Sourdoughizing: Applesauce Cake (2024)

FAQs

What does adding applesauce to cake do? ›

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.

If you're looking to make some of your favorite baked goods a wee bit healthier or vegan, applesauce is your magical friend! Applesauce can be used as a substitute for oil, butter, or eggs, and still give you delicious baked treats.

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

The substitution will work in recipes calling for butter, but oil-based recipes work better. (That's why I mentioned avocado as a great substitute for butter.) - When substituting applesauce for oil in baking, the ratio is typically 1:1. So if the recipe calls for ¹/₄ cup of oil, use ¹/₄ cup of applesauce.

Additionally, using applesauce in place of the oil may change the texture and volume (height) slightly of the finished cake.

Applesauce. 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.

For every one egg called for in a recipe, use ¼ cup of applesauce instead. Butter & Oil: Substitute applesauce in equal quantities of butter and oil. For example, if the recipe requires ½ cup of oil, replace it with ½ cup of applesauce.

Applesauce. 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.

There's a good reason that applesauce can replace oil or butter in some cases — it has a lot of water, so it will keep your baked goods moist, and it works as a binder for the dry ingredients while adding a boost of fiber to your recipe.

The key taste compounds include salt, which is directly added to the dough, as well as acetic and lactic acid, produced during fermentation. After these experiments, they applied a technique called “unified flavor quantitation,” which was previously developed by Hofmann's team, to the sourdough bread.

Why do you put honey in sourdough bread? ›

You'll find I use honey in many of my recipes. I love to use it in my no-knead 100% whole wheat sourdough bread because it makes it much softer and less dense than it would be without it. Subbing it in recipes that call for sugar is not usually as simple as a one-to-one sub, though.

Keep the dough temperature lower: Lactic acid bacteria are most active in the higher temperatures of the mid 80s-90sºF. Keeping the dough in the 76-78º F range will still ferment and produce bacteria but will encourage lactic acid bacteria instead of acetic acid bacteria resulting in a more mild flavored loaf.

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.

It's used similarly to sour cream in cakes and other baked goods, but can also be used in glazes or folded into whipped cream. Many bakers love the way it helps keep baked goods moist while adding a tang, not unlike baking with buttermilk. Its acidity also helps activate the baking soda in batters for a nice rise.

Applesauce. "Generally, the rule of thumb is to [use] 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg," says Weintraub. For the most straightforward swap, use unsweetened applesauce. If you only have sweetened applesauce on hand, she recommends reducing the sugar in the recipe to avoid overly sweet treats.

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.

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 can be used as a direct replacement for oil or melted butter in baking, meaning in a 1:1 ratio. If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, replace it with 1/2 cup of applesauce.