Reverse master chef: the missing ingredient.
October 27, 2011 10:17 AM Subscribe
Baking challenge: you are in an isolated cottage with a nice kitchen and feel the baking jones. You have eggs, double cream, milk, flour, sugar, baking chocolate, oatmeal... but no butter! You are an hour's dark freezing wet walk from a shop. What sweet concoction can you devise with no butter? I have vegetable oil, for what it's worth, but no whisk, so souffle would be tricky.
Do you have any baking powder or soda? That'd unlock a lot of cakes and quickbreads.
posted by aubilenon at 10:23 AM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by aubilenon at 10:23 AM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Do you have carrots? Carrot cake (and zucchini bread, now that I think about it) is made with oil. Also, google "olive oil cake" and you should come up with some options; I would think a mere mortal (that is, not a super taster) wouldn't be able to tell the diff between veg and olive oil in a cake.
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 10:24 AM on October 27, 2011
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 10:24 AM on October 27, 2011
Try googling vegan recipes - most of the vegan baked goods I've made use oil rather than margarine.
posted by something something at 10:26 AM on October 27, 2011
posted by something something at 10:26 AM on October 27, 2011
http://www.supercook.com/
posted by IndigoJones at 10:33 AM on October 27, 2011
posted by IndigoJones at 10:33 AM on October 27, 2011
While I am totally on board with just substituting oil in and experimenting, I will also note that if you have double cream, you HAVE butter, it's just hiding in the cream.
You say you have no whisk, so over-whipping the cream and making butter may not be an option, but it's one way to think about it.
Another way to think about it is that the cream can serve to replace some of the taste/mouthfeel of butter that you can't get from vegetable oil.
posted by endless_forms at 10:33 AM on October 27, 2011 [3 favorites]
You say you have no whisk, so over-whipping the cream and making butter may not be an option, but it's one way to think about it.
Another way to think about it is that the cream can serve to replace some of the taste/mouthfeel of butter that you can't get from vegetable oil.
posted by endless_forms at 10:33 AM on October 27, 2011 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I've made these butter-free cakes recently and thought they were both really good:
-Super Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes from Simply Recipes
-French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon from Orangette.
You may have to make substitutions for what the recipes call for what you have on hand.
posted by mbidi at 10:35 AM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
-Super Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes from Simply Recipes
-French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon from Orangette.
You may have to make substitutions for what the recipes call for what you have on hand.
posted by mbidi at 10:35 AM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
You can make butter from double cream; see, for example, this video, which does it in a jar.
posted by beerbajay at 10:36 AM on October 27, 2011
posted by beerbajay at 10:36 AM on October 27, 2011
I would try this Rosemary Chocolate Olive Oil cake - with or without the rosemary depending on your supplies!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rosemary-olive-oil-cake-recipe.html
posted by unlaced at 10:37 AM on October 27, 2011
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rosemary-olive-oil-cake-recipe.html
posted by unlaced at 10:37 AM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: POTS DE CREME!
It's not baking, but it uses ingredients you have to hand, it's easy, and it's delicious so who cares; it's kind of like, if chocolate pudding and chocolate fudge had a torrid affair and had a baby. here's a decent recipe.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2011 [6 favorites]
It's not baking, but it uses ingredients you have to hand, it's easy, and it's delicious so who cares; it's kind of like, if chocolate pudding and chocolate fudge had a torrid affair and had a baby. here's a decent recipe.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2011 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Cookies! Googling turned up some oatmeal-chocolate veg oil ones I think I'll give a try to-- though I'm torn with the cupcake idea..need to use up this oatmeal however!
I don't think I have enough cream to produce baking levels of butter.. I'd go try milking the Highland cows but those horns are scary.
My data connection is super slow and intermittent up here so even specific googling tips were sooo helpful, thanks Radioaction!
posted by Erasmouse at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2011
I don't think I have enough cream to produce baking levels of butter.. I'd go try milking the Highland cows but those horns are scary.
My data connection is super slow and intermittent up here so even specific googling tips were sooo helpful, thanks Radioaction!
posted by Erasmouse at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Put the cream in a jar . .shake it for a while and voila butter, maybe too much work just for cookies though.
If you don't need the upper arm workout maybe try some sort of muffin recipe, pretty much every muffin recipe I've made used oil instead of butter.
Also you could make a nice custard with that lot.
posted by wwax at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2011
If you don't need the upper arm workout maybe try some sort of muffin recipe, pretty much every muffin recipe I've made used oil instead of butter.
Also you could make a nice custard with that lot.
posted by wwax at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2011
Meringues with a rich chocolate cream (Melt choc and allow to cool for 5 mins, whip cream then gently fold in to choc before it sets).
Or
Heston Blumenthal's Chocolate Mousse
230ml water
270g best quality bitter chocolate*
You will need a hand held electric whisk or chefs balloon whisk for this
Measure the water carefully - quantitites are critical in this recipe. (Measure to the 250ml mark then take out 1 tbsp and 1 tsp of water). Break up the chocolate into squares, put it in a saucepan with the water and put it over a low heat, stirring occasionally until it has melted.
