What are some tips for making a low-fat cake?

[armywyf]

Ok so my Bday is tomorrow and I would really like to have a cake but as with most people I am dieting and exercising more getting ready for my vacation to Key West in March... I have heard that you can substitute applesauce for vegetable oil, is that right? Are there any other substitutions that can be made to reduce the fat?

 

[Teresa Lynn]

aren't angel food cakes fat free & you can top it with fresh fruit and non fat cool whip

 

[armywyf]

I think that may be what I do, thank you I hadn't thought of doing an angel food cake...

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Here is a recipe I am making today - it's eggless (cuts down on fat and calories), and has just a small amount of butter in it, and I'm going to only use half of the butter and increase the amount of applesauce I use. I'm also using half whole wheat flour. Oh - and I'm not adding the raisins:yuck:. I'll let you know how it turns out. It got really good ratings on Allrecipes.com.


APPLESAUCE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup chilled applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts



DIRECTIONS
Cream butter or margarine with sugar. Add applesauce; beat well. Stir in flour, soda, and spices. Add nuts and raisins.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until done. Serve warm.

 

[armywyf]

Thank you Becky, let me know how it turns out for sure!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Okay - it's in the oven! (hee hee - some are cleaning today to keep busy waiting for the announcements to hit CC - but instead, I'm cooking and baking. I have homemade split pea soup in the crockpot, bread rising, and a cake in the oven! Plus, I made a big breakfast for the family this morning!)

BUT - here is what the recipe I made actually looks like - I altered just about everything in the original recipe!

APPLESAUCE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter - I used a Smart Balance 50/50 blend
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup chilled applesauce
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cinnanmon plus spice blend
1 tsp. vanilla


So - I'll let you know how it turns out. I decided since I was using the Smart Balance, to just keep the original amount of fat. It's not a large amount for a cake anyway. As originally written it's just 265 calories a piece, and that's pretty good for cake! But I upped the nutritional value of the cake by adding the WW flour, and the oatmeal, and increasing the applesauce a little. Oh - and decreasing the sugar by 1/4 cup. I switched to brown sugar to give it more of a caramelly flavor. I almost threw in a chopped apple and some ground flax too - if it turns out well, I may just do that next time!