What will happen if I make a cake with one egg instead of two that it calls for? WIll I ruin it? Thanks.

leigh frat
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11 Comments

Alene July 16, 2016
I added a little mayo! Was delicious!! ?
 
Jacqueline M. June 21, 2017
I too do this and its moist and delicious!
 
boulangere January 13, 2013
As Barbara suggests, omitting an egg may well compromise the cake's texture. Egg yolks are brilliant emulsifiers of fat and water. Egg whites, which are largely protein, in combination with the protein in your flour, are the muscle, if you will, of a cake (or anything else). They'll help quite literally hold everything up. If you're going to skip a trip to the store (and with temps where I live diving steadily below zero now that the sun has vanished, I completely understand), I would suggest boosting the flour by about 10% to compensate for the lost protein. Take whatever your flour measurement is in either cups or ounces and multiply it by .10. I'd not add any more fat, as it is difficult to artificially duplicate the complex lipids (fats) in a yolk. However, I would also suggest boosting your liquid (milk?) by also 10% to compensate for the water you're lacking from the missing egg white. Great question - thanks!
 
trampledbygeese January 13, 2013
In Vegan A Go-Go, Sarah Kramer says that you can use flax, tofu, ener-G egg, banana and apple sauce as egg replacers.

For banana she says, 1/2 a banana mashed up = 1 egg, or 3Tbs apple sauce = 1 egg.
 
trampledbygeese January 13, 2013
If you have a good vegan cook book kicking about there should be some notes on egg replacement (like flax seed, apple sauce, bananas). You could try some of those.

Personally I don't like using flax as an egg replacement as it makes the cake heavy, but banana works well for me (although it changes the taste). Haven't tried apple sauce yet.

Since you already have one egg, I don't think it will make a huge difference to use one of these egg substitutes. If you do, let us know how it turns out.
 
Greenstuff January 13, 2013
Think about it this way--old brownie mixes used to say that for "cake-like brownies," add another egg. (Maybe they still say that; I just haven't looked at a brownie mix in decades.)
 
leigh F. January 13, 2013
Thanks. I was going to make banana bread. I actually just found a recipe that calls for no eggs. Not sure about that either.
 
drbabs January 13, 2013
For an answer to your question, I consulted one of my favorite authorities, Shirley Corriher. (Cookwise and Bakewise). She says that yolks work as emulsifiers and add creamy texture. Whites both dry and leaven (enable the cake to rise). So cutting eggs in half won't ruin the cake, but it won't rise as high as it would have, and it won't be as rich and creamy.
 
leigh F. January 13, 2013
Thanks. You just don't feel like going out. Maybe I'll skip it.

 
leigh F. January 13, 2013
Thanks. You just don't feel like going out. Maybe I'll skip it.

 
mensaque January 13, 2013
I don't think it will(ruin it).But it may not come out 100% as expected.I would add an extra half spoon of butter and a couple spoons of milk...or buy more eggs.It depends if you're just hungry for cake or if you want the perfect cake.
 
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