With the new era of allergy-filled children, eggs which are the basis of many delicious baked treats, are now crossed out with a big fat marker.
I love eggs. Poached eggs, scrambled eggs…Eggs are especially important in baked goods like chiffon or sponge cakes. And I love baking.
But don’t despair, there is a substitute for those less fortunate to be allergic to eggs.
1 tbsp of vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda for 1 egg.
Both white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used.
But how does it work? Time to put them geeky glasses on.
It works similarly to the primary school volcano experiment where baking soda reacts with vinegar to create “real lava” gushing out.
The most important step in creating sponge cakes is to beat the egg white. When egg whites are beaten, they foam and create air bubbles. Combined with the protein from the eggs, this stabilises the air bubbles. During the baking process, water evaporates and the bubbles expand to form a porous network. This causes the cake to rise and results in that delightful soft spongy texture.
Now bring back it to the primary school science. Baking soda reacts with the acid in the vinegar to create bubbles in the form of carbon dioxide. The bubbles become trapped in the batter and causes the cake to rise during baking. This in turn creates the fluffy texture, similar to that of egg filled sponge cakes.
Here is my favourite egg-free chocolate cake recipe from Chelsea Winter. It is super easy, and creates a decadent moist and fudgy cake.
And that’s my geeky baking science of the week. It’s all about cross-curricula learning. Baking = literacy, maths, science and technology. What’s not to love about it?
