Amaretto Pound Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

 

I feel the need to warn all y'all that this recipe is sort of an indulgence...

I didn't make all of my usual substitutions, however I did make enough swaps to cut the calories, fat, and carbohydrates by more than half, without any of the luscious pound cake being lost!

The truth is this: 

I had amaretto in the house that I can't drink (but I'm counting down the days...), I also had this brand new product from Philadelphia Cream Cheese called Indulgence. It is cream cheese in chocolate heaven. Literally, it is tubs filled with a creamy, rich, sweet chocolate flavored cream cheese spread. Need I say more? 
 
Okay... it comes in White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate. Yum. Now, I have to be honest here. It isn't in stores yet.. but it will be soon. I know...

I'm evil for even bringing this up to y'all before you can go buy it yourself. It showed up on my doorstep on my birthday. Quite appropriate, I thought. So, to honor myself and my mom's birthing day, I grabbed a banana and the dark chocolate and spread a big amount on the banana and ate it straight away. It was heavenly. No cooking required. 

Easy, delicious, and yes, a little naughty, but it was my birthday after all. But I had a lot of it and I wanted to use this amaretto and we were invited to a friend's for a house warming and I thought Amaretto Pound Cake using a White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting might just be our ticket in the door.

And I was right on. It was amazing! Soft, buttery, dense and the perfect compliment to the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. 

I cheated because you can't exactly do this today. But you will be able to very, very soon. If you need to make this now.. just combine 3/4 cup of amaretto and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Poke holes in the cooled cake and pour liberally over the pound cake to saturate.

And don't worry, I'll let you know when you can get your own Philadelphia Indulgence! 


In the mean time, allow yourself to indulge in this delicious Amaretto Pound Cake!

Now, on with the recipe...

Amaretto Pound Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 Cup (8 Ounces) Unsalted Butter, softened
8 Ounces Fat Free Greek Yogurt 
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 2/3 Cup Baking Splenda
4 Large Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsps. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 Cup Fat Free Milk
1/4 Cup Amaretto


White Chocolate Amaretto Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 Cup Amaretto
8 Ounces Philadelphia Indulgence White Chocolate

1. Heat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and yogurt and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the milk and the amaretto liqueur. 
4. Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture and ending with dry ingredients. Mix the batter until smooth and well blended. Pour batter into the prepared Bundt cake or tube cake pan. 

5. Bake for 1 hour to an hour and a half. Check after one hour and if still not firm and a toothpick or cake tester doesn't come out clean when inserted in center, cook for for another half hour checking after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-30 minutes.
 
6. Meanwhile, combine additional amaretto with the Philadelphia indulgence and whip with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. 
7. After the cake has cooled to the touch, about 30 minutes, smooth the creamy frosting over the top and sides. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve!

Servings: 20 slices

Nutritional Skinny:

223 calories / 10 g fat / 29 g carbohydrates / .2 g fiber / 3.5 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: This is a bit of a splurge, I won't hide behind it. I rarely post such indulgences, but it was my birthday, I had booze, and I wanted a little sugar. What can I say, nobody's perfect and a splurge is allowed no matter who you are. But by making a few swaps such as using Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese and cutting the sugar in half and using Splenda for the other half I have managed to make this a slightly skinnier version which saves over 200 calories, 20 g of fat, and almost 60 g of carbohydrates! I hope you have this kind of "guilt-less" indulgence in your future too!

Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

'Tis the season for pumpkin pies, cranberry coffee cakes, and caramel covered pears. Being the person that I am, I decided to deviate from the norm here for a bit.

Just for a bit. 

 

While searching for a way to turn this nutritious gem into something sweet and gooey (I am pregnant after all folks), I stumbled upon this Zucchini Cake recipe that's sweetened with pineapple. Seemed brilliant to me.

 

I am craving sweets like no one should be allowed to, but I'm still aware that me and 'baby bump' have nutritional needs. So, in finding this sinful recipe on the Tasty Kitchen Blog hosted by Pioneer Woman, I made a few adjustments in the name of nutrition.

