Pureed Fruit

• Use unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, or other pureed fruits like pumpkin, pears or prunes in place of oil when baking a cake. Unsweetened applesauce changes the taste of a cake only slightly, if at all, but other pureed fruits may affect the flavor of your finished product. Using pureed fruit instead of oil reduces the amount of fat in the cake.

Shredded Zucchini or Pureed Vegetables

• Use shredded zucchini instead of oil in your cake. Make sure to shred it fine. Baking supplies company Wilton suggests using pureed vegetables, including pureed sweet potatoes or pureed squash.

Yogurt

• Substitute plain yogurt for oil in your cake mix. Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt if you want to limit your fat intake. You can also use flavored yogurt, but that will affect the taste of your cake so choose a flavor compatible with the flavor of your cake. You may need to reduce the amount of liquid you add to your cake mix if you use yogurt in place of oil.

Mayonnaise

• Use mayonnaise in place of oil in your cake mix. If you substitute mayonnaise for oil, box mix manufacturer Duncan Hines says to omit the eggs from the cake mix. Use a low-fat mayonnaise if you want to reduce the amount of fat in the cake. You may need to slightly reduce the amount of water you add to your cake mix.

Butter or Margarine

• Use melted butter or margarine in place of oil in your cake mix. Duncan Hines recommends melting the butter or margarine and measuring it in liquid form before adding it to the other ingredients. Butter may give your cake a richer flavor than margarine, and it also has more saturated fat. Use a light margarine if you’re concerned about saturated fat.