Can You Use 2 Eggs Instead of 3 in Cake Mix? - CakeRe (2024)

FAQs

Can You Use 2 Eggs Instead of 3 in Cake Mix? - CakeRe? ›

I regularly add one extra egg to a boxed cake mix to get a more homemade texture. A regular boxed cake mix usually calls for 3 whole eggs. You can add four and the cake comes out a little more dense and moist. Or, you can add 1–2 egg yolks to get it even more rich and dense.

Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein. As Fine Cooking explains, when the protein in eggs combines with the protein in flour, they produce the overall structure of the baked good.

TIP FOUR: Add more eggs

Here's a simple little trick: Most boxed mixes call for 3 whole eggs. Instead, use 4 whole eggs and don't be afraid to go big. I usually use extra large eggs when I'm baking. Even if you toss in an extra egg yolk or two, your cake will be enriched.

Replace up to 3 eggs with 1/4 of plain yogurt (total). Can you make a Betty Crocker cake mix without eggs? Yes, you can! To do so, substitute the three eggs called in the box for 1/4 cup of plain regular yogurt + 1/4 cup (35 g) all-purpose flour.

Vinegar and baking soda

This substitution works best for cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads. Mixing 1 teaspoon (7 grams) of baking soda with 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of vinegar can replace 1 egg in most recipes.

Too few eggs will yield a cake that is overly compact and doesn't hold together will. Too many eggs can leave you with a spongy or rubbery mess. But egg volumes can be manipulated to lighten the texture of a cake or add strength to a cake that needs to be carved.

Whisk together water, oil, and baking powder.

This is a great substitute if you need to replace multiple eggs in a recipe, as it won't make the baked good too greasy or change its flavor profile (like some other substitutes). A simple combination of water, baking powder, and vegetable oil mimics eggs almost to a T.

Where the eggs you are using are needed to make the cake rise, try making a simple leavening replacement by mixing 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon baking powder. This is enough to substitute for one egg, so double the quantities if you are replacing two.

If a recipe calls for 2 large eggs you can use 3 medium eggs instead if you prefer.

What can I use instead of 3 eggs? ›

What is the best egg substitute in cake mixes? While none of the replacements yield excellent results, the best egg substitutes for boxed cake mix are aquafaba, applesauce, and powdered egg replacers. For lighter texture cakes, aquafaba works great though it really works well in most baked goods.

As a leavening agent: Some people don't know this, but eggs in a recipe can actually make the cake rise. They are good leavening agents. Thus, substitutes include ingredients like baking powder, gelatin, yogurt, and baking soda.

Replacing Eggs In Betty Crocker Baking Mixes

Most Betty Crocker mixes call for the addition of eggs. According to the website, you can replace eggs using applesauce, bananas, flax seeds, or a can of diet soda. As far as ratios go, a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce replaces one egg.

Does a recipe only call for one egg when baking? A quarter cup of vegetable oil can substitute for it. If you need more than one egg, try other options to minimize grease and oil.

Eggs As a Leavening Agent

For recipes which use eggs primarily as a leavening agent you can try a commercial egg replacement product (see above) or the following mixture: 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon baking powder per egg.

Generally the more eggs you add to a brownie recipe, the cakier the brownie will be. That's why it's a good idea to stick with 2 eggs, which is typically the amount that the back of the box calls for. However, you can add an additional egg yolk if you want to experiment.

Water, milk, or water mixed with milk powder can replace eggs. In some recipes, simply replacing the weight of eggs with the same amount of water or milk, or slightly less (since eggs are only 75 % water) can work well.

To replace one egg in a cake mix, you can simply use ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce. Applesauce will add a nice, smooth flavor to your cake as well as provide moisture to the batter, keeping your cake from drying out as it bakes.

How important are eggs in a cake? ›

Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream — they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.

If you put two eggs instead of one when baking, it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Generally, adding another egg can make your baked goods heavier and denser, as the additional egg will enhance the structure of the dish and act as a binder.

Applesauce and mashed banana are our top two recommendations for egg substitutes. Other common ingredients you can use include: Vinegar and Baking Soda.

You can use 3 tbsp of mayonnaise for each egg that your recipe calls for. Mayonnaise is a good substitute for adding moisture to your brownies or other baked goods. What is this? Mayonnaise is made of eggs and oil so it just makes sense to use mayonnaise in your baked goods to make them soft and moist.

To keep your cake from getting dry or crumbly, use all the eggs called for in the package directions and use large eggs, rather than small ones. If you're not sure what size eggs you have, measure them: 3 whole large eggs equals 2/3 cup; 3 egg whites equals 1/2 cup. Also, don't leave out the oil!

But to answer your question yes you can substitute whole eggs for egg whites in a cake mix.

Use applesauce to add moisture. Replace one egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce in sweet desserts. If you want a lighter texture, add an extra 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder, as fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.

Egg Size Substitutions Chart

3 large eggs are equivalent to: 3 medium eggs, 3 extra-large eggs, 2 jumbo eggs. 4 large eggs are equivalent to: 5 medium eggs, 4 extra-large eggs, 3 jumbo eggs. 5 large eggs are equivalent to: 6 medium eggs, 4 extra-large eggs, 4 jumbo eggs.

