so my little boy is turning 4.
i need a good tasting low calorie cupcakes or cake recipe (as well as the icing, glaze, or a topping)
a lot of my family is coming so this is my chance to show them even stuff thatS good for you can taste good

this doesn't have to be traditional cake/cupcake mix flavor.
my son loves most fruit so having fruit in the cake would be good too.

although i might use fondant to top the cake, i could use any suggestions.

thanks

This is my all-time favorite cake. It is a cooking light recipe and delicious though not super low in calories, but since it is your son's birthday, and he likes fruit and you want to impress your family with a healthier, better for you cake recipe, this may fit the bill.
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Mashed ripe banana adds moistness. The frosting, with cream cheese as its base, is similar to that of a traditional carrot cake.

Banana Raspberry Cake (Cooking Light)
Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)


Ingredients
Cake:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, chilled
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust each pan with 1 1/2 teaspoons flour.

Place granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lightly spoon 1 3/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk.

Combine buttermilk, banana, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (mix after each addition just until blended). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake cake at 350° for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Peel off wax paper. Cool layers completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, rind, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and dash of salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat).

Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Arrange raspberries in a single layer over frosting, and top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator. Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories:289 (25% from fat)
Fat:8g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:4.5g
Carbohydrate:51.7g
Fiber:1.2g
Cholesterol:60mg
Iron:1mg
Sodium:247mg
Calcium:65mg

If you want a super quick and lower-calorie cake/cupcake recipe, just grab a box of cake mix and substitute applesauce for the oil. Easy-peasy.

This may be way too strange, but perhaps a Spaghetti Squash Cream Pie. I know it sounds weird, but it's supposed to taste like a Coconut Cream Pie.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. Splenda
5 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. spaghetti squash
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)*
2 Tbsp. butter (optional)*

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar, Splenda, and eggs until frothy. Beat in butter (if using), coconut extract (if using), and vanilla. Stir in spaghetti squash. Pour into 8" pie pan and dust with cinnamon (if using) and nutmeg (if using). Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Calories per slice/serving (makes 8 slices/servings): 132
*The calories per slice does not account for butter; butter would be an additional 25 calories per slice (roughly) if using the real stuff.

Check the hungry girl website! Search for "cupcake" or "cake" ... I know they suggest pairing traditional cake mix with diet soda, but they have other options as well.

This has me thinking. My favorite chocolate cupcake/cake recipe uses all oil (no eggs), and if the oil were replaced with unsweetened applesauce and the sugar replaced with splenda sugar blend for baking, the cupcakes would each be 116.5 calories and 0.3g fat. Then... what about a whipped chocolate ganache frosting? Very rich (high in fat; but it IS dessert), but not sweet (it uses bittersweet chocolate) and so low in calorie. The cupcake including a whipped chocolate ganache would be 233 calories and 11.3g fat. The cupcakes could be topped with raspberries or strawberries. Or, you could make a two-layer cake, spread sugar-free or low sugar strawberry or raspberry between the layers, and frost with the whipped ganache.

Just an idea. I'm making the chocolate cupcakes (the regular recipe) tonight for birthdays at work tomorrow, and I may try to make a few with the applesauce and splenda sugar blend to see how they come out. If they taste good, I'll post the recipe!

I second the diet soda/cake mix recipe! I've done it before and they come out delicious! For "frosting" I just use fat free cool whip.

Thank you all.
those sound wonderful

Yes, let us know how it comes out...I used splenda before for baking and it has always turned out horribly.

And I also agree with using cake mixes and pop! I've done a spice cake before with 12 oz. of Sprite Zero (no eggs or oil) ~ delicious!!

They were terrible. They were so dense I couldn't even finish the bite I took - I spit it out - and so I didn't even get to the point of seeing how the splenda affected the flavor. So much for that idea! I've tried to modify this recipe before to use something else in place of the ground unsweetened chocolate (I tried powdered freeze-dried mango), and the result was the same - dense and inedible. Oh well, I tried.

I hope you find something great, couponmom! Let us know what you end up making and how it goes over with your party guests.

I would third that. Though, HG's recipe calls for a cup and a half, I believe, if you increase to 2 cups, the cake is sooooo super moist I don't even think it needs frosting.

yum i might have to try the cake mix and diet soda, hopefully i will hold off on it til a little later in my journey..but it sure does sound wonderful, my mom tried it with pumpkin and said it was the nasty tasting thing...

You can make it even lower in calories, sort of, by changing the servings to 18 or 24 instead of the box recommended 12. It's still a rather nice amount.