Eggless but not Mango-less!!

It is largely unfair for the whole vegetarian/vegan lot to be bombarded with yummy looking things they really can't eat.I'm neither a vegan/vegetarian myself,nor do i fancy eating meat everyday.I'm somewhere in the middle trying to balance the two.Most of the days we eat a normal homecooked vegetarian fare and to say the least;it is anything but boring.At the same time i love my indulgent meat/dairy days too.

Having said that and considering that i've to continue with  the "Mango Marathon" week,i'm here with a beautiful cocoa-mango cake with a bright yellow mango glaze that looks yummy and tastes even yummier.It is completely vegetarian and if you use vinegar instead of the buttermilk,it becomes a vegan cake.In the end i've also tried to compile different ways eggs can be replaced in different dishes.I hope it helps people who avaoid eggs in their food.Here it is:

Eggless Choco-Mango Cake with tangy  Mango Glaze 

Ingredients:

(for cake)

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3Tablespoons dark cocoa powder

a pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tblspns vegetable oil

1/2 cup finely chopped mangoes

1 & 1/2 cups thick buttermilk

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

(for glaze)

250 ml/1 Cup of mango(pureed) about 2 small to medium, very ripe mangoes

2 tspn lemon juice

500 gms of  powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the cake tin. Set aside.
• Sift together all of the flour,cocoa,baking powder and baking soda and salt.
• Mix the pureed mangoes with the oil,vanilla extract,buttermilk and sugar.In place of buttermilk you can use a tblspn of white vinegar/apple cider vinegar and add a cup of apple juice to adjust liquid content.I haven't used vinegar ever in my cakes but from what i learnt from some people is that it works.You may give it a try.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones spoon by spoon using a flat spatula to fold them together.
• Pour batter into a greased cake tins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (17 minutes for cupcakes), until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Mix together in a blender the mango puree,lemon juice and vanilla extract.Now keep adding the sifted sugar in small quantities till you get the desired consistency.If the mangoes that you have used  are juicier then you might consume a little extra sugar than the given quantities.This glaze can be kept inside the refrigerator in an airtight container without spoiling or discoloring for a few days.

General guidelines for replacing eggs in different recipies:

The most common substitutes for eggs are:

Soy Milk/Milk:

As a thumb rule,use 150 ml of Milk/Soy milk for one egg in general.If you have soy powder instead you can use 1 heaped  tblspn in place of one egg.You can also use condensed milk in some cases(you will need to alter you sugar quantities though) keeping in mind that you can use a 100 ml for every two cups of flour used in the recipe.

In some cake recipies you can replace 1 egg by 2 tbsp flour+1/2 tbsp butter+1/2 tbsp baking powder.

Buttermilk:

This is one of the preferred substitute for eggs specially in eggless cake recipes.Add half a cup of buttermilk in place of one egg.Keep in mind to check on the quantity of other wet ingredients in the recipe.

Pureed fruits:

Although the resulting cake might be a little bit more crumbly,it is good idea to use it if you are allergic to eggs.Use three tblspn of pureed banana in place of one egg.Alternatively applesauce can be used too.

Flaxseeds:

Grind 2 tblspoon of flaxseeds in a coffee grinder or take flax meal ready available in the market.Soak it in warm water for 10 mts and use it in place of 1 egg.In case you mind all the fibre from flaxseeds you can strain the liquid after soaking the flaxmeal and use it.

Vinegar/apple cider vinegar with baking powder:

Take a tblspn of vinegar and water each in a small bowl and mix it with a tspn of baking powder,mix it well to form a paste and use it in place of one egg.

Egg replacement powders:

Available in the market in health stores,they usually have some sort of gelatin and proteins derived from different sources.Sometimes they also contain egg whites so people with allergy issues should always read the labels.