Reducing Fat In Cake Doesn’t Lessen Flavor

Most holiday baked goods are high in fat and calories, but a few simple tricks can eliminate some fat without sacrificing any flavor. That’s how I came up with this lighter version of a rich Cranberry-Orange Cake.

The easiest way to reduce fat in baking without losing flavor is to substitute egg whites in place of whole eggs. In general, two egg whites equal one whole egg.

However, eliminating yolks does rob the cake of some richness. The original version of this cake recipe had a texture similar to pound cake, and to keep the fine texture, the revised recipe calls for using one whole egg and three egg whites.

The new recipe also calls for skim milk instead of whole milk, which is a simple way to reduce total fat in the recipe by about 8 grams.

The biggest change reduces the total fat only slightly, but makes a major difference in the amount of saturated fat in the cake.

The original recipe called for butter or margarine, both of which are high in saturated fat. The revised recipe uses canola oil, which is very low in saturated fat. A slice of the original cake provided 6 grams of saturated fat (10.5 grams total fat), compared to less than 1 gram (7.5 grams total fat) in the revised recipe.

The best news: while the revised cake is lower in fat and calories, it tastes just as good as, if not better than, the original recipe.

Light Cranberry-Orange Cake

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups cranberries, chopped

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons grated orange peel (rind of 1 medium orange)

1 cup skim milk

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

2-1/4 cups unbleached flour

2-1/2 cups regular or quick oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the 2 cups chopped cranberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar from the cup of sugar. Stir the sugar into the cranberries to coat. Set aside. (This sweetens the berries slightly.)

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining sugar, oil and 2 teaspoons grated orange peel. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute to combine. Add the milk and whole egg and continue beating, then add the egg whites one at a time and beat until the mixture is lemon-colored and the sugar has dissolved.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine. Beat the flour mixture into the egg and sugar mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined. Fold in the sugared cranberries.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake for 10 to 20 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, stir the powdered sugar, orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel together in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the top and sides of the cake.

Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 232 calories, 4 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrate, 7.5 grams fat (29 percent fat calories), 14 milligrams cholesterol, 218 milligrams sodium.

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