• Column: Baking Egg-Free and Dairy-Free
• Recipe: Cranberry Orange Cake

Baking Egg-Free and Dairy-Free

by Kay Bushnell

The egg and dairy industries, with their extremely crowded, factory-style system of raising animals, are sources of vast amounts of animal waste.  For example, the Sierra Club reports that Chino, California has the highest concentration of dairy farms in the world.  This growing community has been forced to build desalination plants to treat its groundwater, which is contaminated with waste from dairy cows.

Fortunately, consumers who are aware of the environmental consequences of egg and dairy production can have their cake and eat it, too.  All kinds of delicious baked goods such as cakes, muffins, cookies, and quick breads can be made without eggs and dairy products.  Environmentally aware cooks are often surprised to discover how easy it is to bake dairy-free, egg-free goodies.

Generally, recipes that contain just one egg can be made successfully simply by leaving out the egg.  If a recipe calls for two or more eggs, an egg substitute such as Ener-G Egg Replacer (made primarily with potato starch and tapioca flour) can be fluffed with water into a froth that is similar to an beaten egg white in both appearance and function.

Replacing cow’s milk is also easy.  Soy milk, rice beverage, almond milk, or one of the other tasty plant-based milk substitutes available today can be used in baking. Depending on the thickness of the plant milk, cooks may need to adjust slightly the amount of the liquid used.

The following cake requires no eggs and no cow’s milk. One of the plant milks mixed with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar performs the same function as buttermilk.  Plant milks (made from soy, rice, almonds, or grains) plus lemon juice or vinegar are frequently used in recipes that call for the tang of buttermilk.  Cranberries can be kept in bags in the freezer for a year or more and enjoyed in cakes, muffins, scones and other recipes long after the cranberry season ends.

Cranberry-Orange Cake makes any meal special and is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and outdoor events.

Cranberry Orange Cake

A colorful fruit-filled cake that’s easy, too. Perfect for holidays, picnics, tailgates, and potlucks.   Serves 12

2-1/4          cups all-purpose flour

1                 cup sugar

1                 teaspoon baking soda

2                 teaspoons baking powder

1/4              teaspoon salt

1-1/2          cups fresh whole cranberries

2/3              cup chopped pecans

1                cup chopped, dried apricots

1/4             cup dried cranberries

                  grated zest of 2 oranges

1/3             cup canola oil

1/3             cup applesauce

3/4 to 1 cup soy or rice milk mixed with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

                   (or lemon juice)

1/3              cup sugar

1/2              cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, fresh cranberries, pecans, apricots, dried cranberries and orange zest in a bowl.  Set aside. In another bowl  mix the canola oil, applesauce, and soy/rice milk and vinegar.  Fold the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and combine gently.

Mist a 10-inch bundt or tube pan with cooking spray.  Pour batter into pan, jiggle pan to even it, and bake at 350° for about 55-60 minutes, until a straw can be inserted into cake and come out clean.  The top of cake should be firm and lightly browned.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes.

With a toothpick or skewer poke 100 holes, evenly distributed, almost through the cake.  Combine remaining sugar and orange juice and heat gently in a saucepan or microwave to dissolve sugar.  Spoon hot sugar/orange syrup evenly over warm cake.  Cool cake in pan.  Carefully loosen sides of cake with a knife and turn cake upside down onto a serving plate.  Cover with wax paper and allow to stand a few hours before serving.

Adapted from a recipe in the San Jose Mercury News by Kay Bushnell

— Our food choices can make a difference. —