Learning to Cook

I have always been surrounded by wonderful cooks and bakers. While this has been delightful for my taste buds, I always wondered if I would ever be able to cook like them. When I lived in Brazil, I was forced to learn how to cook because the ingredients at my disposal were so different. The experience was, at first, frustrating. But, once I began to experiment, the world of cooking opened up to me. My recipe box is now brimming, and I thought others might be interested in trying some of the recipes I have found. I haven’t tried them all yet, but I plan to in the future! I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to add your own suggestions/comments.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Light Crumb Cake

This cake is good. It's not just good, it's Low Fat People. The normal serving of coffee cake has on average 14 grams of fat and 320 calories per serving, this one, a mere 5 grams of fat and 210 calories per serving. Sweet!

Recipe:
Nonstick baking spray with flour
1 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 C cake flour
3/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp unsalted butter softened, plus 1 tbsp melted and cooled
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C plain low-fat yogurt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with the nonstick baking spray. Whisk the all purpose flour, cake flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and mix it with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Beat the 3 tablespoons of softened butter and the granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber satula as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just incorporated, followed by the vanilla and one-third of the yogurt , scraping down the bowl as needed. Repeat this process twice more, alternating between the remaining flour mixture and yogurt until the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix.

4. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Stir the 1 tablespoon melted butter into the reserved cinnamon mixture and toss gently with a fork until the butter is evenly distributed creating some pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the batter.

5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely before cutting into squares.

Per Serving: Calories: 210; Fat: 5g; Sat Fat: 3g; Chol: 45 mg; Carb:38g; Protein: 4g; Fiber:1g; Sodium: 150mg

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