Okay, so. In the absence of eggs to help vegan baked offerings maintain their delightful fluffy texture, most cooks use some combination of baking soda/powder and an acid, generally lemon juice or (urk!) vinegar.
I’ve tried the lemon juice in a vanilla, lemon, and strawberry cake, with fabulous results. However… even in a very chocolately chocolate cake, I can’t get over the ineffable vinegariness or residual lemon juice taste.
Is there anything else I can use?
Some other alcohol, wine or brandy maybe?
Something that won’t make my cupcakes taste like spongy failed salad dressing?
I don’t, myself, have anything for you, but you might try consulting a food allergy site or sites as egg allergy is fairly common and such a forum may well have an answer for you.
Hmm. Checking the Veganomicon, they have a Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe that doesn’t use an acid at all. Baking soda, baking powder. I’ll list the ingredients and see if they make sense to you:
1.75 c brewed coffee
2/3 c unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1.5 c granulated sugar.
1/3 c canola oil
1/3 c applesauce
0.25 c cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 c whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
2 tsp confectioners’ sugar
Let me know if you want a summary of the directions, to see if you can generalize this to other recipes. (This is not a copyright violation as you can’t copyright ingredient lists or how to produce something, but direction wording can be considered copyrightable.)
That’s interesting, I’ve never tried just baking soda + acid. I usually use ground flaxseed in things like muffins, but I can see where they might add an undesirable flavor to a cake.
The Post Punk Kitchen offers a variety of suggestions of egg replacers and the most appropriate uses for each. So, maybe soy yogurt or banana?
Also seconding Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
I don’t know either; when I’ve replaced the eggs, I’ve used either applesauce or soft tofu. I don’t know enough cooking chemistry to understand what the acid would add.
True, though I was thinking of an extremely acidic agent like vinegar/lemon juice. Many baked goods that use eggs also have coffee (which they stated was for deepening the flavor) or Dutch-process cocoa. Applesauce is often a moisture replacer/retainer for vegan baked goods, as well. I wonder if it’s simply the mixture of all of those that carry it off.
Well I’m a bit late to this game, but I come with a solution: Ener-G Egg Replacer.
I’ve been using this stuff for 20 years. It’s easy to use, doesn’t adversely affect the taste or texture of foods, and works great as a binding agent to keep cakes, breads, muffins, etc. from falling apart.
It can be found in most health food stores (real grocery stores, it’s hit or miss at a vitamin-type health food store).
For the curious, it’s mostly just potato starch. It might seem expensive, but it only takes 2 tbsp plus some water to equal 1 egg, so a box will last quite a long time.
I have it, it’s a fantastic cookbook. Every cupcake I’ve made from that book has been delicious.
I think your question has already been answered, but I’ll list the things I use as a binder in baking:
EnerG Egg Replacer
Cornstarch and water
Applesauce
Ground flaxseeds
Banana
Canned pumpkin
Silken tofu
Obviously, pick the correct ingredient for your recipe, you wouldn’t want a banana flavored zucchini bread. The EnerG replacer or the blended silken tofu are the most neutral flavor-wise.