What do you use in your baking??

astep70uk

I've been doing a lot of baking recently (the usual cakes and pies) and just wondered what everyone else uses for the fat content??
I've been using Asda smartprice butter (52p) in mine and just wondered if I could use anything cheaper but get the same buttery taste?

What do you all use? Butter, margarine, lard?

Also, if a recipe states 'butter' can I use a marg or butter substitute (like Utterly Butterly or something?)

littleredhen

stork margarine or whatever is the cheapest margarine - the only exception i make is when making shortbread and that has to have butter - if i don't have any marg in then i use butter spreads but i try to buy 2 or 3 packs of stork and put it in the freezer that way i have always got some in - i think if the recipe says butter i would try it with margarine and see if it tastes the same - i don't think you can tell and this is from someone who has to have butter on bread/toast - i hate marg unless using it for baking
i have even used sunflower oil for a recipe for yoghurt loaf that requires melted butter - it tasted fine

doddsy

I agree with littleredhen - it has to be butter for shortbread.
Lard for pastry
Vitalite for cakes

Raspberry_Swirl

tesco own healthy living marg for cakes. not had any complaints yet!

freyasmum

Hiya,

It depends what I'm making. If I'm making pastry for a pie/tart or shortbread (it's no use making shortbread with anything other than butter) I use butter. When I'm making the base for a millionaire shortbread, I use stork for pastry and when I'm making sponges, etc I'll use what I have to hand, but generally some kind of marg - especially since I managed to get 24 tubs of utterly butterly for £1.99!

And my cake go (as my mum would say) like, well, hotcakes!
Lx

celyn90

Same for me really, Stork for most cakes (except plain ones), oil if I'm really stuck. Butter for plain cakes and shortbread. Lard (or vegetable suet) for pastry.

floyd

Stork for pastry mixed half and half with Trex, Lurpack unsalted for millionaires shortbread, Stork for creamed cakes and vegetable oil for muffins.

npsmama

butter for shortbread
Lard for pastry
Stork, Utterly Butterly, other cooking tub marg for cakes

LizD_2

Butter all the way. I just feel you might as well use the real thing - good butter in moderation is better (IMHO) than margerine etc. In health terms, a little bit of full-fat cake and an otherwise healthy diet is fine.

GreenNinja

littleredhen wrote: »

stork margarine or whatever is the cheapest margarine - the only exception i make is when making shortbread and that has to have butter - if i don't have any marg in then i use butter spreads but i try to buy 2 or 3 packs of stork and put it in the freezer that way i have always got some in - i think if the recipe says butter i would try it with margarine and see if it tastes the same - i don't think you can tell and this is from someone who has to have butter on bread/toast - i hate marg unless using it for baking
i have even used sunflower oil for a recipe for yoghurt loaf that requires melted butter - it tasted fine

Have to say I would never use margarine (even though my Mum always did when we were kids) as I saw a rather disturbing documentary about it some time ago!

If you leave margarine for I think it was 3 months it doesn't go off at all, it just stays exactly the same..... weird?? its like an alien food!

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

For me it has to be butter for cakes, and for pastry i use half butter and half lard.....