A fast, easy and decadent no bake holiday treat!! These clusters are so versatile that you can easily add whatever ingredients you would love. I have made them with peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch, added chopped nuts to the cranberries in place of the raisins, and even made a batch with white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes!

No matter which variations I have used, these little clusters are ALWAYS a hit with both kids and adults alike! One word of caution though, they are extremely addictive – so make sure you leave at least a few for your guests to try!!

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup corn flakes, slightly crushed (or substitute puffed rice cereal)

1/4 cup butterscotch morsels

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, or a double boiler (stirring frequently so the chocolate does not scorch.)

While the chocolate is melting, combine the dried cranberries, raisins, cornflakes and butterscotch morsels in a large bowl. Pour the melted chocolate over the cranberry mixture and stir well to combine.

Drop the mixture by the teaspoonful onto the lined cookie sheets and refrigerate until firm (about 15 to 20 minutes). Store the clusters in the refrigerator or in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Makes 60 Clusters (30 servings) Per serving (two clusters): 72 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein, 12 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol

The classic combination of chocolate and orange make this cake the perfect, decadent dessert for your holiday table.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup fat free plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel (zest)

Chocolate Icing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons orange juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

(extra orange juice as needed)

Orange Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

(extra orange juice as needed)

Spray a Bundt cake pan with non-stick spray and lightly dust the inside with unsweetened cocoa powder; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the yogurt, vanilla, balsamic vinegar, water, and orange juice. Beat by hand or with a mixer on low speed just until well-combined (about 1-2 minutes with a mixer, a little longer by hand). Stir in the grated orange peel, and then carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert it onto a serving platter and cool completely.

When the cake is cool, make the icings. For each icing, mix the ingredients in separate small bowls. One half teaspoon at a time, stir in enough extra orange juice to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the chocolate icing over the cake, wait a few minutes for it to set, and then drizzle the orange icing.

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Makes 16 servings. With icing, as shown: 198 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 44 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 6 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 274 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.

Cake without icing: 164 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 37 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 4.5 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 274 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.

I had never even heard of Indian pudding before, much less tasted it, when I received an email requesting that I come up with a more “figure-friendly” version. Since the request came with the original recipe, I made a small batch, so that I could determine what the new recipe was supposed to taste like. And oh my goodness – is this stuff GOOD!!! I was hooked after my very first taste!! This sweet and spicy dessert has a creamy texture and a warm comforting flavor that is truly amazing.

So after a few weeks of effort – I think that I finally got it just right. As a matter of fact, after the new recipe was done, people couldn’t pick which dish was the original and which dish was the “healthy” one (SUCCESS!!)

This recipe makes 4 servings – but I found them to be rather large, so you may actually wind up with 6. Also, at 240 calories calories a serving, you may not think of this as the most healthy recipe – but when you take into account that the original version had almost 720 calories a serving – it’s quite a drastic reduction.

3 cups skim milk

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup molasses

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon dried, ground ginger)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I forgot to add the butter the second time that I made this dish, and it still came out perfect – It adds a touch of “creaminess”, but feel free to omit it if you choose)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and lightly spray a glass or ceramic baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cornmeal and salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, then whisk in the molasses, ginger, butter and raisins and stir until everything is combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 2 hours, until pudding develops a thin crust. Can be served warm or cold, but it is especially delicious served warm topped with a little low fat vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 (generous) servings. Per serving: 238 calories, 3.5 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 42 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 6 g added sugar (naturally occurring in the molasses), 7.5 g protein, 290 mg sodium, 15 mg cholesterol

This is an absolutely delicious, moist, perfect pumpkin bread for a holiday brunch, an afternoon “get-together”, or even a weekday morning.  The pumpkin flavor is not too overwhelming, and combined with the spices, it simply wonderful!!  If you really want to make a good impression on someone (or just want an extra special treat) spread this perfect bread warm with a little spiced cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).  I promise, this bread will not disappoint! It is easy to make, very moist and flavorful, has a fantastic flavor, and keeps for a week wrapped on the counter – even the most skeptical “pumpkin-flavored” critics will be asking for a second slice!

