How to cut calories in everyday baking

This isn't so much a recipe, but more a tip to apply with any recipe. Queenie asked me if I had any low-calorie cake recipes, and while I don't, I do have experience testing to see what's the best balance between fat content and final product.

First of all, never cut all the fat from a cake! It's crucial to have some fat content to produce a proper texture. I'm going to fill you all in on my favourite ways to cut calories in cakes, and baking in general. Keep at least an egg yolk or a little oil in there - I prefer to use a low-fat margarine, with fat-free milk, fat-free egg replacer, and low-calorie sweetener.

• Skim Milk

This is an obvious one. Just replace equal amounts full-fat milk with skim milk, and you'll cut calories.

• Low-Fat Margarine Spreads

The lowest calorie one that I've been able to find is Weight Watcher's Canola Spread, which has 300 less calories per 125g than butter. I use this in my baking all the time, and have had no issues. I've tried using Applesauce, but it tends to give cakes a gummy, unpleasant, chewy texture.

• Artificial/Low Calorie Sweetener

Again, an obvious one. Cutting a cup of sugar in favor of Splenda saves 700 calories!

• Vegan Egg Replacer

For some reason, I have much better results with this than with egg whites. I use Orgran No Egg. One teaspoon is equal to one egg, but only 9 calories. In a two-egg recipe, this cuts 130 calories.

• Diet Soda

This is not a method I'd recommend, but it works in a pinch. Get a box of cake mix (low-sugar is best, for lower calories) and mix it up with a can of diet soda. These tend to turn out with the same unpleasant texture as using applesauce, but not everyone minds.

• Cake Flour

This doesn't cut calories, but it's just a handy tip. Especially when you're cutting fat from a cake, Cake Flour will produce a more tender cake, as it has a different protein content. It's worth getting if you can find it, or you can find recipes for making your own (like self-raising flour).

I hope that these help you guys with your baking endeavors!

Happy Eating!

xxBella