Sour Cream

Sour cream contains 18 to 20 percent fat and is soured by the addition of lactic acid. In recipes, it can be replaced with whole-milk yogurt, which has about 10 percent fat, without a significant difference in texture, but lower-fat sour cream or yogurt will yield a less tender cake and may give the cake a less delicious flavor. Crème fraîche contains about 39 percent fat, so it is not interchangeable with sour cream, except where specified.