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Whether you’re avoiding dairy or eggs are just too dang expensive right now, your favorite desserts don’t have to suffer. (Or maybe you started baking, only to realize your pantry was stocked with cake mix…only no eggs. And you really don’t want to drop everything and head to the grocery store. Just us?)
Greek yogurt makes for an excellent substitute for eggs in cake mixes; Pillsbury’s Funfetti cake, for example, even lists the substitution info right on the box, making the swap a breeze. While general baking guidelines call for 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt for each egg, cake mixes don’t need quite as much. In fact, Pillsbury recommends using 1/4 cup Greek yogurt in place of all three eggs in its recipe.
After testing it firsthand, I can attest: It makes for one of the lightest, fluffiest cakes you’ve ever tasted. You have to use a gentler touch to frost the cake (or freeze it beforehand), because it’s so delicate that you can easily smush the cake or cause it to crumble, but oh, how the light, airy texture is worth it. (To that end, if you prefer a cake with more structure, Mommy’s Home Cooking recommends doing a combo of 1/4 cup regular yogurt with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour.)
How Cakes Baked with Greek Yogurt Differ from Ones Baked with Eggs:
- PRO: The cake is lighter, airier and fluffier
- CON: The cake is so tender it can easily collapse while decorating
- PRO: It doesn’t weigh you down after enjoying a slice
- NEUTRAL: The cake itself tends to be a bit paler. That didn’t matter to me, but it’s worth noting because at first, I wasn’t sure it was done cooking.
For easy decorating and snacking, these treats are best baked as mini cupcakes. Plus, they’re ready after about 10 minutes of cook time. Just make sure the cake is springy to the touch when you lightly touch the top, or if you insert a toothpick into the center it comes out mostly clean, with just a few crumbles.
Pair it with homemade chocolate buttercream—the from-scratch effort makes for a richer frosting that will make you forget all about the store-bought stuff—and you’ll never want another cake for birthdays, parties and every day in between. Trust.
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