Does the size of eggs matter in baking?

[ElsieD]

I have looked through this site and have done some googling but can't find a definitive answer.  I have recently started buying eggs directly from a farmer and they are  jumbo size.  They weigh between 70 and as  much as 76 grams.  Today I am planning on making 2 mini lemon bundt cakes. The recipe calls for 1 large egg.  Can I use the smallest jumbo egg that I have or should I blend the egg and not use part of it?  A lot of the sites I looked at said if a recipe calls for 1 large egg it is okay to substitute 1 jumbo.  Other sites say to blend the egg thoroughly and then weigh out the amount needed, but I would rather not discard any of it if I don't have to.  Thanks for your help.

Edited March 31, 2016 by ElsieD
added 'not' in front of discard (log)

[Anna N]

I make no claim to be an expert baker but I believe that where a critical amount of egg is required then it will be given in grams or ounces as will the rest of the ingredients. When Kerry  and I are up north we get farm fresh eggs and just follow our normal baking recipes.  Some eggs are big some small.  Doesn't really seem to matter with the kinds of baking we are doing.   I can't imagine it being critical with the Bundt cake.

[cakewalk]

I usually buy extra large eggs and I use them in just about everything, even though most recipes I come across ask for large eggs. There is a difference in weight, but I don't think it's significant. I think it becomes very significant if you're baking in large quantities, but most of those recipes will use weight measurements anyway. Occasionally I come across a recipe that very specifically states "one medium egg" or "one small egg." That is unusual enough for me to figure that it matters, and more often than not I will weigh out the amount. (Everything depends on just how lazy I'm feeling at any given moment.) I think your bundt cakes will be fine.

[Nyleve Baar]

I keep chickens and they obviously never got the memo about egg sizes. Their eggs range from the ridiculous to the silly. So I've gotten into the habit of figuring that a large egg is 1/4 cup and measuring out my eggs for baking. In a recipe that calls for 4 eggs, I might use 3 eggs or I might use 6, depending on the size. For a bundt cake I don't think it's particulary critical - use what you have. But if you're making something more sensitive, you can assume 1/4 cup per egg and go from there.

[AlaMoi]

I have never ever seen a "home recipe" that specified egg content by weight.

 

the difference of "large" to "jumbo" is roughly 25% by weight - which is "a lot" except when reduced to the impact of a one egg batter quantity - and especially in a moist finished product, methinks you're safe using a jumbo.

 

 

	            USDA                 min.                EU Sizes     grams per egg
	           oz/doz   oz per egg   grams per egg
	peewee       15     1.25         35.4
	small        18     1.50         42.5                small        less than 53
	med          21     1.75         49.6                medium       53-63
	large        24     2.00         56.7
	extra large  27     2.25         63.8                large        greater than 63 up to 73
	jumbo        30     2.50         70.9                very large   greater than 73

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by AlaMoi
fixed software dislike of angle brackets . . . (log)

[Franci]

If you look though the search you'll find a post of mine about it.

 

All my current recipes use the eggs by weight. Americans large eggs are about 49 to 53-54 grams (no shell). To me, in order to have consistent results, I need to have the exact weight.

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Franci said:

If you look though the search you'll find a post of mine about it.

 

All my current recipes use the eggs by weight. Americans large eggs are about 49 to 53-54 grams (no shell). To me, in order to have consistent results, I need to have the exact weight.

 

As mentioned, I looked through a bunch of threads and posts on egullet and did not see your post or else I missed it.  I decided to just go with using the whole egg as suggested by the others and see what happens. 

[Franci]

Sorry, Elsie, my post was on size of eggs in general. Also mine was more of  a general answer. In this case, just one eggs with a bundt cake I don't think it matters that much, but I'm usually in the blend, weigh  and put the rest on the side kind. For a shortbread or bread I might need more but for a cake, I generally use the right measurement.

[Patrick S]

I agree with Anna in that I've found most cake recipes pretty forgiving in terms of egg content. For something like macaron, of course, I always use gram-level precision. 

[Lisa Shock]

Good recipes go by weight. Sure, it's critical for dry ingredients, as volumetric measurements can give wildly different amounts, but, eggs vary as well and the amount of egg affects how a recipe will turn out. See the Kitchen Scale Manifesto.

 

On something like a quick bread, too little egg will give a crumbly, dry texture. Too much winds up being like a fritatta.

[Anna N]

12 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

Good recipes go by weight. Sure, it's critical for dry ingredients, as volumetric measurements can give wildly different amounts, but, eggs vary as well and the amount of egg affects how a recipe will turn out. See the Kitchen Scale Manifesto.

 

On something like a quick bread, too little egg will give a crumbly, dry texture. Too much The discrepancy has to be substantial to affect texture in a quick breadwinds up being like a fritatta.

Agree in principle but then in practice the discrepancy in egg size has to be substantial to affect texture in a single loaf of quick bread.  Commercial production is different for sure. 

[Nyleve Baar]

It seems to me that the weight of an egg of a certain volume can't possibly vary too much. It must be the same density no matter what, doesn't it? I understand the need for precision in commercial production or for very finicky types of cakes, but for simple baking I assume one can just measure out the eggs in a measuring cup. Am I wrong about this?

[Smithy]

It may be (probably is) the same density, but the volume - and hence the weight - goes up as the cube of the radius. Let's use spheres for easy comparison.  Suppose you have one ping pong ball of radius 1.0" and another of radius 1.1". The 1.1" diameter ping pong ball has a 10% greater radius (20% greater diameter), but a 33% greater volume. 

 

I just weighed the eggs in my refrigerator.  Their size differences were barely visible - nothing like the 20% diameter difference in the example above.  Their weights ranged from 60 to 70 grams, however: a 16% variation.  Does that matter for most baking in single-sized batches?  Probably not - certainly not for the sort of thing I do.  On a commercial scale, however, that weight discrepancy could easily be magnified, as noted by earlier posters.

[ElsieD]

So I made my two mini lemon bundt cakes using the whole egg.  Thanks everyone for responding to my question.  Picture attached - they were tasty little things, although  my glazing skills leave a lot to be desired.

[AlaMoi]

when in doubt, Bundt!

 

they look delish -

 

as to egg weight vs volume, etc etc - eggs are sorted for size by weight in US and in EU.  the "boundaries" are posted in the previous table - ie 'at least' and 'not more than' - and, not mentioned in that table - there is a "case size" weight tolerance.  basically there's a min and max for an individual egg plus a required "average" for dozens and dozens (errr, USA - dunno about EU)

 

I often get eggs from local hen holders.  nice but the sizes vary all over the map.  okay for over easy / scrambled / omelettes / etc - less comfortable for baking.