Cake experts - vinegar?

[LeahE]

I'm trying to follow a recipe for an eggless chocolate cake (one of Giorgio Locatelli's) - so plain flour, cocoa, bicarb, baking powder and 2 tbsp of "distilled white vinegar". Local supermarket has distilled malt vinegar (which is clear) so is that the right thing to use, or will it have too strong a taste? Alternatives are white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, but those aren't distilled.

Anyone able to offer advice?

it will be too strong, you're right

sorry, can't think of any substitutes, maybe the mighty soupdragon will be along soon

Use a lemon - it's all about causing a chemical reaction and I've found lemon just as good.

What are you using for your liquid? Pineapple juice is amazing (and negates the need for vinegar).

But if you do use the vinegar - it will be fine and no vinegary.

Recipe just says water, but the juice is a good idea...

Oh no - not just water. Never unestimate the taste that an egg imparts and so if egg free it has to be replaced somehow. Also I presume that it's oil and not butter - so again less taste.

Rice milk also gives a very light cake.

As a tip for making a non chocolate version - if you add half a cup of fine corn meal instead of some of the flour you get a lovely yellow cake, as if you had used an egg.

[frantically takes notes]

well, you live and learn, you really do

Something of an expert now - even if ds got the okay to have eggs I would still make cakes this way.

Thanks - I used a tropical juice blend that had about 35% pineapple (couldn't find plain pineapple in the time available) and added the juice of a lemon. Overall it turned out very well (there certainly isn't any left) so thanks for your help wiyhout which it would probably all have gone horribly wrong...

Now you have to try soaking 1/2 cup of coconut in the juice for an hour before making the cake - that is seriously yummy.

Or what about a tin of cherries and use the juice as the liquid.

Or coffee and use natural yoghurt as the liquid.