Growing up, I learned a little trick from my mom, and it's name is applesauce.
While I am an applesauce snob {I only eat 1 kind of applesauce, and that's homemade}, I bake with Mott's Natural (no added sugars) applesauce all the time. Simply apples and water -- I can handle purchasing this to bake with, especially with all the coupons and sales.
image from walmart.com
My mom taught me that applesauce can be used in place of the fat (oil/butter) used in most baking recipes. Oil/butter and applesauce can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio.
Take this decadent chocolate cake, for example.
The original recipe called for 1/2 C oil.
The first time I made it, I substituted half of the oil for applesauce (1/4 C each).
When I made it recently, I tried a full 1/2 C applesauce in place of the oil. {As well as made it with 100% white wheat flour}.
And, it worked out wonderfully.
I freeze my applesauce in ice cube trays - mine hold 1/4 C. Then, I keep the frozen cubes in a large bag or container and use them as I need them. It keeps the applesauce, especially since I use all natural from going bad before I have a chance to use it all.
Now -- there are a few caveats to baking with applesauce:
- Your baked goods will be more moist.
- Your baked goods will be more dense.
- Your baked goods may not rise as much as they typically would.
- Your baked goods may need to be baked for a bit longer due to the extra moisture.
Give it a try! With any recipe, I typically start by substituting half of the oil/butter for applesauce and see how that turns out. If I want a more fluffy cake, I'll add in additional baking powder, ~1 tsp. per large cake, for example. This seems to help!
An adventurous spirit is required :) If that works out well, I try it again the next time with all applesauce.
An adventurous spirit is required :) If that works out well, I try it again the next time with all applesauce.
Have you cooked with applesauce before? What works for you?
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