Cake – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: This is a draft proposal and it shall neither be used nor regarded as a Malawi Standard  
________________  
 Published by  
MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS BOARD  
 ICS 67.060             DMS 233:2018  
                           First edition  
     
          
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
 
  
 
 ICS 67.060                DMS 233:2018  
                            First edition  
                                  
                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cake – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obtainable from the  
Malawi Bureau of Standards  
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P O Box 946  
BLANTYRE  
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i 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Contents                     Page  
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  ii 
Technical committee  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  ii 
Notice  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. ii 
Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 
Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Classification of cakes  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 2 
Essential compositiona dn quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  3 
Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  4 
Labelling ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 
 
Sampling  and test methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  4 
Annex  A (normative) – Determination of moisture  content  ................................ ................................ ................  5 
Annex B (normative) – Determination of acid insoluble ash ................................ ................................ ..............  6 
Annex C (normative) – Determination of acidity of extracted  fat ................................ ................................ ....... 8 
Annex D (normative)  – Determination of fruit content  ................................ ................................ .......................  9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
ii 
 FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standard  has been prepared by MBS/TC 19, Technical committee on  Bread and 
confectioneries , to provide requirements  for cakes .  
 
The draft Malawi standard was  prepared with reference to  the following national standard : 
 
Uganda  standard, US 1923 :2023, Cake – Specification . 
  
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the information.  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
This draft Malawi standard was  prepared by Technical Committee MBS/TC 1 9, Bread and confectioneries , 
and the following companies, organisations and institutions were consulted : 
 
Bakelines Limited ; 
 
Bakeman’s Confectioneries Limited ; 
 
Bakhresa Malawi;  
 
Blantyre City Council ; 
 
Bread Talk ; 
 
Bvumbwe  Agricultural Research Station ; 
 
Competition and Fair Trading Commission ; 
 
Consumers Association of Malawi ; 
 
H.M.S Food and Grains Limited ; 
 
International Potato Centre Malawi ; 
 
Kachere Bakery ; 
 
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources ; 
 
Malawi Un iversity of Business and Applied Sciences ; 
 
Mega Bakers ; 
 
Ministry of Health – Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS ; 
 
Ministry of Trade and Industry ; 
 
National Fortification Alliance ; 
 
Rab Processors ; 
 
Shoprite Trading Limited ; 
 
Tehilah Bakery ; 
 
University of Malawi ; and  
 
Universal Industries . 
 
 
 
NOTICE  
 
The approved shall be reviewed every five years, or earlier when it is necessary, in order to keep abreast of 
progress. Comments are welcome and shall be considered when the approved  is being reviewed .
  
1 
  DMS 233:2018 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD   
 
Cake – Specification  
 
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This draft Malawi standard  provides  the requirements, sampling and test methods for cakes intended for 
human consumption.  
 
 
2  NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
  
The following  standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this 
draft proposal. All standards are subject to revision and, since any reference to a standard is deemed to be a 
reference to the latest edition of the standar d, parties to agreements based on this draft Malawi standard are 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the most recent editions of the standards indicated below. 
Information on currently valid national and international standards can be obtained fr om the Malawi Bureau of 
Standards.  
 
MS 19,  Labelling of pre -packed  foods – General standard;   
 
MS 21 , Food and food processing units  – Code of hygienic conditions ;  
 
MS 145, Cereals and cereal products – Sampling ; 
 
MS 237 , Food  additives – General standard;  
 
ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal  method for the e numeration of microorganisms – 
 Part 1: Colony count at 30 0C by the pour plate technique ;  
 
ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal  method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping 
of Salmonella – Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp ;  
 
ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for the enumeration of beta -
glucuronida se-positive Escherichia coli – Part 2: Colony count technique at 44 0C using  5-bromo -4-chloro -3-
indolyl beta -D- glucuronide ; and 
 
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of  food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts 
and moulds – Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water a ctivity less than or equal to 0. 95.  
 
