Hello Mamta,
I want to congratulate on such a beautiful and dedicated site to so many reciepes which really helps.
I have tried making cakes with both eggs and without eggs wherein using Bi carbonate. Why does the taste differs so much. Whenever I make cake which is eggless it has a strnge smell. Infact the cake is ok. But comparing to cake with eggs is yummy.
How can I improve on the same. As there are many people who want to eat eggless cake.
Pls do reply.
Thanks
Ritu
Hi Ritu,
Eggs certainly add richness and flavour to a cake as well as improving its texture.
There are however many recipes for eggless cakes on the web and in cookery books aimed at vegans and egg allergy sufferers.
This does not explain the strange smell of your eggless cakes! What are you using as a substitute for eggs, even just to make up the moisture? Some sort of soy product, artifical egg.......?
Thank you for your comments about the site Ritu, it is joint effort betweem myself, my daughter Kavey, her husband Peter and a couple of our very regular visitors.
Are you using vinegar and if yes, which type of vinegar are you using? If you tell us more about your recipe here, others may be able to help.though I makw cakes, I am not an expert, but otheres here are.
Mamta
Sometimes you can find good eggless cake recipes on the Internet by typing in "depression cake recipes." During the depression (beginning in 1929?) when everything was rashioned here in the US, homemakers experimented and were able to come up with some very tasty recipes without eggs (which were rashioned).
Sorry, just realized that I messed up on that last post. During the Depression food wasn't rashioned, everyone was just too poor to purchase much in the way of eggs and milk. (It was during WWII that these things were rashioned). You can find some fun, and every economical recipes by typing in the word "depression" in the recipe title. I happen to have an eggless chocolate cake recipe that is great. No one would guess that there aren't eggs in the recipe. The cooks at that time could be very inventive.
Thanks all for replying.
My question particulary was about Bi carbonate............I tried making Eggless Fruit cake.
I felt Bi carbonate had some kinda smell...........may be I am feeling so.
Then to make sure I made another cake which one of my friends told me using banana, maida,milk, vanilla essence,butter, pinch of salt, sugar and the same Bi carbonate half spoon.
the cake was done, but again with bi carbonate creating the question mark. So i was like eggs really are better compared to Bi carbonate.............what do you guys say?
I have heard we can put youghurt as a substitute for Bi carbontae....just wanted to ask you guys am I corect?
Is there any substitute for Bi carbonate?
Regards
Ritu
Bicarbonate is odourless though it can give a slightly Khara taste to dishes, if you use too much of it. This is like ythe taste you get in Chickpeas, if you boil them with soda bicarb. It shouldn't give you any smell though, unless it is a very old supply. I don't even know if it has a sell by date, mine lasts for a few years, without any smell or deteriration.
Perhaps Lapis will see it and comment?
My computer is broken, it is not easy working on a litle lap top!
Hi Ritu - just a few more thoughts.
What flour are you using? If it is 'self-raising' it already has baking powder in it.
When you say 'bicarb' what exactly are you putting in? Bicarbonate of soda = baking soda = sodium bicarbonate.
Baking powder = bicarb (an alkaline) + an acid (often cream of tartar in ratio 1:2)
Both bicarb and cream of tartare should have long shelf lives unless they are already mixed as baking powder and for instance get damp.
I've always found bicarb fairly odourless even when used at high concentrations in hot water to remove stubborn household stains!
I was taught with the old adage "cooking is an art, baking is a science" i.e. for a cake follow the recipe. If you are trying to miss out or don't have an ingredient just find a recipe that excludes it, there's plenty out there!
Winton
Ritu
Probably would be helpful for you to share exactly what recipe you are using, so people can see whether there are any other issues.
And also to try some new bicarb --- to see whether your stock has gone old/mouldy or spoiled in some way.
But, you know, you won't be able to make a cake without eggs taste the same as one with eggs - that's why people use eggs! Different ingredients have different properties, not just taste but how they react to heat, how they mix with other ingredients, how they hold air and so on....
In the same way as vegetable proteins won't taste same as meat. Many people may prefer one or other version, but they won't taste the same!
(Posted this under mum's name accidentally, as was using her computer when visiting her house last night)
I agree entirely, Winton: for baking, follow the instructions to the letter.
My 12-year-old son had a go a lemon drizzle cake this summer, inspired by an English friend of his who takes cookery classes at school in Sussex. Our boy's first attempt failed (lemon rind, but no lemon juice), so he downloaded a recipe and we did it together, sticking carefully to the instructions.
It was a huge success, and the first time either of us had baked a cake. He's been doing these, and chocolate cake, ever since. Great, because his mum hates baking cakes.
It's the first time I've ever got him into the kitchen!
Result!
Phil