Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I am just as frustrated as I can be with baking cakes! I've tried just about everything under the sun! Tofu, potato flour, ener g egg replacer, applesauce, bananas(yuck)....you name it, I've tried it! The result? VERY soggy cake....TOO Moist! Too dry. Unless the recipe is vegan specific, its crepe trying to veganize. I have a wealth of cake recipes that my Ma use to make. I loved all of them. I have tried and failed and now am sad. I want them to be AWESOME like hers were. It does not help that my entire family thinks that I cannot cook because I do not use animal protein in my diet. Help me please?
Thanks in advance!:)

I realize that this is boilerplate response... but have you tried any of the recipes out of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World? They're all very reliable and I'll bet you can find something that replicates your family recipes - or can be adjusted to do so.

Otherwise - providing more specifics about the recipe you're trying to veganize would be helpful.

I think the solution might be finding very similar cake recipes that are already vegan.

I generally don't try to replace more than 2 eggs, and I use a different method for each. So, I might do a flax egg and then 1/4 cup soft tofu. It is really problematic trying to replace multiple eggs in baked goods because you ave to worry about binding, structure, moisture, protein, and fat content.

I would stick to tried and tested vegan recipes until you become an expert enough baker that you can work out the chemistry of what the ingredients need to do in each recipe. Alton Brown has a great baking book that is thoroughly not vegan but explains all this.

If you want to try posting specific recipes, we can help you better.

Yes, I agree. Post the recipes.

What is the title of the Alton Brown baking book? I'd like to add it to my list of things to read.

Please post the recipes! There's got to be a way to make yummy vegan versions of your mom's cooking. I'm so sad about your frustration. I feel like finding a vegan recipe that's similar but not your mom's won't cut it, and nothing beats the accomplishment of succeeding in veganizing a family recipe. Unless it's angel food cake, in which case you should just give up now.