I've used applesauce as a substitute in banana bread/ cake, and it works wonderfully. I would assume it would work really nicely in a zucchini bread or carrot cake as well. It's definitely worth experimenting with. As far as chocolate, I might try using prune butter and pureed black beans instead of aplesauce. I just think those flavor profiles work better together. Just remember to adjust for the sugar when you substitute something with added sweetness.
I do applesauce all the time. I am not much of a baker and it has worked great in any sort of mix. I made my grandma's homemade pumpkin bars and replaced all of the oil with applesauce and I could not tell the difference.
Some people do; I find it comes out way too dry if I sub out all the oil. I've had more success using half applesauce and half the oil; even more success subbing pureed beans for butter/oil. Just make sure the color of the beans matches what you're baking!!!
When my daughter was in high school, for her science fair experiment, she took our favorite chocolate cake recipe and made it with all oil, half oil and half applesauce and all applesauce, and did a tates test with her friends. The all-oil was the favorite; the all-applesauce was uniformly disliked. (very sticky) I'd do half and half at the most. BUT...it's cake, it's an indulgence--why not make it really great and just have a smaller piece?
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