Whether experimenting with a new baking recipe or whipping up a long-time favorite, you may not think much about the oils you use for baking. Cooking oil, a seemingly small detail, can change how your baked goods turn out. To create the most delicious baked goods, you should consider what types of oils youre using for different recipes.
Deciding what oils are best for baking may seem intimidating, but La Tourangelle – Artisan Oils can help you understand the difference between baking oils.
While you can use any flavorless oil such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or corn oil, my preference is to use a light tasting extra virgin olive oil. I really like how olive oil adds a depth of flavor to the cake. You can even use a lemon or orange flavored extra virgin olive oil which I particularly like.
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, is a delicious oil commonly used for drizzling over dishes, making salad dressing and dips and cooking meat. Depending on the region that your extra virgin olive oil originates from, the flavor can be different. Extra virgin olive oil can be buttery, fruity, grassy, or even peppery, bitter and pungent. With a smoke point of around 375 degrees, you should avoid using extra virgin olive oil at very high temperatures such as deep frying, as the heat can ruin the flavors you worked so hard on in your recipe.
Extra virgin olive oil is of higher quality with no defects compared to standard olive oil and is sometimes harvested early and pressed at a lower temperature by cold pressing. These methods can help the oil maintain more antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, resulting in a more complex flavor profile. The higher quality of extra virgin olive oil often makes it more expensive as well.
Like many of the other oils on this list, olive oil is a popular source of healthy fats in many diets, such as the ketogenic diet.
Check out some of our favorite olive oil recipes!
Coconut oil, one of the best oils for baking, goes well with bananas, chocolate, and tropical flavors. It has bold, aromatic flavors and can even contribute to a DIY body care routine, moisturizing your skin and hair. As a solid at room temperature, you can use coconut oil as a butter substitute in cookies, cakes and more. With a lower smoke point than some other oils, coconut oil is an excellent option for low-heat recipes like Virgin Coconut Oil Lemon Curd.
Coconut oil baking recipes:
A nuttier option for cooking oils is sesame oil, which is a great option for sautéing or adding to pickled salads. With a medium-high smoke point, you can use sesame oil for coating your fry pan or wok before frying meat and vegetables. With toasty, nutty flavors, sesame oil is a common ingredient in Asian-inspired dishes and complements interesting recipes.
If you’re looking to add a classic peanut flavor to your cooking or baking, then peanut oil is the best oil to do just that. The strong peanut taste of this oil can complement many Southeast Asian dishes, such as the national dish of Thailand, pad Thai with a high smoke point, you can also use peanut oil for frying and deep-frying.
Peanut oil may start to expire before other oils, so you should consider buying it in smaller quantities to reduce waste.
Including corn and canola oil, vegetable oil is a highly used oil that has a high smoke point and a low-price tag. This oil has no strong taste, so it brings out the flavors of the ingredients you use in the kitchen. Vegetable oil may not be the best baking oil for your health, so you may want to opt for a healthier option if your diet is a concern. However, you can use this oil for fried chicken, stir-frying and deep-frying.
La Tourangelle – Artisan Oils offers a GMO-free blend of canola oil and sunflower oil to provide a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Grapeseed oil is great to use in recipes that require emulsification of ingredients and low-temperature cooking. It is one of the best baking oils for health because it is a great source of vitamin E and oleic acid. Another great bonus of grapeseed oil is that, like vegetable oil options, it doesnt have a strong flavor. Use grapeseed oil when mixing sauces and dressings or whipping up mayonnaise.
This oil is a great option when it comes to grilling. Avocado oil has one of the highest smoke points among cooking oils, so use it when cooking at high temperatures on the grills flames. Its buttery flavor and texture also make it a great choice when frying eggs and stir-frying meats and vegetables. This oil is even a healthy source of monounsaturated fats. Don’t hesitate to use this oil as a drizzle or garnish either.
Some of our favorite avocado oil recipes!
Sunflower oil is the best baking oil to substitute for vegetable oil. It has a similar flavor, texture, and smoke point. You can easily use sunflower oil in recipes calling for vegetable oil.
Like peanut oil, however, sunflower oil may start to go bad before other oils, so you should consider what quantities to buy it in to reduce waste.
Types of Cooking Oils
There are many different types of oils that you can use, and each type will subtly influence your results in the kitchen. Below, well discuss some of the most common oils for cooking and their different uses.
Oil Based Sponge Cake
FAQ
Is safflower oil good for baking cakes?
Can you use safflower oil in cake mix?
What is the healthiest oil to bake a cake with?
What is safflower oil cake used for?
How do you make a safflower cake?
Instructions: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, adding the safflower petals as it liquefies. Set the buttery petal mixture to the side to cool. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt together in a small bowl.
Which olive oil is best for baking a cake?
Refined olive oil, also called “light olive oil,” is preferable for baking, rather than a high-quality extra-virgin oil, according to the University of Florida. Light olive oil makes a cake very moist and does not impact the flavor.
Is sunflower oil good for cake?
Made from pressing sunflower seeds and extracting the oil, sunflower oil is a good choice for health-conscious people due to its high content of unsaturated fats. Texture-wise, it makes your cake moist and super soft, just as canola oil, vegetable oil, and olive oil do, and can easily be substituted for them in your recipe.
Can you use vegetable oil in cake?
Most vegetable oils will work just fine in cake, but some alter the flavor of baked goods. A variety of oils can be used for baking, but they vary in taste. Canola oil may be the best oil for baking because it has a high smoke point and a mild taste. In general, vegetable oils are the best to use in baking.