To rise or not to rise?

In Food, our  second unit ,Cooking, is focused on the chemical reactions behind cooking. We covered  topics such as  chemical and physical change, the pH scale, leavening agents, and logarithms. For the second action project, the class has to submit  a cupcake recipe to a baking magazine that is coming out with an unique issue on Passover. Passover is a time when Jews had to stop eating certain foods. One of those foods is leavening agents. For that reason, we had to bake a controlled group cupcake and an experimental group cupcake. In the experimental group we substituted baking powder with two ingredients of our choice.  Conducting this experiment was interesting, especially when we were collecting the data. I am not good in the kitchen, so trying to come up with a good batter was kind of difficult for me. With the help of my group members I quickly overcame that challenge. I never really understood the importance of leavening agents in baking. The second unit, along with this action project, opened my eyes to the importance of knowing what our food goes through in order to come about the way it does. It was difficult choosing which cupcake to submit, but it  came down to the one cupcake with ⅛ tsp of lemon juice with no olive oil added. It was sweet, zesty, and fluffy.

Photography RD Cupcakes 2014*

Lab Report.

My lab report investigates whether or not we can come up with the same effect baking powder has with an acid and base of our choice. Baking powder is considered a leavening agent. When heat is combined with a liquid, it produces carbon dioxide and causes the dough to rise or fluff up. While conducting our controlled group, we followed the instructions exactly how they are written, putting in the right amount of ingredients, mixing the batter until it comes out smooth, preheating the oven, and finally baking our cupcakes for 20 minutes in 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the experimental group, we substituted the baking powder with lemon juice and olive oil. Our group wanted to create an acid-base reaction, hence why our group chose lemon juice as an acid, which has a pH of 2, and olive oil as a base,with a pH level of 6. We added different amounts of lemon juice and olive oil in each of our 6 cupcake trials to find out which cupcake rises the most. It all came down to seeing whether or not we successfully mimicked the effect baking powder had on the cupcakes. In order to find out, we had to measure the height of our cupcake in the experimental group and compare it to the height of the cupcake in the controlled group.

Research Question

Can olive oil and lemon juice mimic the effect baking powder has on cupcakes, by making them rise?

Hypothesis

I believe that by replacing the baking powder with lemon juice and olive oil, the cupcakes will rise. If we use lemon, which is very acidic, the cupcakes will have the power to rise, considering how acidic the lemon juice is.

Materials

Notebook

Pencil/pen

1/12 cup of sugar

1/24 cup of butter

⅙ eggs

⅙ tsp of vanilla extract

1/48  cup of all purpose flour

⅓ tsp of baking powder  (for control group)

1/24 cup of whole milk

olive oil and lemon juice (for experimental group)

For Control Group:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.

3.Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

4.Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

5.Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.

6.Grease  a muffin pan using nonstick cooking spray.

7.Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

8.Bake for 20 minutes.

For Experimental Group:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4. Combine flour and add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
5. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
6. Grease a muffin pan using nonstick cooking spray.
7. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
8. Mix olive oil and lemon juice into cupcakes one at a time.
9. Bake for 20 minutes.

Data

Graph

Recipe in Metric

Conclusion

From this experiment, I learned that it is possible to replace a leavening agent, and still  have my cupcakes rise. In all six of my cupcake trials, my cupcakes rose,which means my hypothesis was correct.  that means I guessed right. In the experimental group the cupcakes did rise using the lemon juice and olive oil. The cupcake came out to be 0.25 cm shorter than the control group cupcakes. All the cupcakes came out to be around the same height, except for the sixth cupcake, which came out to be 1.05 cm shorter than the cupcakes in the control group. That was the cupcake with more olive oil than lemon juice, which means it came out to be more basic, since there is a bigger quantity of the olive oil, and so it would overpower the acid. Baking powder is a very important ingredient when it comes to baking. With a pH of 8.5 it gives the cupcakes the power to rise. Which is why I believe the cupcakes did not rise as high as the ones in the control group. After taste testing each cupcake, I believe that the second cupcake came out to be the best. It had ⅛ tsp of lemon juice with no olive oil. The lemon juice was enough to fill the cupcake up with a sweet, zesty, crunchy, yet fluffy taste and texture.