Okay, so I’ve been trying to cut down on butter lately, not really for any big health reason, just wanted to see if I could make tasty baked goods without it. And let me tell you, it’s been a journey! I started this little experiment last week, and it’s been a mix of “oh yeah!” and “oh no!” moments.
First thing I did was dig through my old cookbooks and check online for some “no butter” recipes. Found a bunch, some looked promising, some looked… well, let’s just say I was skeptical. I decided to start with something simple, a basic cake. The recipe I found was called “Depression Cake” or sometimes “wacky cake”. Now, the name did not get me excited, but I thought, “Why not? Let’s give this a shot.”
I gathered all the ingredients. This cake was different, no eggs either! Just flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, then combined them. Easy peasy, right?
I preheated the oven and prepared my cake pan, just a light greasing and a dusting of flour, to prevent it from sticking. Poured the batter in, popped it in the oven, and waited. The recipe said 30 minutes, but I always check early. It came out pretty good, a bit dry, but not bad for a first try, especially without butter or eggs.
Next, I got a little more adventurous. I tried a “Chocolate Olive Oil Cake”. Now, this one sounded fancy, and using olive oil instead of butter was interesting. The recipe was a bit more complex, with a few more steps, but still pretty straightforward.
- First, I whisked together the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Then, in another bowl, I mixed the wet ingredients – eggs, milk, olive oil, and vanilla.
- Gradually added the dry to the wet, mixing until just combined.
- Finally, I stirred in some boiling water. This was to “bloom” the cocoa, whatever that means, but I did it anyway.
The batter was much smoother than the first one. Into the oven it went. This one took a little longer to bake, about 40 minutes. And wow, when I took it out, it smelled amazing! After it cooled, I dusted it with some powdered sugar. I have to say, this cake was a winner. Moist, rich, and you wouldn’t even know there was no butter in it.
I even made a simple glaze with olive oil and cocoa powder, which was super easy and tasted really good. This no-butter baking thing is turning out to be pretty fun! I’m going to keep experimenting. Maybe cookies next? Or perhaps a banana bread? We’ll see. But so far, so good!
If you’re curious about baking without butter, I definitely recommend giving it a go. It’s a fun challenge, and you might be surprised at the results. Just be prepared for some trial and error, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Happy baking!
