So for Valentine's Day I want to make my hubby and I a sweet treat that won't break the calorie bank. I've read up on taking a cake mix and replacing the eggs, oil, and everything else but the mix with either a can of diet soda, or a 15 oz can of pumpkin. I've heard they both work great but I can't pick between the two. Though the pumpkin would obviously provide more nutrition, I'm afraid it will be too dense.

For those of you who have experience with either of these methods, what would you recommend?

I'd go with pumpkin because of the nutrition. Have fun!

I've never heard of this! I've heard that oil can be cut in half and substituted with apple sauce...or something like that. Maybe you could use the pumpkin, but not use the entire amount and then, put in some apple sauce to make it more moist? Just a thought....it would make for an interesting experiment. Please let us know how it turns out and if it is good....maybe you could post your recipe? But, I would personally try to avoid the soda....unless you drink it all the time anyway.

Btwn those 2 choices, I'd go with diet soda for less calories.

Overall cake choices, I'd go for a sugar-free angel food cake.

Which ever way I go, I will definitely post how it turns out!

I do the pumpkin one and my family LOVES it. You do have to bake it longer as well, I add a can of water to the cake. I have not tried the diet soda cake. One thing you have to look out for is make sure you get the cake mix WITHOUT pudding already in it. This adds almost as much calories/fat/other stuff than it would if you baked it normal.

And, I have found the cupcakes come out better as opposed to the cake, but it is all good.....

ladyrider- Silly question. When you do cupcakes, how full do you fill the cups? I heard that with this method, the cake doesn't rise as much.

I am trying the pumpkin idea with Jiffy brownie mix. They are in the oven right now. Fingers crossed it turns out and my sons can't taste the pumpkin! I'll let you all know how it works out!

Well, they turned out. A little more like a moist cake than a brownie, but not bad.

2 boxes Jiffy brownie mix
15 oz. can plain pumpkin

Mix and spread into a sprayed 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool and cut into 15 squares. (You won't think they are done, but as they cool, they set up.)

139 calories each

Awesome thought with the brownies! Yes, I think you can use pumpkin as a substitute for oil in almost anything.

As for me, I sent my hubby to the store and told him to pick whatever cake mix sounded good. If it was a light cake, we'd use Sprite Zero, and if it was a dark cake we'd use the pumpkin. He picked Cherry Chip, so Sprite Zero won. It turned out really, really well! The flavor was great. The only difference was with the texture. It stuck to your teeth more than regular cake. Maybe I mixed too hard/too long? Still, if that's the only down side to cutting out tons and tons of calories and fat, I'll take it!

I did the brownies because the cake mixes, even with replacing oil and eggs w/ pumpkin, still had more calories than I wanted to spend.

Well, I've never been a big chocolate lover (you'd think I'd be skinnier then, huh? lol) so I don't know nutrition on brownies as well. If they are lower in calories naturally than cake, I'll have to give them a try!

Well, the mix was lower in calories (at least the Jiffy brand brownie mix). The serving size is usually smaller, too.

I have really enjoyed these as a treat.

I had wanted to try the diet soda cake mix for awhile. Finally tried it yesterday, and it turned out AWFUL! I used yellow cake mix and a can of Sprite Zero, and the texture was gummy and not cake-like at all.

The raw batter wasn't too bad, but the baked cake was inedible. I was actually glad it turned out so badly, because I was able to throw it away! Better in the garbage than on me!

A couple of weeks ago I made some brownie muffins with a box of sugar free devils food cake mix and a can of pumpkin. It made 12 HUGE muffins that were only 140 calories a piece. They come out a bit chewy in consistency but not bad. My husband didn't really like them though. Probably with the pumpkin AND the sugar mix it created a little too much of an "off" taste for a normal palate. It was a bit odd to have the chocolate taste without the richness that usually accompanies chocolate desserts. I was pretty happy with them though.

Next time I'm going to try a sugar free vanilla mix. I think that will compliment the pumpkin better.