Evaluation of a two-step baking procedure for convenience sponge cakes

Typical examples of convenience foods in the bakery section include partially baked bread, rolls, croissants, and crumpets. The effects of processing variables on sponge cake characteristics were studied in a two- step baking procedure. A fractional two-factorial design was applied to describe the effects of the predictor variables on product properties. Flour type, oven type, and baking time in each baking phase were selected as categorical predictor variables on the basis of preliminary baking tests. The performance of a microwave oven was compared with that of a conventional oven. The properties of the new twice-baked products were characterized and compared with those of a standard product by using the results derived from baking tests, color measurements, and texture analyses. Correlation analysis was used to detect relationships between the response variables. Significant relationships between baking test values and texture analysis values closely related to aspects of microwave cooking were found.