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I've been trying to make Pastila from the following blog post.

However, I can't eat egg whites, so based on a conversation I had in the comments, I was suggested to use aquafaba as a substitute.

Here's my progress:

Peeled some granny Smith apples and cored them

Baked with a quarter inch of water for an hour, and then extracted the applesauce.

Mixed in aquafaba in a ratio of 1 apple to one tablespoon.

Whipped it for 20 minutes in my stand mixer (didn't turn out white as in the guide, but still was foamy)

Poured into a pan and have been baking for 8 hours at 180 F

However, it's still very loose. Any ideas?

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  • Hi. I see on the recipe they describe it as "marshmallow", but looks more like a kind of soft meringue concoction which probably relies on the fact that the proteins in egg white sets when cooked. So I think you might need to add something which actually sets when cooked, perhaps a little cornflour (aka cornstarch)?
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Dec 24, 2021 at 22:07
  • @BillyKerr Ah that would make sense. Oh welp
    – Rushabh Mehta
    Commented Dec 24, 2021 at 22:22
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    I don't think that's it - aquafaba sets to produce fine meringues (I did this the other day while I was making vegan pastila, in fact!) I think the issue is more likely (a) the amount of water left in the apple sauce - I cooked this down on the hob for about twenty minutes - (b) the consistency of the sauce - did you blend the sauce or leave it fairly chunky? I think it needs blended - or (c) the ratio of aquafaba to liquid.
    – Rdd
    Commented Dec 24, 2021 at 22:36
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    @Rdd - yeah that would make sense too. Maybe the juice is diluting it too much.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Dec 24, 2021 at 22:38
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    @Rdd could you please post this as an answer instead of commenting? Remember that answers in comments are discouraged and that comments can (and will) be removed at some point.
    – Stephie ♦
    Commented Dec 25, 2021 at 7:15

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As Billy Kerr commented, pastila is really quite similar to a meringue. Aquafaba sets to produce fine meringues (I did this the other day while I was making vegan pastila, in fact!) so this substitution itself likely isn't the problem.

I think the issue is more likely (a) the amount of water left in the apple sauce affecting the ratio of water to aquafaba (I cooked the puree down on the hob for about twenty minutes) or (b) the consistency of the sauce - did you blend the sauce or leave it fairly chunky? I think it needs blended. My guess would be option (a).

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