Lab Notebook #1
The disease we will be focusing on throughout our research and development will be Type 2 Diabetes.
Our group broke in half to work on two different recipes. My partner and I baked Peanut Butter Blossom Cakes. We altered our recipe to help low sugar intake to better serve our diabetic consumers. Instead of using regular sugar and powdered sugar it called for, we substituted Splenda for the sugar and two cups Splenda and two teaspoons of cornstarch as a powdered sugar substitute. The original recipe also called for chopped or ground peanut, we omitted this ingredient.
First, we combined the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside for later use. In the mixing bowl, we beat Betsy's Best Peanut Butter until it was smooth, not clumping together as it would in the jar. Slowly we added the Splenda, a tablespoon at a time, keeping the consistency of the product smooth. An egg and vanilla was added to the mixture and beat until fully combined. Lastly, the flour and baking powder mix was added 1/4 cup at a time to prevent an overload of ingredients in the mixer.
After all the ingredients were mixed, my partner and I did a taste test to test how Betsy's Best Peanut Butter enhances the flavor of the batter. The batter had a very sticky consistency and was very thick. A strong peanut butter flavor was present as well as a cinnamon flavor. Though the taste was good, we knew the texture and consistency of the batter would be a problem in the baking process.
The online recipe stated it would yield about 20 cakes (cupcakes) but we were only able to fill 5 cupcakes on a 6 cupcake pan. With the oven set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, we put the cupcake pan in oven for 5 minutes. The online recipe stated to bake for 8-10 minutes but we checked after 5 minutes and added 2 minutes due to doughiness of the cupcakes. Again, we checked the cupcakes after the 2 minutes and added an additional 3 minutes which fully baked the cupcakes for a total of 10 minutes of bake time.
We let the cupcakes cool until they were able to be tested. To our surprise, the cakes were bland in flavor and moistness. More peanut flavor could be added so, the ground peanuts would have helped the flavor. As for the moistness, I think water could have been added to the mix base to make it less thick and sticky.
Below are images of the baked cupcakes:
We also made a frosting to go along with the cupcakes. We melted the butter in a saucepan and added cocoa powder then removed it from the heat. We added our powdered sugar substitute of 2 cups Splenda and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. In addition, vanilla and milk were added to the frosting. After mixing the ingredients, the texture was not right. It wasn't thick and didn't take on the characteristics of a normal frosting. We taste tested the frosting and found it to have a very rich chocolate flavor. I would say it was too rich. To help with the texture and form, we added an additional 1/4 cup of Splenda. Unfortunately, this had no effect, so we added another 1/4 cup of Splenda and tasted it again. The chocolate flavor was taken over by Splenda. After letting it sit for a few minutes, the frosting globbed together and the butter separated itself and sat on top of the frosting.
The disease we will be focusing on throughout our research and development will be Type 2 Diabetes.
Our group broke in half to work on two different recipes. My partner and I baked Peanut Butter Blossom Cakes. We altered our recipe to help low sugar intake to better serve our diabetic consumers. Instead of using regular sugar and powdered sugar it called for, we substituted Splenda for the sugar and two cups Splenda and two teaspoons of cornstarch as a powdered sugar substitute. The original recipe also called for chopped or ground peanut, we omitted this ingredient.
First, we combined the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside for later use. In the mixing bowl, we beat Betsy's Best Peanut Butter until it was smooth, not clumping together as it would in the jar. Slowly we added the Splenda, a tablespoon at a time, keeping the consistency of the product smooth. An egg and vanilla was added to the mixture and beat until fully combined. Lastly, the flour and baking powder mix was added 1/4 cup at a time to prevent an overload of ingredients in the mixer.
After all the ingredients were mixed, my partner and I did a taste test to test how Betsy's Best Peanut Butter enhances the flavor of the batter. The batter had a very sticky consistency and was very thick. A strong peanut butter flavor was present as well as a cinnamon flavor. Though the taste was good, we knew the texture and consistency of the batter would be a problem in the baking process.
The online recipe stated it would yield about 20 cakes (cupcakes) but we were only able to fill 5 cupcakes on a 6 cupcake pan. With the oven set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, we put the cupcake pan in oven for 5 minutes. The online recipe stated to bake for 8-10 minutes but we checked after 5 minutes and added 2 minutes due to doughiness of the cupcakes. Again, we checked the cupcakes after the 2 minutes and added an additional 3 minutes which fully baked the cupcakes for a total of 10 minutes of bake time.
We let the cupcakes cool until they were able to be tested. To our surprise, the cakes were bland in flavor and moistness. More peanut flavor could be added so, the ground peanuts would have helped the flavor. As for the moistness, I think water could have been added to the mix base to make it less thick and sticky.
Below are images of the baked cupcakes:
We also made a frosting to go along with the cupcakes. We melted the butter in a saucepan and added cocoa powder then removed it from the heat. We added our powdered sugar substitute of 2 cups Splenda and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. In addition, vanilla and milk were added to the frosting. After mixing the ingredients, the texture was not right. It wasn't thick and didn't take on the characteristics of a normal frosting. We taste tested the frosting and found it to have a very rich chocolate flavor. I would say it was too rich. To help with the texture and form, we added an additional 1/4 cup of Splenda. Unfortunately, this had no effect, so we added another 1/4 cup of Splenda and tasted it again. The chocolate flavor was taken over by Splenda. After letting it sit for a few minutes, the frosting globbed together and the butter separated itself and sat on top of the frosting.
The other group worked on a Pumpkin Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Not only was this recipe beneficial for diabetics but also lactose intolerant consumers. Several alterations were done to make these accommodations. The milk was substituted for soymilk, milk creamer for coconut creamer and the sugar was substituted with Splenda.
Mixed all the ingredients, except Betsy's Best Peanut Butter, in a large, frozen mixing bowl. After time, the mixture started to thicken up and was frothy. The flavor was very strong in pumpkin. We pour the mixture into a bread pan to be frozen for Thursaday. We swirled in Betsy's Best Peanut Butter to add to the presentation as well as spontaneous bites of peanut butter flavor in the ice cream. The frothiness would be a problem when freezing because it would cause it to be very hard which was proven correct when we tasted it after being frozen. We waited until it was almost to room temperature to assure strong flavor. The peanut butter took longer to thaw but added a rich flavor of peanut and cinnamon that complimented the pumpkin base.
Below is the finished Pumpkin Peanut Better Ice Cream:
Excellent work! Your lab notebook looks very professional! In your next entry please add reflections on how this recipe benefits our project partner and the end consumer!
ReplyDelete