Baking Flavoring

Baking is a recipe-based activity, but there’s a lot of room for improvisation. This is especially true if you’re making a cake or other dessert.

The right flavor can give your bakes an extra oomph. Our baking flavors and extracts come in a range of options, including vanilla, coffee, citrus and birthday cake.

Pure and Imitation Extracts

Extracts are the most common form of flavoring used in baking. These extracts are made by steeping ingredients in alcohol to get a strong, concentrated flavor and aroma. Extracts are less intense than oils and are typically added when you want the flavor to play a supporting role in your recipe rather than be front and center. Vanilla is the most popular of these but we also offer orange, mint and other flavor extracts.

For example, our blueberry extract uses natural, high-quality blueberries to give you a great flavor for fillings and desserts. It’s sugar-free, gluten-free and contains no propylene glycol – which is a commonly used additive that’s been linked to negative health effects like asthma and allergies.

Imitation vanilla is another of our most popular flavors because it’s cheaper than pure vanilla but still delivers a nice vanilla taste and aroma. Imitation vanilla extract is typically made with synthetic vanillin extracted from wood pulp, which has a different flavor profile than the more natural essential oil compounds found in real vanilla bean pods.

For those who love to bake but don’t have time for the extra steps involved in making homemade extracts, our Flavoring Oil 20 Pack is an easy solution. These.35 oz bottles are water and oil soluble and work well in a variety of dishes, drinks and DIY projects.

Emulsions

A water-based emulsion combines a mixture of aromatic oils, with a stabilizing agent (like vegetable gum) to create a homogenous solution. This makes them Baking Flavoring ideal for baking because unlike extracts, which lose their flavor in high temperatures (or ‘bake-out’), a bakery emulsion will retain its flavour even after heat.

They also have a stronger, more intense flavor than extracts. Emulsions are available in a wide variety of bakery flavors to help you take your baked goods to the next level and set them apart from the rest.

Like extracts, a bakery emulsion can be used in cakes, cookies and frostings. They can also be incorporated into sauces, ice creams and beverages.

Because a bakery emulsion is made with more water, it requires a higher level of preservative than other flavor solutions. This is because of the water content, as well as the emulsification ingredients that are added. Because of this, a bakery emulsion will need to have a preservative such as potassium sorbate or sodium citrate included in it.

You can find a wide selection of emulsions from LorAnn, including a number of Super Strength flavors. A word of caution with this type of emulsion – because it’s so concentrated, it’s easy to overdo it. If you add too much, your food or drink may taste overly minty or medicinal in texture and/or flavor.

Flavor Powders

Flavored powders are great for a recipe that needs to be kept dry such as certain baking applications, dry mixes and rubs or beverage mixes like protein shakes. The flavoring is derived from real fruits and vegetables that have been freeze dried, maintaining all the natural nutrients and flavors, and ground up into a powder form.

For example, a baker might use apple powder to add a sweet flavor and beautiful red color to their recipes. Other powders are made from herbs or spices that can add a powerful punch of aroma and taste to your food without the sticky mess of their fresh counterparts.

Like extracts, flavored powders can be used in liquid formulations. However, they are also great for bringing a starring role to a drink creation. These powders tend to hold up better against heat than extracts and they don’t evaporate as quickly.

Hibiscus powder, for instance, is a water-soluble powder that adds a cranberry red color to non-alcoholic beverages and gives them a light hibiscus flavor. It’s also compatible with frosting and dry baking mixes. Be careful not to over-flavor with a powder though, as you can easily make your culinary creations taste artificial. It’s a good idea to test out a little bit of any new flavoring or spice before you use it on larger scale productions.

Baking Ingredients

There are a few key baking ingredients that every baker needs to Baking Flavoring have on hand, no matter their level of experience. These include flour, leavening and sugar.

Flour is a basic baking ingredient and is the backbone of most cakes, cookies, doughs and bread. You’ll want to keep plain flour, or all-purpose, on hand as well as a few different types of self-raising flour that already has the leavening agent (ingredient 2) added.

Leavening is what makes a cake rise, and there are many types of leavening agents available. Baking soda is an alkaline, or basic, that needs to react with an acid to make carbon dioxide bubbles that create a rise in a batter or dough. Recipes that call for baking soda often also require an acidic ingredient like buttermilk, natural cocoa powder or lemon juice to activate it.

Sugar is a classic baking ingredient that adds sweetness and helps baked goods brown, tenderize and stay moist. Granulated sugar is the most common, but it’s worth stocking up on some brown and powdered sugar as well. It’s important to have a wide variety of liquid natural sweeteners, too, like honey, maple syrup and agave syrup for use in frostings and buttercreams.

Finally, a good quality unsalted stick of butter is essential to have on hand because it adds flavor, moisture and contributes to the leavening of baked goods. Don’t forget to have some nonstick baking pans on hand and a few dry measuring cups.