The wrong egg size alters the liquid ratio in a recipe.

"Egg size has the greatest impact on the taste and texture of baked goods in recipes that call for more than one egg," explains Drexinger.

Can I use 2 small eggs instead of 1 large? ›

As you can see, if a recipe calls for a single large egg, you can simply substitute any size of chicken egg. Once it calls for two or more, you may need to make an adjustment if you have only small or medium eggs or if you have only extra-large or jumbo eggs.

3/4 cup carbonated water = 3 eggs.

1 large egg equals about 4 tablespoons, so just scoop out 6 tablespoons for your recipe if you're reducing it by 1/2 and it calls for 3 eggs—6 tablespoons should be roughly about 1 1/2 eggs. Four tablespoons per egg is a guesstimate, however. Some large eggs yield only 3 tablespoons, or they yield somewhere in between.

For a Duncan Hines cake mix recipe, you can use 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, plus 1 tablespoon vinegar, plus 1 tablespoon liquid for a replacement for 1 egg.

To replace whole eggs in chewy baked goods like brownies, use one ripe mashed banana for every egg the recipe calls for.

The fact is, adding eggs produces a superior cake. Proteins in the egg help provide the cake's structure, while the fats in the yolk make it richer and keep the texture becoming chewy. The yolk also contains emulsifiers that help the ingredients blend together smoothly.

Cakes that don't rise properly or have a surface covered in little holes are often the result of not getting the cake into the oven quickly enough; a common mistake that happens because you forgot to turn the oven on before you started, or you get distracted with something else mid-way through mixing.

Check your oven is at the correct temperature. If it is too hot, the cake doesn't have time to rise, and if it is too cold it will rise too high and then sink at the end.

Since sour cream has a higher fat content it can actually mimic the fats in an egg and make our recipe extra rich and moist. One egg can be replaced by ¼ cup of sour cream. It acts as just the perfect egg substitute!

Can you use co*ke instead of eggs? ›

When baking with cake mix, you don't need to use eggs, oil or even water! You just need a can of soda pop. The carbon dioxide bubbles in soda pop act as a leavening agent — the element that makes baked goods rise and makes them light and fluffy.

If you wish to use mayo in place of eggs, just substitute two or three tablespoons of mayo for every egg in the recipe. For oil, you will just replace the oil with mayo in the same quantity.

Applesauce is a great neutral egg replacement, meaning you won't taste any apple in the final product. When subbing in applesauce for eggs, use ¼ cup for every egg your recipe calls for, and add an additional ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the dry ingredients.

Butter certainly works for fried eggs, but oil is the fat of choice for cooks who want a runny yolk with a satisfying crispy white. Extra-virgin olive oil is most popular, and yields a satisfyingly crunchy bottom that will soak up luscious flavor.

The layer of fat gets between the pan and the eggs and prevents the proteins from sticking. You can cook eggs in any kind of pan—even a cast-iron skillet, but you need to make sure you have oil in it and keep the eggs moving so that a bond never gets a chance to form.

The best thing about frying eggs in butter is the taste. Because butter is higher in fat than oil, your eggs will naturally take on that rich butter flavor as they crisp in the pan. It's similar to the way some chefs add a pad of butter to their scrambled eggs as they cook.

Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein. As Fine Cooking explains, when the protein in eggs combines with the protein in flour, they produce the overall structure of the baked good.

The only amount adjustment necessary is if you have small eggs instead, in which case, you should use three. Three large eggs: To match the amount of three large eggs, use two jumbo eggs, three extra-large or medium eggs or four small eggs.

Because commercial cake mixes already have additives that enhance the tenderness of the sponge when baked, using egg whites instead of whole eggs produces even more favorable results. One whole egg is the same as two egg whites, or alternatively you can use ¼ cup of egg whites from the carton.

How does egg size affect baking? ›

Whereas cookies and cakes made with small eggs can be dry, dense, and crumbly, those made with big ones can be heavy, wet, and rubbery. Some cookies could pancake, while others might turn out overly cakey. Dough that you need to roll out—like for sugar cookies—could be frustratingly wet and sticky.

Add an Extra Egg

The additional fat in the egg yolk helps create a more tender and moist cake that is full of flavor. The extra egg also helps the cake have a more stable texture, which is great if you want to bake it up as a layer cake instead of a sheet cake or cupcakes.

If a recipe calls for 3 eggs and you want to divide the recipe by 1/2, you'll need 1 1/2 eggs. The "one" part is easy—it's right there at your fingertips. The 1/2 egg can be measured out by whisking another egg and using only 1/2 of it, or by using 2 tablespoons.

Potential substitutes for eggs include: yogurt, applesauce and mashed banana.

Can I Substitute Real Eggs for Egg Substitute? One egg equals 1/4 cup egg substitute. You can almost always replace substitute with real eggs, but the reverse is not necessarily true. Some egg substitutes are egg whites with added ingredients for color or texture.

Final Conclusions for Part 1 and Part 2: Egg yolks give cake a fuller flavor, egg whites give cake a softer texture. Egg whites will need more leavening than yolks (exact amount depending on the cake).