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup unsweetened, all natural apple sauce

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×5 inch (standard) loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, apple sauce, water and eggs in a medium mixing bowl and stir to blend well. In a larger bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves; stir to sift all of the dry ingredients together. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and stir well. If using nuts and/or raisins, fold them in to the batter at this point.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and place it on the center rack of the oven. Bake for about 60 – 65 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 239 calories, less than 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 48 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 7 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 217 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol

Cream Cheese Spread

1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese (softened at room temperature)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves in small bowl and beat well until smooth (I have found that if my cream cheese is soft, I don’t even have to drag out the mixer for this – a sturdy wooden spoon works just fine). Cover the spread with plastic wrap, or transfer to a lidded container, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes 12 servings. Per serving (about 1 heaping tablespoon): 21 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 2.5 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 1 g added sugar, 2 g protein, 19 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol

This chocolate pudding pie is a fantastic lower calorie holiday treat to serve at your next family get together.  Maybe there are people in your family that aren’t partial to the traditional Thanksgiving “pumpkin, apple, pecan, and/or sweet potato” pies.  With this chocolate pie, both kids and adults alike, will be asking that you make this delicious treat for years to come.   Enjoy!

14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup boiling water

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder (preferably unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa powder)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups skim milk

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. In a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the crumb mixture into bottom of pie plate and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

In the meantime, make the pudding. Put the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir until fully dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan mix the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add half of the milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the vanilla and reserved gelatin. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and let set for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Before serving, garnish the pie with fat free whipped topping, if desired.

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Makes 8 (generous) servings.  Per Serving: 256 calories, 8 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 36 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 7 g protein, 241 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol.

When it comes to pumpkin pie, people either love it or they hate it. For those of you that hate it, I deeply apologize – I will make it up to you with some great holiday baked goods over the next few weeks. For those of you that love it – this lower-calorie version will knock-your-socks-off! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!!

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 tablespoons margarine (at room temperature)

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)

2 egg whites

1 cup fat-free evaporated (skim) milk (usually found in the baking aisle)

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Light nondairy whipped topping (optional)
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Combine the flours, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in medium bowl. Cut in the butter and margarine with a pastry blender or the tines of a fork until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Mix in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Ease the dough onto a 9-inch pie plate, trim the overhanging dough with a sharp knife, and turn the edges under slightly to “flute”, if desired.

Combine the pumpkin, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, egg whites, milk, syrup, cinnamon, ginger and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl; mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is set. Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack; let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled with whipped topping, if desired.

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Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 217 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 38 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 4 g added sugar, 6 g protein, 217 mg sodium, 3 mg cholesterol.

I have received quite a few requests for some “healthier” chocolate chip cookies in the past few weeks. Traditional chocolate chip cookies can vary from 120 calories PER COOKIE (that is the “lowest” I could find) up to a whopping 285 calories per cookie, depending on how they are made!!! Now I don’t know about you – but for 285 calories, I want more than one stinkin’ cookie!!!

So what’s the problem? Well, I have been hesitant to post a recipe for two main reasons:

#1 – People are VERY particular about their chocolate chip cookies. There are typically two groups of chocolate chip cookie lovers – the soft, moist chewy group, and the crispy, crunchy group.

#2 – You can use the same exact recipe time after time when making your cookies – and one time they will come out perfect, “just the way you like them”, and then the next time – something is just not quite right. How can be this be? Well I have listed quite a few reasons for this phenomenon (along with “tips and tricks” on how to get them “just the way you like them every time. So be sure to check out all of the useful information that follows the recipe!

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup all purpose)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a splash of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets coated lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks. Enjoy!

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Makes 2 dozen cookies. Per cookie: 61 calories, 1.5 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 9 g added sugar, 2 g protein, 37 mg sodium, less than 1 g cholesterol

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TIPS and TRICKS:

So sometimes chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy one time, and then thin and crispy another time when using the same recipe. And sometimes, the soft cookies seem to get hard after a day, and the crisp cookies seem to get soft. This is the dilemma of the chocolate chip cookie! So why does this happen? Well, very subtle changes in proportions, mixing methods, and baking can produce very big differences.

