Secret to cut fat in baked goods? Yogurt

Thick and creamy plain yogurt can be used as a substitute for eggs in baking.

Eggs serve as a binding agent and leavener and add moisture and texture. Yogurt does, too – particularly when it comes to breads, brownies, cakes and cookies.

But yogurt has fewer calories and less fat.

One egg has about 90 calories and nearly 7 grams of fat. By comparison, a cup of low-fat yogurt has 4 grams of fat and 154 calories.

But, when baking, 1/4 cup of plain yogurt can substitute for an egg.

At that amount, there’s 1 gram of fat and about 38 calories for low-fat yogurt, and about 35 calories for non-fat.

Regular, full-fat yogurt has 149 calories and 8 grams of fat per cup. Plain soy yogurt – with 150 calories and 4 grams of fat per cup – can also be used.

I’ve been experimenting with baking with yogurt instead of eggs. My two favorites so far are chocolate-almond cupcakes with a gooey, chocolate-almond glaze and spice cake with a glaze made from leftover pumpkin spice syrup.

What are your favorite eggless baking recipes? Share them with The Spokesman-Review by emailing Food editor Adriana Janovich at adrianaj@ spokesman.com.

Eggless Chocolate Almond Yogurt Cupcakes with Chocolate-Almond Glaze

These cupcakes were dense, moist and best on the same day they were made. The sweet, gooey glaze complemented the not-so-sweet cakes.

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup yogurt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil cupcake wrappers in two, 12-muffin tins.

Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl, and set aside. Mix cocoa powder a tablespoon at a time into melted butter until thick paste forms, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar and almond extract. Then add chocolate mixture, a little at a time, mixing until well combined. Add dry ingredients in small batches, about ½ cup at a time, mixing until well combined.

Pour batter into foil wrapper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely, then glaze.

Yield: about 2 dozen

Chocolate-Almond Glaze

A little almond extract goes a long way. During the test batch, I used an entire teaspoon and the result was a bit too almond-y for my taste. (Some flavor testers didn’t seem to mind as much, however.) In this recipe, I’m recommending 1/2 teaspoon, but you might want to start with 1/4 teaspoon, taste the glaze, then add another 1/4 teaspoon – or two – according to preference.

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 to 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Powdered sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined, then spoon atop cupcakes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Eggless Yogurt Spice Cake with Pumpkin Spice Glaze

This cake was moist, spongy and not too sweet. Some flavor testers suggested it would be good with chunks of apple baked into the batter, and I plan to try that next time.

2 cups flour

1 cup yogurt

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons dried orange peel

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch cake pan. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, whisk yogurt and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Mix in baking soda and baking powder. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until bubbles begin to appear. Mixture should look frothy.

In batches, add flour – about 1/3 cup at a time – to yogurt mixture and stir gently. Mix in melted butter, vanilla and spices.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean. Let cool completely, remove from pan, glaze, slice and serve.

Note: For a spicier spice cake, add ½ teaspoon each allspice, ground cloves and ground ginger.

Pumpkin Spice Glaze

I used homemade pumpkin spice syrup to create this glaze because I had three mason jars full of the stuff leftover from a do-it-yourself pumpkin spice syrup story last month. The mixture was pretty wet, so to help it set, I warmed it in a makeshift double boiler – a small mixing bowl atop a small saucepan – and added a couple teaspoons of corn starch. It worked out just fine, but I’ve included another recipe for an easy Cinnamon-Nutmeg Glaze (see below) that might be easier if you don’t have extra pumpkin spice syrup on hand.

1 cup powdered sugar

4 to 5 tablespoons homemade pumpkin spice syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons corn starch

Cinnamon and nutmeg, for dusting

Place powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Stir in homemade pumpkin spice syrup and vanilla extract. Place mixture in bowl over boiling water in small saucepan over medium-high heat. When mixture is warm, stir in corn starch 1 teaspoon at a time. Remove from heat and let cool. Use to glaze cake. Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cinnamon-Nutmeg Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons milk or water

Sift sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a small bowl. Add vanilla and milk or water, and whisk until smooth. Let glaze set before serving.