Johannesburg - Replacing eggs when baking can be a challenge. Egg adds structure to baking, acts as a binding agent and is often what gives baked goods that lovely golden colour.
Here are a few suggestion for ingredients that can be used to replace eggs when baking.
* Vinegar: 15ml of grape vinegar can be used to replace every egg called for in most recipes.
* Flax meal: Combine 15ml ground flax seeds with 45ml water and leave to stand for 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken up on standing. This quantity will replace 1 egg in your recipe.
* Silken Tofu: 60ml puréed silken tofu is equal to 1 egg. Add this to other wet ingredients in the recipe.
* Bananas: Half a banana puréed until smooth equals 1 egg. Bananas work wonders as an egg replacer in baking as they hold the air bubbles well, make goods moist and impart a nice flavour and golden brown colour. This is only suitable if the flavour of bananas goes with your baking.
HUMMINGBIRD LOAF
250g butter
250ml brown sugar
125ml apple sauce
60ml plain yoghurt
10ml apple cider vinegar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
400g tin of crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved
750ml cake flour
5ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml ground cinnamon
5ml salt
250ml desiccated coconut
100g pecan nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
ICING
125g butter
250g thick cream cheese
625ml icing sugar
5ml vanilla extract
Cream the butter and sugar very well. Beat in the apple sauce, yoghurt and vinegar.
Combine the mashed banana and drained pineapple and add to the cream mixture.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt and add to the creamed mixture with about 200ml of the reserved pineapple juice. The mixture should be a soft dropping consistency.
Fold in the coconut and pecan nuts.
Spoon the mixture into a large 25x13cm loaf tin or 2 medium loaf pans which have been greased and base-lined.
Bake at 160°C for 1-1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.
When completely cool, top with the icing and decorate with coconut flakes and dried banana chips if desired.
ICING: Cream the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well blended.
Add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix to form a fluffy icing.
ORANGE POPPY SEED CAKE
15ml grated orange rind
125ml freshly squeezed orange juice
250ml milk
250g butter
375ml castor sugar
180ml plain yoghurt
5ml vanilla extract
750ml flour
20ml poppy seeds
7ml baking powder
2ml salt
GLACÉ ICING
500ml icing sugar, sifted
30-45ml orange juice
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a ring tin well.
Mix together the orange rind, orange juice and milk and set aside.
In a bowl of a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy.
Add the yoghurt and beat well.
Add the vanilla and beat again.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.
Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the orange juice mixture, beating after each addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and tap it gently on the counter to break any air bubbles.
Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before inverting the pan onto a cooling rack.
Remove the cake from the tin and cool completely. Cover with glacé icing.
ICING: Combine the icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a thick paste.
BAKED LEMON CHEESECAKE
BASE
200g packet of digestive biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
FILLING
250g thick cream cheese
250g sour cream
250g mascarpone cheese
160ml castor sugar
grated rind of 1 large lemon
80ml lemon juice
125ml cornflour
5ml vanilla essence
250ml cream, whipped
60ml prepared raspberry sauce to decorate
BASE: Combine the biscuits and butter and mix well. Press into the base of a 22cm springform cake tin.
Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
FILLING: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mascarpone cheese.
Add the castor sugar, lemon rind and juice and mix until well combined.
Add the cornflour and mix well.
Mix in the vanilla.
Pour this onto the base and bake at 150°C for 40-50 minutes until set but still slightly wobbly in the middle.
Switch off the oven and leave the cheesecake there for another hour.
Remove and cool, then refrigerate until required.
The cheesecake does sink slightly on cooling.
When ready to serve, remove cheesecake from the tin and place on a serving plate.
Top with whipped cream and drizzle with raspberry sauce.
ALMOND CREAM BISCUITS
Makes about 15-20 biscuits
250g butter
160ml icing sugar
500ml cake flour
125ml cornflour
5ml almond essence
castor sugar for sprinkling
ICING
125g butter, softened
500ml icing sugar
a few drops of almond essence
Cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour and cornflour and add to the butter mixture. Mix to form a stiff dough.
Mix in the almond essence.
Roll out the dough to a 5mm thickness on a lightly-floured surface and cut out desired shape.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until pale golden in colour.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with castor sugar while still warm.
Cool on the tray and, when cold, sandwich together with the icing.
ICING: Cream the butter until fluffy.
Add the icing sugar and mix until well combined.
Mix in the essence.
BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE MUFFINS
Makes 12
CRUMBLE
180ml flour
50g butter
60ml brown sugar
125ml flaked almonds
BATTER
500ml self-raising flour
125ml ground almonds
2.5ml bicarbonate of soda
2.5ml baking powder
125ml castor sugar
250ml soya milk
125ml grapeseed oil
5ml vanilla extract
2ml almond extract
120g fresh blueberries
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners.
CRUMBLE: Combine the flour and butter in a bowl and rub it in with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar and almonds and set aside until needed.
BATTER: In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
In a jug, whisk together the soya milk, grapeseed oil and extracts.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the liquid ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. It should still be slightly lumpy.
Divide the mixture in the prepared muffin tin, push 4-5 blueberries into each and cover with the crumble.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Cool slightly in the tin before removing to cool completely on a cooling rack.
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Makes 15-20
30ml flax seeds, ground
90ml water
500ml flour
330ml castor sugar
250ml extra water
125g butter
80ml oil
60ml cocoa powder
125ml buttermilk
5ml white vinegar
5ml vanilla
5ml bicarbonate of soda
Combine the ground flax seeds and water and set aside for 15 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour and castor sugar.
In a pot, combine the extra water, butter, oil and cocoa powder and heat until the cocoa is dissolved.
Remove and cool slightly.
Combine the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and bicarbonate of soda in a jug and mix well.
With the machine running, pour the warm cocoa mixture onto the flour and mix until combined.
Mix in the buttermilk.
Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 26x18cm lamington pan and bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the pan before cutting into squares.
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.