Protein networks in vegan cakes
I have read that one important role of eggs in cakes is to add proteins that denature with heat and then link together giving the cake structure. Given that proteins are so varied and abundant in nature, I was wondering whether there are vegan sources of protein that can perform the same function. Has anyone experimented systematically with this?
EDIT: This is distinct from the question of whether there are vegan egg substitutes that can be used in cakes. Since eggs do multiple things to cakes and since these roles are emphasized more or less depending on the cake, there is not going to be a single answer to "what is a good egg substitute for cakes?". I asked this question to try to learn specifically about whether there are ways to mimic the protein network that eggs create in cakes using vegan proteins.
Best Answer
Legume flours (eg soy, chickpea, lentil flour) match that role well - they are used in traditional (eg indian) eggless recipes as texture-enhancing binders, or even on their own - pakora and cheela batters are made with a lot of chickpea flour for that purpose.
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Why are vegan cakes so dense?
Vegan cakes sometimes turn out to be denser than traditional cakes because of the lack of eggs. Eggs are typically an ingredient that is used to make cakes turn out light and fluffy.How do you bind a vegan cake?
Applesauce is an excellent binding agent. It also adds moisture and flavour to biscuits, cakes, and muffins. Applesauce is available in stores and can also be made at home. Use 4 tablespoons of applesauce to replace one egg.What do vegan cakes contain?
Vegan cake is cake made without eggs, dairy butter or dairy milk. Each of these standard ingredients is easily replaced by plant-based substitutes, such as banana or flaxseed for eggs, non-trans fat margarine or oils for butters and plant milks for milk.Why do vegan cakes not rise?
In vegan cakes, the absence of the egg makes it so that it's all about taking advantage of gluten formation to build structure. This means that when you take the egg out of a cake recipe, you're going to be taking out the primary structure builder, which means that the cake is going to fall flat.PROTEIN VEGAN BROWNIES | MACRO-FRIENDLY
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Answer 2
Most of the protein structure in cake is due to gluten, from the wheat flour.
A cake is ideally more tender than bread (which is well-kneaded to develop strong gluten networks), but even low-protein cake flour will form some structure from its gluten.
One time-tested eggless version is "wacky cake", which uses vinegar for leavening and is therefore relying entirely on flour for its structure. (It works surprisingly well -- in some cases better than recipes I've tried that do use eggs.)
I am speculating, although I have not tested it or found a reference, that using an all-purpose flour or even bread flour would make a more successful eggless cake than cake flour would.
The Science of Cake (on The Guardian blog) has some more detail about the role different ingredients play in a "traditional" recipe (i.e., one that includes eggs).
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