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS  
 
For the purposes of this draft proposal , the following te rms and definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 
cake   
sweet  baked food made from thick batter usually containing flour, nutritive sweetener, shortenings, raising or 
leavening agents  
 
3.2 
extraneous matter  
includes  inorganic matter such as sand, glass, metal, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, clay and 
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed seeds and grains of crops, shell, hair , insects or insects 
fragments or any other foreign matter  
 
 
  
2 
 3.3 
food grade packaging material  
packaging material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which will not 
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
 
 
4 CLASSIFICATION OF CAKES  
 
Cakes can be  classified into two  major  categories based on ingredients and mixing method  as follows:  
 
4.1 High -fat or s hortened cakes  
 
These are cakes that  are made by the addition of fat or shor tening.  Usually prepared by using creaming or 
conventiona l method and two  stage or blending method  or melted mixture method . 
 
4.2 Low-fat or u n-shortened  (foam type) cakes  
 
These are cakes that are made without the addition of fat or shortening . Usually prepared by using foaming or 
sponge method, angel food method and chiffon method.  
 
 
5 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY REQUIREMENTS  
 
5.1 Essential i ngredients  
 
In the p reparation of batter for the different cakes , the following ingredients  complying with relevant Malawi 
standards  shall be used : 
  
a) Edible f lour;  
 
b) Shortening such as margarine, butter , ghee, edible vegetable oils, butter oil  etc.; 
 
c) Nutritive sweet eners such as sugar, honey , liquid glucose, edible molasses,  or non-nutritive 
sweet eners such as sorbitol , aspartame , etc.; 
 
d) Leavening agents  such as baking powder, ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium 
carbonate and any other approved aerating agents;  
 
 
5.2 Optional ingredients  
 
In addition to the essential ingredients, any of the following ingredients  may be added to the cake:  
 
a) Fruit and fruit products such as dessicated coconut, glazed cherries, candied peels or dry fruits e.g. 
currants,  dates, cashewnuts, almonds, edible nuts, raisins, sultanas  etc.; 
 
b) Spices and condiments such as crystallized ginger, cumin, cinnamon etc.; 
 
c) Cereal and cereal products such as semolina etc.; 
 
d) Edible oilseeds, fl ours, concentrates and isolates such as defatted or lecithinated soya flour;  
 
e) Edible starch such as tapioca etc.; 
 
f) Portable water;  
 
g) Eggs;  
 
h) Milk and milk products such as milk powder, liquid milk etc.; and 
 
i) Miscellaneous such as cocoa powder, caramel , etc. 
 
  
3 
 5.3 General requirements  
 
Cakes shall:  
 
5.3.1  Be suitably baked with no signs of under baking or over baking;  
 
5.3.2  Be moist, uniform in texture and with even distribution of added ingredients;  
 
5.3.3  Have the colour, texture, flavour and aroma characteristics of typical well -baked cakes;  
 
5.3.4  Be free from any rancidity or other objection able taste, insect or fungus and mould infestation; and  
 
5.3.5  Free from foreign matter .  
 
NOTE:  The appearance, taste and odour shall be determined in accordance with the methods of sensory analysis of food.  
 
 
5.4 Specific requirem ents 
 
Cakes shall comply with the specific requirements stipulated in Table 1 . 
 
Table 1 – Specific requirements for cakes  
S/N Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
1 Moisture, % m/m  15 – 27 Annex A 
2 Acid insoluble ash (on dry matter 
basis), % m/m, max.  0.1 Annex B 
3 Acidity of extracted fat (as oleic 
acid), % m/m, max.  1.5 Annex C  
 
Note: Fruit content for fruitcakes, percentage m/m minimum shall be 7.0. Test method see  annex D.  
5.5 Microbiological limits   
 
Cakes shall comply with the microbiological limits indicated in Table 2 .  
 
Table 2 – Microbiological limits for cakes  
 
 
 
6 HYGIENE  
 
Cakes shall be manufactured in premises complying with the hygienic practices stipulated in  MS 21.  
 
 
 
7 FOOD ADDITIVES  
 
Only those food additives listed under this product in MS 21 shall be used and only within the limits specified.   
 
  
S/N  
Microorganism   
Maximum limit   
Test method  
1 Total viable count,  cfu/g 104 ISO 4833 -1 
2 Yeast and mould, cfu /g 103 ISO 21527 -2 
3 Salmonella s pp, cfu/ g Shall be absent  ISO 6579 -1 
4 Escherichia coli , cfu/g  Shall be absent  ISO 16649 -2 
5 Staphylococcus aureus , cfu/g  10 ISO 6888 -1  
4 
 8 PACKAGING  
 
Cakes shall be pack ed in food grade packaging materials that shall not affect the quality of the product.  
 
