The Milk And Butter Substitute For Dairy-Free Cake

Allergies and food restrictions can be quite a hassle. The endless double-checking of ingredients, asking questions when meals are prepared by other people, looking for recipe alternatives — you get it. If you're dairy-free, you've certainly had to find some creative ways to replace traditional dairy products in your culinary creations, most notably in creamy dishes and baked goods, where milk, butter, and cream are used in most recipes.

One such example is the classic birthday cake — soft, fluffy cake layers baked to perfection, topped with delicious frosting. Butter and milk are the staple ingredients in a birthday cake, but lucky for you, there is no need to mourn them: coconut cream is all you need for the perfect dairy-free birthday cake with a spongy consistency and sweet flavor.

The reason coconut cream is such a good replacement for milk and butter in cakes is because it contains fat (that you'd normally get from butter) and moisture (traditionally provided by milk), both of which play crucial roles in the final texture of your cake. A lack of dairy doesn't have to mean a lack of the softness and airiness that we all love in a cake. The easiest way to get coconut cream is to buy it canned, though you can also make it at home from coconut butter (mix equal parts coconut butter and water) or use this easy trick to make it from coconut milk.

Speaking of coconut milk, let's clear something up to avoid any mishaps. Coconut cream is not the same as coconut milk; the latter is a lot thinner and contains less fat than coconut cream. So, even though you can use coconut milk to make coconut cream, you'll likely need several cans to get a good amount.

You also shouldn't mistake coconut cream for cream of coconut. Though they have an almost identical name, they are not the same product. Cream of coconut has added sugars and differs from coconut cream in consistency and flavor — it's dense, syrupy, and sweet to the taste, so it's commonly used in mixed drinks, like a cool and refreshing piña colada. Coconut cream, in turn, is unsweetened and has a creamy texture with a strong coconut flavor. Aside from cake, you can use it as a thickener in other desserts, smoothie bowls, and even savory dishes such as stews (we're currently obsessed with this spicy coconut peanut soup). 

All coconut products, however, can lend you a helping hand in dairy-free cake-making. Once you have your coconut cream cake layers beautifully baked, you can use coconut oil in combination with coconut cream to make cinnamon cashew frosting or make the staple vegan vanilla frosting with coconut milk. Your dairy-loving friends won't even know the difference, and they'll quickly go coconuts for your sweet coconut creations.