When pampering mum, you don’t have to go all out on the calories. You can treat her to some delicious Mother’s Day cakes that she can enjoy without feeling even slightly guilty. Here are some great ingredient substitute ideas as well as recipe options.

Applesauce instead of sugar

If you want to sweeten your cakes up but you don’t want all those extra calories, you should use applesauce instead of sugar in your Mother’s Day cakes. Remember, you can use applesauce as a substitute for the sugar or the fat (butter/oil) in the recipe but you cannot use it for both. So, you will need to choose which one you would like to substitute. Do a quick calorie count and figure out which one has the greater number of calories before choosing which one to substitute.

Flour types

Flour is almost always an essential ingredient in baked goods. However, this does not mean that you need to opt for plain white flour every time. It’s over processed and, while cheap, it’s not the healthiest option. Try whole-wheat flour next time you bake Mother’s Day cakes.

Healthy toppings

More often than not, the majority of the calories in any cake come from the toppings. Frosting is a popular choice but, instead, you could use meringue or fresh whipped cream. You can also use fresh fruit instead of sprinkles. Dark chocolate is the best choice if you insist on a chocolate topping.

Various cakes

Now that you know a bit more about substituting ingredients, here are some excellent recipe ideas that you can try this year.

  • Carrot Cake
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake
  • Chocolate Zucchini Cake (with whole-wheat flour)
  • Banana Cake (with corn flour and whole-wheat flour)
  • Apple Cake (with whole-wheat flour)
  • Dark Chocolate Orange Cake

These are just a few ideas and recipes to help you create the best and healthiest Mother’s Day cakes. Remember to try to recipe out before you make it for mum so that you know how it tastes.