What makes cookies soft and chewy is a high moisture content, as well as baking time and oven temperature. “Binding” the water with the flour – through the use of butter, eggs, and\or brown sugar (brown sugar contains molasses, which is 10 percent water) – slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker. Mass also helps cookies stay moist–big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough. Bake these thick cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature to firm them quickly and minimize spreading, and most importantly don’t bake them too long. You want to remove them from the oven when the outer edges are light brown but at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. The cooked centers will then be softer.

However, too much extra liquid in your dough will make the dough more elastic and will add steam as they bake, making them puff more and come out more “cake-like”. So it really is a very delicate balance.

Now on the other hand, reducing the amount of ingredients that will hold moisture makes it easier for liquid to evaporate, which will produce thinner, crispy, crunchy cookies. For crispness, bake cookies longer at a lower temperature to give them more time to spread before they firm. Then bake them long enough to “dry” and brown them evenly to develop the maximum toasty flavor and crisp texture throughout.

If you typically have trouble with your cookies spreading too much (you know, those thin wafer-like wisps that were so NOT what you were hoping for!), most often the cause is low-fat butter or margarine spread, which has about 20 percent more water. When you use it in place of “regular” butter or margarine, this extra liquid causes a problem because now there is way too much moisture and the batter becomes almost runny once you put it near the heat. Low-fat products can’t be used interchangeably with regular fats for baking without making other recipe adjustments. Cookies can also spread too much when you drop the dough onto a warm or hot baking sheet; the heat “melts” the dough, and the cookies spread before they’re baked enough to hold their shape. Always make sure the baking sheets used are at room temperature (I put mine in the fridge for a few minutes before I drop the dough on).So, the way that we measure our ingredients and the “real” temperature of our our ovens are the usual reasons that we all get different results from the same recipe. Flour should always be stirred to loosen and fluff it, then spooned gently into a dry-measure cup (the kind you fill to the rim) and the top scraped level with the back of a butter knife. If you tap the cup or scoop flour from the bag, the flour gets packed down and you can easily add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons flour per cup.

You can scoop up white sugar, because it doesn’t pack, but you should firmly pack brown sugar into a dry-measure cup and scrape the top level. Dry ingredients should not be measured in heaped-up cups or with spoons; you always want to scrape dry ingredients level with the surface. Always measure liquid ingredients with liquid-measuring cups.

If your cookies bake faster or slower than the recipe indicates that they should, chances are your oven’s thermostat is not registering accurately. It’s a good idea to double-check your oven temperature every once in a while with an oven thermometer and adjust the oven temperature as needed (oven thermometers only cost a few dollars, and can be found in most supermarkets).

So, there you go! I hope that all of this information helps, and that everyone gets their cookies to turn out “just they way they like them!!” Good Luck, and if anyone has any further questions, feel free to get in touch.

I have received quite a few requests for some “healthier” chocolate chip cookies in the past few weeks. Traditional chocolate chip cookies can vary from 120 calories PER COOKIE (that is the “lowest” I could find) up to a whopping 285 calories per cookie, depending on how they are made!!! Now I don’t know about you – but for 285 calories, I want more than one stinkin’ cookie!!!

So what’s the problem? Well, I have been hesitant to post a recipe for two main reasons:

#1 – People are VERY particular about their chocolate chip cookies. There are typically two groups of chocolate chip cookie lovers – the soft, moist chewy group, and the crispy, crunchy group.

#2 – You can use the same exact recipe time after time when making your cookies – and one time they will come out perfect, “just the way you like them”, and then the next time – something is just not quite right. How can be this be? Well I have listed quite a few reasons for this phenomenon (along with “tips and tricks” on how to get them “just the way you like them every time. So be sure to check out all of the useful information that follows the recipe!

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup all purpose)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a splash of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets coated lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks. Enjoy!

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Makes 2 dozen cookies. Per cookie: 61 calories, 1.5 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 9 g added sugar, 2 g protein, 37 mg sodium, less than 1 g cholesterol

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TIPS and TRICKS:

So sometimes chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy one time, and then thin and crispy another time when using the same recipe. And sometimes, the soft cookies seem to get hard after a day, and the crisp cookies seem to get soft. This is the dilemma of the chocolate chip cookie! So why does this happen? Well, very subtle changes in proportions, mixing methods, and baking can produce very big differences.

