.3 Post-baking external appearance.
After removing the sponge cakes from the oven and letting them to cool, I remove each of the three sponge cakes from their moulds. Below, you can see the zenithal photos (taken from above) of the three sponge cakes:
In these zenithal photos, you can see the same thing that was seen in the time-lapse videos during the baking of the sponge cakes: the whole wheat sponge cake has almost no crest, while in both low and high-protein sponge cakes, a fairly large crest is formed.
The colour differences between sponge cakes are also observed: The whole wheat sponge cake is much darker. This is because the whole wheat flour contains not only the endosperm but also the germ and the bran. Both parts of the wheat grain give the flour (and as a consequence, the cake) a much darker or brownish colour.
The other two sponge cakes have a similar colour. Although the low protein flour sponge cake has more shine, while the high protein sponge cake has a more matte appearance.
3.4 Maximum height reached by each sponge cake.
To know the maximum growth height of each sponge cake, I measured the distance (in cm) between the base of the sponge cake and its highest point.
Below you can find the maximum height values:
Table 3. Maximum height after baking
The sponge cake that has grown the most was the one made with low protein flour, reaching a maximum height of 4,7 cm. The high protein sponge cake reached 4,6 cm of max height, nearly the same.
The sponge cake that has grown the least was the whole wheat sponge cake, which has grown only 4,1 cm in maximum weight.
These results were expected, although one might have anticipated a higher difference between low protein and high protein flours: In theory, with the low protein flour, the sponge cake should have grown more than the cake with high protein flour. In this case, there is a slightly greater growth, but it is minimal.
Most of the time, the maximum height coincides with the center of the sponge cake, but there are times when this is not the case. This could be due to incorrect mixing of ingredients (especially baking powder) causing uneven growth of the sponge cake. It can also be a result of poor heat distribution in the oven, leading to some areas being hotter than others and causing the leavening agent to act more in one area than in another.
In this experiment, the maximum height of the three sponge cakes is in the center, so we can conclude that the ingredients are well mixed and the heat distribution in the oven is good.
If in your oven, the center of the sponge cake is not the highest part, it is possible due to one of the two reasons (although it is almost always because the ingredients are not mixed well!).
3.5 Internal structure.
Once the sponge cakes were cool, I cut them in half. Later, one of the halves is divided into four portions (each portion is 1/8 of the sponge cake). These cuts allow us to see very clearly the internal structure of each sponge cake (distribution and uniformity of the crumb and holes).
Below, you can see the internal structure of the three sponge cakes:
With these cuts, you can see the internal structure differences of each sponge cake. First, the whole wheat sponge cake has a darker color, which we had already observed in the external appearance of the sponge cakes.
On the other hand, the whole wheat and high protein sponge cakes have a uniform surface bulge, while the low protein sponge cake has a greater bulge in the center compared to the sides.
Another clear difference is the homogeneity and size of the holes or gas bubbles: the high protein sponge cake has a very homogeneous crumb, with very similar holes throughout the sponge cake. This could be because the high protein flour has higher water absorption and a higher protein percentage (higher protein network), retaining the gas formed during baking in its structure and preventing gas bubbles from coming together to form very large bubbles.
For their part, both the whole wheat and low protein sponge cakes have very large holes, as they have a protein network with less ability to retain gas bubbles in their structure, causing them to come together and form large bubbles.
These holes are mostly found on the top of the sponge cakes because gas, being less dense than the butter, tries to “escape” to the surface but encounters the barrier of the sponge cake crust.
3.6 Sensory evaluation (tasting).
After analyzing the weight, expansion, and height of the sponge cakes. And finally cutting them to see the internal structure and the size and distribution of the holes, it was time for the best part: tasting the sponge cakes and checking if they were delicious or not! (I was not going to do the whole experiment and miss out the best part! hehe).
First of all, I have to say that the three sponge cakes were very rich in flavour, with the characteristic flavour of the yogurt cake and without off-flavours. Something totally expected with this delicious recipe!
I tried the sponge cakes in the following order: low protein, high protein, and whole wheat flour. I left the whole wheat sponge cake for last because, in theory, it should have a little more flavour since it uses the entire wheat grain and not only the endosperm.
Low protein flour.
The sponge cake has a very rich flavour, with the characteristic flavour of the yogurt sponge cake and without off-flavours.
It is a very spongy sponge cake and has a very fine texture. When you pick it up to eat, the surface of the cake sticks to your fingers. When starting chewing, the sponge cake tends to compact and stick to the teeth and mouth (it has significant adhesion).
High protein flour.
The sponge cake has a very rich flavour, with the characteristic flavour of the yogurt sponge cake and without off-flavours.
It is also a spongy sponge cake and with a very fine texture. It sticks less to the fingers. When chewing, it gives a sensation of being more airy than the low-protein sponge cake. It is much lighter and crumbles more. It does not stick to your teeth or your mouth.
As for the colour, it has a slightly lighter colour than the low protein spongecake.
Whole wheat flour.
The sponge cake has a very rich flavour, with the characteristic flavour of the yogurt sponge cake and without off-flavours.
It is clear that it is made with whole wheat flour: it has a darker colour (both on the surface and the interior of the spongecake) and is less tall than the other two spongecakes. Like the high protein spongecake, it is less sticky in your fingers. It is a much denser sponge cake with a coarser texture due to the bran bits.
Although there are some clear differences and disadvantages in comparison to the other two sponge cakes, these can be offset by the benefits of using whole wheat flour in contrast to the other two sponge cakes made with white flours.
4. Decide with flour (in my opinion) works best for making this yogurt sponge cake recipe.
4.1 Conclusion and verdict.
The first conclusion obtained is that you can make sponge cakes using the yogurt sponge cake recipe with all three types of flour, and the results are very good in all cases!
In the whole wheat sponge cake, there are more noticeable differences, but between the sponge cake with low protein and the one with high protein flour, there are no significant differences in expansion, maximum height, or even taste.
The final decision to choose the best flour to make sponge cakes is purely personal at the time of tasting: the high protein sponge cake, when chewing it, gave me the feeling of being the airiest of the three. And the one with the least adhered to the teeth.
Table 4. Scores and final verdict
Although I must also say one thing: If you try them on their own, they are all perfect! Everyone who tried any of the three sponge cakes was delighted, and they did not find any faults in them.
So, after analysing and tasting each of the sponge cakes, my order of preference is as follows:
1st. High protein flour
2nd. Low Protein flour
3rd. Whole wheat flour
As I said, the final decision is purely personal, as all three sponge cakes were very delicious. Furthermore, it is a decision based on this specific recipe; using another recipe, my verdict may be different… Would you like me to do another experiment similar to this one?
Did you like this experiment? Leave your comment below if you want me to make something similar to this one!
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