Recipe Changes Flavour?

Baking By lndyhpgrl Updated 16 Aug 2015 , 11:33pm by winniemog

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lndyhpgrl Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 2:51pm
post #1 of 8

So weird question. I have a scratch vanilla cake recipe that I love. I use it all the time and it's reliable and consistent.


Oddly though, twice in the last month I've had clients tell me 'it was delicious, but didn't taste vanilla. more like a spice cake'. The only thing I can think is that both these cakes were baked in large pans, so I baked them longer at a lower temperature than usual.


Has anyone else ever had a recipe change flavour when baked over a long period of time? I'm wondering if something in the recipe is somehow carmelizing or something? It doesn't have anything unusual in it, just standard scratch mix ingredients.

7 replies
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costumeczar Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 3:28pm
post #2 of 8

That's weird. Did you use a different brand of vanilla?

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MBalaska Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 6:35pm
post #3 of 8

I've been using Penzys Double Strength Vanilla extract for 2 decades, my vanilla flavor is always bright and delicious.

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 7:31pm
post #4 of 8

was there some spice in your flour or sugar from someone else or maybe you from measuring out different ingredients and interchanging the measuring tools maybe -- you know what i mean -- they are all clean of course but if you're careful you can measure one thing after the other -- and kids might not be real careful though -- did you grab rum flavor instead of vanilla or something like that maybe

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lndyhpgrl Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 9:20pm
post #5 of 8

Good ideas, but nope. Definitely vanilla, in fact same batter made a batch of cupcakes and they tasted fine. So it has something to do with the cooking temp, time, or pan.

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 10:26pm
post #6 of 8

too high cooking temp and too long a time in oven can change any flavor to burnt but not to spice and neither can the pan change the flavor unless it's been altered with a spicey ingredient 

*Last edited by -K8memphis on 16 Aug 2015 , 10:27pm
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costumeczar Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 10:42pm
post #7 of 8

I hate to say it, but is it possible  that the customers are used to an artificial vanilla flavor and dot' recognize the real thing? I'd guess that's a pitiful possibility, based on the numbers of  artificial flavors that people eat these days.

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winniemog Posted 16 Aug 2015 , 11:33pm
post #8 of 8

I think YOU should taste some cake baked in the bigger pan - your palate is reliable and has the reference flavour that you know from the smaller bakes. Who knows what the customers mean by a flavour?

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