I ask because I've been doing some simple baking, starting with
cupcakes and using Magnolia bakery recipes. So their basic vanilla
cupcake uses no salt in the batter, but their red velvet cake/cupcake
does.

Is that just a difference in style?

And, if salt does add to batters as it does to breads why not just use
it in all cakes or batters?

In short, why is it a sometimes thing in baking? Does its presence
have a deleterious effect on the product?

TIA

Andy Katz
************************************************** *************
Being lied to so billionaires can wage war for profits
while indebting taxpayers for generations to come, now
that's just a tad bit bigger than not admitting you like
the big moist-moist lips of chunky trollops on your pecker.

Paghat, the Rat Girl

"Andy Katz" > wrote in message
...
> I ask because I've been doing some simple baking, starting with
> cupcakes and using Magnolia bakery recipes. So their basic vanilla
> cupcake uses no salt in the batter, but their red velvet cake/cupcake
> does.
>
> Is that just a difference in style?
>
> And, if salt does add to batters as it does to breads why not just use
> it in all cakes or batters?
>
> In short, why is it a sometimes thing in baking? Does its presence
> have a deleterious effect on the product?
>

There are specific reasons to use salt in yeast-raised bread. Salt retards
the yeast and it also influences gluten formation. For the latter reason,
some people knead in the salt after the gluten has been developed rather
than with the rest of the ingredients.

In other baked products, salt enhances flavor. I sometimes add a pinch of
salt to recipes that don't include salt in the ingredients list. You have
to remember that writing cookbooks is an art and a science. Things are left
out and assumptions are made. That could be the case here. If you use
salted butter, then more salt may not be necessary. I would make the item
as specified. If it doesn't seem right, or you just want to experiment, add
salt to a subsequent batch. Keep notes. A half teaspoon of salt in a cake
recipe shouldn't cause any problems.

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 20:49:31 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
wrote:

>There are specific reasons to use salt in yeast-raised bread. Salt retards
>the yeast and it also influences gluten formation. For the latter reason,
>some people knead in the salt after the gluten has been developed rather
>than with the rest of the ingredients.
>
>In other baked products, salt enhances flavor. I sometimes add a pinch of
>salt to recipes that don't include salt in the ingredients list. You have
>to remember that writing cookbooks is an art and a science. Things are left
>out and assumptions are made. That could be the case here. If you use
>salted butter, then more salt may not be necessary. I would make the item
>as specified. If it doesn't seem right, or you just want to experiment, add
>salt to a subsequent batch. Keep notes. A half teaspoon of salt in a cake
>recipe shouldn't cause any problems.

Okay. Thanks for the comments. I wasn't sure if there wasn't a
downside to salt using in sweet baked goods, given that its presence
in recipes and formulae is no where near as consistent as in savory
goods.

Andy Katz
************************************************** *************
Being lied to so billionaires can wage war for profits
while indebting taxpayers for generations to come, now
that's just a tad bit bigger than not admitting you like
the big moist-moist lips of chunky trollops on your pecker.

Paghat, the Rat Girl

You add the salt so your product doesn't taste like sh_t

On Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:12:07 GMT
"J@mes" > wrote:

> You add the salt so your product doesn't taste like sh_t


This is usenet, you can say 'shit' here. And a lot worse, too.

Of course, there are usually more creative ways to describe the effect
of the low-sodium movement.

On Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:12:07 GMT, "J@mes" > wrote:

>You add the salt so your product doesn't taste like sh_t

I'm definitely in favor of that, but then why do so many formulas such
as Magnolia Bakery's cookbook not include salt in their basic vanilla
cupcake formula?

Andy Katz

************************************************** *************
Being lied to so billionaires can wage war for profits
while indebting taxpayers for generations to come, now
that's just a tad bit bigger than not admitting you like
the big moist-moist lips of chunky trollops on your pecker.

Paghat, the Rat Girl

>I'm definitely in favor of that, but then why do so many formulas such
>as Magnolia Bakery's cookbook not include salt in their basic vanilla
>cupcake formula?

No salt?.....its either the recipe was using salted butter or the its
erroneous....or have typographical error.

Any bakery recipe should have salt ....except those special salt free
items .....for certain people observing a low sodium diet.
Could you please show me some examples of such so that we can check it
out ....?

On 26 Dec 2005 13:18:23 -0800
"chembake" > wrote:

> Any bakery recipe should have salt ....except those special salt free
> items .....for certain people observing a low sodium diet.
> Could you please show me some examples of such so that we can check it
> out ....?


You don't get high blood pressure from a half teaspoon of salt
distributed throughout an entire cake. The sodium per serving is
negligible.

"Low Sodium Diet" is a plausible excuse for unsalted crackers but no
excuse at all for most salt-free baking.

> You don't get high blood pressure from a half teaspoon of salt
>distributed throughout an entire cake. The sodium per serving is
>negligible.

Eric my point is not about hypertension....
Its about formulations which is rather peculiiar for a normal baking
book recipe that does not have any salt.

Any formulator does not care if anybody has certain diet related
disease as that is only the minority of the consumers who plan to appl
the recipe at home.; unless that is his or her goal to formulate for
these minorities.

> You don't get high blood pressure from a half teaspoon of salt
>distributed throughout an entire cake. The sodium per serving is
>negligible.

Eric my point is not about hypertension....
Its about formulations which is rather peculiiar for a normal baking
book recipe that does not have any salt.

Any formulator does not care if anybody has certain diet related
disease as that is only the minority of the consumers who plan to appl
the recipe at home.; unless that is his or her goal to formulate for
these minorities.

> You don't get high blood pressure from a half teaspoon of salt
>distributed throughout an entire cake. The sodium per serving is
>negligible.

Eric my point is not about hypertension....
Its about formulations which is rather peculiiar for a normal baking
book recipe that does not have any salt.

Any formulator does not care if anybody has certain diet related
disease as that is only the minority of the consumers who plan to appl
the recipe at home.; unless that is his or her goal to formulate for
these minorities.