I am on a major dessert kick. Major. I’ve made something practically every other night for the last couple of weeks. Most, however, have consisted of pumpkin. While good, even pumpkin can get old day after day. So I was on a pretty good mission to find a dessert that was simple to squeeze in with a day of cooking Pho, and didn’t require me to make a grocery list of ingredients.
As luck would have it, I actually found a delicious looking cake recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but I don’t use a stick of butter in anything I cook anymore. Ok, I do – but only for Thanksgiving when I make Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes and I don’t eat those, everyone else does.
I modified the original recipe and was able to reduce the fat content down to a third of what it originally was just by making a few easy substitutions. I used to be really afraid to mess with recipes, but then half the time, I'd mis-read the directions and screw it up anyway, so I started to be a little braver. Now I really get a kick out of the re-creation experiments.
In this particular recipe, I subbed out some of the white flour for whole wheat to up the nutrients and fiber content, used an egg white in place of a whole egg, and of course, practically omitted the butter. I also really love cinnamon, can you tell?
Also, on the frosting, I reduced the amount of butter, and opted for a reduced fat cream cheese. The end result was still a yummy, super moist cake. If it hadn’t been nearly midnight by the time it was cooled and iced, I would have had it with a cup of coffee – but it went exceptionally well with a glass of milk, too.
1-1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1 Cup Light brown sugar, packed
1 Cup Light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups unsweetened applesauce (divided into 1/2 cup and 1-1/2 cups)
1 Large whole egg
1 Large egg white
1 Tbsp Butter, Unsalted
1/4 Cup chopped Walnuts (optional)
5 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 or 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper and spray it with Pam for ease in getting out of the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, gloves, and ginger (if you’re using dry Vanilla like me, add it here with the dry ingredients – otherwise, add it in the next step as indicated).
In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup applesauce, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Beat in the remainder of the applesauce. At low speed, mix in dry ingredients until combined. Do not over beat.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, ~ 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high until fluffy. Scrape sides as needed with a rubber spatula. Add confectioners sugar and cinnamon to mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake. Sprinkle walnuts on top, if desired.
If you're into small-to-moderate portion sizes like me, this cake will grant you 16 decent sized pieces.
If you're into small-to-moderate portion sizes like me, this cake will grant you 16 decent sized pieces.
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