Most of us like baked food very much and even though we know that we will put on weight after eating them, it becomes hard to resist ourselves from these high calorie foods. But there are ways to replace high fat ingredient in these baking dishes and still enjoy these tasty treats with fat free or low fat substitutes and maintain good health.

We usually eat more fat and calories every day than we need. A cup of butter in a baking dish contains 1500 calories and 180 grams of fat. So, eliminating butter, shortening and margarine from these dishes by replacing them with fruit puree, mashed vegetables, and fat free dairy product, you can avoid raising cholesterol and still enjoy a tasty treat.

Fruit Purees

Applesauce and some other fruit purees are good substitute for replacing fat in baking dishes. Apple sauce can be used for making cakes, ginger bread, muffins and cookies.  Fruit purees like peach, pear and prunes are used to make cookies, muffins, cakes, brownies, spice cakes. Use Mashed bananas to prepare chocolate cakes and quick bread.
The total amount of fat you use for a particular baking dish can be substituted with fruit puree equivalent to more than half of the amount of fat required.

Mashed Vegetables

Another way to replace fat is to use cooked and mashed squashes like pumpkin or sweet potato.  Mashed sweet potatoes and squashes are ideal substitute for preparing muffins, garlic ginger bread, fruit cakes etc.

Low Fat Dairy Products

Fat-free buttermilk or yogurt can be used to replace all the fat in most baked goods and at least 1/2 that in cookies. Dairy substitutes can be used very well in muffins, Chocolate cakes and all other baking dishes.

Sweet Substitutes

Jam, corn syrup, honey, fruit juice concentrate, chocolate syrup, apple butter, molasses, prune butter and maple syrup can be used as topping or can be used as substitute to add sweetness to your baking dishes like muffins, cookies, biscuit, cakes, bread etc. Reduce the amount of sugar and add these sweeteners.

Margarine and Low-Fat Butter

You can cut the total content of fat by replacing high- fat butter and use low fat margarine or oil to substitute them.

Egg Whites

Use two egg whites instead of a full egg to eliminate fat because the egg yolk contains all the fat in an egg.

Fat free baking dishes requires shorter baking time and low temperature, compared to high fat baking dishes. So reduce the temperature of your oven by 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and perform the test for doneness earlier than the original recipe.