RECIPE DOCTOR
Cake is just as good with about one-third of the fat

By Elaine Magee
Knight Ridder News Service

A. In cutting the fat, use a pudding-in-the-mix type yellow cake instead of both a cake and a pudding mix. You can also cut out the oil completely, and just add some other moisture-rich ingredient without fat, such as a few tablespoons of rum and ¡ cup of fat-free sour cream. Instead of water, add unsweetened pineapple juice (this adds a nice flavor with the rum). And instead of 4 eggs, use 1 egg and 1/2 cup egg substitute.

The hot buttered rum glaze that gets poured over the cake after baking also contains some hefty ingredients — a stick of butter, a cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of rum. I kept the rum, reduced the sugar by one-third, then cut back the butter to 2 tablespoons.

Original recipe contains 413 calories, 21 grams of fat, and 68 mg cholesterol per serving.

Golden Rum Cake

• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 box (18 1/4 oz) yellow cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
• 1 egg, large
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (water or apple juice can be used)
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 2/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan or angel-food pan with canola cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Add cake mix to large mixing bowl. Add egg and egg substitute, pineapple juice, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum, and sour cream. Beat ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Pour batter over nuts in prepared pan.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto serving plate. Prick the top of the cake all over with a skewer. Spoon some of the glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze, then repeat until all the glaze is used.

To make the glaze: melt the butter in a small nonstick saucepan. Stir in 1/2 cup of the rum and the sugar. Boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons rum. Let cool slightly before using.

Makes 16 servings.

Per serving: 258 calories, 4 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 7.5 g fat (1.7 g saturated fat, 2.6 g monounsaturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, .6 g fiber, 247 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 27 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids — not available. Omega-6 fatty acids — not available. Weight Watchers points, 5.

Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Write to her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses cannot be provided.