Okay, so you might believe that this cake is going to be an okay option for you, so before you begin to doubt me, let me give you the numbers okay?? For one slice of this amazing cake it will only put your calories back by 161 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and 2.5 grams of fiber – that is something to be excited about! The original cake recipe would have cost you 555 calories, 33 grams of fat and had 4 grams of fiber — I think we can all see what the better option is :). I was inspired for this cake from Devin Alexander’s cookbook “The Most Decadent Diet Ever!” – if you haven’t bought her books yet, do it! Her version of this cake is only 294 calories, 6 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber, but I still cut that back a little. All of Devin’s recipes are so amazing and she really does know what she is doing! I normally follow Devin’s recipes exactly, but I made a few adjustments to this one. First I didn’t make it into a layer cake like the original recipe because I was afraid of portion control. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to cut my perfect layer cake into 14 perfect pieces, but I was fairly confident though that I could cut a sheet cake into 20 pieces though, so I made the adjustment. I also made my own buttermilk, from fat-free milk and a teaspoon of vinegar, partially because I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand and because I can eliminate some calories. I also used part Splenda brown sugar blend and part regular brown sugar instead of all regular to try to cut the sugar back for my dad. For the frosting, I kept everything the same, but I only made a half batch. I had made this cake one other time, and I had so much frosting left over that I didn’t know where to put it. I decided to make a half batch, because I felt that the cake didn’t really need as much as what we had all thought. I hope you enjoy this recipe, I know my big brother, Mark did for his recent birthday!
Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Serves 20
Ingredients for Cake
1 1/2 cup whole-grain oat flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon very finely ground espresso beans
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 cup light brown sugar – not packed
1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar – not packed
1 cup fat-free sugar-free vanilla yogurt
Ingredients for Buttercream Frosting
3 tablespoons light butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons light cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon fat-free milk
Directions for Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 cup milk and 1 teaspoon of vinegar together in a small bowl and wait 5 – 10 minutes. Spray an 11×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a large bowl, beat together sour milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar and vanilla until well combined. Add egg whites, brown sugar, Splenda brown sugar and yogurt and whisk to combine until completely blended. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until just smooth. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. After the cake has finished baking, set aside to cool and begin preparing the buttercream frosting.
Directions for Buttercream Frosting
Add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer fitted with beaters and beat on hight speed until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar. Beat on low-speed until well combined. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar and the cocoa powder until combined. Add the milk and beat on high-speed until fluffy. Do NOT refrigerate it prior to icing the cake.
When cakes are completely cool, frost the top of the cake with all of the frosting. Add candles for an instant birthday cake, or bring to a friend’s house and I promise they won’t know that you aren’t loading them up with calories!
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