Low-Fat Baking: The Fall Collection

In other parts of the world, the end of summer is greeted with a sigh of relief: No need to get into a bathing suit for another year. Celebration is in order. Break out the chocolate cake.

Here in the land of the endless summer, we’ve got no such luck. So instead of greeting the beginning of autumn with the usual caloric confections, we present our collection of low-fat fall desserts.

We’re particularly proud of these desserts, which are mostly adaptations of classic recipes. (The tarte tatin -style apple cake is especially surprising; it tastes rich and wonderful and contains just two grams of fat per serving.) In all of these recipes we’ve cut most of the fat but none of the flavor of the originals. And, surprisingly, not one of them contains more than two grams of fat per serving; the Kiwi-Lime Torte contains no fat at all.

To replace the fat in most of the cakes we’ve used purees of fresh fruits such as apples, plums and kiwis. As we’ve explained in previous low-fat baking articles, the purees tenderize dough by diluting the chewy structure of the gluten. And since these recipes don’t contain fat (which lubricates the gluten strands and promotes a tender texture), the gluten build-up is minimized by avoiding overmixing. To prevent making cakes that are tough and dry, be sure not to overbake them. And remember that the cakes tend to get moister as they stand, rather than drier. They’re very good the day after they’re baked.

We thought that custards and desserts using custard bases would be particularly challenging to make in low-fat versions, but we found that they could be easily done with nonfat milk. The “creamy” rice pudding is especially good.

To further reduce the fat and cholesterol in these desserts, we use egg substitute. When buying egg substitutes, be sure to read the label to be certain you’re getting nonfat egg substitute. Fresh eggs, of course, would be the first choice for those who don’t have to worry about cholesterol--and in the next few weeks reduced-cholesterol eggs will be hitting the market (we’ll keep you posted).

Some of the lighter cakes, such as the Caramel Apple Cake, Tarte Tatin-Style, required the use of both egg whites and egg substitutes. But you need no substitutes for the classic angel food cake, which contains no egg yolks. We’ve made the original a little more decadent by adding lots of chocolate. Because we’ve used cocoa powder rather than baker’s chocolate, this added only a minuscule amount of fat.

The Prune Pudding Cake contains no eggs, or egg substitutes, at all. Made with a combination of fresh plums and prunes and flavored with coffee and sweet spices, this one-pan cake gets its moist texture from precooking on the stove.

So break out the cake pans--and get into your bathing suit. In this case, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Rice pudding is one of those comfort foods that is especially satisfying when the weather cools. Easy to prepare, this recipe can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Pop a serving into the microwave to warm, then sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. A drizzle of warm nonfat milk makes it even more soothing.

CREAMY RICE PUDDING

1/2 cup rice

1/2 cup water

4 cups nonfat milk

1/3 cup nonfat dry milk

1 stick cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup dark or golden raisins

1/4 cup thawed frozen nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1 egg)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Ground cinnamon or nutmeg

Nonfat milk, warmed, optional

Combine rice and water in 4-quart saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook over low heat until water is absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add liquid nonfat milk and nonfat dry milk to rice, stirring until blended. Add cinnamon stick. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until rice is tender and pudding has creamy consistency. Stir in sugar and raisins during last 10 minutes of cooking.

Combine egg substitute and little hot pudding. Add to pudding in saucepan. Heat just until custard thickens slightly, stirring constantly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve with warm nonfat milk. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving, without warm nonfat milk added at table, contains about:

221 calories; 118 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.28 gram fiber.

In this adaptation of the lush classic, tarte tatin, we replaced the traditional pastry tart with an almond-flavored nonfat cake. The apples are cooked with sugar and a minuscule amount of butter until they are coated with a thick golden glaze, developing an intense flavor.

The trick is to get the apples to caramelize correctly: not too light and liquidy, nor too dark and sticky (watch out for scorching). To enhance the taste of this simple cake, we added a little amaretto.

CARAMEL APPLE CAKE, TARTE-TATIN STYLE

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

3 pounds apples (green-skinned Golden Delicious or Fuji apples)

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup thawed frozen nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1 egg)

1/2 cup apple juice

2 tablespoons amaretto

2 egg whites

1 cup low-fat whipped topping, optional

Combine 1 cup sugar and water in heavy, deep, oven-proof 10-inch skillet. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook to light caramel stage or pale amber color, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Swirl in butter and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Set aside.

Peel, core and cut each apple into 4 wedges. Arrange about 3/4 of apple wedges in tight single layer over caramel. Cut remaining apple wedges in halves and place atop first apple layer. Cover skillet and cook over medium-low heat until apples exude juices, about 10 minutes.

Uncover skillet, increase heat to medium and continue cooking about 25 to 30 minutes, or until caramel syrup is thick, but not burnt (adjust heat to low if caramel starts cooking too fast). Baste apples occasionally with caramel syrup, using baster or spoon. Remove from heat and cool.

Sift cake flour with baking powder and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in bowl. Make well in center. In another bowl whisk egg substitute, apple juice, remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract and amaretto. Add to well in flour mixture, slowly stirring in dry ingredients just to blend.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, then beat until stiff but not dry. Fold small amount of batter into egg whites, then fold mixture back into remaining batter. Pour over apples in skillet. Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, or until wood pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Cool 5 minutes. Loosen cake around edges. Place platter over skillet and carefully invert pan, shaking gently to release cake onto platter. Spoon any remaining glaze over cake. Serve with low-fat whipped topping. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving, without whipped topping, contains about:

232 calories; 88 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.56 gram fiber.