 
9 LABELLING  
   
In addition to the provisions specified in MS 19 , the following information shall be clearly marked on each 
package:  
 
a) Name of product  as “Cake” ;  
 
b) Name and address of the manufacturer;  
 
c) Batch/code number;  
 
d) Net weight in metric units;  
 
e) List of ingredients in descending order of proportions;  
 
f) Date of manufacture;  
 
g) Best before date;  
 
h) Country of origin;  
 
i) Storage instructions ; and  
 
j) Declarations of allergens , if any.  
 
 
10 SAMPLING AND TEST METHODS  
 
10.1 Sampling shall be done in accordance with MS 145.  
 
10.2 Testing shall be done in accordance with the methods indicated against each requirement in Tables  
1 and 2 or other equivalent methods . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
5 
 ANNEX A  
(Normative ) 
 
DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE CONTENT  
 
A.1  APPARATUS  
 
A.1.1 Moisture d ish, made of porcelain, silica, glass or aluminium.  
 
A .1.2 Oven, electric maintained at 105 ± 1 0C.   
 
A.1.3 Desiccator .  
 
 
A.2 PROCEDURE  
 
A. 2.1 Weigh accurately about 5 g of the ground sample in the moisture dish previously dried in the oven and 
weighed.  
 
A.2.2 Place the dish in the oven maintained at 105 ± 1 0C for 4 h rs. 
 
A.2.3 Cool in the desiccators and weigh.  
 
A.2.4 Repeat the process of drying, cooling and weighing at 30 min intervals until the difference between  
the two consecutive weights  is less than one milligram.  
 
A.2.5 Record the lowest mass.  
 
 
A.3 CALCULATION AND EXPRESSION OF RESULTS  
 
A.3.1 Moisture content, w, expressed as a percentage by mass of the product as received, is  given by the 
following formula:  
 
w=  100  (m1  −m2 )
m1 −m 
 
Where,  
 
m1  is mass in g of the dish with the material before drying ; 
 
m2  is mass in g of the dish with the material a fter drying to constant weight; and 
 
m  is mass in g of the empty dish . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
6 
 ANNEX B  
(Normative)  
 
DETERMINATION OF ACID INSOLUBLE ASH 
  
 
B1 APPARATUS  
 
B.1.1 Dish, Silica or porcelain.  
  
B.1.2 Muffle f urnace , maintained at 600 ± 20  0C.  
 
B.1.3 Water -bath .  
 
B.1.4 Desiccator . 
 
 
B.2 REAGENT   
 
Dilute d Hydrochloric a cid, approximately 5 N, prepared from concentrated hydrochloric acid.  
 
 
B.3     PROCEDURE  
B.3.1 Weigh accu rately about 20 g of the finely powdered cake in the previously weighed dish and ash in 
the muffle furnace at 600 ± 20  0C until light grey ash is obtained.  
 
B.3.2 Remove the dish from the furnace  and allow it to cool at room temperature.  
 
B.3.3  Add 25 ml of the hydrochloric acid to the dish, cover with a watch -glass and heat on a boiling water -
bath for 10 min.  
 
B.3.4 Mix the contents with the tip of a glass rod and filter through Whatman filter p aper No. 42 or its 
equivalent.  
 
B.3.5 Wash the filter paper with water until the washings are free from acid, tested with blue litmus paper.  
 
B.3.6  Return the washed filter paper to the dish for ashing in the muffle furnace as above.  
 
B.3.7 Cool the dis h in the desiccator and weigh.  
 
B.3.8  Again , ignite the dish for half an hour in the furnace, cool and weigh. Repeat this operation until 
the dish has a constant mass, the difference between successive weighings being less than 1 mg.  
 
B.3.9 Filter 25 ml of the hydrochloric acid through a blank filter paper, wash, and ash and weigh it as in 
the case of acid insoluble ash.  
 
B.3.10  Substitute its mass from the mass of insoluble ash of the sample.  
 
