Designing The Perfect Dessert

A little bit of sugar
Flour power
Get shorty
All in the flavor
Chocolate factory
Fruit to nuts
Icing's nice
Case in point

Tortes, cakes, petit fours, strudels, pies and cheesecakes. Whatever the name, consumers are gobbling them up at record rates. Humans seem to be hard-wired to enjoy sweets - infants, when given a choice, universally opt for sweetened formulas over unsweetened ones. As these infants grow to become consumers, their preference for sweets is enforced by the consumption of sweetened juices and other beverages, sugared cereals, candy, cookies and sweet snacks.

By adulthood, the sweet tooth is firmly in place, and despite growing concern over the state of the American waistline, the dessert industry thrives, providing myriad tempting treats and increasingly complex choices. The national palate has grown more sophisticated and international as consumers learn to enjoy tiramisu and candied kumquats along with apple pie and chocolate cake.

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Americans consume on average 65 pounds of sugar per person per year and 83 pounds of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) per person per year, according to statistics from the USDA. Sugar is practically essential when formulating fabulous sweets. It not only helps feed yeast cells in sweet bread doughs, but also helps limit yeast fermentation by disrupting cells' water balance, ensuring that doughs do not rise too much.

Sugar also affects gluten development. Because sugar is hygroscopic, it competes with flour proteins for water availability in a dough or batter. For this reason, high-sugar doughs also take longer to form and develop. This characteristic, however, also produces a more tender crumb, because moisture leaves the finished product more slowly when bound by sugar. High-sugar cakes and breads stay moist and tender longer. Sugar also improves the browning characteristic of baked goods and imparts a pleasing color.

HFCS is most commonly used in beverage manufacture, although its use is increasing in the confection and baking industries as well. Corn syrup's sweetness can be modified via enzymatic digestion of the starch. The more digested the starch, the sweeter the syrup, because mono- and disaccharides are sweeter than long-chain polymers.

The confection industry uses syrups that have a lower level of relative sweetness to add functionality to formulas. Less-digested molecules contain long saccharide chains of more than six units. These long chains tangle up with each other during mixing and stirring processes, slowing down the activity of all molecules in the solution. This can help prevent crystal formation in confections, because the sugar crystals are continually covered with long-chain sugar molecules and cannot form a large sucrose crystal.

One trend in baking is the use of HFCS to replace sucrose in formulations. HFCS by itself, because it causes batters to have a lower gelatinization temperature, produces a cake with lower volume and poor texture and eating qualities. Researchers at the American Institute of Baking (AIB), Manhattan, KS, have found that a combination of HFCS and corn syrup produces a better-quality cake. Replacing 100% of the sucrose has limited success; replacement at levels of 25% to 50% has been found to be most effective.

Crystalline fructose, with sweetness ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 times the sweetness of sugar, can be satisfactorily used in formulations containing fruit. Crystalline fructose enhances fruit flavor, allowing for the use of less actual fruit in formulations. Its hygroscopic nature improves the moistness of products made with crystalline fructose, but care must be taken in the storage of the ingredient, as it will pull moisture from the atmosphere if not properly handled. A moisture-proof container, as well as a humidity-controlled environment, will help prevent problems.

Brown sugar and molasses, used less frequently than other sugar types, impart a caramelized flavor as well as a pleasing brown color to foods. Molasses is a by-product of the cane-sugar-making process, with lighter molasses types resulting from the first steps of sugar production. Dark, sulfurous blackstrap molasses comes from the final crystallization step. Brown sugar, originally resulting from sugar-making processes which did not separate all of the molasses from the sugar, is now made by adding molasses back into white sugar to produce the desired brown color.

Both of these ingredients are artfully used in formulations that require deep, rich flavors on top of their sweetness. Brown sugar and molasses carry spices well, and are often seen in gingerbread, pumpkin and fruitcake formulations. Brown sugar also has an affinity for strawberries and other full-flavored fruits, and can be used effectively in hearty pies and tarts.

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The basis for many premium dessert products is a pastry substrate that can become a pie shell, cake, cookie or puff pastry. All these products require flour for structure. Flour is generally milled to particles that are 0.0005 inches across. This results in a mixture of three distinct portions of the grain: individual starch grains, small chunks of the protein matrix and larger chunks of protein that also contain starch granules. The individual starch granules make an important contribution to the structure of batters and doughs.