What makes cookies soft and chewy is a high moisture content, as well as baking time and oven temperature. “Binding” the water with the flour – through the use of butter, eggs, and\or brown sugar (brown sugar contains molasses, which is 10 percent water) – slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker. Mass also helps cookies stay moist–big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough. Bake these thick cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature to firm them quickly and minimize spreading, and most importantly don’t bake them too long. You want to remove them from the oven when the outer edges are light brown but at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. The cooked centers will then be softer.

However, too much extra liquid in your dough will make the dough more elastic and will add steam as they bake, making them puff more and come out more “cake-like”. So it really is a very delicate balance.

Now on the other hand, reducing the amount of ingredients that will hold moisture makes it easier for liquid to evaporate, which will produce thinner, crispy, crunchy cookies. For crispness, bake cookies longer at a lower temperature to give them more time to spread before they firm. Then bake them long enough to “dry” and brown them evenly to develop the maximum toasty flavor and crisp texture throughout.

If you typically have trouble with your cookies spreading too much (you know, those thin wafer-like wisps that were so NOT what you were hoping for!), most often the cause is low-fat butter or margarine spread, which has about 20 percent more water. When you use it in place of “regular” butter or margarine, this extra liquid causes a problem because now there is way too much moisture and the batter becomes almost runny once you put it near the heat. Low-fat products can’t be used interchangeably with regular fats for baking without making other recipe adjustments. Cookies can also spread too much when you drop the dough onto a warm or hot baking sheet; the heat “melts” the dough, and the cookies spread before they’re baked enough to hold their shape. Always make sure the baking sheets used are at room temperature (I put mine in the fridge for a few minutes before I drop the dough on).So, the way that we measure our ingredients and the “real” temperature of our our ovens are the usual reasons that we all get different results from the same recipe. Flour should always be stirred to loosen and fluff it, then spooned gently into a dry-measure cup (the kind you fill to the rim) and the top scraped level with the back of a butter knife. If you tap the cup or scoop flour from the bag, the flour gets packed down and you can easily add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons flour per cup.

You can scoop up white sugar, because it doesn’t pack, but you should firmly pack brown sugar into a dry-measure cup and scrape the top level. Dry ingredients should not be measured in heaped-up cups or with spoons; you always want to scrape dry ingredients level with the surface. Always measure liquid ingredients with liquid-measuring cups.

If your cookies bake faster or slower than the recipe indicates that they should, chances are your oven’s thermostat is not registering accurately. It’s a good idea to double-check your oven temperature every once in a while with an oven thermometer and adjust the oven temperature as needed (oven thermometers only cost a few dollars, and can be found in most supermarkets).

So, there you go! I hope that all of this information helps, and that everyone gets their cookies to turn out “just they way they like them!!” Good Luck, and if anyone has any further questions, feel free to get in touch.

Black Forest Cake is one of my family’s favorite desserts. Who could blame them? Rich, dark chocolate cake with sweet, moist cherries and whipped cream – what a combination! The picture above is of the cake that I made for my father this past week for his birthday. I normally make this cake with just two layers, but for my dad, I made the recipe as stated below, but then cut each cake layer in half to make 4 layers, instead of the two called for (because I wanted it look really impressive!) I must say, that while it looked great – it was A LOT more work! Next time I will definitely keep it more simple with just the two layers. Also, I topped his cake with dried cherries instead of reserving some of the sour cherries – so feel free to make that substitution as well.

This cake definitely takes a little time, a little extra work, and a lot of dirty dishes – but it is really, really worth it. A few family members stated that it was more moist and flavorful than the black forest cakes they get from their bakeries!! Now that’s quite a compliment! And THIS version has 1/3 the calories of the black forest cakes from the bakery – so keep in mind that even though it takes a little more work – it is well worth the reward!!

6 tablespoons unsifted Dutch-process cocoa powder

6 tablespoons sifted cake (all purpose or whole wheat pastry) flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 large egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 jar or can (about 16 ounces) water-packed, pitted sour cherries (drained with 1/2 cup of juice reserved)

4 teaspoons light brown sugar2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon lemon rind

whipped topping *SEE NOTE at end of post*

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To Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line the bottom of two 8-inch round pans with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until they are foamy; add the cream of tartar and beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks (about 2-3 minutes). Increase the speed to high, add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute longer. (The whites will be soft, but firm. They should not be dry or overly stiff).

