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Nina’s Tips and Techniques: Baking With Apple Sauce

I’ve heard you can use applesauce as a replacement for eggs. How does this work?

Yes, in many cases (in baking) you can substitute applesauce for eggs! Generally the rule is ¼ cup applesauce for every egg. This works really well in basic baked goods like cakes, muffins, and tea breads. It does not work as well when the egg is used to help the item rise, like in a soufflé, meringue, or macaron.

I’ve also heard you can use it instead of oil or butter? True or false?

True! A basic one-to-one ratio for substitution applies here. Applesauce will offer the same moist quality that butter or oil do. The only thing to watch out for is that baked goods made with applesauce dry out very quickly! Think about it — since the moisture in applesauce is water, it evaporates, whereas the fat in butter or oil does not. So keep those cupcakes sealed in an airtight container or better yet, eat them fresh!

Recipe: Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil (or 1/3 cup apple sauce and 1 tablespoon of oil)
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add canola oil, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Mix just until all wet ingredients are moistened. About 1/2 way through mixing add the cranberries and nuts.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for 23 to 27 minutes, until lightly browned on top and a toothpick or knife inserted through the center comes out clean. When cool enough to handle, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.