Less Oil Mean Less Fat In Prune Spice Cake

Light Prune Spice Cake contains less than half the fat of the original recipe, and also has 88 fewer calories per slice.

The secret? This cake is made with just 2 tablespoons of oil instead of 1/2 cup. For moisture and body, it relies on a simple, 6-ounce jar of pureed peaches instead of oil. The peaches are available in the baby products section of any supermarket.

The new version also uses three egg whites instead of egg substitutes. Egg substitutes are fine for dense quick breads but they make cakes taste damp and soggy. When you want a light, cake-like texture, egg whites work better to bind ingredients without excess moisture.

The revised recipe also contains less sugar: 1 cup, versus 1-1/2 cups in the original. Sugar doesn’t contain fat, but a half-cup does have 385 unwanted calories; the cake is still plenty sweet.

It also contains fewer prunes. Prunes are relatively high in calories, but they are also rich in flavor, so you can get by with using less.

The sugary crumb topping remained unchanged, even though it contains sugar and margarine. The white topping looks mouth-watering against the golden brown cake, and it heightens the sensation of delicious indulgence when you bite through it to the spicy cake underneath.

Light Prune or Cranberry Spice Cake

Cake:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup large pitted prunes, cut in quarters

1-1/2 cups water

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 egg whites

1 (6-ounce) jar baby food peaches

2 tablespoons canola oil

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine prunes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the fruit is soft. Drain and reserve prunes; you should have about 1-1/2 cups. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Set both aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir on low to evenly mix ingredients.

In a measuring cup, combine prune cooking liquid, egg whites, baby food peaches and oil. Add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and beat 30 seconds on medium speed until just combined; do not beat any longer than necessary to combine ingredients.

Stir the prunes into the batter with a flexible spatula or wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside while preparing topping.

In a small mixing bowl, beat sugar, flour and margarine or butter together until margarine is in fine pieces. Sprinkle topping evenly over the cake.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is firm and the cake has pulled slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving, including topping: 185 calories, 2 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 3.3 grams fat, (16 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 261 milligrams sodium.

Light Cranberry Spice Cake: Substitute 1 (6-ounce) package sweetened, dried cranberries for the prunes. Boil in 2 cups water for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the berries are soft. Drain fruit and reserve 3/4 cup of cooking liquid. Proceed with recipe.

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