Food Friday: Died and Gone to Heaven Chocolate Cake

So, I was all set to tell a potty story today, but it seemed in poor taste (ha!) coupled with Food Friday, especially given the recipe I am presenting today. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. You’ll just have to stay tuned for exciting! potty! stories!

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I was trying to stay away from recipes for sweets, really I was, but I can only go so long pretending that I think entrees are as interesting as baked goods. But I did promise healthy eating this month, and so you have both today.

This old chestnut has been around forever, but it is foolproof and delicious. And happens to be low fat. (And I have a version of this that is egg-free and milk-free—if you need it, just email me.)

Eating Well‘s Died-and-Gone-to-Heaven Chocolate Cake

Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot strong black coffee

Icing (I think of the icing as optional, but it does look pretty. If you want to make it chocolate, add 2 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa))

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk or low-fat milk

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, invert and shake out the excess.

(Note: Learn from me and go VERY EASY on the flour in the pan, because you aren’t frosting this cake. And as it turns out, no one likes to see stripes of raw flour on their chocolate cake.)

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Whisk in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin.)

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely.

4. To make icing: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing over the top.

Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t do this every week, but the nice people at Eating Well gave me all the nutritional info, so here you go. And besides, it is good for bragging rights when you serve this, because here’s the thing: you COULD serve this moist, chocolatey cake and not tell anyone it was low fat and low calorie, but you will be so proud of it that you’ll burst. When that happens, here are the facts:

Per slice (cake makes 16 slices)

222 calories; 4 g fat (1 g saturated); 27 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 4 WW points