Top Tips for Healthier Baking
Baking can be a very fulfilling hobby that allows you to be creative, make delicious things for yourself and others, and use your time in a productive yet relaxing way. However, one of the downsides of baking as a hobby is that it’s not always healthy. Traditionally, baked goods are filled with sugar and fats, which isn’t good for your waistline if you like baking – and eating your creations – a lot. But the good news is that baking doesn’t have to be bad for you, and healthier baking doesn’t have to taste awful. If you want to continue baking but create healthier results, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Bake with Unsaturated Fats
Cakes and many other baked goods are foods that are best eaten in moderation, but the good news is that when you bake your own, you’re in control of what goes into them. Instead of using butter, for example, you can use an unsaturated spread. Along with being better for you by reducing the amount of saturated fat, unsaturated spread can actually provide your cakes with a lighter and fluffier texture, especially in sponge cakes.
Add Healthier Ingredients
When baking, swapping out your ingredients for healthier alternatives can be a great way to make baked goods that are actually good for you. For example, using wholegrain flour rather than white flour when baking bread, cakes and other baked goods will improve the fibre content of the food along with giving your baking a more filling, substantial feel. You can also add veggies and fruit to your baking instead of sugar; baking goods using sweet vegetables like courgettes, carrots, and beetroots or fruits like pineapples, apples and berries means that you can reduce the amount of sugar you add.
Make Healthier Icing
Icing is undoubtedly a great way to make cakes taste even better and decorate them so they look amazing but adding icing to your baked goods can also drastically increase the calorie content. The good news, however, is that you can find healthier alternatives. Use water or glacé icing rather than using butter icing for decorating cakes or consider lightly sprinkling icing sugar on top to add the finishing touches to your cake. You could even cut out stencils from baking paper and sift icing sugar over it to make a decorative pattern. Get all the essentials you need for decorating your cakes at Cooks Boutique.
Make Smaller Portion Sizes
Portion sizes are important when baking; not making as much means that you can still enjoy the process of baking and eating your baked goods when you’re finished, but without as many calories or as high a fat content per portion. Consider making mini versions of your favourite baked goods, cake pops, or tray bakes that can be divided into smaller squares.
While baking is a fun, relaxing hobby that gives you the chance to create something delicious, many bakers are concerned about the impact it can have on their health. The good news is that you can still be healthy and enjoy baking all the things you love the most.
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