Applesauce as an oil substitute?

[TastesLikeSaturday]

Before she passed away, my mother used to make a killer pancake recipe where she substituted applesauce for the vegetable oil. I don't notice a huge difference these days between an oil-containing batter and an applesauce-containing batter, so when I'm trying to cut down on the fat in the recipe, I use the substitute.

I'm not really clear on why I can get away with it, though. Is it just a matter of replacing the moisture? If so, could I use the same substitution in other baked-good recipes, like muffins or cakes? Or do other recipes need the lipids for some reason?

Has anyone else tried this in other kinds of recipes? How did it turn out?

 

[CandlexBread]

I personally have never had a chance to substitute an ingredient like that for another. Though I really do I hope that I do, in the near future. I do not know how these things are able to substitute these basic ingredients. I am very sure you can use the same substitution in other baked goods. I mean, you won't know until you try. I've seen other people recommend it. When I read this, I tried to think back because I saw another chart that showed other things you could use as substitutions. I will put a couple links below to a couple charts that show them.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html
http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodcookingchemistry/a/substitutions.htm

 

[loraanna]

Yes I have used applesauce in baking homemade muffins and in baking cakes from the box. I have never tried
it with a cake from scratch but it did work with a box cake and I thought it was even more moist that using a
butter substitute like margarine.

 

[Tina Nord]

I use applesauce quite a bit as a substitute when I bake; it makes your cakes so much more moist. I am pretty sure you can use applesauce as a substitute with just about any baked good because it does not make the food taste like apples. It is also a great way to cut out some of the fat in the cake...but then again, you are eating cake so does it matter :*)

 

[forextraspecialstuff]

I have done this many times. I actually use applesauce or greek yogurt substitute and it works just as well, I still have a nice moist consistency with not as much fat. I would really recommend using applesauce in banana bread instead of butter/oil.