TASTE
Lighten coffee cake with Splenda, low-fat options
| • | 'Martha Stewart' of Japan |
By Elaine Magee
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Q. Cherry almond coffee cake is a spring brunch favorite of ours. Can you lighten it?
A. With a little nip and tuck this recipe, originally from the White Rose Inn in Emporia, Kan., will be almost 100 calories and 9 grams of fat lighter per serving. (The original recipe had 330 calories, 15 grams fat, and 8 grams saturated fat per serving.)
I replaced one third of the sugar with Splenda and substituted whole-wheat flour for half of the flour. I used 1/3 cup of less-fat margarine instead of a stick of butter and added 2 tablespoons of amaretto liqueur. I bumped up the vanilla and almond extract and used fat-free sour cream instead of regular. The cake turned out moist and delicious; I hope it still does the reader and the White Rose Inn proud.
CHERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9- or 10-inch spring-form pan with canola cooking spray.
Beat sugar, Splenda, margarine and amaretto in large mixing bowl on medium speed until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extract and beat well.
Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture in the mixing bowl, beating on medium-low speed. Beat in the sour cream, and then beat in the remaining flour mixture.
Pour 2 cups of the batter in the prepared spring-form pan. Drop the pie filling by tablespoons evenly over the batter. Then drop the remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over the pie filling. Spread batter over the filling using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (about 1 hour). Cool cake in the pan on a rack. Cover and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Makes 12 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian and writer. Her latest book is "Comfort food Makeovers." Visit her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com.
