All About Food Flavourings - From Extracts & Emulsions to Flavouring Oils, Powders, Pastes & more

When it comes to baking and decorating amazing cakes and cookies, flavour is just as important as the appearance of your baked goodies. There are endless possibilities on how to achieve the most amazing flavour combinations, and on this blog post we are discussing some of the options that you can buy from Cakers Paradise.

The most common questions that we usually get, are “Can you use the food flavouring for chocolate?”, “Is this flavouring allergen free?”, “But is it Halal?”

So, we’re trying to answer most of the questions you might have when it comes to flavouring.

Extracts, Emulsions, Natural Flavourings and Flavouring Oils – What’s the Difference?

Many people are confused as to what to use to flavour their cakes, cookies, icings and even chocolates. All of the food flavourings can be used in more than one application and each has their own characteristics.

Extracts

Extracts are the most common type of flavourings. All extracts are alcohol based and are most commonly found in pure or imitation version, where the pure extracts are usually stronger than imitation ones. Imitation ones usually come clear in colour, so when you need to make a white cake or frosting, that would taste like strawberries, that’s where a clear extract would become handy. Extracts are good for all your baking needs, they can be used to flavour cookies, icings, cake batter and candy fillings. 

Emulsions

The main difference between emulsions and extracts are that the emulsions are water based and not alcohol based. Emulsions are superior to extracts because when they are subjected to high heat the flavour will not bake out, so it’s no wonder most of the professional bakers almost exclusively use emulsions over alcohol-based extracts.  

Natural Flavourings

Natural flavourings contain no added sugars or fats. You can use the natural flavourings to add flavour to icing, cakes, cookies, ice cream and so much more. Natural food flavouring will work for all your baking needs. The natural flavourings range that we carry is colour free (will not dye or discolour), allergen free, halal, kosher, suitable for vegetarians, gluten free, sugar free and dairy free, and they are made in Australia! It is water based, so not suitable for chocolate flavouring. 

Different Flavouring Options

We sell quite a few different flavouring options, some more natural than the others, some suitable for many different projects, some less so. It can become fairly overwhelming, when you’re trying to find a right product for you. The various terms used for food flavourings can be confusing. So, let’s dive right into the subject and discuss some of the different flavourings we have available

Lorann Oils and Bakery Emulsions

Lorann Oils

Lorann is well known for its high-quality oils and flavourings for candy making and baking. 

Lorann super strength flavours – also known as candy oils or Lorann flavouring oils, are their most concentrated type of food flavouring, and are 3-4 times the strength of the water or alcohol-based flavourings or extracts. “A little goes a long way!” These intense flavours are perfect for the higher temperature demands of hard candy making but can also be used to flavour just about anything, and you only need 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of Lorann oil when substituting 1 teaspoon of extract.

Use Lorann Oils in:

• Hard candy & confectionery
• Chocolates
• All baked goods such as cakes, cookies, muffins, frosting and fondant 
• Ice cream 
• Lip Balm 

Lorann super strength oils are gluten, nut and dairy free as well as Kosher certified. Unfortunately, Lorann cannot guarantee that the flavourings are 100% free of animal origin, so they are not classified as vegan.

Lorann oils do contain alcohol so they aren’t suitable for anyone who has religious reasons to avoid alcohol. They are suitable for children though, as the amount of oil you will be using to flavour your baking will not be enough to have any effect.

We stock over 20 different flavours of Lorann oils, and the range is constantly growing. 

Lorann Bakery Emulsions

 When it comes to flavouring, professional bakers almost exclusively use emulsions over alcohol-based extracts.  The emulsion flavours are more robust and won't "bake-out" when exposed to heat. Since the Lorann bakery emulsions are water based they can’t be used with chocolate but are ideal for baking and frostings, just use them like you would a baking extract.  1 teaspoon bakery emulsion = 1 teaspoon extract

All Lorann Emulsions are alcohol free (with the exception of Red Velvet which has less than 1%). 

Vizyon Concentrated Pastes

Vizyon Concentrated Pastry Paste is an additive containing real fruits that are used to add colour and taste to bakery and pastry products such as sponge cakes, parfaits, cookies, ice creams, gelato’s, creams and whipping creams. It is super versatile; it can be baked as well as used on cold desserts and frozen products. Vizyon concentrated pastes give bakery and pastry products a genuine fruit flavour, aroma and colour with real fruit content all season round. Since these pastes are super concentrated, direct use is not suitable, use 40g – 80g of Vizyon concentrated paste per 1kg of product. Vizyon Concentrated Pastry Paste comes in 6 amazing flavours, that taste like real fruit – since they contain real fruit! Vizyon Concentrated pastes are also halal. 

 

 

Flavoured Food Colourings

Flavoured food colourings from Robert’s Confectionery are unique as they are two uses in one - they not only flavour what you are adding them to, they colour it as well. Robert’s Edible Craft flavoured food colouring can be used in numerous cooking applications, including colouring and flavouring your cake batter, buttercream frosting, fondant icing, milkshakes, biscuits, slices and more. Since it is water-based range, these flavourings can’t be used for flavouring chocolate. Robert’s Confectionery flavoured food colouring is suitable for halal and kosher dietary requirements, as well as vegan & vegetarian dietary requirements.

 

100% Natural Flavouring Options

There are quite a few options you can use for all-natural flavouring. The very obvious one would be, fresh fruit and berries. This option isn’t always available, not all the fruit is always in season. 

Freeze Dried Fruit Powders 

The next best option (if not better) would be freeze-dried fruit, that comes in variety of flavours. Freeze dried fruit powders are 100% pure, with no additives. Freeze dried fruit powders can be used to colour and flavour smoothies, cake mixes, buttercreams and so much more.  

100% Pure Nut Pastes

Nut pastes are 100% pure, natural and unsweetened pastes made from lightly roasted and finely ground nuts. To add a perfect nutty flavour to your ganache, icings, homemade pralines, fillings, patisserie crèmes, ice creams sauces and much more simply mix in approximately 8% paste.

 

Both of the above natural flavouring options are vegan friendly as well as halal and kosher.

So as you can see there are plenty of options to colour and flavour your bakings. Hopefully this blog post will help you to find a right product for every project you will have coming up from now on.