in other words
may17
9
An Unusual Culinary Column: The Duck & Chicken Egg Showdown
2018
By Karen Kain
If you are into baking
you probably have wondered
which is better to bake with, a
chicken egg or duck egg.
For this column I decid-
ed to put this query to rest. So, I
got some of my local peeps to-
gether and had a duck and chick-
en egg bake off.
First, I researched the
difference between the two fowl
eggs. I came across some interesting
information. Duck eggs are known for
being higher in fat than chicken eggs. I
also read that duck eggs make whatever
you bake taste richer in flavor, and make
cakes come out fluffier. Duck eggs are
clearly larger in size and are definitely
harder to crack. Both eggs are similar
in nutritional content, but duck eggs are
higher in good fat, protein, and have a
little more cholesterol. Duck eggs are
also higher in iron, B12, vitamin A, and
folate. Both eggs cook up nicely when
scrambled. Another important note, if
you are allergic to chicken eggs you may
want to try duck eggs under a doctor’s
supervision.
I started out by preparing two
batches of my favorite brownie recipe.
I baked one with chicken eggs and then
another with duck eggs. Next, Maken-
na, Merica, Nyah, and Sophia, put their
chef’s hats on and we baked two lemon
cakes. We didn’t have to look far to find
our taste testers to help settle our quan-
dary.
Here is what we found. The
brownies baked with the duck eggs took
longer to cook. They actually came out
fluffier and rose higher than the chicken
egg version. They also stuck to the pan
more than the chicken egg brownies. I
found seven taste testers to share their
opinions with me. My first taste tester
preferred the duck egg brownie, because
it had a richer chocolate taste. One per-
son said they didn’t like the flavor of the
duck egg brownie at all. That surprised
me because I could not tell the differ-
ence in the taste, but clearly saw a differ-
ence in texture. At the end of the day, the
general consensus was that the duck egg
brownies were too fluffy. Most of us ex-
pect brownies to be gooey and crunchy.
Baking brownies using duck eggs made
them soft and fluffy, more like a cake.
Overall everyone preferred the brownies
baked with chicken eggs.
Things got a lot more fun when
the girls showed up. This lemon cake
recipe is fabulous, no matter the eggs
you use to bake it. The recipe was spot
on and baked up just as directed. The
cream cheese frosting is a perfect match.
The girls had fun in the kitchen and
worked well together. We took the vot-
ing seriously and talked in great detail
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1 ½ Cups sugar
2 Large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Cup low-fat buttermilk
3 Drops of lemon essential oil, optional
For the icing
8 Ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 Stick unsalted butter, room temp
2 ¾ Cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
juice, divided
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 Teaspoon salt
3 Drops of lemon essential oil, optional
Directions:
For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter and
flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans. Tap
out any excess flour. In a medium bowl,
whisk the flour, baking powder, baking
soda, salt, and lemon zest together. Us-
ing a standard mixer, beat the butter and
sugar together until light and fluffy. Put
the mixer on low and beat in the eggs
and yolks, one at a time. Beat in the
lemon juice. Add the lemon essential oil
drops. Beat in the flour and buttermilk,
alternating back and forth, ending with
buttermilk. Pour the batter into the two
pans, smoothing the tops over. Bake for
30-35 minutes until the cakes pull away
from the sides. Cool for 10 minutes. Run
a knife around the edges then transfer
the cakes to a wire rack to fully cool.
For the frosting
Using a standard mixer fitted with a pad-
dle attachment, beat the cream cheese
and butter together on medium speed
until all the lumps are out and the batter
is smooth. This may take up to 3 min-
utes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add
the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon
juice, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, and the
lemon essential oil. Turn up the mixer
to high speed after the sugar has been
mixed in and beat for 3 minutes. Add the
remaining lemon juice if needed. If you
need to trim the tops off the cakes to get
a flat surface, use a serrated knife. Put
the bottom cake onto a cake stand. Tuck
some wax paper underneath the edges of
the cake to protect it while you frost it.
Put a nice layer of frosting on the top of
the bottom cake. Gently lay the top cake
over the bottom cake, with the cut side
down. (I did not have to cut either cake).
Frost. Place the cake in the refrigerator
for 40 minutes to set. This will give you
the cleanest cut for slicing. Bring the
cake to room temperature before serv-
ing.
Farmwoman’s Nursery
Lorna Poetter
(503) 429-8200
Serving the Community
SALE
10% Off
Everything
Stacy’s Fudge Brownies
Ingredients:
4 Ounces semi-sweet Baker’s chocolate
2 Sticks of butter
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla
½ Cup walnuts, optional
Powdered sugar, optional
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease your
baking pan. Melt the chocolate and butter
in a medium saucepan. In a large mixing
bowl add all the ingredients together and
bake in a greased pan for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a
wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
before serving.
Lemon Cake
with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
For the cake
2 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
½ Teaspoon baking powder
½ Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Sticks unsalted butter, room temp
503-429-1470
mplogging@frontier.com
1984 mist drive, po box 321
about our findings. The duck
egg cake was denser and actu-
ally taller than the chicken egg
cake. The cake baked with the
chicken eggs was surprisingly
fluffier and softer, not what we
expected. The texture was what
really made the difference be-
tween the two cakes. Most of us
could taste the unique flavor the
duck eggs gave the cake. I am
not saying that it was bad, but it
definitely had a different taste to
it. The cake made with the chicken eggs
was more yellow in color, which was
not what one would expect. Out of the
seven of us who were taste testing, two
preferred the duck egg cake. The rea-
son was the texture. I could clearly tell
the difference in the flavor between the
cakes, but I really could not say which I
liked better. I would happily make either
or both again.
These results were not exactly
what I had anticipated. I fully expect-
ed to have the duck egg brownies and
cake beat the chicken egg version hands
down. After this experiment, I would not
use duck eggs again for brownies. I will
continue to bake cakes with duck eggs.
I might mix the two eggs together next
time and see what happens.
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