Butter ay or nay? | Imamother

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Purim

Butter ay or nay?

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amother

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 12:47 pm

Making cakes for MM that officially calls for butter or margarine. I usually make it for shabbos so I either use transfat free margarine or oil.

I just realized that if I make it for MM, I actually can make the original recipe with butter. Of course the cake would be clearly labeled dairy/cholov yisroel.

My considerations:
- I have a small dairy oven so it would take longer to make them all. In my regular oven I can fit 6-10. In my dairy oven it would be more like 4-6.
- Butter is more significantly more expensive than oil and somewhat more expensive than margarine.
- maybe people would be opposed to getting dairy/allergies or something.

On the other hand butter does make things more decadent and a bigger treat (as opposed to just another cake). Isn't that what they say, everythings better with butter Smile

?

What would you do?
Oil- cheap, easy, makes a lot at a time, taste is less rich.
Margarine - makes a lot at a time, taste is somewhat rich but it's margarine.
Butter - more expensive, can make fewer at a time, taste is more decadent.

amother

Marigold

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 12:58 pm

What time of day do you think people will receive it? If you get it to people very early in the morning, they might be able to use it on Purim. MM doesn't have to be used on Purim, but I always like to give mainly things they could at least in theory use on the day.

Bnei Berak 10

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 12:59 pm

amother OP wrote:

Everything is better with butter.
Just mark everything *very very clearly*

patzer

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:00 pm

First things first - if you bake with butter, make sure you send me a sample Smile

Seriously? Buttery baked goods are delicious! But it seems that they're more expensive and time-consuming to produce.....so it's your decision.

We don't know what else is going on in your life right now.

DrMom

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:05 pm

Id use butter because it's tastier.
Just make sure things are marked as halavi.

leaf

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:05 pm

How many are you making? Figure out how many more oven batches you would need to do and how much more would it cost you and see if it makes sense for you or will just add too much stress and/or strech your budget...

zaq

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:07 pm

Don't. Many people don't want butter because of the cholesterol, some people object to the taste of butter, others don't want to have dairy baked goods in the house.

amother

Floralwhite

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:09 pm

I always do dairy for MM, people look forward to it every year! You can also add something else dairy, like a whipped cream topping, so it's not just butter. Yum...

Simple1

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:10 pm

zaq wrote:

Don't. Many people don't want butter because of the cholesterol, some people object to the taste of butter, others don't want to have dairy baked goods in the house.

Many consider margarine worse for your health than butter. I would personally do what’s easier. But as a recipient I would consider anything dairy as more of a treat.

Last edited by Simple1 on Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Marigold

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:10 pm

If you make it in cupcake form, you can use the cups that come labeled.

Reality

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:11 pm

Personally, on a hectic day like Purim, where labels can easily get torn off by mistake etc, I would not give a dairy cake. People expect cake to be pareve.

I also find that many frum people don't like the taste of butter cakes and cookies. We are so used to the taste of pareve options in our baked goods.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:16 pm

I wouldn't. It sounds like it's more expensive and more difficult to do. Also it means people are more restricted when they can eat it. And there's a good risk that people may not realize or forget it's milky.

amother

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:24 pm

zaq wrote:

Don't. Many people don't want butter because of the cholesterol, some people object to the taste of butter, others don't want to have dairy baked goods in the house.

This is what I'm trying to figure out. In my mind a Milchig cake is a real treat, not something most people have or make on a regular basis. Making it soemthing special may be worth the added time and expense. I'm trying to work out if it's universally considered a real treat or if there are many people who specifically would be opposed. Then it's not worth the extra trouble.

amother

Black

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:28 pm

I vote dairy.

amother

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:31 pm

To answer some questions:
They would be given out through the day, some in the morning and some later on.
I would be making 30.
One cup of butter is $5. One cup margarine is $1.50. Oil is much less. Each cake needs a half a cup.

Now some of my own questions:
If you say no butter then do you suggest margarine or oil?
Would it be better if I made a small cake or cupcakes so that it's not something that needs to be cut into multiple times?

amother

Nasturtium

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 1:37 pm

Butter is better, but in your situation I would do parve. Just because of your smaller oven and everything taking longer and Purim preps being plenty hectic without adding to them. Also with so many people picky about homemade food I would go for the cheaper option knowing full well it may be thrown out or regifted.
I would use oil instead of margarine (provided your recipe can handle it) but that's because I cannot stand margarine.

Definitely make cupcakes or individual small cakes. They are much more appetising for MM.

amother

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 2:04 pm

amother Nasturtium wrote:

No one is regifting a homemade cake that has a sticker with my families name on it. They any throw it out though.
Interesting about cupcakes being more appetizing. My feelings are always that the less touched something looks the better. A cake baked in a nice shaped pepper mill pan seems classier to me than cupckaes in any kind of container. The cake is clearly not touched while the cupcakes are handled during packaging.

amother

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 2:05 pm

These 30 are to my friends and family all of whom eat in my house on a regular basis.

amother

Cadetblue

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 2:43 pm

I would give parve. Also, butter takes me to be refrigerated. So by the time they remember that their able to eat dairy and they find it... I would just go with the oil.

amother

Marigold

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 2:50 pm

IMO, cupcakes in these cups are the best:

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