The Desperation Guide to Baking Substitutions

"If it is true that necessity is the mother of invention, it is for certain that irrationality is the mother of desperation."
~Erma Bombeck

We've all done it. Psych ourselves up to making that fabulous pumpkin bread/cake/brownies/cookie recipe we've been dreaming of for weeks. You carve out a sturdy chunk of your afternoon to dedicate to the baking affair. Your kids call in sick to their friend's houses on Saturday. 

You get started on the batter, you pour in the sugar, the flour, the spices and then-- an icy chill tugs at your veins. Did that recipe always call for buttermilk?? And what fiend ate the other 11 eggs in the carton!!

Noooooo!!! What have you done?!?!?!

The answer for most women is to stick the half mixed batter in the fridge and dash off to the nearest grocer, or sprinting to a neighbor's house, hopefully returning before your yeast goes flat.
Alas country girl, you are not most women!!
This blog is written for the rural chef, with the thought in mind that what you've got in your pantry at this moment is the only set of supplies you're likely to get this afternoon.
With any luck, this list will safe your sanity and sweet tooth.

Buttermilk: If you have this on hand regularly, you either have a cow in your backyard, or you make a lot of biscuits. Buttermilk isn't just for a rustic baked flavor, it acts as an acid chemically, and if you try to substitute plain milk, your munchables will fall flat (literally!)

"I thought you said you made a 16 layer cake?"
"That IS the 16 layer cake."

1 Cup Buttermilk = 

1 Tablespoon lemon juice + 1 Cup Milk : in a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to skim, low fat or whole milk at room temperature. Let sit for 10 minutes to curdle before adding to your recipe.

Or

1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar + 1 Cup Milk: same directions as above

Or


1 Cup of Plain Yogurt

Or

1 3/4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar + 1 Cup Milk: To ensure that the mixture doesn’t get lumpy, mix the cream of tartar with 2 Tablespoons of milk. Once mixed add the rest of the cup of milk.

Or

 The more work alternative: Have heavy cream? make mason jar butter. The liquid left in the jar after you have solid butter is genuine buttermilk.

You can buy powdered buttermilk at the grocery store, but if you had the presence of mind to pick that up in advance, surely you're not desperate enough to be on this page. Follow the package directions to reconstitute a cup of buttermilk and stop being such a drama queen.

Eggs: It is not the intent of this blog to suggest vegan alternatives to animal products. It is intended to supply a ready list of backup ingredients to salvage your baking plans or extend your groceries. As such, I will not be including obscure health food store ingredients. That said, if cutting cholesterol or animal protein is your main intent, there is an entire internet out there happy to make suggestions.
In baking, eggs act as a liquid, and a binder to hold the other ingredients together. For some recipes (like brownies or cake mixes) you can reduce the number of eggs used, for others (like fried chicken) you can pass up the eggs completely. Use your intuition to choose the best flavored eggless option for your purposes. If a bread relies on an "eggy" flavor though (popovers, some waffle recipes), it's best not to substitute at all.

1 Egg =

1 Tablespoon of ground or milled flax seed + 3 Tablespoons of warm water: Suspend the flax seed in the water for 5 minutes. This substitute is so popular in my house, I use it in all my cakes, pancakes, doughnuts and breads to stretch out my eggs for the week as a standard practice. Pretty much flavorless, and very cheap.

Or
 
1 Duck Egg: if you're out of chicken eggs, and have ducks, this is no time to be squeamish. Duck eggs give superior "loft" to baking anyway, and will not exacerbate an allergy to chicken eggs.


Or

 1/4 Cup Silken Tofu: If you have this sitting around in your fridge, you probably know how and when to use it. Adds a certain heaviness to baked goods, but doesn't alter the flavor.

Or

 3 Tablespoons of mayonnaise: I promise, this won't make your chocolate cake taste funny.

Or

 1/2 mashed Banana + 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

Or

 1 Tablespoon of corn starch + 3 Tablespoons of water

Or

 1 Tablespoon of unflavored gelatin + 1 Tablespoon cold water + 2 Tablespoons boiling water: Dissolve gelatin in the cold water, then add the boiling water, beat vigorously till frothy.

Or

 2 tablespoons liquid + 2 tablespoons flour + ½ tablespoon shortening + ½ teaspoon baking powder: An unnecessarily complicated formula with all these other options to choose from, but may be necessary at the end of the month.

 Vegetable Oil: I've been known to melt margarine, butter or shortening interchangeably. Use your best judgement for the flavor you want.

1 Cup Vegetable Oil =

1 Cup Apple Sauce: For baked goods only, please don't try to fry or saute' in applesauce.

Plain Yogurt: For sauces, soups, baked goods

1 Cup Plain Yogurt =

1 Cup Sour Cream

Or

 1 Cup Buttermilk

Or

 1 Cup Sour Milk: This is what you get using our buttermilk substitutions using either white vinegar or lemon juice.


Molasses: It may take you by surprise to see this in a cookie recipe you are already committed to.

1 Cup Molasses =

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar + 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar: Mix ingredients and then add to your recipe.

Baking Powder: Whats the difference between Baking Soda and Baking powder? Acid my dear girls! both ingredients act differently on a chemical level. Any substitution you try to make between the two must be compensated for.

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder =

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda + 1/2 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar

Or

 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda + 1/2 Cup of Buttermilk: if you do this you must subtract 1/2 cup of other liquid from the recipe.

Brown Sugar: You might be surprised how many times I've brainlessly begun Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter with none of this staple on hand.

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar =

1 Cup White Sugar + 1/4 Cup Molasses: Decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup.

Or

1 Cup White Sugar

Or

1 1/4 Cup Powdered Confectioners Sugar

Chocolate:  Lets not get into the whys and the hows of getting elbow deep into a chocolate based recipe and overlooking the fact that you have no chocolate on hand.    

Semisweet: 

1 ounce of semisweet chocolate =

1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate + 4 teaspoons of sugar

Or

1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon of shortening

Unsweetened:

1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate =

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa + 1 Tablespoon shortening or vegetable oil

Cocoa:

1/4 Cup Cocoa =

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate


Well gals, that covers my most needed substitutions. If there's another you desperately need on a regular basis (or you'd like to sound off on some of your favorite substitutions) drop me a comment!