The Trick to a Treat

Treat your favorite ghosts and goblins to this special Halloween cake. It not only looks and tastes great but also is low in fat. Applesauce and pumpkin replace most of the fat in the cake and still keep it moist.

The rich-tasting, fudgey chocolate frosting is easy to make and almost fat-free when made with nonfat sweetened condensed milk, available in most major grocery stores. We found the frosting is best when spread on while the cake is warm. Allow the frosting to cool before decorating with the witches’ hats, or they may melt. And if you’ve seen “The Wizard of Oz,” you know how messy that can be.

WITCH’S CAKE

CAKE

1 (1-pound) can solid-pack pumpkin

1 (1/2-pound) jar applesauce

1 cup nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 4 eggs)

1 cup nonfat milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

4 cups cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cloves

Mix pumpkin, applesauce, egg substitute, milk, vanilla extract and brown sugar in bowl until blended. Set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves until mixed. Form well in center of dry ingredients and pour in pumpkin mixture. Stir just until ingredients are blended. Divide between 2 buttered 9-inch square pans lined with parchment paper, spreading evenly in pans.

Bake at 375 degrees until center tests done with toothpick, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly in pans on wire rack.

FROSTING AND TOPPING

2 (14-ounce) cans nonfat sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1 teaspoon butter

4 (1-ounce) bars bittersweet chocolate

6 chocolate kisses

1 large tube orange decorating icing

1 large tube white decorating icing

Simmer condensed milk and cocoa in saucepan, stirring constantly over low heat until mixture thickens. Stir in vanilla and orange extracts and butter.

Spoon small amount of frosting on top of 1 cake square. Place second square on top. Frost top and sides of cake.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in top of double-boiler. Spread in 8-inch square on wax paper or parchment paper. Cool until almost set. Cut out rounds with 4-inch cutter for base of witch hats. Melt some of remaining chocolate scraps and spread over bottom of candy kiss to attach center of chocolate round for witch hat. Finish hats by making ribbon around hat with orange decorating icing.

For spider web, make 4 or 5 concentric circles with white decorating icing atop frosting on cake. Pull tip of toothpick through circles to make webs. Pipe orange frosting around edge of cake. Arrange witch hats on top of cake.

Makes 24 servings.

Each serving contains about:

283 calories; 161 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.66 gram fiber.