Is Strawberry Sponge Cake Acidic or Alkaline?
Strawberry sponge cake (baked) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Strawberry sponge cake comes out just alkaline at −0.6. The sponge base is thin and airy, and strawberries make up most of the weight, so their potassium just outweighs the protein from egg and flour. At 133 kcal per 100 g, it's also a light cake. The PRAL tells you nothing about the sugar in the glaze and the base. It only accounts for minerals.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, strawberry sponge cake (baked) ranks #32 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sorbet (−0.7), Apricot cake (−0.7), Milky Way (−0.8). More acid-forming are Chocolate marshmallow kiss (−0.5), Caramel candy (−0.5), Chocolate mousse (−0.5).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is strawberry sponge cake acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Strawberry sponge cake (baked) has a PRAL of −0.6 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much strawberry sponge cake do I need for a noticeable effect?
A small serving (40 g) of strawberry sponge cake adds −0.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of strawberry sponge cake roughly offsets one of them.
Why is strawberry sponge cake alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Strawberry sponge cake provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−0.6).
Strawberry Sponge Cake logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.