Thanks to some lower levels of a major brain enzyme called Catechol-O-methyltranferase, or more commonly known as COMT, some of us - especially women - are hardwired to worry about image. Ever envious of those who never seem to pack on pounds no matter how much decadent confections they eat? Well, clear a chair, and savour the news you're about to read — and put those worries to rest!

If you're like most people trying to watch their weight, most baked goods are probably high on your list of red-light foods. But let's face it, we all need to indulge our sweet tooth from time to time! Though coffee houses and patisseries offer a wonderful respite, most decadent confections tend to be high in calories and pretty much devoid of nutritional benefits. In the quest for finding ways to bake fat-free desserts, I discovered the wonders of baking with applesauce! Applesauce is a terrific substitute for oil or butter baking cakes, muffins and other moist, cake-like goods. But, some recipes suffer from substituting 100% of the fat with applesauce, since fat keeps the flour proteins from mixing with the moisture in the batter and forming long strands of gluten that cause cakes and cookies to become tough. So, finding the right ratio can often be by trial and error - you can try substituting about 1/3 of the oil first, and alter the amount accordingly from there on. I've had success substituting 2 tablespoons of oil and 3/4 cups of applesauce for 1 cup of oil. Once you've figured it out, you can slash your odds for extra pounds in half!

So the next time you have a sweet craving, avoid the trip to your favourite desserterie (or the mad dash to the lobby vending machines), but instead use that time to make a perfect sweet indulgence, only with less fat and fewer calories!

Tips: To help cut down on the formation of gluten, mix the liquid ingredients and sugar well (using an electric mixer if practical to beat as much air into it as possible). Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and don’t combine the two until the last moment. Then mix them gently by hand, and as little as possible. Gluten begins to form as soon as the flour comes in contact with a liquid and gets more active the more you stir it. And finally, if you're aiming for a fat- and sugar-free cake, try using unsweetened apple sauce and 2 rippened bananas in lieu of sugar. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Good Eats: