How to bake a cake, with science! | Do Try This At Home | We The Curious

What happens if you miss a vital ingredient out of a cake? Why is the egg so important? What does baking powder actually do? Join Nerys and David of the Live Science Team as they investigate the chemistry of cakes & show you a tasty experiment to try in your own laboratory/kitchen!

Quick method:
Add 60g margarine to 60g sugar & stir.
Whisk an egg & add this to the mixture.
Add a tablespoon of milk and two drops of vanilla extract.
Add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder to 50g of plain flour & fold into the mixture.
Pour into cake moulds and bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes.

This video was presented by: David Judge and Nerys Shah, Live Science Team
Produced by: Ross Exton, Live Science Video Producer, and Seamus Foley, Big Screen Producer

We The Curious is an idea and a place for everyone. We’re all about asking questions, being playful and testing things out. An educational charity that removes boundaries around science - connecting art, people, everything, in a united culture of curiosity.

Music: Provided courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

[julieegg]

I got 100% and an A+ for my project! I was the only student who got it! I'm just so thankful! What project should I do next that might interesting?

[KarinCurran]

Hmm. I've baked eggless cakes for over 10 years to rave reviews from people who don't know they're not "normal" cakes. I get asked by family, friends and colleagues to provide birthday cakes for their kids.

I think I use more than the standard baking powder (2tsp per 1c flour) but that's the only change. I use only flour, sugar, water (or nondairy milk), oil, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Cocoa powder for a chocolate cake. I don't use any "egg replacers" at all.

It's true that they are slightly moister/heavier than a sponge style, but well within the normal range for cakes. Unless I'm also trying to make them fat free (that's much harder to achieve while still making it delicious for regular people), nobody would pick up on it.

No egg in my cakes does not equal the results here. Perhaps they can follow up to see how the recipe needs to be tweaked to compensate for the lack of each ingredient. Like mashed banana or applesauce instead of butter/margarine; more baking powder to compensate for no egg, etc.

Wonder if it's also a cupcake/full size cake issue?

[Jack-qxzk]

why are they using buckets to mix things?

[georgedibb]

Your definition pf exo- and endo thermic reactions is misleading. The fact that you add heat to make the reaction happen doesn't make it endothermic, it just proves you have an activation energy. You can have a heat activated exothermic reaction. The only way to be sure it is endothermic is to compare the energies of the reactants and the products.

[BadCatInHat]

Well this is quite unscientific comment, but you are so cute and I literally see your enthusiasm in science :3

[marshie]

Go back in time at the school days and sign up at school! Best way.

[abdulamidmariam]

Can groundnut oil be used in replace of margarine

[marycampbell]

i will be using this experiment for my year 7s science investigation. I am so happy now I can move on. I will do another experiment making a mixture with too much eggs to see what happen as well as no egg. thank you for this. a frustrated teacher

[julieegg]

In the video it says 60g of butter and sugar but in the description below it says 50g of butter and sugar! please reply I need it for a school presentation

[mariaventura]

Hi!!!! what happens if the batter has a lot of eggs????

[TortugaUruguaya]

180 degrees? More like 180 celsius degrees...
And margarine?Butter is healthier.