When it comes to cake, the one you bake yourself is likely to be better for you - you can skip the additives and have control over the ingredients. A cake made with wholemeal flour, less sugar, a healthier fat - and minus layers of icing or cream cheese frosting - packs more nutrients, more fibre and generally fewer kilojoules.
So what happens if you want to do a recipe makeover, replacing stated ingredients like white flour with wholemeal, or using olive oil instead of margarine or butter? That's fine - as long as you're not expecting the featherweight texture of sponge cake, says Judy Davie, author of the food labelling guide Read the Label. But if you're happier with a heavier textured cake, using less sugar and less refined ingredients will produce a more nutritious, healthier cake, she says. Here's what you do.
If you want to reduce the sugar in a recipe "Just be aware that heat applied to sugar combined with fat from butter or oil is one of the things that helps a cake or muffin rise, so if you reduce the sugar the end result may not rise as much, " says Davie. "Leaving out some of the sugar means that you also need to replace it with something else, so add the equivalent amount of another dry ingredient - dried fruit, for instance, or some extra flour or oatmeal to add extra fibre. "
If you want a healthier flour "Use either wholemeal flour or half white and half wholemeal flour. Semolina flour is good too because it's low GI, " she suggests. " It's also worth trying spelt flour - again it might not rise as much but it's tastier and has a denser texture. Spelt is also better for anyone who's mildly intolerant of wheat or gluten - though not someone diagnosed with coeliac disease. For anyone who can't eat wheat, rice or potato flours are two options, but both have a high GI - for an occasional treat it's better to use recipes with ground almonds rather than gluten free flour."
If you want a healthier fat When it comes to the type of fat, Davie believes butter is okay sometimes - but not too often.
"I prefer to use recipes that use oil, and use olive oil, macadamia oil and sometimes grape seed oil," she says. "With muffins I sometimes use a combination of low fat natural yoghurt or buttermilk with oil in muffins which also works well. In the last recipe I used, I reduced the oil from 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup milk to 1/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup low fat yoghurt. Buttermilk would be fine in place of milk - just add more to ensure all the ingredients are combined."
Davie's website The Food Coach is a good source of healthy recipes including semolina cake or blueberry and grape muffins (a good way to use up those loose grapes in the bottom of the fruit bowl).
Tell us your tips for healthier baking
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