An angelic take on Devil's Food Cake
| • | Magical meringue |
By Elaine Magee
Q. I have been making Martha Stewart's Devil's Food Cake for years, and I want to "Recipe Doctor" it! I love what you do to dessert recipes — please take on this one.
A. Some people feel that desserts should stay a decadent indulgence ... that they should be immune to "lightening." I admit that some desserts just aren't the same when trimmed of fat and sugar. If they don't taste great, they aren't worth the trouble and calories even if they are lightened. But many of the desserts I "make over" actually taste as good as or darn close to the original. This light version of Devil's Food Cake is one of those makeovers.
For the cake, I used a combination of less-fat margarine, fat-free sour cream and low-fat buttermilk instead of the 3 sticks of butter called for. To punch up the flavor, I added extra-strong coffee instead of water. I also used almost 25 percent less sugar, replaced half the eggs with egg substitute and switched to whole-wheat flour for half of the white flour.
We are cutting the calories and fat grams from the frosting in half by making half as much and only frosting the top and middle and not the sides of the cake. We are trimming the calories and fat further by using whipped butter or less-fat margarine instead of stick butter.
If you would like more frosting on your cake, make another batch and you'll have plenty.
Original recipe contains 600 calories, 30 grams of fat, 18 grams saturated fat, 126 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams of fiber per serving (if 16 per recipe).
HEAVENLY DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE
For the frosting:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with canola cooking spray. Add a tablespoon of cocoa to each coated cake pan and tilt the pan to dust the inside with the cocoa; tap out excess. Set aside.
In medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup cocoa with very hot strong coffee. Set aside to cool.
In large bowl, combine flours with baking soda, and salt with whisk. Fit electric mixer with paddle attachment. In large mixing bowl combine margarine, sour cream, and buttermilk by beating on low speed until creamy (scrape sides of bowl midway). Gradually beat in sugar until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add egg substitute, 1/4-cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat in vanilla. Whisk fat-free half-and-half into the cocoa/coffee mixture.
While mixer is on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture in two batches, alternating with cocoa mixture. Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans, smooth tops with spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean (about 35 minutes). Let cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto plates or rack; let cool completely.
For frosting, combine powdered sugar and cocoa in mixing bowl, beating on lowest speed. Add butter, fat-free half-and-half and vanilla and beat on low speed until nice and smooth. Set one of the cake rounds flat side up on cake plate. Spread half of the frosting over the top. Set the second cake round on top (flat side down) and spread the remaining frosting on the top of the cake. Enjoy!
Makes 16 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian who lives in California; learn more about her and her book "Food Synergy" at www.recipedoctor.com.
