Structural development of sucrose‐sweetened and sucrose‐free sponge cakes during baking

The influence of sucrose, wheat starch and sorbitol upon the heat‐ and mass‐exchanging processes forming the structure of sponge cake was studied. Under the influence of wheat starch and sorbitol the structure of the sucrose‐free sponge cake was formed at more uniform total moisture release. This process was done at lower temperatures and smoother change of the sponge cake height with respect to the sucrose‐sweetened sponge cake. The porous and steady structure of both cakes was finally formed at identical time – between 18^th and 19^th minute, at the applied conditions for baking of each batter (metal pan with diameter 15.4 cm and depth 6.2 cm containing 300 g of batter and placed in an electric oven “Rahovetz – 02”, Bulgaria for 30 min at 180°C). The water‐losses at the end of baking (10.30% and 10.40% for the sucrose‐sweetened cake and sucrose‐free cake, respectively) and the final temperatures reached in the crumb central layers (96.6°C and 96.3°C for the sucrose‐sweetened cake and sucrose‐free cake, respectively) during baking of both samples were not statistically different. The addition of wheat starch and sorbitol in sucrose‐free sponge cake lead to the statistically different values for the porosity (76.15% and 72.98%) and the volume (1014.17 cm³ and 984.25 cm³) of the sucrose‐sweetened and sucrose‐free sponge cakes, respectively. As a result, the sucrose‐free sponge cake formed during baking had a more homogeneous and finer microstructure with respect to that of the sucrose‐sweetened one.