Aging of flour is necessary because it affects the bonding characteristic of the gluten proteins, allowing the formation of more-elastic doughs. Flour is chemically aged and bleached with chlorine dioxide, or simply aged with potassium bromate or iodide. In the past, flour was aged by storing it for two to three months, during which time a natural bleaching process took place via oxidation of the flour. This removed the residual yellow cast caused by xanthophyllus, a carotenoid pigment.

Gluten in flour provides structure to the finished product. Kneading a dough stretches and aligns the gluten molecules, giving the dough a fine, firm, elastic character. In cakes, gluten development provides a structure that entraps moisture and gas during the semisolid phase. Flours with varying gluten contents are available - those from hard wheat flours with high gluten content are most suitable for bread doughs, while those from soft wheat flours with a low gluten content are used in cakes and pastries.

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Shortenings are important to the dessert industry because prior to their use, manufacturers were limited to using animal fats to produce the desired results in a cake or pastry. Butter was expensive, and lard was of too uneven a quality to produce dependable results. The development of hydrogenated shortenings has allowed producers to get reliable results at a reasonable price. Shortenings and other solid fats enhance texture in pastries by forming layers of fat between the gluten sheets as a result of rolling and folding the pastry dough. When baked, the fat melts, producing thin layers of pastry. In batters, shortenings and solid fats are cut into sugar crystals in a process called creaming, forming air pockets between the particles.
Emulsifiers are bi-polar molecules that help to keep fats in solution by producing an emulsion between the fat and aqueous ingredients. However, they also improve batter aeration, cake volume, and cake texture and eating qualities, while also extending shelf life. Emulsifiers can also reduce the need for excessive amounts of fat in a formula, because they allow the incorporation of higher levels of sugar and water. This helps increase yield, while still maintaining a good crumb texture.

At first, developments in low-fat technology whetted consumer appetite for less-caloric goodies, but the execution sent them running back to full-fat treats, regardless of the effect on the bathroom scale. Food scientists then went back to the bench, reformulating to include small amounts of fats and reinventing ingredients such as reduced-calorie fats. The result is a new generation of ingredients. For example, Cultor Food Science, Ardsley, NY, produces Benefat™ B, a salatrim-based fat that allows manufacturers to get full-fat function from a reduced-calorie fat. A mixture of triglycerides, salatrim is a real fat, with at least one long-chain fatty acid and at least one short-chain fatty acid per triacylglycerol molecule. This ingredient can be used in cookies, cakes, frozen doughs and crusts, frozen prepared baked goods, snack foods, dry bakery mixes and frostings. Whereas first-generation salatrim products were applicable only to confectionery products such as chocolate chips, the new technology makes it possible to produce chocolate chip cookies with a reduced-calorie fat in both the chip and the dough.

Karen Penichter, director of bakery and confectionery with Cultor, says the new product "permits a whole new gamut of options for manufacturers." She affirms that consumers no longer want to compromise taste for a reduction in calories. "Low-fat products have to be absolutely identical to their full-fat counterparts," notes Penichter. "Consumers don't want anything that's short of the mark." She also feels that the current trend toward indulgent desserts "may be just a ripple" in an overall trend towards a more healthy lifestyle, and feels product developers should continue to strive to offer consumers indulgent, authentic dessert choices that are lower in fat and calories.

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Flavorings are critical when formulating high-end dessert items. Jolene Worthington, executive vice president of operations for The Eli's Cheesecake Company, Chicago, says accurate flavorings are the key to producing a premium product. "People know what key limes taste like, now," she says. "You just can't add a bottle of key lime flavor and expect people to accept it. People won't accept anything less than stellar ingredients when they want an expensive, indulgent dessert."

Product developers at the company look for the best flavors, then look again to make sure there isn't a potential supplier they have overlooked in their search for fine flavor ingredients. They also pay attention to suppliers' processing from front door to back, making sure that they are provided with the highest quality available. For instance, only cold-extracted pure vanilla from the highest quality beans is used in their product, giving it the distinctive 'Eli's' flavor.

Vanilla cuts across all dessert applications, says Maureen Draganchuk, business development manager, Virginia Dare, Brooklyn, NY. "Vanilla complements flavors across the board."

