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Egg free cake disaster (self.BakingNoobs)

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[–]MindTheLOS 4 points5 points  (7 children)

Yeah, it's called chemistry. You can't mess around with baking recipes the way you can with cooking. If you want to make an eggless cake, start with a eggless cake recipe.

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 -4 points-3 points  (6 children)

A simple Google search for egg substitutes shows plenty of options. One being applesauce. It’s very clearly been done. I’m asking for those that have had to do this.

[–]MindTheLOS 3 points4 points  (2 children)

You've gotten plenty of people telling you the exact same thing I told you. You just don't like the reality of needing to use a different recipe. Can't change reality for you.

And if you're old enough to type and haven't yet learned that you can't believe every google result, well, no one can help you there.

Your options are to keep trying what you've been doing and failing, have a snit, or try recipes that are meant to be egg free from the start. Your choice!

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 -3 points-2 points  (1 child)

And you can’t seem to understand people have done it. I’ve seen plenty mention it on many platforms. You haven’t had to work with it so I don’t know why you’re even commenting. Not to mention, it’s JUST a cake. I don’t know why you are so strung up over an egg substitute. I actually just found a post that discussed this. It’s much more helpful.

[–]MindTheLOS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not strung up. I'm replying because people ranting and raving like you amuse me, and I could use some entertainment this evening.

Glad you found a post. Hope it works out for you better than what you've tried already.

Also I find the assumptions people like you make fascinating, like you assuming that I've never had to make an eggless cake before. The stories you tell yourself so you can feel better.

[–]LadyOfTheNutTree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really depends on the application and recipe. You aren’t telling us what kind of cake you’re trying to make. How much flour and leavener are used? Some cakes rely on the protein structure of egg to hold air and help the cake rise. These recipes will never work with applesauce. Other cakes use gluten and baking powder for the air, these cakes lend themselves better to egg replacement

Applesauce is often a great egg/oil replacer for a sweet bread or loaf cake that is denser to begin with

In other recipes you may find that a flax egg works better

In a light sponge, whipping aquafaba might be needed for the air, then add a little applesauce or pumpkin for richness.

There are multitude of vegan cake recipes online. These will provide better results because they’ve been specifically formulated.

[–]theBigDaddio 0 points1 point  (1 child)

And of course the internet is never wrong! Apples have no protein. They are not a sub for eggs, anyone who says this is borderline stupid.

[–]LadyOfTheNutTree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is just not true

[–]Aggressive-Value1654 2 points3 points  (9 children)

It's because you're not using eggs. You're using a substitute expecting the same results. Explicit recipes require explicit ingredients unless the recipe specifically says you can substitute one thing for another.

Which recipe are you following, and to make what kind of cake? You've been pretty vague in your post expecting people to come to your aid with zero information.

I'm not trying to be difficult, but some recipes require eggs with no substitutes being viable.

Quick Edit: Eggs fluff up while mixing which creates air pockets in the batter. Applesauce will NOT do that.

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 -2 points-1 points  (8 children)

Considering there are plenty of vegan cakes, it obviously works. I asked here for the people who have had to experiment with this. I’m not a new baker. I’m new to having to steer clear of eggs when baking.

[–]Aggressive-Value1654 3 points4 points  (6 children)

Considering there are plenty of vegan cakes, it obviously works.

WRONG!

Many recipes need more than just substitution to be vegan. And if your goal is to go with vegan options, which is fine, then stop trying to adopt recipes that explicitly need eggs with no substitutions.

Or you can just deal with the more dense finished product you're getting.

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 -1 points0 points  (5 children)

A simple Google search for egg substitutes shows plenty of options. One being applesauce. It’s very clearly been done. I’m asking for those that have had to do this. You can calm down cake patrol. It’s not that deep.

[–]MindTheLOS 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You're the one asking for help, totally not understanding how chemistry works, and then name calling when you don't like the answers.

[–]BlueLeaves8 1 point2 points  (2 children)

It’s been done yes..by revolving the whole recipe around that substitution to make it work which is what people are saying. You can’t just slot in a substitute and it will behave the same.

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yes that was why I posted. I wanted to find what else could be done. I did finally find a post with helpful alternatives and different things to attempt. Unfortunately, I can no longer use eggs and I don’t want that to mean I cannot have old favorites. I did not give a specific recipe because I have way too many that will all need altering.

[–]amyworrall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm afraid it _does_ mean you can no longer have old favourites.

