ABCs of Baking: A for Applesauce (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of applesauce to sugar in baking? ›

While you can substitute applesauce in place of granulated sugar, there are some things to be cautious of. Like butter and oil, you can substitute applesauce and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. However, sugar is a dry ingredient and applesauce is a wet ingredient, so you will have to cut back on other wet ingredients.

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

Applesauce can be used as a substitute for oil, butter, or eggs, and still give you delicious baked treats.

Whether store-bought or homemade, unsweetened applesauce is just cooked and puréed apples. It contains lots of water, some natural sugar, fiber, and pectin. This high water content is both good (because it adds moisture to the final product) and bad (because high moisture = more gluten development = tough cakes).

Using 1/4 cup (about 65 grams (g)) of applesauce can replace an egg in most recipes. It's best to use unsweetened applesauce. If you're using a sweetened variety, you should reduce the amount of sugar or sweetener in the recipe itself.

You can use a quarter-cup unsweetened applesauce for one egg. It adds a delicate sweetness, moisture, and even a bit of binding power from the fruit's natural pectin. Because it's more dense than an egg is, it might change the texture of your baked goods.

In most cases, you can substitute applesauce for butter using a 1:1 ratio (if the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 1 cup of applesauce).

If you want to keep the fruit intact like in the case of canning peaches or poaching pears, you cook the fruit in a sugar syrup, which keeps the fruit from breaking down. When making applesauce, you add the sugar at the end so the apples break down quickly.

Fat Substitute — You can use applesauce instead of oil or butter in most baked goods, such as cakes, muffins, breads, and pancakes. Use applesauce in a 1:1 ratio with the oil. So, if your recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil, you will use 1/3 cup of applesauce.

Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

Why use applesauce instead of oil? ›

How to replace butter and oil with applesauce. Applesauce adds the necessary moisture to hold the dry ingredients together along with heart-healthy soluble fiber. Plus, because applesauce has a high water content, your baked goods will stay moist and fresh longer.

To make your applesauce, peel, core and chop the apples. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Finely grate in the orange zest and squeeze in the juice, then add the sugar, cinnamon and chopped apples. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat until you have a chunky sauce.

The best apples for applesauce are whatever apples you have on hand and need to use up. However, if you have a choice, we recommend using a combination of sweet and tangy varieties for the best flavor. Popular sweet varieties include Honeycrisp and Fuji, while popular tangy varieties include Granny Smith and Braeburn.

The mellow sweetness of toasted sugar adds complexity. Apple cider vinegar helps brighten cooked fruit. Using skin-on fruit improves both flavor and color in the finished product. Aromatics like cinnamon, orange peel, and rose water intensify the flavor of the apples.

Applesauce acts like the fat because it keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery texture. There are some guidelines to follow to ensure that the applesauce is incorporated properly, resulting in healthy and delicious baked goods.

For example, sweeter apples tend to break down easier than their acidic partners. This means that apples like Red Delicious break down quickly, turning your pie into more of an applesauce than a delectable dessert.

Want to Substitute Butter and Eggs For Applesauce When Baking? Here's How. When you're trying to eat healthy, baking at home may seem out of the question because of all the fat, calories, and cholesterol found in the oil, butter, and eggs. But luckily, applesauce works as a substitute for all three.

Use applesauce to add moisture. Replace one egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce in sweet desserts. If you want a lighter texture, add an extra 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder, as fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.

Applesauce is a great neutral egg replacement, meaning you won't taste any apple in the final product. When subbing in applesauce for eggs, use ¼ cup for every egg your recipe calls for, and add an additional ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the dry ingredients.

In comparison to apples, eggs have three times the amount of calories and thirteen times the amount of protein. Yet apples can be particularly good for gut health, containing fibre and polyphenols, which are beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant properties that protect against various diseases.

Can you use applesauce instead of eggs in brownies? ›

APPLESAUCE

About ¼ cup of applesauce can work as an egg replacement in baking for dense baked goods like brownies or cookies. While you can use applesauce in sweets like cakes and cupcakes, you may need to add an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder to your dry ingredients to create a light and airy final product.

Generally, half a mashed banana (about 1/4 cup) can replace one egg. However, it's important to consider the moisture content of the recipe as bananas also add moisture.

While applesauce, and apples in general, are high in sugar, these sugars occur naturally in the fruit. Sweetened varieties contain added sugars, typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup. In 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce, you'll find the following nutrients: Calories: 103.

Applesauce has long been used to help make baked goods healthier, either as a substitute for oil or for sugar. You can use it as a one-to-one substitute (1 cup applesauce for every cup of brown sugar). However, you will need to reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 2 tablespoons to account for the extra liquid.

If you really want to cut back, sugar can usually be reduced by about a third without seeing a major difference in texture. You can also try eliminating an egg white and adding an extra egg yolk to keep the texture moist.

For reference, one medium apple will give you about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of applesauce.