Is there some way you could replace butter and margarine with olive oil

From a proper baker's perspective, probably not.  But ask anyone who is Greek and they'll tell you that they have olive oil versions of every sweet in their book.  Yes it works, I've eaten lots of baked goods made with olive oil.

 

Exactly. I used to bake this dessert from Calabria (Magna Graecia):

 

http://ricettefantasia.myblog.it/archive/2009/11/12/pittanchiusa-calabrese.html

 

Lots of work, delicious super sweet result. Low cholesterol may be (nuts help "good" cholesterol, if such exists), but huge amounts of sugar content.

I don't get involved with baking much so I wouldn't know how to help you in terms of amounts and ratios.  I'd say start at an equal exchange of butter to oil and go from there.

There are things that Olive Oil won't do, such as creaming with sugar, which is actually part of leavening and texture in many baked goods. Also you'll get flavor shifts from butter to olive oil. Whether its noticeable will vary from dish to dish.

Remember, butter and margarine are NOT 100% fat as olive oil is.

 

As I do not use margarine, I am not familiar with its fat content. Butter, on the other hand, is approximately 20% water.

 

So, if a recipe calls for, say, 10 ounces of butter, it is really calling for 8 ounces of fat and 2 ounces of water. If you substituted 10 ounces of olive oil for 10 ounces of butter, you WILL upset the fat/water ratio of the recipe.

 

Additionally, butter includes milk solids and salt, which may affect the flavor profile.

 

I would expect some textural differences as well.
 

check out WHIRL liquid. Wholesale only

More like 80% oil and 20% water.

 

TBS, olive oil is NOT going to act like butter:

• It will not "cream" with sugar
• It is NOT semi-solid at low room temperatures
• Butter changes phases as temperature rises, olive oil does not
• Just as lard and butter have different characteristics

 

Just be aware, there is more to it than just flavor and fat, especially in baking, there is texture and structure as well.

Wow, yes olive oil and butter are different, very different.  Doesn't mean that it can't be done though.  Yes the flavor will be different, yes the texture might change.  But it certainly does not mean that you will not have an edible product.  It's worth experimenting with it.  At the end of the day you may end up with a batch of muffins you don't like too much... it's not like you're trying to run a car on olive oil.

I am diabetic and was never told by the doctors that I can't have butter or margarine . I was told watch my sugar and carbs.

Same here Ed............. Don't know what butter & margarine has to do with diabetes.

My friend was told the same thing.  Diabetes is a bad disease and affects all systems and all organs.  If you have diabetes you have to watch your cholesterol very carefully, as your blood pressure, eye pressure,  circulation, infections and a number of other things. 

 

Personally i detest sweets with the flavor of olive oil.  I wonder if there are other substitutes that would at least be better tasting - maybe other vegetable oils would work better.  They won;t give the same flavor and texture, but at least they won't introduce a weird note in a cake. 

Butter and margarine as well as everything you eat has to be watched when you have diabetes.But not cholesterole specificaly..  Main culprit is sugar and Carbs. and the pancreas is not producing enough insulin. One should have a full blood test quarterly which I have and am sure or hope Bubba has one too.

Just had tha full panel done last  week

I imagine several things you will just need to find specialty recipes that have the proper balance of things worked out, or use other methods and ingredients to achieve the same results. I am sure that you will not be able to substitute olive oil for butter across the board. They are very different.