What are possible substitutes for butter or margarine or oil in baking recipes? I know that you can sometimes use applesauce. But what about when you are cooking a sweet dense loaf like banana bread; would sour cream be a possible substitute or is "fat" definitely necessary in most recipes?
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When substituting butter or oil in baking recipes, it depends what type of baked good it is. Muffins are the easiest because you can often reduce the oil by a couple of tablespoons without changing the texture all that much. You can also replace some of the oil with applesauce, fruit juice or fruit puree.
You could replace some of the fat in banana bread with sour cream but not all of it. The fat is there for a reason - it keeps the baked good moist, and gives it flavour and texture. It is best to use a full fat sour cream as light products have more water in them and do not always behave well when heated.
I would suggest replacing about one-quarter of the fat to start with. You can then play around with the amount until you are happy with it.
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