Fresh California strawberries are at their peak right now and are wonderful in baked goods of all types. I am calling this sinfully rich-tasting, low-fat treat a "bake," for lack of a better name. The recipe was de-vel-oped by accident. I was working on a recipe for strawberry bars that turned out to be much too fragile and too moist to cut into bars, but entirely too delicious to want to change. So, I made the recipe again, baked it in a pie plate rather than a baking dish, cut it into wedges and served it warm topped with a scoop of nonfat vanilla yogurt.
My guests loved it and they all wanted the recipe. It can be served as a dessert or as a coffee cake for breakfast. Wrap leftovers in plastic or put them in zipper-type plastic bags for brown-bag lunches or picnic baskets.The moisture in this delicious dish comes not from fat, but from the addition of pureed prunes. The pectin in prunes traps the moisture in baked goods in much the same way that fat does, while the naturally occurring sorbitol and malic acid carry flavor, making it possible to have both moist-textured and lower-fat baked products. When using pureed prunes, I find it much easier and faster, to buy baby-food version. If time permits, you can also make your own puree in a food processor with 11/3 cups pitted prunes and six tablespoons hot water.
Dear Jeanne: Please revise my favorite recipe for Jewish Sour Cream Cake. Thank you.
- Lorraine Adams, Trenton, N.J.
Dear Lorraine: A few easy changes brought this popular coffee-type cake into the realm of better nutrition. I was able to reduce the sugar, substitute buttermilk for some of the fat, and used egg substitute instead of whole eggs. The heightened flavor of toasted walnuts for the topping more than compensated for the reduced amount. If you desire a sweeter cake, simply increase the sugar in the batter back to the original 2 cups.
Nutritional analysis:
Original recipe: 436 calories; 97 mg cholesterol; 21 gm fat; 336 mg sodium; 6 gm protein; 57 gm carbohydrates.
Revised recipe: 291 calories; 9 mg cholesterol; 10 gm fat; 301 mg sodium; 6 gm protein; 44 gm carbohydrates.
Rice is versatile, nutritious and inexpensive. My booklet, "Cook It Light With Rice," will show you some low-calorie, low-fat recipes. Order it for $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope from Rice, P.O. Box 5541, Riverton, NJ 08077-5541.
Jeanne Jones is a consultant on menu planning, recipes and new-product development for major hotels and spas. She is also the author of 28 cookbooks, most recently "Cook It Light One-Dish Meals" (Macmillan).
Send your recipe for revision to:
Cook It Light
(Deseret News)
P.O. Box 1212
La Jolla, CA 92038
Please include a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed envelope.
*****
Recipes
CALIFORNIA FRUIT BAKE
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon corn-oil margarine, melted
1 jar (2 ounces) pureed prunes baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pint basket fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced (2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with a non-stick vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
Combine the egg and egg whites in a large bowl and beat until frothy. Beat in the sugar. Add the melted margarine, pureed prunes and vanilla and mix well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the prune mixture and mix until completely moistened. Stir in strawberries and walnuts.
Pour batter into pie plate; bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the center is set, the top is lightly browned and the edges start to crisp. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 8 servings.
- Each serving contains approximately 141 calories; 27 mg cholesterol; 5 gm fat; 134 mg sodium, 4 gm protein; 23 gm carbohydrates.
JEWISH SOUR CREAM CAKE
Cake:
1/2 pound butter
2 cups sugar
1 pint sour cream
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Topping:
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Combine sour cream and baking soda and stir into creamed mixture, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed ingredients and beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over batter and with a knife, swirl topping through batter. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 16 servings.
BETTER JEWISH SOUR CREAM CAKE
Cake:
1/2 cup corn-oil margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup liquid egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with a non-stick vegetable spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Add buttermilk and sour cream and beat until smooth. Add egg substitute and vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to creamed ingredients and beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over batter and, with a knife, swirl topping through batter. Bake in preheated oven 65 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 16 servings.