Cakes on the market are becoming increasingly soft and delicate in pursuit of texture. In fact, this external delicateness is often caused by the addition of excessive additives, which include emulsifiers, shortening, and baking powder.
Emulsifiers evenly mix fats with ingredients like sugar and flour, increasing the cake's volume, creating uniform air pockets, and preventing the cake from becoming hard and dry.
Shortening allows the gluten proteins in flour to disperse and soften, making the cake light and easy to shape. Among these, emulsifiers such as monoglycerides, polyglycerol esters, and sucrose esters are not inherently toxic. However, shortening made from palm oil and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil contains large amounts of "trans fatty acids," which are particularly harmful to cardiovascular health and nervous system development.
The vast majority of baking powders contain alum and aluminum. So-called "fresh cream" also has little to do with milk; its main ingredient is actually "non-dairy creamer," which also contains dangerous "trans fatty acids".
Therefore, when eating cake, don't aim for an overly delicate texture; a slightly coarser one is actually better. Eat less of the so-called "fresh cream cakes." Preschool children should strictly control their intake.