There is a wide variety of choices available in vanilla types, from the time-consuming cold-extraction process, which can take up to five weeks, to the less-expensive method of alcohol extraction and blending of real vanilla with artificial flavors and vanillin. Pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla has a delicate quality that complements many high-mass dessert formulas, such as cheesecake. However, its delicate character may be compromised in low-mass applications, such as cookie and biscotti baking. In this application, a blend of Madagascar vanilla with harsher Indonesian vanilla may produce a more acceptable vanilla flavor, says Craig Nielsen, vice president, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Waukegan, IL. The slightly cherry note in the Tahitian vanilla plays well against the brightness of fruit flavors. Mexican vanilla, with its somewhat harsher, spicier flavor, is a good choice when formulating cakes and pastries with spices and nuts.

Coffee is another flavor that goes well with spices and nuts, says Janet Schurig, director of applications, Virginia Dare. "New combinations are very important now," she says. "There's lots of experimentation and exploration in flavors." The company's flavorists look to what's hot in the market for new flavor applications. For instance, coffee flavors such as those offered by upscale coffee shops are finding their way into other products like desserts and ice creams. Mochaccino and French roast flavors are becoming more common as consumers get more accustomed to them. And, says Schurig, some flavors just have a natural affinity for one another - flavors with a similar note, like coffee and nuts, with their bitter characters, are good together.

Flavors with contrasting profiles, such as mango and orange, also have great appeal. Then too, traditional flavors always have a following, says Paul Graffigna, vice president of marketing, Virginia Dare. Cordial flavors such as amaretto, Grand Marnier;, Irish cream and Kahlúa remain high in consumers' dessert preferences.

One thing that food formulators need to make sure of, says Schurig, is that they take into account the processing parameters of the product. The heat of baking can degrade some flavors, for instance. And the amount and type of fat in a system can affect a product. Often, says Draganchuk, chefs accustomed to using "real" ingredients are not all that familiar with working with flavors. The order of addition of a flavor can have a great impact on the formula's outcome. It may be best to add the flavor to the liquid portion of the formula rather than to the dry portion, as can be done in a traditional kitchen situation. To get the best performance from a flavor company, inform them of your manufacturing practices and your projected outcome. "We may design a Rolls Royce for you," says Draganchuk, "when you may only want a Chevrolet."

The market, too, is important, when designing a product. If a dessert is going to foodservice, it may not be essential to have an all-natural label statement since the ingredient list often remains unseen by the consumer. Good flavor may be achieved with an artificial product. On the other hand, for a dessert that will be sold retail, the all-natural label may be extremely important.

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To many consumers, dessert just isn't dessert if it isn't chocolate. Chocolate's popularity has been soaring since the '80s, according to U.S. Department of Commerce figures. Consumption has increased 20% since 1983, and consumers are very likely to continue demanding the dark bean. Available in an almost infinite variety of products, chocolate is divided into six categories by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA), McLean, VA.

* Baking chocolate, known as bitter chocolate, is the most basic form of chocolate. Composed solely of hardened chocolate liquor, it typically contains about 55% cocoa butter and 45% chocolate mass from the cocoa bean. Baking chocolate is used in formulations that typically include sugar or vanilla to provide sweetness.
* Bittersweet chocolate is the darkest eating chocolate, with the finest quality containing at least 50% chocolate liquor. Bittersweet chocolate also contains vanilla or vanillin for flavor and extra cocoa butter to improve melting quality.
* Sweet chocolate is similar to bittersweet chocolate, but contains far less chocolate liquor, as little as 15%. It may also contain vanilla or vanillin, extra cocoa butter and milk.
* Milk chocolate contains very little chocolate liquor, 10%, along with milk, sugar and flavorings. Milk chocolate is the most popular chocolate in the United States, according to CMA, although the popularity of the darker chocolates is increasing.
* Cocoa is the least fatty form of chocolate, and is produced when chocolate liquor is squeezed by hydraulic press, separating the cocoa butter from the chocolate solids. The solid chocolate cake is then pulverized into cocoa powder.
* White chocolate is in fact not chocolate at all, but a mixture of cocoa butter, milk and sugar.

"Chocolate can be used in almost anything," observes Michael Kostic, president, Cocoa Marketing Inc., Abilene, TX, although he does point out that there are no chocolate desserts that combine chocolate with apples. Nevertheless, he says the boom for chocolate is far from over. Appealing to the indulgent consumer, he suggests, may require ingredient combinations that have a nostalgic appeal, such as "the ultimate s'more, with graham crackers, chocolate, peanuts, marshmallows and more chocolate" - a decadent take on the campfire favorite. He also recommends combining chocolate with the unusual, and suggests chocolate and tequila as a weird but delicious pairing.
European-style chocolates are gaining favor in this country, due partly to the well-traveled consumer. European chocolate is typically darker, less sweet, with a higher chocolate liquor content and a wonderful chocolate impact, says Steven J. Laning, product service and development manager, ADM Cocoa, Milwaukee, WI. Using European-style chocolates, a manufacturer can produce higher-impact products, although Americans tend to prefer the "Hershey-bar taste overall," he says. "There is an infinite number of chocolate combinations manufacturers can employ." The vast variety of cocoa beans, their growing regions, processing variations and blending capabilities can produce chocolates that suit every processing need.