 
B.4 CALCULATION AND EXPRESSION OF RESULTS  
 
B.4.1 Acid insoluble ash , percent by mass (A)   
 
 
A= 100  (m1 −m)
m2 
  
Where ,  
 
m1 is mass, in g, of the dish containing acid insoluble ash ( see Note ); 
 
m  is mass, in g, of the empty dish in which  the sample is taken for ashing;  and   
7 
  
m2 is mass, in g, of the sample.  
 
NOTE:  Correct the acid insoluble ash mass for the blank of filter paper, if any.  
   
B.4.2 Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis (AD)  
 
 
AD= A × 100
100  × m 
 
Where,  
  
A  is acid insoluble ash, per cent by mass ( see C.4.1 ); and  
 
m  is perce ntage of moisture in the cake  (see A.3).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
8 
 ANNEX C 
(Normative ) 
 
DETERMINATION OF ACIDITY OF EXTRACTED FAT  
  
C.1 APPARATUS  
  
Soxhlet a pparatus,  with a 250 ml flat bottom flask.  
 
C.2      REAGENTS  
C.2.1  Petroleum e ther,  boiling point 40  0C to 80  0C.  
 
C.2.2  Benzene -Alcohol -Phenolphthalein stock s olution . To one litre of distilled benzene , add one litre 
of alcohol or rectified spirit and 0.4 g of phenolphthalein. Mix the contents well.  
 
C.2.3 Standard Potassium Hydroxide solution , 0.05 N.  
 
 
C.3  PROCEDURE  
  
C.3.1 Weigh accurat ely about 10 g of finely powdered cake and transfer it to the thimble and plug it from 
the top with ext racted cotton and filter paper.  
 
C.3.2 Dry the thimble with the contents for 15 to 30 min at 100  0C in an oven.  
 
C.3.3 Take the weight of the empty dry Soxhlet flask.  
 
C.3.4 Extract the fat in the Soxhlet apparatus for 3  – 4  hrs and evaporate off the solvent in the flask on a 
water -bath.  
 
C.3.5 Remove the traces  of the residual solvent by keeping the flask in the hot air oven fo r about half an 
hour and weigh.  
 
C.3.6 Cool the flask and add 50 ml of mixed benzene -alcohol -phenolphthein reagent (see C.2.2 ) and 
titrate the contents to a distinct pink colour with the potassium hydroxide solution taken in a10 ml micro burette.  
 
C.3.7 If the contents of the flask become cloudy, during titration, add another 50 ml of the reagent ( C.2.2) 
and continue the titration.  
 
C.3.8 Make a blank titration of the 50 ml reagent. Subtra ct from the titre of the fat, the blank titre.  
 
 
C.4  CALCULATION  AND EXPRESSION OF RESULT S 
 
Acidity of extracted fat, (as oleic acid) per cent by mass  (FA): 
 
FA= 1.41×V
m1 − m2 
 
 
Where , 
  
V  is volume of 0.05 N potassium hydroxide solution used in the titration after subtracting the blank ;  
 
m1  is mass, in g, of the Soxhlet flask containing fat ; and 
 
m2 is mass, in g, of the empty Soxhlet flask.  
 
 
  
9 
 ANNEX D 
   (Normative )  
 
DETERMINATION OF FRUIT CONTENT  
 
D.1 This method determines the contents of both dry fruits and preserved fruits in fruitcakes .  
 
 
D.2 APPARATUS  
  
D.2.1 Bread or cake knife.  
 
D.2.2 Brush.  
 
D.2.3 Filter paper or clean cloth.  
 
D.2.4 Weighing balance.  
 
 
D.3 PROCEDURE   
 
D.3.1 Weigh four cake slices (approximately 100 g) accurately.  
 
D.3.2 Pick the pieces of preserved fruit and dry fruit.  
 
D.3.3  Pick each piece of preserved fruit and dry fruit and wipe them with a hair brush or a filter paper or 
clean cloth.  
 
D.3.4 Weigh  the fruits so collected and calculate the percentage of fruits from the mass of fruits picked out 
separately for preserved fruit and dry fruits.  
 
  
10 
 
ICS 67.060                                DMS 233:2 018 
                            First edition  
                                  
                                                                     
 
 
 
 
 
 
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