This cake is just simply sublime, You can't even tell there's zucchini and it makes a great 'hide' from your kids. A great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables.

I'm already well down the path into an oompa loompa shate, but I don't feel the need to rush this whole 'rounded-belly' thing. I'll let Santa take it this month. With only 146 calories per slice you won't have to worry about growing round in the middle either! Plus it's packed with a generous 3 grams of fiber! You just gotta try this recipe even if it's just to quench your curiosity. It really is that delicious and moist! Not to mention simple. Just shred, measure, open, mix, pour, and bake. Nothing to it!
Hope your holiday season is cookin' right along!

Now on with the recipe...

Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese FrostingFOR THE CAKE:

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ Cup All Purpose Flour
1-¼ Cup Baking Splenda
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger (optional)

1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
4 Tbsp. No Sugar Added Apple Sauce
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 cups Grated Zucchini
1 can (20 Oz. Size) Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained (Reserve Juice For Cake Batter And Frosting)
_____
FOR THE FROSTING:
1 Package (8 Oz. Size) Low-fat Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Cups Baking Splenda
2 tsps. Vanilla Extract
Splash Pineapple Juice, Approx 1 tbsp.


1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To prepare cake, combine flours, splenda, baking soda, salt, spices, and milled flax in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.

3. In a separate bowl, combine apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Add the grated zucchini and drained pineapple. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Stir grated zucchini mixture into the flour mixture. Batter should be gooey. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of the reserved pineapple juice. My batter was super moist so I didn't have to add any more pineapple juice.

4. Spoon the batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for about 33–35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely.

5. To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and reserved tablespoon of pineapple juice in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer (or a whisk) until smooth. Beat in splenda and vanilla just until smooth. Add an additional splash of pineapple juice if necessary. 

6. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.

Servings: 12

Nutritional Skinny:

146 calories / 4.8 g fat / 21 g carbohydrates / 3 g fiber / 5 g protein

Mental Health Benefit: The reality of this 'cake' recipe is that it contains almost a serving of fruit and vegetables. And it's a cake! And with 5 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams of fat it is a recipe to be cherished. Plus the flavor will knock your Christmas stockings off. This is a great way to surprise people at a party. Call it a spiced cake, let them dig in, oooh and aaahh, then tell them it's loaded with zucchini. The look on their faces... Priceless.

Lemon Cake with an Apricot Caramel Glaze

Ah, sweet lemons. I love them. 

They smell sour, taste sour, and somehow get away with it. All the time!

I can't get away with acting and smelling sour EVER! Someone is always there to tell me about it and read my the riot act. 

I envy these little juicy fruits. They're sassy, and loving it. And everyone else seems to agree that sassy is okay for these little yellow bulbs. 

It just doesn't seem fair. Why can they get away with being sassy and I can't?

Oh, well, that will take too long and I have only a few minutes to tell you that my honey's nieces, nephew, and their friends ate almost the entire pan. 

They had no idea it was healthy and they ate at least three pieces each! I kid you not. Their mom was worried about sugar and I couldn't get her alone to tell her that things would be okay. 

This is another July 4th winner. Easy to make (aka- starts with a cake mix), but fresh flavors make this a surprisingly light cake... perfect for a hot summer evening!

Okay, let's get started!

Lemon Cake with Caramel Apricot Glaze

1 Package Yellow Cake Mix (Sugar free if you can find it)
3 tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 tbsp. Lemon Zest
1 Egg
1 Cup No Sugar Added Apple Sauce
1/2 Cup Water



Caramel Apricot Glaze:

1 Cup Apricots
1/2 Cup Sugar Free Caramel Sauce
1/2 Cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
3 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Graham Crackers; smashed into dust 


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 X 12 baking dish
2. In a large bowl combine the cake mix, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, apple sauce, water. Pour into the baking dish and bake in the oven for 33-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

3. Let the cake cool. Meanwhile combine the apricots, caramel sauce, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. 

4. Then spread over the top of the cooled lemon cake.Top with the graham cracker dust. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Garnish with thinly sliced strawberries if desired.

