Are there any guidelines for substituting oil for butter in cakes?

Answer by  oldmom (716)

Substitute no more than half the butter with oil. Texture will be different, but acceptable. You could make "better butter", by mixing softened butter half and half with olive oil and using the resulting soft butter in recipe as is, and for other purposes as well. This reduces the saturated fat, yet doesn't affect taste or results.

Answer by  Robert20 (51)

You have to be careful - when you substitute, you should change a solid for a solid and a liquid for a liquid. Here, it would be better to substitute with margarine. Otherwise, once your cake cools down, it might not have the same consistency. Depending on the cake, you can add more eggs or bananas to help keep the consitency.

Answer by  worker8727 (21)

You can try substituting ¾ cup of oil for every cup of butter, but the resulting texture will not be the same. A little extra sugar might cover some of the taste lost when butter is removed. A better bet would be a non-hydrogenated shortening (in the health food aisle).

Answer by  rhistory (224)

It depends on the type of cake. If the cake is a lighter cake, then substituting oil for butter will not work as it is too heavy. If it is a lof style cake, it might work on smaller amounts. The best substitute for butter is applesauce. It hase the light consistency of butter with less saturated fat.

Answer by  diane23 (1167)

If the recipe calls for melted butter, substituting an equal amount of oil should work fine. For recipes calling for softened butter, try reducing the amount by 1-2 tablespoons.