: : 1 cup [[ butter ]] : :

...And we come to butter. Yes, that golden (...hm, trying to think of appetising ways to describe butter, which is difficult as I do not like it myself), creamy solid that melts in your mouth whether it is simmered into a sauce or spread on your morning toast with jam.

Okay - I thought I might just add (before I begin on the substitution side of things) that when using butter in baking, make sure it is used at room temperature. This is very important as it allows as much air as possible to enter the butter/sugar mixture when it is being 'creamed' (pardon the pun - oh yes, I am very funny ☺).

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[[ So, what does butter contribute to the end result of your cake or muffins? ]]

The use of butter in baking is very similar to that of eggs; however butter is vital whereas eggs are not. Butter largely contributes to the flavour, colour and texture of cakes/muffins.

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[[ So what happens if the wrong amount of butter is used? ]]

Did your cake/muffin rise?
Is your cake/muffin compact in texture?

If you answered 'yes' to both of these questions, when you creamed the butter with the sugar, the butter was the wrong temperature (in this case, too cold). Make sure if you are using butter in a recipe that the butter is room temperature (see above).

Does your cake/muffin leave your fingers oily?
Does your cake/muffin taste obviously and strongly of butter or oil?

If you answered 'yes' to either of these, you have literally drowned your cake/muffin in butter.

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[[ So what can you substitute butter with in baking? ]]

: : 1 cup butter : :

♪ 7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
♪ 7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
♪ 1 cup margarine
♪ 7/8 cup oil

USEFUL TIP: If you decide to use oil to substitute butter with, choose a scented oil such as 'vanilla oil', 'cinnamon oil' or 'apricot oil' to give it that extra bit of depth of flavour.

[[ So, you may be wondering why the '♪'s. Well, I decided that seeing as so many people adore butter, they may just love it enough that it makes their 'heart sing' ☺. No, I'm just kidding. I just pressed "Alt" and a random number (which happened to be 13) and that's what popped up. ]]

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