Butter and cream are common ingredients used in baking. Here are some details about butter and cream in baking:
Butter:
-
Butter is used in baked goods in three typical ways. It can be cut into the dry ingredients, as with biscuits and pie crust. It can be creamed with sugars in things like cakes and cookies. And it can also be melted and combined with other ingredients.
-
The moisture content in butter is significant because it affects the texture, moisture level, and overall quality of baked goods. The water in butter helps leaven the baked goods during the baking process. The steam generated from the butter during baking aids in the rising and lightening of cakes and cookies. Butter also adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to baked goods. It contributes to the desirable crumb texture and helps create a pleasant eating experience. Butter promotes browning during baking, leading to attractive golden crusts on bread, cookies, and pastries. The Maillard chemical reaction between proteins and sugars occurs more readily when butter is present, resulting in enhanced flavor and aroma.
-
The non-crusting buttercream has less sugar and more butter and milk. It is good for frosting cakes but not suitable for piping.
-
Cabot Unsalted Butter is a popular choice for baking. It is an American-style butter, which means it contains a minimum of 80% butterfat; the rest is water and milk solids. This slightly higher amount of water (compared to European-style butter) steams in the heat of the oven, puffing up flaky pie crusts, plush cakes, and crispy-edged cookies, making them light, fluffy, and tender. As a sweet cream butter (meaning it’s made from fresh milk, not cultured or fermented dairy products), its butter flavor is clean, rich, and well-rounded, mild enough to fade into the background but bold enough to stand out in something.
Cream:
- Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. It is used to add richness and flavor to baked goods.
In summary, butter and cream are essential ingredients in baking. Butter adds moisture, richness, and flavor to baked goods, while cream adds richness and flavor.
