Introduction / Purpose

Many of the recipes in the baking community feature sour cream as a “secret ingredient” of sorts. Could plain yogurt or even Greek yogurt work as a substitution? Or, could these even work better than sour cream? These results could be helpful to people trying to cut calories or in cases when only one of the three ingredients is handy.

Cupcake Project Substitution Lab

Test 2: Using Applesauce as a Butter or Oil Substitute

Introduction / Purpose

Many of you have asked me about using applesauce as a butter or oil substitute to cut back on fat. With holiday baking season upon us, it would be great to know if that really works. So, I decided to take it to the Cupcake Project Substitution Lab (a.k.a. my kitchen) and to run some tests. How would the substitution affect the consistency of the dessert? Is applesauce a viable alternative to butter and oil? My hypothesis was that the substitution would be successful, but the texture would be compromised and the applesauce might lend an apple taste to the desserts.

Materials

For my experiments, I used organic, unsweetened applesauce. (View on Amazon) [paid link]

Test 1: Using Mayonnaise as an Egg Substitute

Introduction / Purpose

Mayonnaise is mostly egg yolk and oil; so, despite the initial “yuck” factor, mayo is sometimes suggested as a substitution for eggs in baking. The most famous example of baking with mayonnaise is the chocolate mayo cake – proclaimed to be extra-moist. I wanted to know how mayonnaise would work as a substitution for eggs in desserts other than chocolate cake. Would I be able to taste the mayo? How would it affect the consistency of the dessert? Is mayonnaise a viable alternative to eggs? I decided to run some tests in my substitution lab (a.k.a. my kitchen). My hypothesis was that the substitution would be successful, but taste would be compromised.

Materials

To perform my tests, I used full-fat organic mayonnaise. (View on Amazon) [paid link]