Servings: 24

Nutritional Skinny:

127 calories / 2 g fat / 27 g carbohydrates / 1 g fiber / 1.7 g protein
  
Mental Health Benefit: By eliminating all of the oil from the original bake box recipe we have eliminated almost all of the fat. And by substituting apple sauce we are increasing the fiber and adding vitamins A, C, and bringing antioxidants to this party with the apricots. Not to mention that we are adding fruit to this recipe with the caramel apricot glaze that tastes delicious with the tart lemon and compliments the caramel perfectly. In short, this recipe went from 240 calories to a small 127. That's a savings of over 100 calories!


Deliciously nutritious. That's what I'm about!

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

This beautiful morsel was made using rhubarb. Hense the "Rhubarb Crumb Cake" title. 

Yep, even out here in Montana we are abundant in it. Friends of ours have about eight plants that are just bursting with fresh rhubarb. They were nice enough to share and I took about 10 pounds of it.

I'm not kidding. Sounds kind of greedy. I didn't mean to take so much, but it is so much fun to cook with. 

It is this peculiar stalk that when sliced creates this tart saliva-inducing smell that gets me every time. It's weird and tart just like me, maybe that's why I like it so much. 

When I got it home I stared at it lovingly hoping for inspiration. Chopped it up, but it didn't come until I found the Splenda Brown Sugar Baking Mix that I hadn't tried yet and I found a crumb cake recipe and decided that I could add the rhubarb and omit some of the sugar and oil.

This Rhubarb Crumb Cake was so moist, gooey, and sweet, but with that little bite of tart from the rhubarb. It was perfect! I served it to guests over the weekend and no one had a clue they were eating flax (and I didn't tell them). Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now!

 I ate it plain at first, but it looked so lonely on the plate. Sort of naked and exposed.

I decided it needed a little blanket of sugar free vanilla ice cream and then a little drizzle of sugar free caramel ice cream topping were most appropriate.

There, isn't that better? My spoon even slides through this super gooey cake even easier it seems. 

Yum Yum Yum... I really like Rhubarb Crumb Cake... Yum Yum Yum.

And with no butter or extra sugar, I can feel really good about my decision to choose dessert.

And if you have nuts feel free to add those to the crumble topping as well. Chopped pecans, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts would be extra delicious!

Note: You don't necessarily need the Sugar Free Splenda Baking Blend, it didn't really end up saving that many calories and only saved about .5 g carbohydrates per serving. So you can use regular brown sugar if you have it on hand!

Happy Rhubarb Hunting Season!

Now on with the recipe!

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

1/2 Cup Sugar Free Light Vanilla Yogurt
1 1/2 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Baking Mix
1 Egg
2 tsps. Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or 1 cup each all purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Cup Lowfat Buttermilk
1 tsp. Cinnamon
4 Cups Finely Chopped Fresh or Frozen Rhubarb

Topping:

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (Optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the vanilla yogurt and brown sugar and cream until smooth. 

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until it is smooth and shiny.

4. Then in a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until evenly incorporated. 

5. Then add half of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, then add half of buttermilk and stir to combine. Then add the remaining flour and buttermilk and stir until the batter is smooth.

6. Add the rhubarb to the batter and gently fold it in. Then pour the batter into a greased 9 X 12 batter.

7. In a small bowl combine the sugar and flax seed. Then sprinkle over the top of the cake evenly creating a crumble layer. You can add a 1/2 cup chopped nuts to the topping if you want as well. 


8. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Slice and serve!

Servings: 24


Nutritional Skinny:


133.5 calories / .9 g fat / 26.2 g carbohydrates / 1.7 g fiber / 2.3 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: Did you have any idea that one cup of rhubarb contains 105 mg of calcium, which is about 10% of what an adult needs each day? It's also a great source of lutein which helps protect our skin and eyes. It's also loaded with Vitamin K which helps our blood clot when we get a cut which helps us heal faster and it also has lots of antioxidants from the lycopene when cooked to help us boost our immune system. 


Get that rhubarb out of the garden and get cookin'!

And here's another great rhubarb recipe to check out!

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb Crumb Cake