http://coorec.com/p/paleo-chocolate-cupcakes-grain-free-gluten-free-dairy-free
Do I have to use the applesauce in this recipe?
Do I have to use the applesauce in this recipe?
Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes - Recipe without Applesauce
- Thread starter Kasey
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In these kinds of recipes, applesauce is used instead of oils or butters.
If you remove the applesauce, you will have a dried, probably hard lump of coal.
If you don't want to use applesauce, and you don't mind using oil or butter, then use 1/4 cup melted butter or veggie oil. But then these wont be dairy free.
There are other alternatives for applesauce, if you want to keep it similar.....pear sauce would work, banana's can work as well, but the you run the risk of it tasting like chocolate banana......which to me, isnt a bad thing. You can also use natural peanut butter, which has a lot of oil in it, but again, it will taste of peanut butter......which again, to me, isnt a bad thing. LOL
Some people use avocado, but even though it has moisture in it, it's not enough to replace the applesauce.
If you don't mind using dairy, then sour cream, or cream cheese can also work.
You might also try almond milk, soy milk, or tofu "butter".
Just be warned, depending on what you use, can alter the texture and taste.
You might just use extra coconut oil to replace the applesauce, but then again, you run the risk of changing the flavor. You an also just add some water, but the bad thing about that is, you have to bake them to just barely done, otherwise they can turn into a hard lump.
If you remove the applesauce, you will have a dried, probably hard lump of coal.
If you don't want to use applesauce, and you don't mind using oil or butter, then use 1/4 cup melted butter or veggie oil. But then these wont be dairy free.
There are other alternatives for applesauce, if you want to keep it similar.....pear sauce would work, banana's can work as well, but the you run the risk of it tasting like chocolate banana......which to me, isnt a bad thing. You can also use natural peanut butter, which has a lot of oil in it, but again, it will taste of peanut butter......which again, to me, isnt a bad thing. LOL
Some people use avocado, but even though it has moisture in it, it's not enough to replace the applesauce.
If you don't mind using dairy, then sour cream, or cream cheese can also work.
You might also try almond milk, soy milk, or tofu "butter".
Just be warned, depending on what you use, can alter the texture and taste.
You might just use extra coconut oil to replace the applesauce, but then again, you run the risk of changing the flavor. You an also just add some water, but the bad thing about that is, you have to bake them to just barely done, otherwise they can turn into a hard lump.
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Yes.
There's plenty of fat in the form of coconut oil in this recipe. Plus it contains a whopping 4 eggs! Geez--this recipe is fat city. So the applesauce isn't a fat substitute.
The recipe uses applesauce for moisture.
Note the lack of liquid. Yet there's a ton of fat and sugar in this recipe. There's also a ton of cocoa powder. Cocoa powder absorbs an enormous amount of moisture. Sugar is also very hygroscopic so it's going to absorb a lot of moisture as well. If you leave the applesauce out this cupcake is going to be very dry because there's no added liquid. The moisture here is coming from the fat (eggs and coconut oil) and the applesauce.
This recipe illustrates just how deceiving the "Paleo" label is for those trying to maintain a better diet. This recipe has more fat, sugar, and cholesterol than even a traditional gluten and refined sugar cupcake.
You could make up your own recipe using just almond flour and still reduce the overall fat, sugar, and cholesterol per cupcake. Just eyeballing the ingredients list I'd say you could reduce the fat by about 25%. Sugar is a little more difficult because sugar is sugar is sugar is sugar. It's fructose and it's glucose. But you could change out the honey for coconut sugar. And you could use half the amount of eggs. You could reduce the amount of coconut oil. For liquid, you could add in strong coffee rather than espresso granules. And you could add a non-dairy liquid. Increase the amount of almond flour and decrease the cocoa powder.
In all frankness, there's no such thing as a healthy cupcake. But you can certainly make a better cupcake. But this recipe is not it.