#TLDR
- Super-strength oils (candy oils): oil-based, 3-4× stronger than typical extracts. Best for hard candy, chocolate, cake pops and high-heat confectionery.
- Bakery emulsions: water-based, heat-stable. Best for cakes, cookies, muffins, frostings and glazes. Use 1 teaspoon emulsion = 1 teaspoon extract.
- Restock is in at Baking Pleasures: shop the LorAnn range.
- Recipe below: red velvet cookies using Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion.
If your kitchen smells amazing while something bakes, then the finished cake tastes a bit flat, the flavouring is often the culprit. LorAnn makes more than one style of flavouring on purpose. Oils and emulsions solve different jobs.
This guide is for Australian home bakers and cake decorators, with products you can order online or pick up at our Tweed Heads shop.
What are LorAnn super-strength flavouring oils?
LorAnn calls these Super-Strength Flavors (also known as candy oils or flavouring oils). According to LorAnn’s own flavour guide, they are 3 to 4 times stronger than typical alcohol-based extracts. They stand up to high heat, which is why candy makers reach for them first.
Best uses (from LorAnn):
- Hard candy, fudge, marshmallows, brittles and cake pops
- Many flavours work in chocolate (check their chocolate suitability guide for edge cases)
- Baked goods too: cakes, cookies, frosting and fondant, starting small (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon per 1 cup of butter or fat)
- Ice cream and frozen desserts
Practical tips from the same LorAnn page:
- Start with less than you think you need, then taste
- Do not taste oils undiluted
- Avoid plastic bowls and utensils where the oil can damage surfaces
- Keep out of reach of children
- Wipe spills promptly
At Baking Pleasures, the little 1 dram bottles (about 3.7ml) are the classic try-before-you-commit size. The 1oz (8 dram) bottles suit anyone who already knows their favourite flavour.
Our recent best sellers by size:
- 1 dram: Strawberry, Cake Batter, Raspberry
- 1oz: Strawberry, Cake Batter, Raspberry
Browse LorAnn oils & flavourings.
What are LorAnn bakery emulsions?
LorAnn bakery emulsions are water-based alternatives to traditional baking extracts. LorAnn positions them as heat-stable flavour that holds up during baking, rather than fading the way some alcohol-based extracts can.
From LorAnn’s about page:
- Strength is equivalent to baking extracts: 1 teaspoon emulsion = 1 teaspoon extract
- Ideal for cookies, cakes, muffins, brownies, sweet breads, frostings and glazes
- Gluten-free; most are kosher; free of nut and dairy allergens except cream cheese emulsion (contains dairy)
Their blog piece on emulsions vs extracts puts it simply: emulsions suspend flavour in water instead of alcohol, so high-heat baking keeps more of the flavour you mixed into the batter.
Our recent best-selling 4oz emulsions: Cream Cheese, Red Velvet, Cookie Butter.
Shop baking emulsions or the full LorAnn collection.
Oils vs emulsions: quick chooser
| You are making… | Reach for… |
|---|---|
| Hard candy, lollipops, isomalt | Super-strength oil |
| Flavoured chocolate or candy melts | Super-strength oil (oil-based blends cleanly) |
| Cake pops / high-heat confectionery | Super-strength oil |
| Layer cakes, cupcakes, muffins | Bakery emulsion (or oil used sparingly) |
| Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, glaze | Bakery emulsion |
| Sugar cookies with bakery-case flavour | Bakery emulsion (Princess Cake & Cookie is a favourite) |
| “I only bake cakes and hate tiny bottles” | 4oz emulsion |
| “I make candy and chocolate” | 1 dram or 1oz oil |
Can you swap them one-for-one?
Not as a strict rule.
- Emulsion to extract: yes, 1:1 by volume per LorAnn.
- Oil to extract or emulsion: no. Oils are much stronger. Start with a few drops or ¼ teaspoon and build up.
What about vanilla extract?
LorAnn also makes vanilla extracts for classic baking and frostings. Emulsions still win when you want a flavoured cake profile (red velvet, cookie butter, princess) that stays bold after baking.
Recipe: Red velvet cookies with LorAnn Red Velvet emulsion
Adapted from Robert’s Red Velvet Cookies on LorAnn Oils (Robert Lucas / @SweetImpact). Measures converted for Australian kitchens; method unchanged. The star is Lorann Baking Emulsion Red Velvet 4oz.
Makes: about 24 cookies (depending on scoop size)
Oven: 180°C (350°F), fan-forced check at 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 226 g unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 280 g caster sugar (about 10 oz)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons LorAnn Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion
- 355 g plain flour (about 12.5 oz)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 170 g white chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
Method
- Heat oven to 180°C. Line trays with baking paper.
- Beat butter on medium-low until creamy.
- Add sugar and mix until combined and creamy.
- Mix in the Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion, then the egg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in white chocolate chips.
- Roll into even balls and space on trays.
- Bake about 12 minutes. Cool 3 minutes on the tray, then move to a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight container once fully cool.
Flavour twists
- Cream cheese: add a little Cream Cheese emulsion to frosting only.
- Cookie butter: try Cookie Butter emulsion in sugar-cookie dough, starting around 2 tsp and adjusting.
- Princess cake note: Princess Cake & Cookie emulsion is the vanilla-almond-lemon bakery flavour Sweetapolita uses in white cake (LorAnn guest post).
How much should you use?
Always follow the bottle and taste as you go. LorAnn’s public guidance:
Emulsions: 1 tsp per tsp of extract called for in a recipe.
Oils in baking (rough start): ¼–½ tsp per cup of fat, then adjust.
Hard candy: often around one full dram per standard sugar batch (check your candy recipe).
Full charts are linked from LorAnn About Our Flavors.
Shop the restock at Baking Pleasures
Popular LorAnn oils and emulsions are back in stock. Order Australia-wide or Click & Collect from 27 Minjungbal Drive, Tweed Heads South NSW.
- All LorAnn oils & flavourings
- Baking emulsions
- Food flavourings & essences
Happy baking from the Baking Pleasures team.
Sources
- LorAnn Oils, About Our Flavors
- LorAnn blog, Emulsions vs Extracts
- Robert’s Red Velvet Cookies recipe (LorAnn)
- Sweetapolita Ultimate White Cake note (LorAnn blog)