Apart from gelatin and other animal by-products, alcohol is also an ingredient considered haram but is found in most cakes.
Alcohol Cook Off – Busting the Myth
It's often used when cooking fish, lobster, meat, and desserts. Halal consumers should simply not cook with alcohol. In addition, for multiple reasons, it's not advised for Muslims to bring alcohol into their homes for cooking.
Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide if they feel comfortable consuming a cake with liquor in it. Alcohol is prohibited in Islam. Any food that comes into contact with liquor is a Haram.
It is not permissible to use it in food or drink in any way whatsoever…. The one who cooks meat with alcohol and consumes the juice is to be subjected to the hadd punishment, because the essence of the alcohol is still present.”
The alcohol evaporates when baking cakes and cookies. The residual alcohol content is very low (<0.5%). In fact, the food alcohol present in infinitesimal quantities in the flavouring incorporated into the cake has a role in diffusing this flavouring into the product during cooking.
In terms of cake, there's never a way to completely cook the alcohol out. After 2 1/2 hours in an oven, baked goods still hold about 10 percent of the alcohol.
However, ethanol is considered haram for Muslims because it causes intoxication. Ethanol is the most common volatile compound in food produced by the fermentation of sugars and is widely used as an important organic solvent for flavorings, colorants, and preservatives in processed foods [4].
Any ethanol produced by anaerobic fermentation and ranging between 1 and 15% is considered to be Haram (non-Halal, Forbidden), whereas ethanol produced by natural fermentation and less than 1% is considered as preserving agent and its Halal status is allowed.
Generally, an ethanol content of up to 0.5% is considered acceptable in Halal food ingredients, but this acceptable limit differs among countries [139] [140] [141].
Local fermented products such as tapai, budu, cencalok and belacan are permissible to consume they contain ethanol as they are not intoxicating. The from a religious perspective and hence the halal compliance of such products will depend on the intention and utilization of the product.
While most cakes can be made from any ingredient, halal cakes and pastries are made solely of those that are within what the Qur'an permits for consumption. This means that they don't contain any ingredient that is considered 'haram' or forbidden. Sometimes, you cannot avoid the use of gelatine.
Manufacturers of cakes, cookies and pastries should avoid mono- and diglycerides,gelatin,polysorbate,SSC, L-cysteine, flavors containing alcohol and other non-halal ingredients. The frying of foods under halal certification should use vegetable oil or oils obtained from a halal source.
Cupcakes can be halal, as long as they don't include pork ingredients or alcohol. Make sure you know what's in the cupcakes, as some can contain products like gelatin, which can come from pigs. Most cupcakes will be halal, but it's always best to check.
The ethanol used has not been added as an ingredient per se, but a preservative. It also has not been added to intoxicate nor for vain purposes. This means it would be permissible to use Jus-Rol foods. Scholars do stress in events of doubts, it is best to refrain.
Alcohol is produced as a 'bi-product of the fermentation process of yeast', however this is unavoidable and is part of the process of baking bread. Further, the alcohol is trace (very difficult to detect) and dissipates in the process hence Halaal.
Generally speaking, chocolate liquor is made with cocoa beans and cocoa butter, both of which are considered halal. However, if the product is made with any non-halal substances such as alcohol, then it would be considered haram.
According to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), if a substance intoxicates in a large amount, it is forbidden even in a small amount. Hence, most observant Muslims abstain from drinking alcohol at all costs.
It goes without saying that non-alcoholic beverages with 0.5% alcohol are therefore not halal for Muslims.
The alcohol content in beer might be relatively small, but it's still haraam. Islam clearly forbids any intoxicant, even if it contains a small amount of alcohol, or weed (any kind similar to it) that makes someone loose his mind.
Although kombucha has a low alcohol content, Muslims consider it halal because its production is a by-product of a natural fermentation process. Because this process occurs naturally and produces such low alcohol levels that it would not make you intoxicated, many Muslims consider it for consumption.
There is nothing wrong in having soft drinks such as Coca Cola as long as they do not contain alcohol.
Alcohol derived from honey, wheat, barley or corn is haram when used as an intoxicant, in an amount that intoxicates. But, if not used in any such manner, and intended to use for medical purpose, hygiene, perfume, etc., then it would be permissible.
For example, rum and bourbon give off nutty and vanilla tasting notes that work well with pie filling, cake mix and cookie dough (much like a vanilla extract). Red wine, port and brandy, on the other hand, add a sweetness that pairs nicely with glazes, chocolate cake and gingerbread.
Therefore, tarts or cakes containing rhum is haram. If rhum is mixed in a tart /cake, it is impossible to be removed altogether. There will always be traces of rhum in it.
Minimally processed ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, and peanut butter are probably acceptable, but not always. For example, some white sugar is processed with bone char, a form of charcoal derived from cattle bones, to refine and whiten it.