Evaluation of Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Cupcake with Quercus Sweetener (Gazo)

Cake is one of the most popular bakery products and contains a lot of sugar. In recent years, low-calorie foods with a sugar substitute have had a special place due to consumers' interest in eating healthier foods and a reduced calorie intake. In this study, the feasibility of producing cupcakes with the replacement of sucrose with Quercus was investigated. At the same time, characteristics such as specific gravity, volume, bulk density, physical density, porosity, weight loss, crust and crumb color of cake, hardness, and cake sensory evaluation were studied. Results showed that there was a significant difference in the characteristics of specific gravity dough, volume, bulk density, porosity, and firmness of the cakes compared to the control. As the percentage of Quercus replacement increased, the color of the crust and crumbs of the cake became darker. The highest sensory evaluation score belongs to the 25% Quercus sweetener. The results showed that using 25%, 50%, and 75% substitution of Quercus instead of sucrose improved the quality of the cupcake compared to the control, and the cake sample with 25% Quercus with a maximum volume of 68 cm3 and a specific gravity of 1.13 had the highest quality. With the increase in the amounts of Quercus, some of the quality characteristics decreased, but due to the high score in the sensory test and the beneficial effects of Quercus sweetener, it seems that the Quercus sweetener can be used as a substitute for sugar in the cake.