How to Bake With Sour Cream

Sour cream is often thought of as a topping for potatoes, an addition to sauces and a way to mix guacamole, but it's not often remembered as a baking ingredient. Due to its creamy texture, sour cream can be added to a variety of baked goods and recipes in order to yield moister results. The same sour cream can be used as a substitution for certain ingredients so you aren't caught without the right materials to make your favorite baked goods.

Sour Cream and other ingredients to make pastries. (Image: vinicef/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Utilize sour scream as a way to make thickened sauces and glazes. An easy glaze for cakes and doughnuts can be made by mixing 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix well and drizzle over baked goods for a sweet finish.

Step 2

Swap the fat in a cake or cookie recipe for the same amount of light sour cream. If a cake recipe calls for oil, you can save on fat and calories by using light sour cream instead. You may notice a slight change in flavor, but since sour cream is generally mild, it may only be present as a slight tang in the flavor of the item.

Step 3

Add a cup of sour cream to your regular cake or cookie recipe in order to create a moister result. Cakes that can sometimes come out dry, such as sponge cakes, especially benefit from the addition of sour cream. This is especially true when baking in high elevations, where baked goods tend to dry out faster.

Step 4

Substitute sour cream for other items in the kitchen. For instance, a cup of sour cream can be substituted for a cup of regular cream, plain yogurt or even milk in a recipe. While you may experience a slight taste or texture change, sour cream allows you to achieve similar results without having to stop your baking for a trip to the store.

Tip

Two tablespoons of regular sour cream has 60 calories, while low-fat sour cream offers 40 and fat-free sour cream has only 25. Choose the type of sour cream based upon the texture and outcome you desire. For instance, if you're looking for a creamier, moister baked good, use full-fat sour cream, which has a creamier consistency. If you want your baked goods to be lower in fat and calories, use the nonfat variety.