Blueberry Cheese Kuchen Good Way To Start The Day

An indulgence at breakfast doesn’t have to blow your diet for the entire day. Nor does it have to be loaded with sugar and fat to taste good.

This low-fat Blueberry Cheese Kuchen is full of honest-togoodness coffeecake flavor, yet it is made with only 3 tablespoons of butter and less than a cup of sugar. The secret to this cake’s moist texture and rich flavor is a lightly sweetened, fat-free vanilla cheese topping - similar in taste to the filling in a cheese Danish.

The topping is made with fat-free ricotta cheese, egg substitutes, confectioners’ sugar and pure vanilla extract. The ingredients are simply stirred together, spread over a cake batter and baked until firm and golden brown.

The cake layer is simple, too. It’s moistened with a small amount of melted butter and lavishly flavored with cinnamon. Buttermilk adds a delicate tangy taste to the batter.

A sprinkling of fresh or frozen blueberries gives extra flavor and color to this anytime treat. For variety, try substituting sliced frozen strawberries or unsweetened raspberries for the blueberries.

Then pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy your cake.

Blueberry Cheese Kuchen

Nonstick cooking spray

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fat-free egg substitutes

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Cheese filling (recipe follows)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, unthawed

Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Stir well to blend. In a separate container, stir together the egg substitutes, melted butter, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring only until the flour is mixed in. Do not beat too much or the batter will be tough. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Spread the cheese filling over the top of the batter. Sprinkle with the blueberries. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is set and the cake is firm. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Approximate cooking time: 40 minutes.

Yield: serves 12.

Note: Do not use diet butter or diet tub margarine in this recipe because it contains a large ratio of water and will make the cake taste gummy. Use real butter or margarine.

Cheese Filling

1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons flour

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

In a small bowl, stir together the cheese, flour and confectioners’ sugar. Add the egg substitutes, vanilla extract and optional lemon zest to stir to make a spreadable consistency.

Nutrition information per serving: 176 calories, 6 grams fat (30 percent fat calories), 27 grams carbohydrate, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 107 milligrams sodium.

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