Baking – How Much Can You Change a Recipe?

I'm often asked if it's possible to substitute oil for margarine, honey for sugar, or whole-wheat flour for white flour in cakes and cookies. Of course it's possible, but the results may not turn out to be very good!

So my answer is "it depends". Solid fats like margarine and butter create a different texture than oil does in baked goods. Margarine contains water, whereas oil is 100% fat, so the measurements need to be adjusted. Honey is a liquid, so it doesn't substitute for sugar without adjusting other ingredients in your recipe. Whole wheat flour gives a heartier taste to baked goods, so you might not want to use it when you're looking for a delicate or subtle flavored product.

Here's the recipe for a cake I baked last Shabbat. The original recipe called for white flour and 1 ¼ cups of sugar. It also called for a larger bundt pan (24cm/9 ½ ") than I had. So I divided the batter between my 20 cm (8") pan and a mini pan that could go into the freezer later for another occasion. Did you know that if you serve a large cake, people are likely to eat more of it than if the cake is smaller to begin with?

The recipe contains flavorful spices and citrus zest, so I felt comfortable substituting whole-wheat flour for all of the white flour. And because most cakes are just too sweet for my taste, I cut back on the sugar by ¼ cup.

The results – excellent! Nobody even guessed that it was made from whole-wheat flour or that it wasn't sweet enough. It's also quick and easy. You'll need an electric mixer, but otherwise this cake goes together in just a few minutes.

Orange Spice Cake (Parve)

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar (white or demerrara)

2 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour

2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

(Or substitute one 350 gm package of self-rising whole-wheat flour for the flour and baking powder)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (preferably organic)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (preferably organic)

¾ cup orange juice

¾ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Spray a bundt pan (see above for size information) with baking spray.

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until they've significantly increased in volume and are light colored and thick.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, orange and lemon zest together in a separate bowl.

Measure the orange juice and oil in one measuring cup and add the vanilla extract to it.

When the eggs are ready, lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour and liquid ingredients to the eggs. Scrape the bowl occasionally and mix to get out any lumps.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely on the rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.