Carrot cakes have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years. People from all over the world eat the treats as healthier substitutes for regular cake.
They’re easy to prepare and only require a few ingredients that you should have in your pantry.
Yet, there are some people with special dietary restrictions that can’t enjoy the dessert. For instance, vegans and individuals with egg allergies aren’t able to eat carrot cake.
So, at this point, you may wonder, can you make carrot cake without eggs? If that’s the case, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what role eggs play in a carrot cake recipe. We’ll also cover some of the best substitutes that’ll give you similar results.
What Are the Main Ingredients of a Carrot Cake?
Before we jump into why we add eggs to a carrot cake recipe, we have to talk about the ingredients.
To make this dessert, you’ll need:
- Carrots
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Flour
- Vanilla
- Baking salt
- Spices
- Nuts
As you can tell, most of these ingredients are good for you and they’re readily available. However, as a vegan, you won’t be able to eat this cake.
That’s because eggs are a crucial component of the recipe. The same applies to people who suffer from an egg allergy.
What Do Eggs Do for Carrot Cake?
Eggs are an essential ingredient for most cakes. They can transform simple batters into decadent confections.
In this section, we’ll cover what eggs bring to a carrot cake recipe. We can divide the role of eggs into four sections.
Emulsification
First off, eggs act as emulsifying agents in carrot cake. To help you understand that, let’s take a look at the chemistry of baking.
The main ingredient in this dessert is carrot. It’s a vegetable with a hint of sweetness and a high water content.
Besides that, we add vegetable oil to the batter.
As we all know from high school chemistry class, oil and water don’t mix. That’s why we need an extra ingredient to help the components combine.
This is when eggs come into play. The yolks have a high-fat content, while the whites consist of about 90% water.
Because of that, eggs are the perfect emulsifying agent.
They can help water and oil mix, which results in a homogeneous batter. Without them, your cake mix will split and turn a little grainy.
Structure
As a baker, you should pay close attention to the consistency of the batter. You want it thin enough so that the mixture flows easily.
Yet, you need to ensure that it has some thickness to it, or else your cake will be flat.
If you mix the ingredients of carrot cake without eggs, you’ll notice that your batter is runny. That’s because eggs contribute to the structure of the dessert.
The fat in the yolks will add a certain thickness to the cake. This will make the batter easier to work with and it’ll give you a better final dessert.
Flavor
Many bakers argue that taste is the most important aspect of a cake. No matter what it looks like, if the flavor is right, people will enjoy the dessert.
That’s why eggs are helpful in a carrot cake recipe. The yolks will add a richness that’s difficult to duplicate.
This is because of their high-fat content.
While a lot of fat isn’t good for your health, a little can do wonders for a cake. It’ll give your batter a creamy texture that results in a fluffy, moist dessert.
Leavening
A leavening agent is an ingredient that can puff up your cake. It’ll add a lot of air into the batter to ensure you end up with a fluffy treat.
Luckily, eggs are excellent leaveners. The whites can trap a lot of air as you whisk the batter.
That’s because of their high water content. This, in turn, will aid in raising up the cake as it bakes in the oven.
What Are Some Good Egg Substitutes?
Now that you know what role eggs play in carrot cake, we can take a look at some substitutes. In this section, we’ll cover some of the most popular ingredients you can use as replacements.
1 – Applesauce
Substitution ratio: 1 egg equals ¼ cup of apple sauce
One of the best substitutes for eggs in cake recipes is applesauce. That’s because it can replicate the fat and water content of the ingredient.
On top of that, applesauce has proteins that can act as emulsifiers.
Moving on, this replacement can add a hint of apple flavor to your cake. That’ll perfectly complement the natural sugars in the carrots.
For that reason, you’ll end up with a delicious, rich dessert.
Yet, applesauce is a little thicker than eggs. So, you may have to add a bit more baking powder to your batter to ensure it puffs up in the oven properly.
Plus, if you don’t want your cake to be overly sweet, you may need to reduce the sugar in the recipe.
2 – Yogurt
Substitution ratio: 1 egg equals ¼ cup of yogurt
Few people know that yogurt is a natural emulsion. Due to the acidity of the milk, lactose will turn into lactic acid, which causes the liquid to thicken.
Because of that, we can use yogurt as an emulsifier in other recipes.
For starters, this ingredient will add a tanginess to the dessert. This will balance the sweetness of the sugar in the carrots.
Not only that, but using yogurt will also result in a fluffier cake.
Yet, the best part is that you don’t have to alter the batter at all. As long as you use the correct substitution ratio, you can still follow the steps of the original recipe.
3 – Vinegar and Baking Soda
Substitution ratio: 1 teaspoon of vinegar plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder equals 1 egg
Vinegar and baking soda are excellent substitutes for eggs. When you combine the two ingredients, a chemical reaction occurs.
This will produce carbon dioxide and water. That can help emulsify your batter.
The excess gas will also aid with leavening and texture.
Yet, vinegar and baking soda don’t contain any fat. That means your carrot cake won’t be as rich as it could be.
Final Thoughts
Can you make carrot cake without eggs? The simple answer to this question is yes.
Yet, you’ll need to find an ingredient that has similar properties. Your substitute should be able to replicate certain characteristics, including:
- Emulsification
- Structure
- Flavor
- Leavening
Thankfully, there are many replacements that you can use. A couple of examples are applesauce and yogurt.
You can also rely on a combination of vinegar and baking soda.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.