like the title says =P my bday is july 6th and ive been trying to figure out what i could get for a cake that wont totally kill my diet. and i know i could cheat a day but i would really like to avoid that =)
Somebody just put up an idea for making brownies and I think it's under food talk & fabulous finds. You take a brownie mix and instead of adding eggs and oil to it, you instead add a can of black beans that have been pureed with a can of water. Then you bake it per the instructions of the mix. I think that the original poster put the numbers into Sparkpeople and it turned out to be 16 brownies in all and about 150 calories each. I made it today but I used regular beans since I want to avoid canned goods and my family liked them and had no idea that they had the beans...which is great because not only does it save on calories but there's also protein and fiber in there to boot! Next time, I'm going to buy a sugar free brownie mix and that will probably make it even less calories!
I also have made cake with a 14-16 oz can of of unspiced pumpkin (not pie filling, the ingredients have to be just pumpkin or pumpkin and water, not pumpkin with spices).
You just mix the pumpkin puree into the cake mix (no other ingredients, just the pumpkin). It will seem too thick, and you'll think you should add some water, but don't, it's fine.
I've made it with chocolate cake mix (very good, no pumpkin taste at all) and also with carrot cake mix and spice cake mix (also very good). If you want you can add some flavoring extract or cocoa powder, but that's completely optional (When I used a chocolate cake mix, I sometimes added a tablespoon of cocoa, which doesn't add very many calories. I forget how many, but hardly any at all per serving).
The calories are lower than the bean brownies, so I've never made those (the pumpkin adds about 10 calories to the calories from the mix alone).
Another option is the diet soda cake. You add one can of diet soda to a cake mix, and nothing else. This adds zero calories over the mix alone, but some people aren't fond of the texture (it doesn't raise as much as a normal cake does).
Personally, I like the chocolate-pumpkin best (you can make it as a cake or as muffins/cupcakes). It's also got the best response when I've taken it to potlucks.
I don't eat wheat any more (I get a weird skin reaction). I have been afraid to try the pumpkin recipe with the wheat and gluten-free cake and brownie mixes (because those mixes are so crazy expensive I'm afraid to "ruin" a recipe by deviating from the box directions).
Somebody just put up an idea for making brownies and I think it's under food talk & fabulous finds. You take a brownie mix and instead of adding eggs and oil to it, you instead add a can of black beans that have been pureed with a can of water. Then you bake it per the instructions of the mix. I think that the original poster put the numbers into Sparkpeople and it turned out to be 16 brownies in all and about 150 calories each. I made it today but I used regular beans since I want to avoid canned goods and my family liked them and had no idea that they had the beans...which is great because not only does it save on calories but there's also protein and fiber in there to boot! Next time, I'm going to buy a sugar free brownie mix and that will probably make it even less calories!
tysvm ^^ this sounds yummy and i will definately try it out ^^
I also have made cake with a 14-16 oz can of of unspiced pumpkin (not pie filling, the ingredients have to be just pumpkin or pumpkin and water, not pumpkin with spices).
oooo i didnt think to use pumpkin! everyone loves pumpkin pie right?!? haha tysvm ^^
Just an idea, a slice of angel food cake with strawberries and a drizzle of sf choc syrup. Add some real cream or sf cool whip, depending on your plan. It might be less fat and cals than other types of diet cakes. Enjoy! you can also make a chocolate angel food by adding 1/3 C cocoa and one additional egg white to the mix
Kaplods, that sounds delicious. I always have to have cans of non spiced pumpkin for the ferrets (digestive issues, a little acts as a bit of fiber for them), and that sounds sooo good. I wish I had a cake mix right now!
I would just eat a slice of real cake, rather than experiment with diet cakes that may or may not turn out well. Eat a sensible breakfast and lunch. Then maybe have a small portion of birthday dinner and 1 piece of cake.
The trick is to make sure you don't have any leftovers. If you can't give them away make sure they're thrown out (in the can) before the last guest leaves. Good luck and Happy Birthday.
The pumpkin chocolate muffins passed the absoulte taste-test in my book. I took a couple batches to an Easter dinner at MIL's. I made a batch of the chocolate and the spice cake, and instead of frosting I stopped by a bagel shop and bought flavored cream cheese (sweetened vanilla walnut for the spice muffins, and chocolate chip for the chocolate). I didn't intend on using the frosting for myself, but I thought the thinner family members and the kids would want frosting.
I shouldn't have bothered, no one wanted frosting, and the muffins were gone so fast, I barely got one.
The kids (ages 2 - 9) attacked the chocolate muffins and even they didn't bother with frosting.
They're really moist and dense, like an awesome pound cake (not the lousy dry low-fat or overcooked pound cake). Because of the moist texture, they seem like they would be high in fat, they're so rich. I think it's because pumpkin has both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber gives it a slippery, fat-like mouthfeel without the calories of fat. Both fat and fiber are filling, so I think it makes them seem like they should contain a lot butter (that's what people generally ask me "really, there's no butter in here?).
I've never had anyone dislike the cakes made with pumpkin, and most people can't believe what's in it.
I can't say the same about the diet soda cake, but the pumpkin in my opinion actually improves the texture of the cake. And because of the fiber, it's more filling and actually feels like a bigger piece of cake than it is.
I have tried the canned pumpkin with brownie mix and I didn't care for it.
I would say eat what you like for your birthday. I can usually stop at one piece myself IF the entire cake isn't in the house later. Either send the leftovers home with friends/family or go buy a single slice at a bakery.
Here is a link to another option. It is my variation of a lemon cake recipe. I posted this in the foods section just now because I realized I had never put it there. It isn't the lowest in calories, but it does only make a 9x9 or 8x8 cake so there isn't so much of it laying around. It is delicious!
I've never tried pumpkin with brownie mix, only with regular Betty Crocker style cake mixes. I'm very picky about brownie texture, so I've always been hesitant to mess with a brownie recipe. With brownies, I want a very specific texture that I don't think you could acheive with pumpkin.
When it comes to cake, I'm more open to a variety of textures. I like angel food as much as pound cake, but for me, brownies texture is more vital.
Now that I don't eat wheat, I've thought of trying pumpkin with the gluten-free mixes, but the mixes are so expensive, I hate to experiment.
diet cake for everyone that wont kill your diet?
Next time, I'm going to buy a sugar free brownie mix and that will probably make it even less calories!
