Everyone's been there. You're going along, assembling the ingredients for your cake, and...your heart sinks. You don't have any baking powder! Frantically, you toss things aside in the fridge, desperate for any crumbs of the stuff...but you find nothing.Don't panic - just substitute. (Well, you can still panic if it will make you feel better, but it's really not necessary). Instead, just use 1/4 tsp. soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, or 1/4 teaspoon soda plus 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk.
And speaking of which, what do you do if you're out of buttermilk?
Here are some of the substitutions I've found most helpful.
- Instead of one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to slightly less than one cup of milk.
- Instead of 1 cup of cake flour, try 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- Instead of 1 tsp. dried leaf herbs, try 1/4 tsp. powdered herbs
- Instead of 1 cup of honey, use 1/ 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup of liquid
- Instead of 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, use 2 Tbsp. flour or 1 1/3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca.
What substitutions have you used in a pinch?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2008 @ 11:56AM
Bernie B said...
Instead of Vinegar, I use juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. Actually, I use this in favor of buttermilk on most occasions.
Reply
2-06-2008 @ 12:29PM
K said...
A cup of mayo for a cup of oil in a cup mix has been acceptable on occasion.
Reply
2-06-2008 @ 1:30PM
Stephanie said...
I also love the powdered buttermilk you can get at the store (it's meant to be mixed with water). It keeps in the fridge for a really, really long time.
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2-06-2008 @ 3:51PM
Astin said...
What I do (since buttermilk always comes in litres and I never need more than a cup): Put 1 tbsp of vinegar (or lemon juice) in a up, then fill to the cup line with regular milk (as opposed to "a little less than a cup of milk"). Stir it, and let it SIT for 5 minutes before using it. The sitting part is kind of key.
Reply
2-06-2008 @ 11:47PM
Keith S. said...
Eggs (for those rare instances when I'm caught without):
Either 1 tbsp cornstarch plus 3 tbsp water or 3 tbsp mayonnaise for each egg called for in the recipe.
Reply
2-06-2008 @ 11:48PM
kim said...
I like to sub yogurt for sour cream. I don't like sour cream, but sometimes it's required for a recipe. However, I pretty much *always* have yogurt on hand. And I think it's lower in fat too... *shrug* Tastes better, if nothing else!
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4-09-2008 @ 3:54PM
alsafi said...
I never have buttermilk on hand, and I virtually always have plain yoghurt--if you stir it, it substitutes perfectly and equally for buttermilk.
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