Many more Americans are becoming more health conscious and don't realize that they can have their cake and eat it too. Low-fat and low-sugar recipes end up tasteless and heavy. There are a number of substitutions that can be used in making cakes that can cut calories without sacrificing taste or texture.

Experts suggest that cake mixes be avoided because they are full of food additives, trans fats and hydrogenerated oils. Cakes should be made from scratch because you know exactly what is in yours. Granny's cakes were made with all natural ingredients. Here are examples of some substitutions you can make your cakes healthier. You may substitute 7/8-cup vegetable oil for 1-cup salted butter, 1-cup yogurt for 1-cup sour cream, 1-cup evaporated milk for 1-cup heavy cream and one-half mashed banana and one-half teaspoon baking soda for 1 whole egg. You can cut calories by substituting 1-cup nuts or dried fruit for 1-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Look for sunflower or reduced fat olive oil to use in place of butter. Replace some of the sugar in the recipe for pureed fruit. Applesauce can be used to replace one-half of the fat and one-half of the sugar in a recipe making the cake more moist. You can replace all or part of the white flour in a cake with whole wheat flour.

Another way to have your cake is to use portion control. Pre-cut the slices before serving or make individual servings in cupcake tins. Pumpkin, applesauce, zucchini, and carrot cake recipes provide extra servings of fruits and vegetables. Cutting the calories in your cake doesn't mean that you can eat two pieces instead of one. Remember, all things in moderation.