Stork v Butter

[Megatron]

Two of my friends almost had a proper row over this on a video call recently (yes we are that boring that we talk about recipes 😊). I'm a butter user but one friend insists that stork makes much better sponges but butter is best for scones, biscuits and obvs for butter icing. Other friend says Stork is the work of the devil and has no place in the kitchen on the discerning baker (MIL also insists it's 'common' 🙄). Friends A and B are both fantastic bakers, and there is a degree of competition between them - which is great for me as they both give me cakes! I'm thinking of going to the dark side and trying Stork for my cakes - what do you use dear reader?

I actually do quite like a Victoria sponge cake made with stork! However, I generally do use butter, which is probably to do with having it drummed into me by other people that Butter Is Best! But Stork is a cheap alternative, and does make a nice cake I find!

Ugh I wouldn’t go near stork. I actually find Lurpak spreadable to be the happy medium - makes a very light cake (almost as light as stork) without the chemical tasting nastiness of stork. I discovered this a couple of years ago when I forgot to buy butter for DC’s birthday cake and haven’t gone back. Bonus is you don’t need to remember to get the butter out of the fridge in advance. for all other baking I use butter

I’m a recent convert to Stork for most cakes. Especially in my banana loaf, which can be quite stodgy, using Stork really lifts it and doesn’t affect the flavour.

In biscuits it’s always butter though

Stork is lighter. Butter tastes better.

I used to only use butter but I have recently been converted to stork! I think its great and makes a yummy sponge. x

I recently made lemon sponge traybake with Stork. DH and DS polished the lot off, but I could taste the Stork and couldn't eat it. The taste is chemically. I'm planning to try the recipe again with butter to compare.

My son used stork in a cake. It was so unpleasant - we had to throw it out. You could really taste the Stork.

Stork with golden sugar for sponges.
Gives a flatter top so a better shaped cake.

What is Stork? I know it doesn’t contain dairy, but what is it?

What is Stork? I know it doesn’t contain dairy, but what is it?

It's a mixture of rapeseed, palm and sunflower oil. The oils used to be partially hydrogenated, but now they're interesterified (because hydrogenation produces trans fats). I shudder at the thought of how much wizardry you need to do to vegetable oil to make it a solid.

It does contain milk, by the way.

Ugh I wouldn’t go near stork it seems to provoke quite strong reactions!

I didn't know it had palm oil in it @Mongertruffle so I will give it a miss. I know lots of things do but if I know it's in something I avoid.

Block stork is different to the tub, no dairy in the block. I've ended up using vitalite as a dairy free alternative if I cant get block stock for cakes. I didnt eat those. I prefer butter but it's a bit mean if it's a birthday to make one dc cant eat!

For a light sponge you could try sunflower oil!

Thanks for that @MongerTruffle

And you @catsandshoes I know someone who is dairy intolerant and he uses Stork. I haven't seen it in the shops in years!

Years and years ago I went to Agricultural College to study dairying.

On our very first day they took us through the ingredients and manufacture of margarine versus butter. It put me off marge for life. So I use butter in everything! But I do love the odd shop bought fluffy sponge cake and you are never going to convince me that they use butter!

I always used butter (for 20 years), but have been using Stork from time to time since lockdown as I didn't manage to get butter in my click and collect a couple of times, so got some Stork as a standby for - ahem- emergency cakes when I didn't want to waste butter.

Anyway, I didn't let on as DP usually notices every-bloody-thing, particularly if he knows there's something different - funny that. He scoffed loads of it with no annoying in depth analysis. So, sometimes I use Stork, sometimes butter, depending on the cake. I think butter can produce a slightly greasy texture, especially noticeable in plain sponges. There will always be butter in special occasion cakes though!

The kids didn't notice the difference either, but then it's just lovely shovelfuls of pure sugar to them!

Stork is lighter. Butter tastes better.

Since the whole point of baking a cake is eating it, surely taste is all that counts?

I always use butter. I read an article about Mary Berry extolling the virtues of stork for a Victoria sandwich so tried it - most of the cake ended up in the bin.

Stork Ingredients:
Vegetable Oils in varying proportions (70%) (Rapeseed, Palm1, Sunflower), Water, Salt (1.4%), Buttermilk (Milk), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acid (Citric Acid), Emulsifier (Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Flavourings, Vitamin A and D, 1Stork is committed to sustainable Palm Oil

Butter ingredients:
Butter (Milk), Lactic Culture (Milk), Salt,

Apart from the fact I boycott palm oil which is in Stork, I prefer natural ingredients in my food.

I wouldn’t use stork. Mum used it in the 70s/80s and made fab cakes. I buy shop Victoria sponge sometimes, a nice waitrose one, god knows what they use but I happily eat it.

I've been using Naturli vegan baking block lately and it makes bloody lovely sponges, biscuits and crumbles - the non-vegan people in this house have been loving it too. No palm oil. You can find recipes using vegetable oil too, thus sidestepping the butter versus fake solid grease debacle

I stayed away from stork for years but my cakes were never as nice as my Mam’s who has no qualms re stork. I hate to admit it but I’ve stared to use it and my cakes have improved

I have to use marg for baking as my dd is allergic to dairy. Stork, aka marg, is good as it does make a lighter cake, and butter from what I remember makes a tastier one. Slightly crisper around the edges.

@MongerTruffle Stork in the plastic tubs contains dairy but the stuff wrapped in foil doesn't.