Plant-based alternatives exist for most animal-based substances. Most perform equally well in cake recipes, once you know what to substitute and how much to use.

Replace milk with almond, coconut or rice milk. Use almond milk in rum, wine or liqueur-soaked cake recipes such as fruitcakes, advises Phoenix, Arizona sous chef Aimee Lam-Maucissa, who offers vegan alternatives in all her recipes. Lam-Maucissa advises reducing sugars by 1/4 cup when using almond milk, due to its sweetness, and adding 1/4 cup sugar when using rice milk. Use coconut milk in white, yellow, coconut or pineapple cakes.

Replace eggs with applesauce or commercial egg replacer made from tapioca or potato starch when making white cakes. Add chopped or pureed papaya or kiwi fruit without the peel, mashed custard-apple, banana and chopped, minced or pureed mango, peach, nectarine or pear to replace eggs in yellow cakes. Puree 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup white northern beans and 1 cup drained sauerkraut and mix it into chocolate cake recipes to replace eggs.

Lam-Maucissa advises replacing any shortening, margarine or butter with a soy-free, lactose-free, gluten-free blend of palm, canola, safflower and olive oil whipped with sunflower — not soy — lecithin and powdered pulse or pea protein. Whip the ingredients in a blender until it thickens into a smooth, butter-like spread. Pour it into a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until needed.

Substitute equal amounts of maple, agave or guava syrup for honey, or use jelly made from fruit pectin, sugar and fresh apple juice. Stir 1 1/5 packets of pectin into 6 cups apple juice and bring it to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Add 6 cups sugar and boil on high for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Test a spoonful of jelly mix by allowing it to cool and boil the jelly another minute if it is too runny, advises PickYourOwn.org owner, Blake Slemmer.

Things You’ll Need

Almond, coconut or rice milk
Applesauce
Tapioca- or potato-starch-based egg replacer
Chopped or pureed, peeled papaya or kiwi fruit
Mashed custard-apple or banana
Chopped, minced or pureed mango, peach, nectarine or pear
Black beans
White northern beans
Sauerkraut
Palm, canola,safflower and olive oil
Sunflower lecithin
Powdered pulse or pea protein
Blender
Plastic container with tight-fitting lid
Agave and guava syrup
Large stockpot
Fruit pectin
Sugar
Apple juice
Metal spoon

References

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Animal Ingredients List [http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/animal-ingredient-guide.aspx]

Aimee Lam-Maucissa; sous chef; Phoenix, AZ

Pick Your Own; How to Make Homemade Apple Jelly; Blake Slemmer; 2004 [http://www.pickyourown.org/applejelly.htm]