Substitute For Yogurt In Recipe?

Baking By wickeddelish Updated 23 Apr 2014 , 8:28pm by wickeddelish

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wickeddelish Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 5:14pm
post #1 of 9

AAnytime I have baked a cake that requires yogurt (greek or regular) in the recipe, the cake always turns out to taste fine but always has a very thick, dense, heavy texture. Is there something I could sub to make it lighter? Or am I perhaps doing something wrong? I have a cake to do this weekend and I want to use this recipe because it has the best flavor of all I have tried but the texture is a problem.

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sadiep Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 5:24pm
post #2 of 9

I would try butermilk, but I can't swear it would be a 1:1 substitute. The yogurt could be functioning in the recipe as a liquid or as a fat substitute, or a replacement for sour cream . . .  If you have time to test run you should. 

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:06pm
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i would suggest a new recipe--you can nearly transfer the same flavor with about the same ingredients--you need a recipe that does what you want--and for sure you can experiment with this heavy textured one--and real buttermilk is a good direction to go in because it has something or other in there that creates a superior emulsion----but i'd suggest trying a whole new recipe altogether to find that improved texture you'd like

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wickeddelish Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:11pm
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AThanks. I've tried several recipes and they're ok but the yogurt one tastes the best. Anyone have a good toasted coconut cake recipe that tasted great but doesn't include yogurt?

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:13pm
post #5 of 9

is this a bundt cake recipe?

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:20pm
post #6 of 9

if you beat your egg whites and fold them in that will lighten it unless you already are doing that--i don't know your recipe of course--and in general make sure your emulsion is pulled together well all the way through--doesnt' look broken or streaky--are you using butter and at what temp is it at? what method are you using to make it?

 

you could sub sour cream--the yogurt is not necessarily the ingredient that is making the texture unfavorable to you--

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wickeddelish Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:26pm
post #7 of 9

AI was not beating the egg whites beforehand, I'll have to try that. There is no butter in the recipe. The liquids are veg oil, egg whites, coconut milk and the yogurt. 350 in 2 9" pans The reason I think it's the yogurt is that anytime I've made a cake with yogurt (be it this toasted coconut or any other) it always ends up that heavy texture. It seems to be the common denomenator in any cake that turns out strange for me.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 7:42pm
post #8 of 9

gotcha--ok-- well 'yogurt' can have varying amounts of water in it--and it can have thickeners in it that might break down in the heat of baking so the water might sog the cake out--i mean i'm just thinking out loud here as the saying goes--so what you might wanna try is

 

  • strain the water out of the yogurt by wrapping it in cheesecloth and suspend that over a deep bowl for a few hours
  • *an easier way is to make a crater in the middle of the container and see if it doesn't fill with water--just keep dumping it out
  • read the label carefully when you purchase it--even if it's 'greek' yogurt --a lot of that has thickeners in it
  • sift your flour
  • i whisk the flour on the top of the bag before measuring to fluffy it up a bit before measuring and don't pack the flour in the measuring cups--unless you are already weighing it of course

 

but it might be a water thing huh--but just some random other thoughts for you--

 

hope you get a better result--best baking to you

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wickeddelish Posted 23 Apr 2014 , 8:28pm
post #9 of 9

AThanks. Other people thinking out loud is definitely helpful.

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