Today we’re going to be talking about a question I get all the time, why do you use vinegar in some of your cakes?
I know… it may sound a little strange but vinegar is like a secret ingredient that adds a little extra magic to your cakes, and today we’re going to find out why!
Vinegar has been used for centuries in cooking and baking. Its magical properties lie in the acetic acid it contains and when added to baking, vinegar is a game-changer, enhancing flavors, textures, and even contributing to the rise of our baked goods.
Picture this: you’re preparing a cake, and you want it to be super fluffy and moist. Enter vinegar! So how exactly does its acidic nature help with this? Well there’s a few reasons!
Vinegar helps with the rise of our baked goods
Firstly, vinegar helps our baked goods rise and create an airy texture by reacting with baking soda. When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents.
So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.
Vinegar helps with creating a tender and moist crumb
But it’s not just about the rise! Vinegar also helps in creating a tender and moist crumb in our baked goods.
This is because the acidity of vinegar interferes with gluten development. Gluten is a protein that can make our baked goods tough when overworked, which is why you’ll often hear me talking about not overmixing your batter. By inhibiting gluten development, vinegar allows for a more delicate crumb and a soft, moist texture (e.g. my Oreo cake recipe pictured below uses a touch of vinegar to create a melt in your mouth crumb!).
And It’s not just cakes that benefit from a touch of vinegar, but also biscuits, muffins, and even bread.
So when it comes to bread, it’s the same concept – vinegar inhibits gluten formation which leads to a more relaxed and extensible dough, resulting in a less dense and chewy bread. On top of that, Vinegar can also enhance the browning of baked goods, and it also acts as a natural preservative, extending the shelf life of homemade bread. The acidic environment created by vinegar inhibits mold and bacteria growth, helping your bread stay fresh for longer.
Homemade buttermilk substitute
Here’s a fun fact: vinegar is often used to make homemade buttermilk by adding it to regular milk. This buttermilk substitute adds tanginess to baked goods and is perfect for recipes like pancakes and waffles. If you’re interested in learning how to make this buttermilk substitute, check out my blog post on how to make homemade buttermilk.
So there you go – the next time you bake, consider the magic of vinegar! Its ability to create lighter textures, tender crumbs, and improve browning is why people across the baking world embrace this simple yet powerful ingredient.
51 Comments
How much vinegar should you use *with one teaspoon of baking powder?
Hi Judith! 🙂
It depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. If there isn’t any baking soda used in the recipe, then you don’t want to overdo the vinegar so maybe around 1/8th to 1/4 tsp per cup of flour 🙂
Also, I wouldn’t advise using vinegar in a cake recipe unless you feel the cake could be a bit softer or have a more tender crumb, in which case you can experiment with it. Hope that makes sense!
I am a little confused, can you use white vinegar whether you are using either baking soda or baking powder in the cakes
Hi Jeanette! 🙂 Usually you would use it when baking soda is present in the recipe, as the acid in the vinegar helps to activate the baking soda 🙂
Ciekaw jestem jakie reakcje chemiczne zachodzą w wypiekach i czy w końcowym produkcie są śladowe ilości octu czy reaguje on z całą mieszanką i powstaje jakiś inny związek chemiczny. Chodzi mi o pieczywo, które chciałbym podać małemu dziecku, które nie ukończyło jeszcze roku.
Hi Jeremi 🙂
Great question! Unfortunately I’m not too sure about this so might be best to do a bit more research around this for your own piece of mind 🙂
So sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Hi MK. You Are so informative thank you. Which cakes need or don’t need vinegar
Hi Nokukhànya! So glad you’re finding the information helpful 🙂
It really depends on the recipe. If you make a cake and feel it could be a bit softer/fluffier (and the recipe already contains baking soda), then you can add a little vinegar next time you make it to help make it a bit more fluffy 🙂
Hey…Can I add both cornstarch and vinegar to my chocolate cake batter to make it fluffy and moist?
Hi Diya! 🙂 It really depends on the recipe. If you have a recipe you currently use that you feel can be a bit more moist and fluffy, then you can substitute some of the flour with cornstarch (to make a cake flour substitute – this will make the cake softer), and you could use some vinegar for a better rise in the batter (but only use if using baking soda in the recipe as well). Hope that helps 🙂
Can I use vinegar to a recipe that has baking power?
Hi Fanny! 🙂 I would not recommend it as the vinegar won’t react with anything and may leave an unwanted taste in the cake batter 🙂
If u add 3/4 cup of buttermilk & 1/5 teaspoon & 1/5 baking powder, would this still be o.k. to use vinegar? Would appreciate your reply. Thank u
Hi Ida! 🙂 It really depends on the recipe and whether you feel vinegar is needed or not. E.g. in my vanilla cake recipe, I wanted to give it that extra velvety soft texture so I added in vinegar in addition to buttermilk – both of which would react with the baking soda in the recipe. However many of my other recipes like my carrot cake recipe doesn’t have vinegar because I feel the crumb is already soft enough due to the other ingredients used in the batter. So technically the answer to your question is yes it would still be okay to use vinegar, but whether you need to use it or not will be based on whether you think the recipe needs it 🙂
Hope that wasn’t too confusing! 🙂
Can i use vinegar when using baking powder instead of baking soda
Hi Debbie! Yes you still can use a little vinegar even when baking soda isn’t used 🙂
first time learning about vinegar use in baking. how do you determine the amount to use if its not listed?
Hi Ray! 🙂 I usually use about 1/2 tsp per cup of flour as a general rule. If the recipe already uses acidic ingredients (like lemon or yoghurt) then you may not need to add additional vinegar 🙂
I’ve made your Oreo cake and even though I believe I overcooked it, it still came out moist and delicious so vinegar for the win!! I received so many compliments thank you for sharing!
Awesome!! So so happy to hear you loved it Young-Jin 🙂
Hi, I couldn’t find white vinegar, how can I substitute it with for the zebra cake recipe? Can I skip it or replace it with lemon or apple cider vinegar?
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tried a substitute myself so can’t say for sure if it’ll work sorry, but I imagine lemon juice would work fine, apple cider may be a little too strong. Otherwise you can just skip it 🙂