how to replace sugar/fats in baking?

think48
think48 Posts: 366 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
I am a HUGE fan of baking. I love things like banana bread, zucchini muffins, etc. Lately, I've been experimenting with replacing the sugars and fats in those recipes with applesauce, or butternut squash or pumpkin, but I have failed every time. They come out extremely hard, crumbly, and dry. What am I doing wrong? How do I go about replacing the sugar and fats with other things like this? I read online that usually you use 1/2 applesauce for the amount of oil/butter, and I even added the whole amount and still came out awful.

Please help. Thanks!

Replies

  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    Wow I have never heard of these replacements before. I usually just substitute wheat flour for white flour, splenda for sugar, and light butters or oils instead of the heavier alternative like crisco!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    double post
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    From what I hear you should only replace half the fats in a recipe with the equal amount of applesauce etc. so if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter you would use 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce.
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    From what I hear you should only replace half the fats in a recipe with the equal amount of applesauce etc. so if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter you would use 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce.

    Ahh.....thanks! Maybe I misread and that is my problem. Okay, I'll try it that way. Thanks again!
  • missboriken
    missboriken Posts: 52 Member
    This article is super informative. Hope it helps!

    http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/the-art-of-low-fat-baking-00400000001071/
  • fitinyoga14
    fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
    i use the same amount of applesauce as it calls for oil and because the applesauce is sweet, i can use less sugar. i always use mix of confectioners sugar and brown sugar to make the flavor stronger. i also replace egg with egg white substitute.

    i've read posts on here about using diet soda as replacement in cake mix and pumpkin in place of oils, but i've never tried these.
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    This article is super informative. Hope it helps!

    http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/the-art-of-low-fat-baking-00400000001071/

    :( That article makes me sad. Sounds like I won't really be able to make delicious stuff by replacing those things. I'll just have to cut them back and cut my losses. Thanks for the article though - makes me realize I'm not doing things entirely wrong, it's just that what I'm doing may not work well, lol.
  • tim_fitbuilt4life
    tim_fitbuilt4life Posts: 301 Member
    Substitute sugar with Stevia. You would can't even tell the difference.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    Instead of using completely different things to replace the fats and sugars, how about changing the type of fats and sugars? Healthy eating and weight loss doesn't have to be devoid of fats and sugars...just bad fats and processed sugars. Avocado is a great source of healthy fat. You can puree the avocado, or use avocado oil. Instead of chemicals like splenda, you can use agave nectar. It's sweeter than sugar and all natural. It also has a low GI number, so it doesn't spike your blood sugar, which means you won't get a crazy sugar high, nor will you get massive cravings for more sugar, as its the spike in blood sugar that drives those cravings.

    I'd suggest looking into incorporating healthy fats and healthy, natural, low GI sweeteners into your diet as opposed to eliminating fats and sugars altogether. Fat and sugar can be our friend...you just have to make the right friends! :flowerforyou:
  • jeanineadele
    jeanineadele Posts: 114
    Sometimes I use ripe banana's, they are very sweet.
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