Fruit purées as egg substitutes
Puréed fruits that have a high pectin content can be used as egg substitutes. This is because pectin enhances the binding effect which is what’s wanted in many recipes when baking with egg.
Banana is particularly good at binding ingredients together and it also retains moisture well. Apple also has a high pectin content and therefore works well as a binding agent. So use these purées in recipes where egg is used to add moisture as well as bind ingredients together (for example, muffins, cookies and dense cakes). Feel free to experiment with other high-pectin fruit.
To replace egg in the recipe, use the following guideline:
- 1 egg = ½ banana, mashed
- 1 egg = 4 tbsp apple purée
Mashed banana and puréed apple are not ideal on their own for cakes where egg is used to lighten the cake. For light and fluffy cakes it would be better to use a shop-bought egg replacer instead. However, if you’d rather use fruit purée, you can compensate by adding extra baking powder or bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). It will not be as light as when using egg, though.
Another problem with using fruit purées is that they add a distinctive taste to your baking. This is not a problem if you’re making banana bread or an apple cake, but if you don’t want to have the fruity taste in your baking, choose another way to replace egg.
Enjoy your experiments!
Find out more about egg substitutes:
Egg substitutes – what are they and which one to use?
Shop-bought egg replacers
Sweetening syrups and honey as egg substitutes
No-added-sugar fruit spreads (sugar-free jams) as egg substitutes
Tofu as an egg substitute
Copyright © Tarja Moles 2013. Photograph © Dmytro Tolokonov | 123rf.com.
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Tarja Moles is the author of No Naughties: Sweet Treats without Sugar, Wheat, Gluten and Yeast. Visit www.nonaughties.com for free recipes and information on special diets and living with multiple dietary restrictions.
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