| abstract |
Microwaveable sponge cakes, which when heated in a microwave oven, rise in a manner similar to conventionally-baked sponge cakes. Such sponge cakes are mesophase gel-containing. Moreover, such mesophase-containing sponge cakes, when microwaved, do not only rise as is observed with conventional sponge cakes, but microwave treatment of these sponge cakes results in highly palatable and light sponge cakes, similar to those that are conventionally prepared. The mesophase gels formed herein for use in sponge cake are highly viscous, even in the absence of polymeric protein or polysaccharide thickening or bulking agents. The mesophase gels is formed using two emulsifiers and an aqueous phase. The addition of the mesophase gel to the other sponge cake components results in a leavening action, and contributes to the palatability and lightness of the resulting sponge cake. |