Unsweetened applesauce is often acts like a fat would in baking and plays the same role as butter or oil does in baked goods. Applesauce helps to keep the flour proteins from mixing completely with the wet ingredients in a recipe to create a lovely texture (avoiding dense, rubbery textures). Unsweetened applesauce also contains naturally occurring sugars reducing the amount of other sugars or sweeteners needed in baking recipes.