Can you use oil instead of butter to bake a cake?

Question

I'm making a simple cake (flour sugar eggs butter) and i dont have any butter. can i just use vegetable oil? do i have to add anything else?

Answer 1

no, unfortunately it ruins the consistency. most gas stations and convenience stores carry butter, though.

Answer 2

Since you're making your cake from scratch, you can add any kind of grease you want, in the appropriate amounts called for. Myself, I put the same amount of applesauce in, instead of oil. It cuts out the fat, doesn't leave an oily texture and tastes great (not at all like apples). I also do this for brownies too. Since it won't help you today (unless you have applesauce on hand), next time you go to the store, buy one of those snack packs, that have 4 or six individual cups, which are more than enough for one cake (each cup is slightly more than you'll need). While putting oil in your cake won't make it taste like a butter cake (duh!), at least you'll have cake. And that's the bottom line, right? <*)))><

Answer 3

No. You can´t use oil if the recipe says margarine or butter. But you can use margarine instead of butter.
In these two recipes there is oil
Carrot cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
Mix together dry ingredients except sugar. Beat eggs; beat in sugar. Add oil, carrots and nuts. Fold in flour mixture; do not overbeat. Bake in a flat pan at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

Orange cake
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp orange rind
Mix together dry ingredients except sugar. Beat eggs, adding sugar. Beat in oil, orange juice concentrate, and orange rind. Fold in dry ingredients; do not overbeat. Bake in tube pan at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.

I am sure you can find more recipes with oil.

Answer 4

You can use good quality mayonnaise too instead. It makes a wonderfully moist choccy cake as follows: 8 oz self raising flour, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 6 tbsp Cocoa powder, 6 oz caster sugar, sift all into a bowl then beat in 7 fl oz mayo and 7 fl oz tepid water (about 1 cup). Beat tog. then add 1 tsp vanilla essence. Bake in a lined 7" tin at 180degC for about an hour but test twds end as time will depend on your oven. Sorry this is in english weights/measures but see website below for help.

Answer 5

Yes you can use oil instead of butter, I never use butter in cake mixes anymore. I like the nice moist texture oil gives and it is much healtier than butter.

Answer 6

I have a recipe for a chocolate cake that uses sunflower oil instead of butter or margarine. You have to add baking power and bicarbonate of soda to make it rise though. It makes a perfect cake, lovely and moist.

Answer 7

Yes, you can. I have a French friend who ALWAYS uses oil in cakes instead of butter. The taste and texture is different but it is edible.

Answer 8

Yes you can. If you look at the recipes on the Betty Crocker cake mix and other mixes they all use oil. I made corn bread a few days ago and I used oil it was quite good.

Answer 9

No!!! Not in a scratch cake if recipe calls for butter. MAybe u could get away with crisco

Answer 10

I want to make. Homemade cream cheese pound cake but I only have butter what can I use to replace it

Answer 11

Only if its carrot. Oil is not nice for a pound cake. If you don't have butter don't do it.