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Erin McKenna’s Babycakes book offers advice on how to substitute normal baking ingredients to allow for ‘Vegan (Mostly) and (Mostly) Sugar-free’ baking. McKenna ‘experimented endlessly with alternative health-conscious sweeteners, flours and thickeners’ in the hope of combating her own sensitivities to dairy, sugar and wheat. She opened her bakery Babycakes NYC in 2005, which helped get the gluten-free and vegan baking movement on the go. Read on for McKenna’s advice on ingredients substitution for milk, sweeteners, oils and flours.
Saving pennies on substitutions
The ingredient substitutions offered by the Babycakes founder give results that are similar to the original. ‘Of course, it is your prerogative to replace any of the ingredients in my recipes with others you are most comfortable using, but I can’t guarantee the results,’ writes McKenna.
While testing recipes for her cookbook, she tried substitutes for the more expensive ingredients but the results were not satisfactory. ‘That said, pennies are pennies, and you may find a bargain in some ingredient substitutions.’
Milk substitutes
Babycakes recommends using rice milk instead of cow’s milk. If you choose an alternative substitute, do so in equal measure to the given milk measurements. ‘Coconut and soy milk can be used if your diet requires,’ adds McKenna.
She also says that one should ‘be aware that any substitution will likely affect both the thickness and sweetness of your batter.’ You may have to adjust your ingredients accordingly.
Sweeteners
McKenna advises that one can use agave nectar instead of evaporated cane juice and vice versa. A cup of evaporated cane juice is equivalent to 3/4 cup of agave nectar. ‘When replacing 1 cup evaporated cane juice with 3/4 cup agave nectar, reduce the milk in the recipe by 1/4 cup.’
The oil measure should remain the same, though. Add 3/4 cup of hot water to the mixture when using evaporated cane juice instead of agave nectar. This helps to compensate for any loss in moisture.
Oils
Babycakes uses coconut oil but also recommends grape seed, avocado and pumpkin seed oils as alternative healthy choices. Canola oil is recommended as the most price-conscious oil substitute.
McKenna says that if you are gluten intolerant, choose a plain formula nonstick spray to grease your pans rather than one that is specifically made for baking. The reason for this is that baking nonstick sprays contain wheat.
Flour
McKenna advises that ‘rice flour can be substituted in equal measure for garbanzo-lava bean flour.’ She adds that spelt can’t stand in for garbanzo-fava bean flour. A word on spelt flour: spelt does contain gluten but many people who are sensitive to wheat gluten ‘are able to digest spelt comfortably and appreciate that it is high in complex carbohydrates, lower in overall carbohydrates, and contains enzymes that assist in glucose and insulin secretion.’
If you are wheat intolerant, be sure to get the go-ahead from your health practitioner before using spelt flour as a substitute in baking.
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