• What instead of butter?
• What instead of milk?
• What to replace sour cream with?
• What instead of honey?
• What instead of eggs?

Gone are the days when people who follow a vegan diet had to do without many delicious things because there were no plant-based alternatives: and that's a good thing!

The relentless experimentation of vegan food bloggers, chefs and DIYers of bowls and whisks has led to inventions - often truly revolutionary! - replaces pretty much everything you need to make vegan baked goods. For those unfamiliar with them, we've put together a short list of vegan substitutes for the most popular animal-derived ingredients

What instead Butter?

Many vegans simply use vegetable margarine instead of butter. However, not everyone is willing to do so, because palm oil is used in its production, the extraction of which involves the destruction of large areas of forest and the killing of the orangutans living there. Instead of margarine, it is worth using vegetable oils: coconut oil or even olive oil if the recipe calls for melted butter. Be careful though, because butter, unlike oils, is not pure fat, so you can't substitute it in a 1:1 ratio in the recipe: always reduce the amount of fat by about a third, and for some cakes even by half.

What instead milk?

Plant milk is perfect! We have already written about the different types, but we want to remind you: soy milk is great for baking (it is closest to the consistency of cow, and in sweet pastries you can use a flavored version, e.g. vanilla), Almond and Hemp Milk. The proportions do not need to be changed.

What can replace sour cream?

As for the whipped cream, you can easily replace it with a whipped fat fraction made from coconut milk that has been refrigerated for at least two days. Carefully separate the thick part of the milk (a thin, watery part will remain in the can - worth using to cook a delicious coconut mash for example!), place in a bowl and whip as usual Cream - until stiff "hills" form.

What instead of honey?

Some vegans eat honey, but those who don't eat it add maple syrup, date syrup, agave syrup, barley malt, or other malts instead.

What instead of eggs?

Eggs are the main ingredient in the most popular baked goods - and the hardest to replace. The choice of a substitute depends largely on the function of the eggs in baking: Do they serve to bind the dough like in shortcrust pastries? They add moisture and a nice texture, like in carrot cake? Or are they responsible for the rise and fluff, like sponge cake and cheesecake?

It sounds complicated, but in fact it is enough to remember a few rules:

If the goal is to bind the dough together, depending on the type of baking, we can add:

• Flaxseed (a heaping tablespoon of flaxseed soaked in 3-4 tablespoons of hot water replaces an egg)
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed with a fork (one banana for one egg; keep in mind that the banana will also sweeten the batter a bit, so take that into account when adding sugar!).

Moisture is added to the cake:

• Pumpkin puree,
• Applesauce (about half a cup per egg; note: ready-made applesauce from the jar is usually sweetened!).

It is a bit more difficult to acidify the dough: ready-made egg substitute works best. This isn't always readily available when you're craving something sweet, though, so adding one of the "moist-binding" ingredients and an extra helping of baking soda or baking soda along with some apple cider vinegar will usually boost its action.

recently aquafaba, i.e. water from canned chickpeas, great career, which can be whipped up so effectively that you can even make a vegan meringue out of it! Ever since the almost magical properties of aquafaba were discovered just a few years ago, experimentation has continued: it may prove to hold the key to creating perfectly fluffy, cloud-like vegan sponge cakes without the need to add synthetic substitutes.