Did You Know?...The Secrets of Baking Revealed
By Sarah Phillips

GLAZED LEMON CAKE RECIPE
Makes 9 Servings

New Year’s can bring resolutions of eating healthier and my Glazed Lemon Cake fits the bill. The recipe bakes with applesauce instead of large amounts of oil or butter, is low in fat and cholesterol but high in lemon flavor and has a wonderful moist texture. The Glazed Lemon Cake Recipe is a refreshingly easy cake to make and makes a perfect New Year’s Day Brunch treat that goes well with hot tea and coffee. Enjoy and Happy New Years!

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into measuring cup and level top)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons canola oil
Grated zest of 2 lemons or 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons poppyseeds, optional

Lemon glaze (below)

CAKE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with oil.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds (optional) until well combined. Set aside.
  3. In another medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set at high speed, beat the applesauce, sugar, egg, egg whites, oil, lemon zest and vanilla until frothy, about 2 minutes. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the applesauce mixture. Using a spoon, stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Using a gentle touch, spread the batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool in the pan on a wire cake rack for 15 minutes. Unmold onto the rack, turn right side up, and cool completely.
  5. When cool, glaze the cake with the lemon glaze, letting it drip down the sides. Let stand until the glaze sets.
    Sarah Says: Do Not Over bake !! It's a major cause of low-fat baking failures, whether you are baking cakes, cookies, or quick breads. Low-fat baked goods may have moist, shiny tops and look underdone, but those looks can be deceiving. Low-fat cake baking has a different set of doneness tests from traditional baking. In full-fat baking, the most common method of testing for doneness is to insert a toothpick or a thin wire cake tester into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean without any unbaked batter clinging to it, the cake is done.
    The toothpick test doesn't work with reduced-fat baking, which requires other visual and tactile tests to be sure the baked good is baked through. This also holds for muffins and quick breads. To avoid over baking, check for doneness at the beginning of the specified time range. Unless specified in the recipe, the top will spring back when gently pressed in the center. The edges are lightly browned and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.

LEMON GLAZE RECIPE:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon (orange) or 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil or orange. I like to put in lemon / lime peel or orange / lemon peel combinations
2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or orange juice).

  1. Place the confectioner's sugar and zest in a medium bowl.
  2. Stir in enough of the lemon juice to make a smooth glaze. The consistency should be a little thicker than heavy cream.
  3. Use immediately.

CAKE STORAGE: Most low- and reduced-fat cakes will keep for up to two days at room temperature, wrapped in aluminum foil. Foil works better than plastic wrap or plastic bags, which hold in the moisture. (Because of the moisture-attracting properties of fruit purees, low-fat baked goods can "sweat.") Well wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in a zip-tight bag, they can also be frozen for up to two months. Always cool baked good completely before storing.

Nutritional Analysis: Per serving with glaze - About 159 calories (8 percent from protein; 75 percent from carbohydrates; 16 percent from fat), 3 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated fat), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 92 milligrams sodium

Nutritional Analysis: Per serving with glaze and poppy seeds - About 266 calories (7 percent from protein; 77 percent from carbohydrates; 16 percent from fat), 5 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated fat), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 105 milligrams sodium

From The Healthy Oven Baking Book, by Sarah Phillips, Doubleday, 1999