Allergy friendly. cupcake happy!

With the weather getting colder, I just want to turn on the oven and bake all day. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? My most recent baking experiment included dairy-free sour cream.

I have always liked the richness that sour cream adds to baked goods. When Savannah was first diagnosed with food allergies, I was quite skeptical if dairy-free sour cream would be a decent substitute for the real thing. But now, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it. In fact, I look for recipes that contain sour cream knowing that I can more than likely adapt it to be allergen-free.

Because it works so well, I try to have dairy-free sour cream on hand in the refrigerator at all times. If you are experimenting with your own recipes, simply swap an equal amount of dairy-free sour cream for the regular sour cream.

My latest sour cream swap was in this recipe for Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It is one of my favorites. If you’re looking for a good coffee cake for your next weekend breakfast, your search is over. Happy New Year!

Adapted from Olga’s Home and Garden Blog

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1/2 cup dairy-free margarine, softened (recommended: Earth Balance Soy-Free Vegan Buttery Spread)
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer plus 1/4 cup water (equivalent to 2 eggs)
1 cup dairy-free sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough baking emulsion, optional
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling/Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (recommended: Now Foods brand, packaged in a peanut-free facility).

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
2. Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream margarine and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add egg replacer, dairy-free sour cream, vanilla and Buttery Sweet Dough emulsion, if desired; mix until well incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined. Batter will be very thick.
5. Spread half the batter into prepared baking pan.
6. Combine filling/topping ingredients; sprinkle about 3/4 of mixture over batter in the pan.
7. Spread remaining batter over the filling. Sprinkle remaining topping mixture on top.
8. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Baker’s note: I’m often asked how to make a sour cream recipe soy-free. Although I have little experience doing this with a sour cream based recipe, I’ve read that coconut or rice yogurts are a good substitute if you need to avoid soy. The flavors are mild and they have a similar texture. If you try it, please let me know in the comments section what your results were. Thanks!