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Fresh fruits, fruit fillings and nuts are value-added ingredients that consumers look for in an indulgent dessert. The key is to use the best possible ingredients, says Worthington. "We are into a love of fruits and fruit flavors, including the tropicals. People are getting more sophisticated and we know what mango, guava and even cherimoya taste like. Consumers want any thing that's fresh, that doesn't taste like pie filling." For the cheesecake experts at Eli's, that means going to great lengths to ensure the highest quality ingredients. For instance, apples are carefully selected for flavor, crispness and color. They are then stored in a temperature and atmosphere-controlled storage facility until needed. The apples are then sliced and shipped to the plant where they are carefully sautéed in sugar and spices.

Nuts add flavor and crunch to products, with the added benefit of visual appeal. In 1995, nuts were represented in 6% of all new product introductions, according to New Product News. Almonds were number one in introductions, representing 22% of the nuts used in new products. With their mild, buttery flavor and crisp texture, almonds can be used in all manner of sweets. Toasting almonds intensifies both their flavor and crunch.

The delicate, slightly astringent flavor of walnuts is due to the presence of phenolic acids, according to Marjeneh Raval, food technologist with AIB. Phenolic acids produce astringency and lend antioxidant properties. The flavor profile of walnuts complements sweet goods and spices, and walnuts also have a particular affinity for chocolate.

Long a favorite in Europe, hazelnuts are increasing in favor in the U.S. dessert market. Hazelnuts are sometimes known as filberts, although that is a misnomer. Filberts are a wild nut, while hazelnuts are the domesticated version. Hazelnuts have a characteristic mild flavor and can be combined with many other ingredients to add richness to a product. Roasting intensifies flavor and crisps texture. As an ingredient, hazelnuts can be used in a manner similar to that of most other nuts, or in ground form for meals and pastes. Hazelnut meal can be used as a flour replacer in cakes and tortes, and hazelnut paste, a sweetened mixture of ground hazelnuts, is excellent as a filling for bakery products, candies cookies and breads.

Increasing pistachio production is giving processors more access to this very desirable ingredient with the distinctive green color and rich flavor. Consumers are warming up to the inclusion of pistachios in a variety of desserts, according to the California Pistachio Commission, Fresno, CA. Pistachios were represented in 67% of all new product introductions in 1995 in the bakery, dairy and snack categories, a total of about 600 new products, according to the commission.

Critical to the use of nuts in production is their storage conditions. Nuts should be kept at 32° to 38°F and 55% to 65% relative humidity. In addition, nuts should be stored away from strong odors such as fish, garlic, citrus fruits or spices. The growing trend toward tropical flavors has given a new lease to coconut. Last year's coconut sales were the best ever, says Carl Ledgerwood, senior national account manager, Baker's Coconut, Kraft Food Ingredients, Memphis, TN. Coconut can be used as a nutmeat alternative, as a bulking or texturing agent and as sanding or topping for cakes, pies and cookies, and for fillings and frostings. Toasted coconut costs about a quarter to one half that of other nut meats, and can help trim costs while giving consumers a unique flavor and texture to enjoy.

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Icings can prompt the consumer's ultimate decision to buy by improving the appearance, texture and shelf life of a product. Icings are modified sugar/water solutions; the balance between the dissolved sugar and suspended sugar is maintained by hydrocolloids and other ingredients. Fats, especially hard flaked fats, accelerate the drying rate of icings, which may be important if a baked good is to be wrapped after production. Humectants, in the form of corn syrup, honey, dextrose or invert sugar can improve the gloss and pliability of an icing. Stabilizers, gums and starches keep icings from separating or becoming too dry and chipping off the product.

