Definitely coconut oil. You can usually reduce the amount of fat in most recipes by 20-25% using coconut oil and get the same results, which is a benefit when using coconut oil (reduced total fat). If your coconut oil happens to have the flavor of coconut, you will definitely taste it in your finished product because of the amount used. I use LouAna brand, which has NO coconut flavor, when I don't want to introduce the flavor of coconut to a recipe. If you don't want the flavor of coconut, use olive oil. I love lemon poppy seed cake....

Speaking of using fresh lemons.... Chris Kimball did one of his famous taste-tests yesterday on TV tasting lemon curd. He hated the one using fresh lemons and chose True Lemon (powder) #1 and Real Lemon Juice (bottled) #2. I happen to love True Lemon and True Lime for cooking and baking. Great food storage items.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, I've been using True Lemon and True Lime since my husband was put on a low sodium diet. Both products are really great when I don't have fresh citrus on hand. Really good for seasoning rubs.

Thanks Grainlady,

I will also reduce the total fat and use coconut oil. I think the slight flavor that the coconut oil will add will be fine with lemon. I just wasn't sure how to substitute it. I think I'll try 4T of butter and 5T of coconut oil, realizing that this is a bit more of a total reduction of fat than you suggested. I just can't quite justify 12T of fat to one and a half cups of flour.

Lee

OK, I have placed an order for True Lemon, Lime, and Orange, so please give me some ideas on how you use them.

Sooner, I'm sure Grainlady has some super creative ideas. I just used the True lime yesterday as part of the seasoning for some caarne asada strips. I used Penzey's Adobo salt-free blend, some of World Market's salt-free fajitas blend, a couple cloves of crushed garlic, and about three envelopes of the True lime powder. I added about two tablespoons of olive oil, mixed well and let the meat marinate overnight. Yesterday I seared the meat in batches and stuffed some homemade flour tortillas.

When I roast a chicken, I always use several envelopes of True lemon along with dried herbs for a rub. I like the powder because it's easy to coat the inside of the bird with lemon flavor.

The lemon & lime have been helpful in maintaining my husband's low sodium diet. I've mainly used them for main dishes because I'm not much of a dessert person, but I'm curious about that lemon curd recipe.

Here are some recipes from the True Lemon website.

Here is a link that might be useful: True Lemon Recipes

I would have suggested going to the web site Shambo linked to as well. That's where I got recipes and ideas. Anywhere you need lemon or lime juice. Sprinkle on the powder or reconstitute it with water if you need a liquid form.

To measure it:
-1 packet = scant 1/4 t.
-1/4 t. = 1 T. lemon juice
-1/2 T. = 1/4 c. lemon juice

We use this recipe a lot...

Spicy Lime Mayo

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 T. lime juice (one packet True Lime)
1 t. chili powder
1/4 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 t. salt (I omit it.)

Great on a Roast Beef (or other shredded meat) and Lettuce Wrap. Add a slice of crispy bacon, slice of ripe avocado and a ring of sliced red onion if you'd like.
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Make your own Lemon Pepper seasoning with freshly ground pepper and a packet True Lime. I add this seasoning mixture to stir-fry or a medley of sliced zucchini, yellow squash and bell pepper slices as a quick side dish.

-Grainlady

Did you make the cake with coconut oil, lsr? How did it turn out? Were you happy with the reduced fat content? Lemon poppyseed is one of our favorites, but I think it's because of its high butter content that it is so darn good. That texture, that flavor, mmmmmmmmm!

I must admit that I'm confused by the substitution of coconut oil for butter. Wasn't Coconut Oil removed from many commercial products because it is so high in saturated fat? How is it then better than butter for health reasons? Except that you reduced the total fat, there is no calorie reduction from butter to oil.

Anyhow, when it comes to lemon poppyseed cake, I think I'd rather reduce my fat intake some other way for a few days rather than lose any flavor or texture to oils. After all, who eats more than a slice or two at a time? It freezes perfectly in slices for treats a month or two away, too. I do love that stuff!

If you go to the Food section of the Martha Stewart website and type in "cake olive oil" in the search engine, there are some interesting recipes for cakes made with olive oil. The ones I've tried are a different taste and texture than cakes made with butter and flour but we have enjoyed them.

I finally made a cake with the Meyer Lemons that fell from my tree.

Grainlady, I thought I had coconut oil but I didn't. I looked where I normally shop and wasn't happy with what they had so I wound up using the quick lemon cake recipe that Shambo posted and my lightest, virtually flavorless, olive oil. I still think that the slight coconut flavor of coconut oil with the lemon would be great and I have put it on my phone shopping list. The spicy lime mayo you posted is definitely something we would love and I just looked at their website and one of my local supermarkets sells it, so it's on the list too. Thanks for your help.

Sherrmann, coconut oil has been controversial, but from all the reading I've done, I feel it is healthy. We all have to make our own decisions on lots of foods and I will be quick to admit that I often feel there is conflicting research on all sorts of foods. I love butter too, but since my very serious heart surgery I have to be careful about how much I use. Coconut oil has no cholesterol and no sodium and butter is very high in cholesterol. I certainly do eat some butter, but it's in my best interest to limit it which is why my original question was to ask what to substitute for some of the butter. I'm sure this recipe would be fabulously wonderful with the original amount of butter.

Lee