Baking a cake requires a lot of ingredients. Butter is one of the major requirements. Butter has been used since the beginning of time to add flavor to foods.
Butter can be used to cook with, to bake with, or to eat “raw” on bread.
With so many types of butter today, it may be difficult to pinpoint the best butter to bake with.
This article will highlight the types of butter that can bake and their differences. It will also disclose the benefits of having butter in your nutrition.
Before we move on – you can use any type of oven to bake in, but we hope that you’ll consider a high quality bread maker.
Sweet Cream Butter
Sweet Cream Butter is also referred to as Unsalted Butter or ‘sweet butter’. This is because it is made from fresh cream. The word sweet distinguishes it from other cultured and sour butter. It is the most versatile type of butter and can be used in both cooking and sautéing.
Unsalted butter can be made from milk, cream or both. It has 80% fat and has a golden yellowish color when in block form.
Sweet butter is the best to use for baking cakes. This is because; you are in control of how your baked product will taste like. Flavor in baked products is everything! Sweet cream butter does not include salt. Hence, you can regulate the amount of salt you need.
Besides, salt is also used as a preservative hence salted butter will automatically have a longer shelf life compared to unsalted butter. But, on the positive side, this is a really good thing.
With a shorter life span, unsalted butter is fresher when you compare the two. This means all baking recipes that include sweet cream butter have fresh butter in them.
Salted Butter
Just like the name, this butter is mixed with salt. The inclusion of salt gives taste to your butter and also preserves it. If you love salty-sweet foods, this is the butter to use.
Also, if you do not bake often, salted butter is the suitable option. It has a longer shelf life compared to sweet buttercream.
It is, however, important to note that different brands have different salt proportions. Nevertheless, the general equation is ¼ teaspoonful for a ¼ lbs. of butter.
Organic butter
The only difference between organic butter and the rest is that this is made from cows that have had no contact with growth hormones or antibiotics while feeding. The cows feed on 100% organic feeds which are free of fertilizers and pesticides.
Milk produced from these dairy cows, in turn, produces organic butter. It can be quite expensive but guarantees no chemicals used during the whole process.
It is the healthiest butter you can consume. It has more Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and Omega-3 fatty acids. The organic butter can be used for baking cakes and other pastries.
European Style Butter
The European Style Butter has the highest butterfat content ranging from 82-86%. Normally, the American Butter content is 81%.
It is ideal for baking and cooking. Since it has less water content, it produces fluffier cakes and tender, flakier pastries. The butter also has a distinct tangier flavor.
However, due to its high-fat content, most people reduce the required amount of butter needed while using European Style butter in a recipe.
Whipped butter
Are you too worried about the fat content in butter while baking? Worry no more. Whipped butter may be a suitable option for you.
Like the name implies, whipped cream is regular butter with a slight difference. Nitrogen gas has been whipped into it making it lighter. It is best for spreading especially in cold temperatures but can be used in baking.
Compound Butter
Compound butter is also referred to as flavored butter. This is traditional butter mixed with spices, herbs, honey, garlic, among other ingredients for a unique taste.
If you love diversifying in cooking, compound butter may be what you are looking for. Its rich unique taste in your cakes will generate more creativity.
It has a relatively low-fat content. It is best for anyone too cautious about their health. Although the whipped baked cake may not feel or look like a salted butter or European butter cake, it does the job too.
Having discussed the best butter you can incorporate in your baking dough, here are the benefits of consuming butter.
Benefits of baking with butter
- A powerful source of vitamins – Yes, butter has high amounts of 5 vitamins. These are Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E ( rich anti-oxidant), Vitamin B12, and Vitamin K ( protects from osteoporosis and heart diseases)
It is also rich in minerals such as manganese, iodine, copper, zinc, chromium, and selenium. They help in bone repair and growth.
- Powerful anti-oxidant – natural butter has high levels of carotene which is nutritional value on the human body. Carotene is either converted in oxidants or vitamin A.
When converted into oxidant, it helps boost your immune system and becomes a disease-fighting compound. On the other hand, if carotene converts to Vitamin A, it helps the parts of the body that have fat-soluble membrane just like itself. These parts include the skin, mouth, eyes, throat, digestive and urinary systems. It helps in cell growth and repair as well as protection from infectious diseases.
Vitamin A also boosts the production of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are what defend the body against viruses and diseases.
- Anti-cancer properties – through a wide case study, it has been shown that beta-carotene and vitamin A obtained from butter reduces the risk of prostate and colorectal cancer. The Vitamin A antioxidants have also proved to slow stop cancerous growth.
- Improved intestinal conditions – butter has glycosphingolipids, a fatty acid that can protect you from gastrointestinal diseases. This fatty acid adds a mucus layer on the gastrointestinal membrane walls inhibiting any bacterial infectors from binding to it.
- Healthy sex – Vitamin A and D in butter are responsible for a healthy sexual performance. They aid in the development of the brain and the nervous system. The exclusion of these vitamins plus Vitamin E, men and women would become nutritionally sterile.
- Nutritional absorption – Organic butter has high CLA and Omega-3 fatty acids. They also have Activator X, a mysterious vitamin only found in grass-fed cows. The body absorbs every nutritional bit from this vitamin. Also, it increases the body’s efficiency.
Wrapping Up with Butter
We encourage you to not be afraid of butter. Many people will want to avoid it in order to stay healthy. However, communities have been cooking with butter for thousands of years without issue.
Enjoy your buttery baked goods!
