International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences 2016; 5(1): 31-38 Published online February 1, 2016 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijnfs) doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20160501.15 ISSN: 2327-2694 (Print); ISSN: 2327-2716 (Online) Incorporation of Coconut Flour in Plain Cake and Investigation of the Effect of Sugar and Baking Powder on Its Baking Quality Shakhawat Hossain 1 , Mohammad Rezaul Islam Shishir 2 , Md. Saifullah 1, 2, * , Md. Shahidullah Kayshar 3 , Samshad Wasit Tonmoy 1 , Afzal Rahman 1 , Md. Shams-Ud-Din 1 1 Department of Food Technology and Rural Industries, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh 2 Department of Process and Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh Email address: saif.emon04@gmail.com (M. Saifullah) To cite this article: Shakhawat Hossain, Mohammad Rezaul Islam Shishir, Md. Saifullah, Md. Shahidullah Kayshar, Samshad Wasit Tonmoy, Afzal Rahman, Md. Shams-Ud-Din. Incorporation of Coconut Flour in Plain Cake and Investigation of the Effect of Sugar and Baking Powder on Its Baking Quality. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Vol. 5, No. 1, 2016, pp. 31-38. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20160501.15 Abstract: Coconut flour is an excellent source of unique taste and aroma and rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers, which might have potential application in baking products and human nutrition. The study is aimed to investigate the effect of sugar and baking powder on the plain cake incorporated with different levels of coconut flour. The coconut fleshes were dried by mechanical dryer for 6 hr and grinded to coconut flour. Four types of cake such as, S 1 =0%, S 2 =10%, S 3 =20% and S 4 =30% of coconut flour incorporation were investigated and S 3 is found more acceptable in terms of physicochemical properties of cake. S 3 cake secured the highest score in color, texture and overall acceptability. The sugar added (20-100%) increased the cake weight and decreased the moisture of cake, in which the cake volume and specific volume increased up to 80% sugar addition in cake dough. In contrast, the increase of baking powder (1-8%) decreased the cake weight and moisture, but increased the cake volume and specific volume up to 7% baking powder addition. However, S 3 cake revealed the maximum output and better acceptability at 80% sugar and 7% baking powder addition. Keywords: Coconut Flour, Cake, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Quality 1. Introduction The coconut (Cocos nucifera Lin.) is the most extensively grown and used nut in the world. Coconut is a good source of energy, because it contains approximately 37.29% fat, 11.29% carbohydrate and 4.08% protein [1]. The color is pure white, the fragrance is sweet, and the eating is superb. Coconut is an important plantation crop of Bangladesh and called the nurse of India. It plays an important role in the diet of the people in the world. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a recently emerging high demand product in the world and various types of cold presses are used for extraction of VCO from the coconut kernel at low temperature. The whitish residue remained after extracting VCO from cold press can be milled to flour. Coconut flour can provide not only value added income to the industry, but also a nutritious and healthy source of dietary fiber [2]. Coconut flour may play a role in controlling cholesterol and sugar levels in blood and prevention of colon cancer. Studies revealed that consumption of high fiber coconut flour increases fecal bulk [3]. Cake is one of the relished and palatable baked products prepared from flour, sugar, shortening, baking powder, egg, essence as principal ingredients. The variation in these constituents or formulation causes the changes in textural properties of [4]. According to Hesso et al. [5], baking process plays an important role in the structural, textural and physical properties of cakes. Cakes are one of the most popular products in bakery industry, because it is economically cheaper as well as consider being luxurious gifts for infants and school going children, who are underweight [6]. Bakery products are generally used as a