Man, I hate finding a recipe and running down the list of ingredients, just to find one thing you don’t have. But there are ways around that! Here are the most common baking substitutions that’ll keep you from running to the grocery store every day!
Dry Ingredient Substitutions
- Baking Powder: To make 1 tsp baking powder, combine 1/4 tsp baking soda with 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- Baking Soda: To make 1/2 tsp baking soda, use 2 tsp baking powder
- Cake Flour: To make 1 cup cake flour, use 3/4 all purpose flour, sifted together with 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Wet Ingredient Substitutions
- Buttermilk: To make 1 cup buttermilk, pour 1 Tbsp lemon juice into a measuring cup, then add milk until you have 1 cup of liquid. Allow milk to stand on the counter for 5 minutes before using.
- Corn (Karo) Syrup: To make 1 cup corn syrup, combine 1 1/4 cup white sugar with 1/3 cup water
- Egg: To substitute one egg, use 1/4 cup applesauce OR 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- Half & Half: To make 1 cup Half & Half, combine 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salted Butter: To make 1 cup salted butter, use 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco) and 1/2 tsp salt
- Sour Cream: To make 1 cup sour cream, use 1 cup plain yogurt
- Unsalted Butter: To make 1 cup unsalted butter, use 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- Vegetable Shortening (Crisco): To make one cup shortening, use 1 cup unsalted butter
- Whole Milk: To make 1 cup whole milk, combine 1 cup skim milk with 2 Tbsp melted butter