|
By Dana Jacobi
|
|
Layered
Banana-Pineapple Poppy Seed Cake With Fresh Fruit
|
As the finale at a back-yard picnic
or cook-out, platters of fresh fruit or slices of icy watermelon taste as good as they
look. But anyone with a real sweet tooth wants more. I usually get into trouble at this point, especially when a health-conscious hostess serves fat-free meringue kisses or sorbet. Calories count, even the fat-free ones. But it's the fat that truly satisfies, more than the sugar. Thwarted dessert lovers tend to overindulge, stuffing themselves with too many fat-free goodies, when a couple of good cookies, a properly fudgy brownie, or a thin slice of the right type of cake could do the trick. The "right" type of cake is made with a modest amount of fat - whether from egg yolks, butter, oil, yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream - that still offers the mouth feel and rich taste we crave. A bit of fat does more than simply satisfy. It improves the texture of baked goods noticeably, helping to create a moist texture rather than the rubbery and dry quality of most baked goods made with egg whites, applesauce or pureéd fruit. A cake and cookie monster, I continually watch for promising recipes and tinker with those I like. Recently, I decided to focus on cakes suitable for casual entertaining, especially out-doors and for a crowd. This one caught my eye because it looks nice made in a big tube pan, feeds up to 16 people, goes well served with berries and is best when made ahead. It keeps excellently for three days or more and also travels well, a definite plus if you are headed to the beach or a potluck dinner. AICR Dana Jacobi is the author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR's book, Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
LIME AND BANANA CAKE Canola oil cooking spray Set rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8-cup plain tube pan with cooking spray. Flour pan and set aside (Wondra® is good for flour-dusting your baking pans). In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/2 of the zest. In a separate bowl, mash banana well. Whisk in yogurt and egg yolk. Mix into dry ingredients to make a dense batter In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Fold into batter just until combined, leaving some white streaks. Transfer batter to pan. Rap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles and level batter. Bake 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 20 minutes. Unmold and set on wire rack to cool completely. Mix together confectioners' sugar, remaining zest and juice. Spoon over cake, letting it drip down sides. When set, about 30 minutes, cover cake with plastic wrap. Let cake sit 6 to 24 hours before serving. Use serrated knife to slice and serve garnished with berries. (Cake is low-fat and gets dryer on second and third day. More glaze as a topping, will give a moister taste.) Makes 12 servings. Per serving: 212 calories, 1 g Total Fat (00 g Sat Fat), 47 g Carb; 235 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein; 1 g Dietary Fiber. Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch; 1/2 Fruit.
BLACK FOREST FUDGE CAKE Cake: 1-1/4 cups unbleached flour Frosting: 1 pkg (4-serving size) instant white chocolate pudding
mix Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place the flours, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a wire whisk to mix well. Set aside. Place the cherries, including the juice that has accumulated during thawing, and the coffee in a blender; process until smooth. Add the cherry mixture, oil, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture; whisk until well mixed. Pour batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or just until the top springs back when lightly touched and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or coated with a few fudgy crumbs. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. To make the frosting, place the pudding mix and yogurt in a medium-sized bowl and whisk for about 1 minute, or until well mixed and thickened. Gently fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture and immediately spread the frosting over the cake. Sprinkle with the almonds, if desired. Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares and serving. Makes 18 Servings. Per Serving: 195 Cal; 4 g Total Fat; 39 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 257 mg Sodium; 3 g Protein; 2 g Fiber. Exchanges: 2-1/4 Starch; 1/4 Fruit; 1 Fat.
RASPBERRY SHORTCAKE 1-1/2 cups whole raspberries, frozen, divided Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Toss 1-1/2 cups raspberries with 2-1/2 Tablespoons sugar; refrigerate. Combine flour, additional 2 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder and baking soda in medium bowl. Cut in margarine; set aside. In separate bowl, beat egg white, milk and almond extract. Add to dry ingredients. Mix lightly. Knead slightly on lightly floured board. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 8 biscuits. Place biscuits on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, until slightly brown on top. Add cottage cheese, remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar and lemon juice to food processor blender; process until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup raspberries. When biscuits are done, split in half and place bottom half on each serving dish. Top each with 2 Tablespoons raspberries and 1 Tablespoon cottage cheese whipped topping; cover with biscuit top. Add remaining raspberries and whipped cottage cheese topping. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 140 Cal; 2 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 24 g Carb; 2 mg Cholesterol; 189 mg Sodium; 61 mg Calcium; 6 g Protein;1 g Dietary Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Very Lean Meat.
