Editing Dessert (section)

== Ingredients ==
Sweet desserts usually contain cane sugar, palm sugar, brown sugar, honey, or some types of syrup such as molasses, maple syrup, treacle, or corn syrup. Other common ingredients in Western-style desserts are flour or other starches, cooking [[fat]]s such as butter or lard, [[Dairy product|dairy]], [[egg (food)|eggs]], salt, acidic ingredients such as lemon juice, and spices and other flavoring agents such as [[chocolate]], coffee, peanut butter, [[fruit]]s, and [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]]. The proportions of these ingredients, along with the preparation methods, play a major part in the consistency, texture, and flavor of the end product.

Sugars contribute moisture and tenderness to baked goods. Flour or starch components serves as a protein and gives the dessert structure. Fats contribute moisture and can enable the development of flaky layers in pastries and pie crusts.  The dairy products in baked goods keep the desserts moist. Many desserts also contain eggs, in order to form custard or to aid in the rising and thickening of a cake-like substance. Egg yolks specifically contribute to the richness of desserts.  Egg whites can act as a leavening agent<ref name="Flour Facts">{{cite web|title=Baking Flour Facts|url=http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/baking-flour-facts.htm|work=TLC|date=14 November 2007|publisher=Discovery Communications, LLC|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025052328/http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/baking-flour-facts.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> or provide structure.  Further innovation in the healthy eating movement has led to more information being available about vegan and gluten-free substitutes for the standard ingredients, as well as replacements for refined sugar.

Desserts can contain many [[spice]]s and extracts to add a variety of flavors. Salt and acids are added to desserts to balance sweet flavors and create a contrast in flavors. Some desserts are [[coffee bean|coffee]]-flavored, for example an iced coffee [[soufflé]] or coffee biscuits.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brien|first1=Donna Lee|title=Powdered, Essence or Brewed?: Making and Cooking with Coffee in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s|journal=M/C Journal|date=May 2012|volume=15|issue=2|doi=10.5204/mcj.475|df=dmy-all|doi-access=free}}</ref> Alcohols and liqueurs can also be used as an ingredient, to make alcoholic desserts.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Emoff|first1=Katherine|title=Alcoholic Sweet Treats Turning Dessert Into a Party|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/alcoholic-sweet-treats-turning-dessert-party/story?id=26353631|website=ABC News|access-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318075804/https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/alcoholic-sweet-treats-turning-dessert-party/story?id=26353631|archive-date=18 March 2015|date=21 October 2014}}</ref>