Oh, how sweets can satisfy a craving. Unfortunately, too many cakes, pies, muffins, cupcakes and cookies can cause weight gain. The good news is that it’s possible to enjoy the occasional baked treat without ruining a week’s worth of healthy eating. It’s all in how you prepare that treat.

Baking healthier sweets means replacing high-fat butter, shortening and sour cream with more nutritious ingredients. Food experts suggest the following substitutions to make your baked goods healthier:

• Boost the fiber in pancakes, muffins and quick breads by adding ground flax seed
• Add healthy whole grains to your diet by substituting 1/3 cup of bran or whole-wheat flour for 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
• Reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup, use 2/3 cup. Add cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract to create sweetness. Tip: Do not eliminate all sugar in yeast breads because sugar works with the yeast to make the bread rise.
• Replace half of a recipe’s high-fat ingredients, such as butter, margarine, sour cream, heavy cream, chocolate, oil and shortening with mashed ripe bananas or puréed prunes
• Instead of using one whole egg, try 1/4 cup fat-free, cholesterol-free egg substitute, or two egg whites
• Swap one cup of oil for one cup of unsweetened applesauce
• Trade one tablespoon of margarine with three tablespoons of ground flax seed
• Substitute one cup of sour cream with one cup of plain yogurt
• Exchange one ounce of chocolate with three tablespoons of cocoa
• Replace one cup of heavy cream with one cup of evaporated skim milk

If you make a few of these simple substitutions, you can have your healthy cake and eat it, too!