PINA COLADA CAKE Cake: 1 box (18.25-ounces) reduced fat or regular yellow cake mix Syrup: 1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat sweetened condensed milk Frosting: 2 cups nonfat or light whipped topping *If you cannot find coconut pudding mix, substitute 1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix plus 3/4 teaspoon of coconut-flavored extract and 2 Tablespoons of finely shredded coconut. Preheat oven to 350°F. If you do not have a nonstick 9- x 13-inch baking pan, coat a regular 9- x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place the cake mix and pudding mix in a large bowl, and stir to mix well. Add the pineapple with its liquid and the sour cream, egg substitute, and water and beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, or until well mixed. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake in preheated oven for about 33 minutes, or just until the top springs back when lightly touched and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Using a small knife, poke holes in the cake at 1/2-inch intervals. To make the syrup: Place all of the syrup ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Slowly pour the syrup over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed into the cake. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. To make the frosting: Place the whipped topping in a medium-sized bowl; gently fold in the yogurt. Spread the mixture over the cake, swirling the frosting with a knife. Sprinkle the coconut over the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares and serving. Makes 16 Servings. Per Serving: 240 Cal; 3 g Total Fat; 48 g Carb; 00 mg
Cholesterol; 305 mg Sodium; 5 g Protein; <1 g Fiber. Exchanges: 3 Starch; FRUIT-SAUCED CAKE Nonstick spray coating Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8- x 1-1/2-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray coating. Sprinkle lightly with flour; shake out the excess flour; set aside. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg or the 1 teaspoon orange peel. Set the flour mixture aside. In a large bowl, beat margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat till well combined. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the creamed mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just till combined. Wash and dry beaters. In a small bowl beat egg whites till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gently fold egg white mixture into flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 t 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from pan. Cool completely on rack. Meanwhile, for sauce, combine 1/2 teaspoon orange peel, orange juice, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in thawed fruit. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Serve slightly warm over cake or cover and chill and serve cool. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 235 Cal; 6 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 42 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 96 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein; 2 g Fiber. Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat.
NO-BAKE CHERRY CUSTARD
CAKE 1 prepared Angel Food cake (10 inches)
LAYERED BANANA-PINEAPPLE
DESSERT 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 squares) Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted margarine. Press onto bottom of a 9- x 13-inch pan which has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange banana slices on crust. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add milk and mix well. Add dry pudding mix and beat until well blended. Spread evenly over banana slices. Spoon well-drained pineapple evenly over pudding mixture. Spread whipped topping over pineapple. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, cut into squares and serve. Makes 15 (3- x 2-1/2-inch square) Servings. Per Serving: 245 Cal; 6 g Total Fat; 42 g Carb; 4 mg Cholesterol; 419 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 3/4 Fruit; 2 Fat.
TIRAMISU 3-3/4 cups Mock Mascarpone (triple the recipe below) Mix Mock Mascarpone, sugar, and rum; set aside. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise. Quickly dip cut sides of 18 ladyfinger halves into espresso and arrange, cut sides up, in bottom of a 9-inch square glass baking dish; repeat with 18 more ladyfinger halves. Spread bottom layer with half the mascarpone mixture. Repeat with remaining ladyfingers, espresso, and remaining half of mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate, loosely covered, until chilled, 3 to 4 hours. Cut into squares to Serve. Makes 9 Servings. Per Serving: 309 Cal; 7 g Total Fat (3 g Sat Fat); 43 g Carb;
172 mg Cholesterol; 493 mg Sodium; 17 g Protein. Exchanges: MOCK MASCARPONE 1 package (8-ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened Beat cram cheese until fluffy; mix in sour cream and milk. Refrigerate several hours or up to several days. Makes about 1-1/4 Cups.
APPLESAUCE
REFRIGERATOR CAKE 1 cup unsweetened applesauce Separate the egg yolks and whites into separate bowls. Beat the egg yolks until thick. Combine applesauce, butter, sugar, cornstarch and beaten egg yolks in a medium saucepan and cook until thick. Add lemon juice and remove from heat to cool. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. When applesauce mixture is partly cooled, fold in beaten egg whites. Place a layer of crushed vanilla wafers in the bottom of a deep (1-1/2-quart) casserole or 8-inch square baking dish. Pour a layer of custard then another layer of wafers, alternating layers and ending with wafers. Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, top with a dollop of Cool Whip®Lite, thawed. Makes 6 Servings. Per Serving: 236 Cal; 8 g Total Fat (2 g Sat Fat); 39 g Carb;
POPPY SEED CAKE
WITH FRESH FRUIT Cake: 1 (18.25-ounce) package light white cake mix* *If light cake mix cannot be found, follow directions for reduced-fat cake mix preparation Cinnamon-Sugar: 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Fruit Topping: 3 cups sliced fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, peaches or blueberries, etc.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cinnamon and sugar in small cup. Spray a bundt pan or tube pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with Cinnamon-Sugar; set aside. Mix together dry cake and pudding mixes, juice, water, oil and poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl. While beating on low speed, slowly add egg substitute and almond extract. Continue beating until batter is thoroughly mixed. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in pan 15 minutes then loosen sides with knife. Wait 15 more minutes before removing cake from pan. To serve, cut into wedges and cover with fresh fruit. Makes 16 Servings. Per Serving: 246 Cal; 8 g Total Fat; 40 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 314 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch; 1/4 Fruit; 2 Fat.
|
