As an ingredient in baked goods, granulated sugar does much more than sweeten. It assists with browning and pumps up volume.
As food-science guru Harold McGee explains in his new book, “Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes” (Penguin Press, $35), sugars:
“… help retain moisture.”
“… soften the starch-protein structure of cakes and some cookies.”
“… contribute to the crunch of low-moisture cookies.”
And “granulated sugar (is) good for creating air bubbles during creaming.”
Basic butter cake
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
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Makes: 8-inch layer cake, 12 servings
From “
200th Anniversary Cookbook”
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, milk and vanilla to dry ingredients. Beat with mixer at slow to medium speed, 1 1/2 minutes. Add eggs; beat another 2 minutes.
2. Pour batter into 2 lightly greased, 8-inch round cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; turn cake out on a wire rack.
Nutrition information
Per serving: 227 calories, 35% of calories from fat, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 306 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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