Ask Nancy
One of my children is lactose intolerant. Many cake recipes call for milk or sour cream. Can I substitute them with other ingredients, like apple juice or water?
Aviva - from Elazar, NV
Yes you can substitute with other ingredients, but it may take a bit of experimentation. In addition to being a liquid in your baked good, milk, sour cream and other dairy products add fat. When you substitute apple juice or water, don’t do an exact substitution. Instead, take some of that liquid and increase the fat in the recipe (the oil, margarine, shortening). Each recipe will be different, I’m afraid I can’t give you an exact amount of substitution; that you’ll need to play with a little. Happy baking!
The Public Television cake decorating show providing easy projects for special celebrations. Not intended to replace instructional classes.