Applesauce contains more pectin than other fruit purees, which helps to retain the moistness of baked goods. Even if a recipe is flavored with another fruit puree, I always add a little applesauce as well. You'll see recipes here that use pumpkin, banana, and prune purees, among others. Sweeteners Sugars provide sweetness and flavor. Crystalline sugars, such as granulated white sugar and brown sugar, are integral to the creaming process that incorporates air into batters.
Sugar also inhibits gluten formation, which means that sugar helps make baked goods tender.
Honey and corn syrup are liquid sweeteners, and while they do provide sweetness, they do not cream well, just as liquid vegetable oils can't substitute for solid shortenings. Leaveners Most desserts are leavened with baking soda or baking powder, or by the air beaten into egg whites. This carbon dioxide expands the air bubbles previously formed by creaming, and makes the baked good rise. In some recipes, depending on the quantity of acidic ingredients included, a combination of baking soda and baking powder is used for better flavor and texture. Baking powder does not need an acidic ingredient to release its leavening power.