The kiwi is often held up as a symbol of excess in California cuisine, but the funny, fuzzy fruit is more than just another exotic garnish. Its mildly sweet flavor works well in cakes and tarts. Here, we’ve pureed the fruit, then used it as the fat in a cake we topped with a lime-tinged custard layer. Of course, we then topped the whole thing with kiwi slices ... as garnish.

KIWI-LIME TORTE

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

5 large kiwi fruits

1/2 cup thawed frozen nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 2 eggs)

3/4 cup nonfat milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lime Custard

1 cup blackberries, raspberries or diced mangoes, optional

Gelatin Glaze

Lightly butter and flour non-stick 10-inch springform pan, or line bottom and sides with foil.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Make well in center.

Peel 3 kiwi and puree 2 fruits to yield 1/2 cup. Dice remaining peeled kiwi. Whisk together 1/2 kiwi puree, egg substitute, nonfat milk and lime juice. Add kiwi mixture to well of flour mixture and stir gently just until blended. Stir in lime zest. Do not overmix.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until soft, smooth peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of egg whites into kiwi batter until blended. Add remaining egg whites in 2 batches, folding gently until just blended. Fold in diced kiwi.

Turn into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes or until wood pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan.

Spread Lime Custard over cake in pan. Peel remaining 2 kiwi fruits and slice 1/4-inch thick. Arrange slices over custard. Garnish with well-drained blackberries. Spoon Gelatin Glaze to cover fruit. Chill until gelatin sets. Remove torte from pan and foil, if using. Makes 16 servings.

Each serving contains about:

139 calories; 83 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 0 fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.38 gram fiber.

Lime Custard

1 1/4 cups nonfat milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup thawed frozen nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1 egg)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest

Combine nonfat milk, sugar, egg substitute and cornstarch in small saucepan. Stir until smooth. Place over low heat, cook and stir until thickened. Cool. Cover and chill several hours to thicken. Stir in lime zest.

Gelatin Glaze

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup water or clear fruit juice

1 teaspoon sugar, optional

Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Place over very low heat to dissolve gelatin, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar. Cool until slightly thickened.

This one-pot cake was adapted from a favorite recipe of Times Food Editor Ruth Reichl. It’s a cross between a pudding and a cake that is mixed, boiled and baked in the same pot. We added plum puree to our low-fat version (only one gram per serving). You can also serve this warm pudding with a cold tangy yogurt cream topping.

PRUNE PUDDING CAKE

3 cups pitted prunes, chopped (about 1 1/2 (12-ounce) packages)

2 cups prepared strong coffee

1/2 cup pureed plum (about 1 large plum, pitted)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups flour

Yogurt Topping

Combine prunes, coffee, pureed plum, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in 12-inch heavy round metal pan or oven-proof skillet about 2 1/2 inches deep. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Simmer about 3 minutes, stirring frequently until blended. Remove from heat. Add baking soda, stirring until blended. Stir in flour until incorporated.

Bake at 350 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until wood pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm with Yogurt Topping. Makes 20 servings.

Each serving, with topping, contains about:

163 calories; 72 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.

Each serving, without topping, contains about:

150 calories; 61 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.

Yogurt Topping

1 cup low-fat whipped topping

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Blend together whipped topping and yogurt.

There’s little fat and no cholesterol in angel food cake. Light and airy, it achieves its volume mainly from the steam that evaporates during baking and passes through the air whipped into the egg whites. A common mistake is to beat the egg whites until they’re stiff and dry--this makes it difficult to fold in the other ingredients. It also causes the overextended air cells to deflate during baking, resulting in a small cake. Beat the whites only until the peaks are soft, smooth and shiny.

In this version, cocoa turns plain angel food into a delicious chocolate cake. And who says it needs frosting? The cake will be gone before you can make it.

CHOCOLATE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (11 or 12) egg whites, slightly below room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Re-sift cake flour with cocoa powder, 3/4 cup sugar and salt.

Beat egg whites on low speed 1 1/2 minutes until frothy. Sprinkle in cream of tartar. Continue beating on medium speed, slowly adding remaining sugar. Beat egg whites 2 minutes or until soft (not stiff) peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

Sprinkle 1/3 of cocoa mixture over egg whites. Fold in with rubber spatula, keeping spatula in batter under surface. Repeat twice with remaining cocoa mixture. Do not over-fold.

Pour into 10-inch tube pan and bake in lower third of 325-degree oven about 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. Remove pan from oven. Invert pan onto counter and let cool about 2 hours before removing cake. Makes 16 servings.

Each serving contains about:

111 calories; 128 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

Pumpkins and apples suggest the beginning of the fall season and the start of holiday baking. Spicy-sweet, this cake is great for Halloween or Thanksgiving--and it’s super-low in fat and calories. Instead of nuts, we used currants to add moistness to the cake. For a little indulgence, spread the cake with our wonderful rich-tasting, but light, cream cheese frosting.

HARVEST PUMPKIN CAKE

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup dried currants

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup thawed frozen nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 2 eggs)

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

Cream Cheese Frosting

Butter 13x9-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Place currants in small bowl. Add enough warm water to cover fruit. Let stand until plumped. Drain.

Combine applesauce, egg substitute, pumpkin, nonfat milk and vanilla in bowl and blend well.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves into large bowl. Stir in brown sugar. Add pumpkin mixture and drained currants, stirring just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees about 20 minutes or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes 24 servings.

Each serving, with topping, contains about:

129 calories; 68 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.38 gram fiber.

Each serving, without topping, contains about:

102 calories; 55 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.38 gram fiber.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/3 (8-ounce) package light cream cheese

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Blend together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in food processor until smooth.