There are three basic types of icings: non-aerated (flat), partially aerated (buttercremes), and aerated or foam-type icings. Flat icings adorn Danish and sweet dough products. They can vary in appearance from transparent glazes to chalky white icings. Whiteness in icings has geographic appeal: Some areas of the country prefer an off-white icing while others like a chalky white one. Whiteness can be adjusted with the use of whitening agents such as titanium dioxide and calcium sulfate, and by increasing or decreasing the amount of granulated sugar in the formula - more sugar produces a whiter product.

Buttercreme icings possess a high shortening content and a good spreading capability. All-purpose shortening has a similar melting point to butter, but is perhaps a more economical choice. Shortenings can improve the pliability and stability of an icing, and can be used in formulations that will be frozen. Hard flake fats have a higher melting temperature than butter, above 97°F, and are more stable in warmer climates. Often known as "cupcake icing" in the baking industry, buttercreme icings form a semi-firm skin on the baked good.

Aerated icings include non-dairy whipped toppings and marshmallow toppings. Non-dairy whipped toppings are combinations of water, vegetable fat, sugar and flavorings with gums, stabilizers and emulsifiers. They are susceptible to heat and should be used only for refrigerated products. Marshmallow icings consist of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin and water, whipped to incorporate air into the mixture. Confectionery coatings set up more quickly than icings, but can be more expensive because they are fat-based. A variety of fats can be used in confectionery coatings, but cocoa butter is the preferred fat because it has a smooth character and a melting temperature of 90° to 92°F, which allows it to quickly melt in the mouth.

Butter can replace cocoa butter in some confectionery coatings. It adds a delicate flavor, possesses good melting qualities, functions as a flavor carrier, and can help prevent bloom in a chocolate coating. With a lecithin content of 0.25%, butter also aids in the emulsification of other fats and aqueous ingredients, according to Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont, IL. The melting point of butter, 90° to 97°F, is similar to that of cocoa butter, and helps impart a creamy texture to the coating.

Coatings made with lauric fats (palm kernel and coconut oils) tend to produce a coating that lacks a rich chocolate flavor. Lauric fats also can develop a "soapy" flavor if stored in the presence of moisture, according to AIB.

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Many of the aforementioned dessert ingredients come together in one of the most popular indulgent desserts - cheesecake. However, it can be one of the most difficult desserts to formulate. The hard part is to develop a cheesecake product that has the right consistency to start with. There is a close similarity between cheesecake and premium ice creams, states the AIB. Both contain approximately 15% milkfat, sugar, stabilizers, egg yolks, water and salt. Cheesecake, of course, also contains cheese solids, and ice cream contains non-fat milk solids.

Without the addition of cream cheese or its components, there would be no cheesecake. Cream cheese adds a smooth structure, taste and body to the cheesecake formula. The quality varies considerably throughout the year, depending on the feed of the cows used to produce the cheese. These variations can impact the baking characteristics of the cakes. A consistent finished product, therefore, requires strict process control, and adjustment of the formula or manufacturing process to compensate for changes in the ingredient.

Eggs contribute moistening characteristics and structure-building albumin to the formula. The lecithin in egg yolk acts as an emulsifier, helping to bind the liquid in the mixture. Sweetener, generally sugar, also provides structure in addition to its flavoring ability. In the Eli's formula, flour is added "not for functionality," says Worthington, "but for strictly for mouthfeel."

While the basic ingredients remain the same throughout the cheesecake industry, there are variations within the cheesecake genre. California and French cheesecake formulas contain egg whites to lighten the batter, while the California type is somewhat sweeter than the French variety. New York cheesecake is typically drier and heavier than its counterparts. The Eli's version is "pure Chicago-style cheesecake," says Worthington. It possesses a dense but creamy texture, neither as dry as the New York style nor as sweet as the California or airy as the French. Worthington claims that Eli's characteristic style and flavor of cheesecake does not convert well to a low-fat or reduced-calorie format. "This is an indulgent industry," says Worthington. "We're not built on fat-free."

A new cheesecake variation is tiramisu, with a layer of soft coffee-infused sponge cake layered between the cheesecake portions. "Cheesecake has so much depth, it's easy to layer different textures," Worthington notes. She finds that current trends point toward "layering" one flavor upon another, combining interesting flavors and textures.

As the aging nation loosens its belt another notch, the high-end dessert industry appears firmly entrenched. The national palate is craving ever more chocolate, fruits, nuts, pound cakes, and other delectable desserts. By inventing new combinations and reviving traditional favorites, producers are looking forward to sweet times ahead.

• Photo: Walnut Marketing Board

• Photo: Oregon Raspberry/Blackberry Commision

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