The science of baking has come a long way since I started baking back when my kiddos were little. There’s been so much research done on how to minimize calories, fat content, and still end up with a delicious end product. Boatloads of experimenting in test kitchens worldwide have proven there IS a way to bake healthier cookies, cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc. that we all love, and quite frankly, want.


For instance, food scientists at the Mott’s Applesauce kitchen studied what fat typically provides in baked goods—moisture and texture. These are the two key components that make stuff taste good. While they felt certain their applesauce could meet the moisture need, they weren’t sure about how it would meet the fat need.

After a few experiments, though, they discovered applesauce absolutely could substitute successfully for fat in baked goods. This was a HUGE deal, a game changer for sure.


And what they also found was that substituting applesauce for fat in recipes was easy—no special baking or cooking techniques are required. Mott’s scientists proved applesauce works with standard methods and familiar recipes and turns out great-tasting, great-looking desserts and treats.

And besides NO FAT, trading applesauce for fat also means no cholesterol, no sodium, and lower calories. Speaking of calories and fat, just look at the difference this easy substitution makes:

One Cup Of:	Calories	Fat (grams)
Applesauce	100	0
Butter	1,625	184
Shortening	1,760	205
Oil	1,927	218

Take banana bread as a specific example. In a typical recipe we would substitute ½ cup applesauce for the oil. This easy substitution reduces the fat usually found in a standard homemade loaf of banana bread by 109 grams and saves 964 calories.

Or, if you’re a packaged-mix baker, consider this: One-third cup of applesauce added to a store-bought yellow cake mix in place of oil saves 73 grams of fat and 642 calories. What good news and such a win-win. You end up with a lot less fat and calories without any extra baking effort or any sacrifice to taste.

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All we need to know when substituting applesauce for the fat is to replace the amount of fat listed on the package (or in a recipe) with the same amount of applesauce. Simple!

When I first heard of this technique, I was skeptical. I thought it was some kind of clever marketing ploy to sell more applesauce, much like yesteryear’s schisters selling snake oil. But when I tried it, I was blown away. This is a better baking approach and is no myth or scam. What’s more, further research has shown that you can experience the same success with pureed prunes as well.


I know this baking technique has been around for awhile, but it’s such an outstanding piece of information that I thought it’d be good to share it again, especially because there might be some novice bakers out there that haven’t heard of it. And here’s a delicious recipe to get you started, for which we can thank www.allrecipes.com for sharing.




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