Milk, Buttermilk, Yogurt & Sour Cream Compared I Principles of Baking - ChainBaker (2024)

FAQs

Is buttermilk or sour cream better for cupcakes? ›

You can always substitute milk in your cake recipe with buttermilk to add that extra flavor and texture to the cake. Sour Cream will add more fat to the recipe and will make the cake dense and heavy. So, you should be careful while adding sour cream to your cake batter.

Due to its method of manufacture, yogurt is much higher in milk solids, including both protein and lactose (a milk sugar), than buttermilk is. That gives yogurt-based recipes a unique character: rich and moist, with a subtle sweetness.

Whole milk yogurt works best and brings a big reduction in fat, plus more protein and calcium. Baked goods made with yogurt as a straight substitute for sour cream will turn out less tender, lighter in texture and have a tangier, less buttery flavor.

Sour cream is made by using lactic acid bacteria to ferment cream, giving it a tangy flavor similar to buttermilk ( 5 ). However, sour cream is thicker than buttermilk, so it's best to thin it with water or milk when making a buttermilk substitute.

These proteins contribute a fluffy structure to cake or quick breads. So when substituting, just keep in mind: Sour cream = more dense and rich; Greek yogurt = more airy and moist.

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. Full-fat Greek or natural yogurts work best, but low-fat or even nonfat can be used, too.

Go for whole-milk Greek yogurt: The yogurt closest in texture and flavor to regular sour cream is whole-milk Greek yogurt. While you can use plain regular yogurt instead, it might be worthwhile to strain some of the liquid out of it first so that it thickens up slightly.

Yogurt is usually lower in fat and probiotics than sour cream. However, flavored yogurt may contain much more sugar. However, the unflavored kind of yogurt may actually be a healthier alternative to sour cream, if you are seeking that creamy, slightly sour flavor.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Can I substitute yogurt or sour cream for buttermilk? ›

As such, there are several great alternatives to use in recipes that call for buttermilk including yogurt, sour cream, cream of tartar, and kefir. It is important to consider the unique recipe on a case-by-case basis to determine what substitute may be best suited for each recipe.

Thanks to its acidity, buttermilk helps break down long strands of gluten and proteins in baked goods. That means every recipe that uses a splash of buttermilk is just a bit more tender than those that call for regular milk or water.

Baking with buttermilk

Not only does it deepen the flavor of your bake, but the acid in the buttermilk works with leaveners like baking soda to give it a fluffier interior crumb and more rise.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.)

Yes, you can substitute sour cream! Thin it with milk or water to get the right consistency. For each cup of buttermilk needed, use 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup liquid. Editor's Tip: Sour cream has a higher fat content, so this will result in richer-tasting foods.