Delighted by Devil's Food

So tonight, I had a craving for a nice big piece of chocolate cake. Mmmm.... However, along with this craving comes a few dilemmas:

• Going to any restaurant, desserts are killer - calorically and certainly when it comes to fat content. The portion is usually equal to what two people should have. There is nothing guilt free about it. For example, the Triple Chocolate Meltdown from Applebee's - a decadent and wonderfully chocolatey dessert option - clocks in nutritionally at: 820 calories, 48 grams of fat (30 which are of the saturated variety), and 9 grams of protein. Eek! That's a no go. (At least for tonight; I have been known to more than happily consume on of these yummy confections single-handedly before).

• I could make my own cake! Sounds like a good remedy; however, sweets in this house don't generally go quickly. In fact, they tend to not go at all. I am the only real dessert eater. The others in my household go more for salty fare than sweet at the end of the day. Furthermore, while the version I make would hug my waistline less than a restaurant one would, prepared as directed on the back of the box, it is still not my best friend.

So, I came up with a brilliant idea!!!

I set out to create enough cake for me to consume over the course of one week. How? I opened the package of Devil's Food Cake mix I had, and after measuring the entire contents to be 3 cups, I spooned out 1.5 cups of it. Now, I only have to make 1 8-inch or 9-inch round cake instead of 2.

Next, since I slashed the amount of mix in half, I needed to slash my other ingredients in half also. Instead of 1⅓ cups of water, I used ⅔. Instead of 3 eggs.....hmmm...I don't readily have access to only ½ of an egg, so I just used 1 whole egg. And for the oil, I was directed to use ½ cup. But the eggs and the oil is where the fat comes from, so if I could substitute something here I'd feel better. So, I did.

Instead of oil, I used 1, 2.5 oz. package of pureed banana (i.e. baby food). I should have probably only used 2 oz. but since I was down ½ an egg, I figured this would make up for it. Mixing them altogether, the batter became quite smooth. Into the pan it went and baked for 32 minutes at 325°. Since I don't particularly care for frosting in the first place, I figure once it cools, I'll dust it with powdered sugar, and it'll be a done deal.

Now for the exciting part:

The nutritional data on this whole cake is as follows:

• 291 calories
• 5 grams of fat
• 8 grams of protein

That's on the whole cake. For 1 out of 8 slices, this cake weighs in at 36 calories, .63 grams of fat, and 1 gram of protein!!!!! I could practically eat the whole dang cake with a clear conscience! Prepared the way it is directed, one piece is just about equivalent to the above measurements! Check out this breakdown from myfitnesspal.com:

	Devils Food (Betty Crocker Super Moist) Serving Size: 1/12 pkg, Calories: 260, Fat: 2g, Carbs: 35g, Protein: 2g

Now, the disclaimer is this: as of this moment, I have not tried a piece. This experiement could have gone horribly awry, and this cake could be the worst thing I have ever concocted. So, I will let you know after I try it how it turned out. But this just goes to show you that with a little bit of extra thought and some ingredient substitutions, you can still make tasty treats without damaging your healthy living habits. Go me!!!

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Addendum: After allowing my cake to cool and diving into a piece, I was, in fact, delighted! The cake was super moist and delicious. Sure, it lacked a little decadence due to the lack of fat; however, I do not think that its absence left the cake wanting. On the contrary, it truly pleased my palate.

I've topped it 2 different ways: 1) with Friendly's Carmelot ice cream. Mmmmmm....; 2) with powdered sugar, drizzled lightly with caramel syrup. Both were great. I am thrilled that this recipe alteration worked out! Give it a try!