Years ago, I went to a house party where someone brought brownies that was the best I had ever had. It was moist and soft, more like a chocolate cake but not quite a cake. It was like a cross between a brownie and a cake. I have a recipe for brownies that I like but it is dense like your typical brownies. How can I modify it to be fluffier? Can I just add baking soda to make it rise? If so, how much?
Also, if it asks for a ton of butter, what can I substitute for the butter? I'm into natural ingredients. And I'm trying to make it for FIL who is watching his weight but loves brownies so I want to make it as healthy as possible.
Edit:
Yes, I do know butter is natural. I was asking for a natural substitute for butter, something less fattening. I don't like to use artificial ingredients.
One more question. The family likes brownies less sweet than the pre-mix packages. So if the recipe asks for 1 cup of sugar and I decrease it to 3/4 cup, will it affect the recipe, other than to make it less sweet? Hubby thinks it'll throw off the balance of the recipe. Thx.
One of my friends added a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. One can and nothing else and it was very rich and moist and cooked thoroughly. It was awesome and no added fat or cholesterol.
It's extra eggs that make it cake-like. I should know...just ask my hips!
Hello SAK,
I have been on a kick lately using canned pumpkin in place of all the other add-in's while using boxed cake mixes. SO, SO GOOD!! The pumpkin keeps the brownie / cake so rich and moist. For a normal box of cake mix (or brownie mix for that matter) use 15 oz. of Pure Pumpkin (make sure it's NOT pumpkin pie mix - VERY important!!) mix well, bake according to box, minus about 5 minutes .. use your tooth pick to check for done-ness.
I usually use the little foil cupcake wrappers. This past weekend, I smashed up a banana, chopped about a 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, threw it all in and mixed it up. I brought them into work and these were gone before the box of donuts were!! They tasted like chocolate banana bread, but with like 0 saturated fat and 150 calories per serving (makes 12) ohhhh yeah!!
Before that, i made vanilla cake with all the normal pumpkin pie spices - pumpkin bread!! Again, 0 fat, 100 calories per serving.
best healthy trick I've found recently
:)
Updated
ALSO!! I just found sugar-free cake mixes & brownie mix .. Pilsbury I think.
Applesauce is a great substitute for oils in baking -- I haven't used oil in pancakes/waffles in 20 years! Another good subsititute when baking 'dark' foods like chocolate cake or brownies is pureed prunes (a little more work than applesauce as you have to have a good blender or food processor).
The best cake like brownies I have ever eaten had sour cream in them.
Good luck!
Extra eggs make them fluffier/more cake like...some of the box mixes will even say on the back of the box for cake like brownies add an extra egg.
You can sub some apple sauce for some of the butter, I sub it for oil all the time and can not taste any difference. Just don't use the sweetened applesauce or it defeats the purpose = )
Good luck!
I use applesause to replace butter, margarine and oil all the time and notice that it produces a 'cakier' texture.
Try using Stevia instead of sugar.
Look for the recipe with sour cream. I made that in chef class and they were wonderful!
I know you can substitute some applesauce for vegetable oil in some brownie recipes. But butter IS natural, too, lol.
Maybe google "butter substitutions"?
Try gluten free brownies. Since they are flourless they are super rich, and I think they are tastier! I do not have a gluten allergy but my s-i-l does and she makes the best desserts. I think the name of the mix she uses is pamelas. If i want to cut back on the fat i use applesauce or fatfree sourcream.
You should be fine to decrease the sugar, it shouldn't affect anything except the sweetness. Add an egg for a fluffier brownie.......
Hungry Girl has a receipe for brownies. Way less cal. and fat. Box of brownie mix and a can of pure pumpkin. It is so good you can't even tell you changed the ingredients. She has some awsome substitutes for fatty ingredients. You can sign up and get daily receipes. She is also on Foodnetwork. She really has some great ideas!!