[–]Aggressive-Value1654 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A simple Google search for egg substitutes shows plenty of options. One being applesauce. It’s very clearly been done. I’m asking for those that have had to do this. You can calm down cake patrol. It’s not that deep.

You already deleted your post because I hope you realize you're wrong. Yes, you can sub in applesauce for many things, but you never answered which recipe you're trying to make with that substitution.

Not all recipes will work like that, but attacking people trying to help you is a horrible toxic trait you have. Grow up and respond with information being asked of you.

[–]Estrellathestarfish[🍰] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It works for vegan cakes that are specifically designed around not using eggs and the properties of apple sauce. In a lot of recipes that were devised with eggs it won't work. Apple sauce has the binding properties of eggs but can't introduce air in the same way as eggs, so in a recipe that needs that, apple sauce won't work. As others have said, there are plenty of vegan recipes designed not to have eggs and to use the most appropriate egg substitute for the recipe, use them.

[–]epidemicsaints 2 points3 points  (3 children)

It's really only useful for maybe one egg in an oil based batter for muffins, banana bread type stuff. Anything else and it's just so-so.

There are lots of egg-free recipes out there. Tons of nice vegan cakes that just work even if you use dairy milk, butter etc instead of the vegan stuff.

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yes, I’m just trying to see how to incorporate it into recipes I know and have. Unfortunately, I can no longer use eggs in my bakes.

[–]psephophorus 0 points1 point  (1 child)

You can try guar gum to veganize egg-based recipes. It is a natural food stabilizer that mimics how eggs fix air into the cake. Basically egg has three functions that may or may not be crucial for a particular baked good.

1) Fixing air bubbles. While a cake is baking, baking soda ceates gas bubbles or sometimes air is simply whipped into the dough. Hot gas rises up through the dough and would leave, but the raw, liquid egg protein denaturing into solid at the same time preserves this bubbly form. Whipped aqua faba supposedly behaves similar to whipped egg whites, but my experiments found it to be a bit weaker than egg. Leavened breads do not need egg for fluffiness, because there the gluten fixes bubbles created by yeast. Gluten is a bit weak to do it in denser, enriched cake doughs that have less flour as a percentage of total weight.

2) Adding fat and protein e.g richness - can be substituted with your preferred fat and protein source. I like adding ground nuts, since it covers both. Cashew nut is nice and neutral in color and taste.

3) Adds moisture - pretty straightforward. In many quiche bases it is the only source of water to the dough and substituting it with only ground nuts would not work.

Adding moisture is the only thing I see the apple sauce achieving. Maybe it also adds richness, but substituting protein with sugar is definitely noticeable in flavour to me. Maybe it also adds some extra acidity for the additional baking soda, but without anything to fix the air pockets they just pass through. Which brings me to guar gum. Adding this powder while whipping the dough creates structure to it that does not collapse during baking. You still need to add something for the other two egg's functions, if the recipe needs it.

Combining nut meal, water and guar gum might work in existing recipes. Happy experimenting and good luck!

[–]Extra-Cookie8939 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you♥️

[–]VLC31 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, you sound exhausting. You say you’re an experienced baker how do you not understand that substituting ingredients will cause your bakes to turn out differently? Apple sauce is not an egg, why do you expect it to react like an egg?. You keep saying it’s worked for other people, do you know anyone that has made the same substitution in the same recipe you are using?

[–]Estebesol 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Different egg substitutes do different things. Apple sauce binds, but won't help the cake rise. A bit of baking soda plus apple cider vinegar is usually used for that in vegan recipes.

[–]Flying_Toad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Baking needs a specific ratio of ingredients to work. Change that ratio and things won't turn out the same. Whether that's flour/gluten, moisture content, fat, rising agent like baking powder or yeast, etc.

An egg has very unique properties that affect a cake. It's not like a spice that is there just for flavor, it has a specific role in the chemistry and composition of the dough or batter it's in.

SOMETIMES, substituting 1 for 1 CAN work in SOME recipes. But it's not a blanket solution that works every time, because applesauce is NOT an egg. They simply don't function the same way on a molecular level.

So instead of just substituting it 1 for 1 in your favourite recipes, you should seek out recipes that were tested specifically to be eggless and avoid yourself the headache.

[–]PancakeRule20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Buy “the elements of baking”, it really teaches you how to substitute eggs (and other things) in recipes so you can see why you sound exhausting and entitles, even when you do a lot of things wrong

[–]Squaaaaaasha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Egg substitutes arent going to be exactly like egg because they arent egg. Just like gluten substitute wont be exactly like gluten because it isn't gluten