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cocoa powder mixture into the egg whites in 3 additions (you don’t want to “dump” it all in at once, or it will be too heavy, and will cause the egg whites to deflate). Gently pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the cake starts to “pull away” from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and cool them on a wire rack upside-down in their pans. When the cakes have cooled to room temperature, loosen the sides gently with a sharp thin knife, or metal spatula and remove the parchment paper.

To Make the Filling:

Place the (drained) cherries in a bowl, saving a few for garnish, if desired; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and lemon rind. Slowly whisk in the reserved “juice” from the cherries until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved whole cherries (except those saved for garnish). Mix well and set aside.

To Assemble the Cake:

Place one of the two cakes on a serving plate. Top with the cherry mixture – spreading it all the way out to the edges. Gently spread about 1 cup’s worth of the whipped cream over the cherry mixture. Carefully place the second cake on top of the whipped cream. At this point you may either “frost” the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream, or use a decorating bag to pipe the whipped cream into a decorative pattern on the top of the cake. Garnish the top with the reserved cherries, and refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

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Makes 12 servings. Per serving: 142 calories, 3 g total fat, less then 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 9 g added sugar, 4.5 g protein, 71 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol.

NOTE:

As I have stated before in previous posts, homemade whipped cream is a tricky process. The full fat version always seems to come out perfectly, but alas, when trying to make it make it “lighter”, it can be finicky. Humidity, heat, not having the bowls\beaters completely clean, not having the ingredients quite cold enough – these factors can all impact how your whipped cream turns out. I have made this recipe three times in the past week for three different cakes. Twice it came out perfectly – the third time, it was a COMPLETE disaster! Go figure! So on that third cake, I simply used store-bought fat-free whipped topping (you know, the stuff that that comes in the “tub” from the refrigerated section of the supermarket). I have to admit that the store-bought stuff worked out just fine, and still tasted delicious. So if you don’t feel like dirtying all the pans and bowls needed, don’t feel like taking the frustrating chance that it won’t turn out properly, or simply don’t have the time – use the fat-free store-bought stuff. It will still turn out beautifully, still be a much lower calorie version, and still taste spectacular. If you are feeling adventurous, and would like to have a go at making your own, here is the recipe:

To Make your own Whipped Cream:

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 teaspoons confectioners sugar

1/3 cup ice-cold evaporated skim milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place the water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let this sit for 5 minutes to “soften”, then set the saucepan over very low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the gelatin fully dissolves (about 5 minutes). Set saucepan aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream at high speed with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, then add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until it holds very stiff peaks. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine the ice cold evaporated skim milk and lemon juice. Beat with the electric mixer (clean the beaters first!) at high speed until very stiff, then beat in the gelatin\water mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream mixture into this mixture. Use as stated above in assembling the cake.

I recently received a request from Brianne who wrote “I was wondering if you could do a rhubarb cake recipe. My grandmother used to make it for me as a kid every fall but it was loaded with butter, and not exactly “healthy eating” friendly!”

So here it is Brianne – a low fat version of rhubarb cake! It does contain 3 tablespoons of butter, but divided among the 8 servings, it is far from being “loaded” with it! I really hope that you enjoy it, and that it at least comes close to the cake that you so fondly remember. Also, if you happen to be a fan of rhubarb, make sure to check out the recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins – you can freeze them to have on hand for whenever you would like (even after rhubarb season is over!). Thank you again for the request!

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

3/4 cup skim milk

1 large egg

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups fresh rhubarb, diced

2 tablespoon orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9? square baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the milk, egg, orange rind, and vanilla – stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Spoon or pour half of the batter into the baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the rhubarb with the orange juice and spoon the mixture evenly over top of the batter in the pan. Carefully spoon or pour the remaining batter on top of the berries.

Bake until the coffee cake slightly begins to slightly “pull away” from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20 – 25 minutes).

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Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 138 calories, 3.5 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 22 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 6 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 123 mg sodium, 20 mg cholesterol.