Learn all about making buttermilk in an instant and using it as an egg substitute in baking to make the moistest and softest cakes possible.
One word – Buttermilk. It’s a blessing for all you vegetarians who can’t bake because a recipe calls for eggs. I get you. My family is mostly vegetarian so whenever I needed to bake an eggless cake I had to look for recipes online but I never did find the right one ever. That’s when I started reading up about eggs and why they’re so important. Turns out eggs in baking serve multiple purposes like providing structure, as a binder or for moisture. If it’s the moisture, which is normally the case in most cakes and muffins, then this homemade buttermilk is your saviour. Just add it to the recipe like you would add a liquid and VOILA. Soft, fluffy cakes each time. No kidding.
Now making the real deal is time consuming so here I’m going to show you how to make the instant version and use it!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT BUTTERMILK?
To make instant buttermilk you need full fat or whole milk and some lemon juice.
Heat your milk until it’s boiling, once it boils add in some lemon juice to it.
You’ll notice that the milk will start to curdle or separate. Turn off the stove and let this process happen for at least a minute. Once done, separate the liquid and solid using a sieve. The liquid is instant buttermilk that works great in baking once cool.
PROPORTIONS:
1 egg = 1/2 cup or 120 ml of instant buttermilk
For 1/2 cup buttermilk you need = 1/2 cup full fat or whole milk + juice of 1 lemon
NOTES:
1. If the recipe calls for more than 2 eggs please look for other substitutes because this might not work. This detailed post on Chef in You is extremely helpful, have a look.
2. Let the buttermilk cool before adding it to the other ingredients.
3. Buttermilk is great to add moisture to any cake or muffin so add it in addition to eggs for extra soft cakes. Remember to use them in place of the liquid though as adding too much liquid means more baking time.
4. Instant buttermilk works great in cases where the purpose of eggs is to provide moisture. To find out the purpose of eggs in your recipe read this helpful post.
RECIPES WHERE I’VE USED INSTANT BUTTERMILK
EGGLESS LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE
LEMON CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY FROSTING
LEMON CUPCAKES WITH LEMON BUTTERCREAM
ORANGE AND STRAWBERRY SUMMER CAKE
Hi. Is whey water called buttermilk. I thought buttermilk means chaas and curdling milk u get whey water and cottage cheese
Hi Usha! Like I wrote in the post making buttermilk aka chaas is a tedious process so I’m giving you the instant alternative to it. Whey water here acts like buttermilk but no whey water and buttermilk are not the same. 🙂
hi
Can I use the normal buttermilk made with our curds instead of whey in the same proportion.
thanks
Hi Mahek! Yes you can 🙂 I use whey only as a substitute to buttermilk.
Hiii..d recipe says mix of granulated white sugar n dark brown sugar…is dark brown sugar same as dermera sugar…or can i use only white sugar..thanks
Hi Akanksha! Demerara is not the same as brown sugar but you can use it in its place. I’d still recommend using dark brown sugar (I use Tate and Lyle) for best results 🙂
1.Hi can I use milk instead of buttermilk.??
2.For any recipes if I want to double the proportion ??