These Baking Expert-Approved Substitutions Will Save You Yet Another Grocery Run

There's nothing worse than getting into a baking project, only to discover that you are missing an important ingredient. Fortunately, you need not be derailed. Baking expert Jocelyn Delk Adams has shared some very handy substitutions for common ingredients on her TikTok channel, Grandbabycakes. 

Delk Adams has real authority when it comes to baking. The award-winning and bestselling cookbook author and Grandbaby Cakes blog founder describes herself as having inherited her grandmother's baking gene. She says she achieves her "ideal state of zen" in her condo's cozy kitchen, "whipping up delicious treats for family and friends as they lounge nearby to taste-test." So, when Delk Adams tells us something works, we can trust that it does!

Jocelyn's Top 3 Baking Substitutions:

Eggs

Grab half a banana and purée or mash it up in a bowl with half a teaspoon of baking powder. Eggs provide some leavening to baked goods, so the baking powder is a good substitute for that. Using banana will add moisture and flavor (so be careful where you use it and make sure that you're OK with a subtle banana taste), as well as some chewiness, which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you're making. 

King Arthur Flour warns that mashed bananas used in large quantities can cause gumminess, but if you're just working with a single batch of quick breads, muffins, pancakes, or single-layer snacking cakes, you should be fine.

Unsweetened Chocolate

If you're missing a 1-ounce block of unsweetened chocolate for melting, you can substitute three tablespoons of cocoa powder blended with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, melted butter, or shortening until smooth.

This works well, but keep in mind that if you are making a rich chocolaty dessert, such as cake or brownies, you cannot substitute the cocoa-oil mixture for more than half of the unsweetened chocolate in the recipe without significantly affecting the texture. You can use this substitution to replace bittersweet chocolate as well.

Self-Rising Flour

Use 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Self-rising flour, which is a common ingredient in quick bread recipes, is just all-purpose flour with a leavening agent already incorporated, so it makes sense that you could easily whip up your own. You can make it in larger quantities and store it for future use, but be sure to mix thoroughly before using to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.

Armed with Jocelyn's handy hacks, you can make use of ingredients you already have on hand and avoid that dreaded mid-baking trip to the store—because no one has time for that. Happy baking!