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I recently needed to make a cake that would keep its decorations crisp while sitting outside in the Texas heat. I got turned on to hi-ratio shortening for my buttercream and am obsessed, it went beautifully, no more Crisco for me!

Which brings me to this post. I lack a scientific-based-baking background so thought I'd ask here before potentially wasting a bunch of ingredients: would swapping out standard Crisco for hi-ratio shortening in my gingerbread have any effect on the final product?

TIA for any insight you might have!

(Note: I use a slight variation of Julia's cutout gingerbread recipe https://cookieconnection.julia...t-cookie-gingerbread)

Last edited by Julia M. Usher
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Hi, this page does a decent job of describing how high-ratio shortening differs from regular shortening: https://www.bulkbarn.ca/en/Pro...atio-Shortening-1049. There are other (better) resources out there on this subject too.

But, basically, high-ratio shortening has emulsifiers that retain more moisture and give cakes a moister crumb. (It also withstands high heat without a slick mouth-feel, as you discovered, so many bakers use it in icing). That all being said, it would probably make your gingerbread dough softer and puffier. But, the best way to know for sure is to test it in your recipe, as the quantity of dry ingredients and leavening in your recipe will certainly have a bearing on what this substitution does in it.

Please let us know how it works out!

Last edited by Julia M. Usher

Thanks Julia -- yah I had read up on it but, while the explanation for how it effects icing made sense, I couldn't wrap my brain around what that all would mean if baked into a cookie. It's sturdier yet holds more moisture, that's whats throwing me... in my mind more moisture retention = less sturdy   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

TIME TO FIND OUT!

Last edited by Julia M. Usher

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