3 Egg Sponge Cake Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

What happens if I use 3 eggs instead of 4 in a cake? ›

The generally rule is 1 egg per 1 & 1/4 cup of flour for muffins and 2 eggs per 1 & 1/4 cups of flour for cakes. Generally speaking, when you go from 4 to 3 eggs, you are not making that much of a difference, and most recipes are built around large eggs, and most people buy extra large eggs.

Eggs are vital to prevent the collapse of bubbles during baking; they also add liquid to the mixture. This liquid is mostly water, which turns to steam when cooking, inflating the bubbles further. Egg proteins form a layer around the air bubbles, coagulating when heated to form a protective layer.

If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.

Eggs also contain a variety of proteins that create the structure of a cake, and when beaten, they can act as a leavening agent by adding air to the cake batter. However, if you add too many eggs to your cake batter, then your end result could be spongy, rubbery, or dense.

One option is to use 2 eggs and add an extra 1/4 cup of liquid, such as milk or water, to make up for the missing egg. Another option is to use 2 eggs and add in 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana to add moisture and binding properties.

APPLESAUCE

About ¼ cup of applesauce can work as an egg replacement in baking for dense baked goods like brownies or cookies. While you can use applesauce in sweets like cakes and cupcakes, you may need to add an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder to your dry ingredients to create a light and airy final product.

Give it some air. The magic of a light, fluffy sponge with tender crumb is to incorporate as much air in as possible. After all, it is the entrapped air that expands in the oven, creating the magic of the cake rising.

You will end up with an edible cake but it will not turn out as the recipe intended because it won't rise so much and the texture will be denser. It's better to add 2oz or 3–4 tablespoons of something wet to replace the missing egg.

My cake is very dense.

This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.

To use this egg substitute, mash one ripe banana or measure 1/4 cup of applesauce to replace each egg. If you don't have either, you can try 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin per egg instead. You'll only want to replace up to two eggs total, or the muffins might not turn out as intended.

Is 5 eggs too much for a cake? ›

Adding an extra egg won't make much difference; however, adding two or more extra eggs may give you a dense, rubbery cake—not the fine crumb you're after. It will also have an “eggy” taste.

Mayonnaise. Eggs are a key ingredient in mayonnaise, so it makes sense that it can be a perfect substitute when you're out of eggs. Use 3 tablespoons of mayo as an egg substitute.

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. Density in a cake isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Use an extra egg: Most boxed mixes will call for three eggs. Use four for a cake that's richer-tasting and moister. This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy.

Yogurt. Plain, unsweetened yogurt works well to replace eggs in boxed cake mix. It is packed with protein, just like eggs, and it will make your cake very moist and dense. Once again, it is best to only replace up to four eggs with plain yogurt, or the texture of your cake will get a little chewy.

Adding too many eggs may not be a good thing

As explained by The Cake Blog, using too few eggs means that your cake won't hold together well, but using too many will result in a cake that is more dense, spongy, and rubbery than the lightweight cake that it should be.