Baking question: margarine or butter?

emeraldbugle

Thanks

soappie

Of course you can!

Magentasue

We always have butter in a butter dish because we don't use marge at all. For cakes, I use butter from the butter dish on the table, for pastry I take butter from the fridge. Sponges need butter soft enough to cream, most of the time the butter out of the fridge is just right.

Ticklemouse

I much prefer butter in cakes. I never buy margarine anyway and can always taste it in cakes. Give me butter any day

AussieLass

There is really no other way to impart both flavor and texture into many recipes without supplying a good dose of fat. Trans fats are the real nasties to avoid - one more good excuse to use butter.

When it comes to eating, I have to say that for the greatest enjoyment, I would rather make my recipes using the best, most flavorful ingredients, and just have a little bit less.

Gingham_Ribbon

Butter for me too.

thriftlady_2

Butter all the way for me too. Cakes have been around a lot longer than marge

Debt_Free_Chick

I generally use butter rather than anything else. I even fry steak in (a little) butter :eek:

Butter will give a richer taste to most cakes, but where there are other strong flavours it's probably an unnecessary extravagance. For example, I don't think the taste of a rich, dark, fruit cake would be particularly enhanced by butter, as the flavour is in the fruit & spices. Here, I would probably use margarine, especially if I have some and want to use it up. :money:

But any "plainer" tasting cake e.g. Victoria Sponge, Madeira etc ... I would definitely use butter all the time.

Garnet_Gem

I never buy margarine. I'd rather eat dry bread than have margarine on it. I use butter when baking too.

odds-n-sods

only butter here, too.

Debt_Free_Chick

Just a word of warning, if you are using margarine either because the recipe requires it or you are substituting butter, don't use these modern spreads - especially NOT the low fat ones.

I only use old-fashioned Stork, when I use margarine at all.