How to Substitute Apple Sauce for Eggs in a Cake

Applesauce egg replacers work well in heavier cakes, such as a spice loaf cake.

Egg substitutes make a standard cake recipe more vegan-friendly or diet-friendly, depending on the rest of the ingredients. Using a fruit puree to substitute for the eggs can also save you a last minute trip to the store. You can substitute for all the eggs in a recipe or just one or two, depending on your preferences and what you have on hand. A cake requires some fat to be moist and tender, so if you substitute for the eggs you still need some form of oil or butter. Does this Spark an idea?

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Measuring cups
Bowls
Spoons
Cake pan

Instructions

- 1
  
  Verify the number of eggs needed in the recipe. Substitute applesauce only in cake recipes requiring four or fewer eggs, as the substitution doesn't work well if the recipe calls for more eggs.
- 2
  
  Add 1/4 cup applesauce for each egg called for in the recipe. Use plain applesauce for most cakes or cinnamon applesauce for a spice cake.
- 3
  
  Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Applesauce tends to clump together, so the batter may require more stirring to fully incorporate the applesauce into the other ingredients.
- 4
  
  Pour the batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake the cake at the recipe indicated recipe, but set the timer for 10 minutes less than the baking time recommended. Cakes made with applesauce may not require the full cooking time.

Tips & Warnings

Substitute pureed bananas or pumpkin instead of applesauce for the eggs.
The flavor of the applesauce does change the finished flavor of the cake. It works best in heavily spiced cakes as opposed to lighter tasting cakes.
The cake will not rise as much as one made with eggs. Applesauce makes a denser cake since it doesn't add volume in the manner that eggs do.