Meanwhile get two bowls, one slightly smaller than the other. Put some cold water and ice cubes in the larger one then place the smaller one inside it. Have your whisk ready.
When the chocolate has melted pour it into the smaller bowl and start to beat it on the highest setting of your whisk or energetically by hand. After a few minutes (about 2-3) it will thicken and begin to go like whipped cream. Your beaters should leave a slight trail in the chocolate but it shouldn’t be stiff.
Take the small bowl out of the big bowl and spoon the ‘mousse’ into small coffee cups or glasses. (That might sound mean but it is unbelievably rich!) If you do overbeat it simply tip the chocolate back into the bowl over the hot water, melt it and start again.
posted by biffa at 10:58 AM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
Or
Heston Blumenthal's Chocolate Mousse
230ml water
270g best quality bitter chocolate*
You will need a hand held electric whisk or chefs balloon whisk for this
Measure the water carefully - quantitites are critical in this recipe. (Measure to the 250ml mark then take out 1 tbsp and 1 tsp of water). Break up the chocolate into squares, put it in a saucepan with the water and put it over a low heat, stirring occasionally until it has melted.
Meanwhile get two bowls, one slightly smaller than the other. Put some cold water and ice cubes in the larger one then place the smaller one inside it. Have your whisk ready.
When the chocolate has melted pour it into the smaller bowl and start to beat it on the highest setting of your whisk or energetically by hand. After a few minutes (about 2-3) it will thicken and begin to go like whipped cream. Your beaters should leave a slight trail in the chocolate but it shouldn’t be stiff.
Take the small bowl out of the big bowl and spoon the ‘mousse’ into small coffee cups or glasses. (That might sound mean but it is unbelievably rich!) If you do overbeat it simply tip the chocolate back into the bowl over the hot water, melt it and start again.
posted by biffa at 10:58 AM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
Isa Chandra Moskowitz (one of the joint queens of vegan baking, with her writing partner Terry Hope Romero) says in her book Vegan with a Vengeance that you can substitute 5 tablespoons of oil for every 115g/4oz of butter.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 11:43 AM on October 27, 2011
posted by Perodicticus potto at 11:43 AM on October 27, 2011
Do you have a can of sweetened condensed milk? If so, you can make flan. I have made this recipe several times in the last few months, it's delicious and surprisingly easy!
(The blender is convenient, but not critical. Beating by hand works fine.)
posted by ErikaB at 2:34 PM on October 27, 2011
(The blender is convenient, but not critical. Beating by hand works fine.)
posted by ErikaB at 2:34 PM on October 27, 2011
Hopefully you have apple cider vinegar. This is super easy, moist and delicious! For an extra chocolatey treat sprinkle some chocolate chips on top before you bake.
A Very Heavy Blinkers Birthday Cake
1 ½ cup flour (white, whole wheat..)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cold water
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). Oil loaf pan or 8x8 pan. Sift dry ingredients until mixed well. Add wet ingredients except vinegar and blend until smooth. Add vinegar it should bubble a bit. Sprinkle chocolate chips over batter. Bake for 30 or so minutes.
posted by sadtomato at 5:52 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
A Very Heavy Blinkers Birthday Cake
1 ½ cup flour (white, whole wheat..)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cold water
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). Oil loaf pan or 8x8 pan. Sift dry ingredients until mixed well. Add wet ingredients except vinegar and blend until smooth. Add vinegar it should bubble a bit. Sprinkle chocolate chips over batter. Bake for 30 or so minutes.
posted by sadtomato at 5:52 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm not sure if you have baking powder or electric beaters (probably not, right?), but in case you do, you could make some delicious cream scones. The texture of these is awesome I think partly because they rely on cream instead of butter. The flavors in the original recipe are yummy, but you could replace them with whatever you have on hand as I reckon you probably don't have fennelseed and currants just lying about. You don't need a whisk in that initial flour step; you can just mix the dry ingredients with a fork.
posted by ifjuly at 10:50 AM on October 28, 2011
posted by ifjuly at 10:50 AM on October 28, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks so much for all the suggestions! In the end the muffin recipe suggestion was the jackpot in terms of ingredients x what I craved. I made these oatmeal muffins, with chopped up chocolate, except as a sort of very flat loaf as I had no muffin tins but did have a very large rectangular cake pan. It came out so flat it was verging on a giant soft cookie, but very tasty and great for packing for a journey. I actually might try it again sometime and roll it up with jam!
I will definitely give the cream scones and pots de creme a shot soon, now that I'm back in civilization. Thanks everyone!
posted by Erasmouse at 1:13 PM on November 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I will definitely give the cream scones and pots de creme a shot soon, now that I'm back in civilization. Thanks everyone!
posted by Erasmouse at 1:13 PM on November 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by radioaction at 10:21 AM on October 27, 2011