RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘diet soda’

  1. Week 20: Key Lime Cake

    June 21, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro

    It’s summer, so it’s as good a time as any to help yourself to a slice of refreshing lime cake. This recipe was inspired by a “Key Lime Poke Cake” recipe I found on the Betty Crocker website. It sounded like key lime pie, which I LOVE. The layer of topping that soaks into the cake, just under the frosting reminded me of the method used when making tres leeches cake. It sounded delicious, but I had two concerns – the fussiness and the calorie content. Don’t get me wrong, I love a fussy, fatty cake, but sometimes you need some balance. So I cut some corners on the Betty Crocker recipe and made it my own. It was so easy, I didn’t even prepare a mise en place. You’ll see why. (more…)

    Category 52 Cakes | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  2. The Dr. Devil’s Food Cake’s Most Famous Fan

    March 30, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro

    The following is a note I received from my dear friend, Linda. I was just beside myself when she informed me she was thinking of preparing my Dr. Devil’s Food Cake for one of the greatest actors in American history. You can imagine my delight when she got back to me to let me know it was a smash hit. She’s already baked it for him twice!

    Way back in week #4 you did the Dr. Devil’s Food Cake. Well, this cake, with a small variation, made James Earl Jones (yes, that one, Darth Vader et al) a happy man. Mr. Jones is my brother in law and he and his wife, Ceci, dine often at my house in Connecticut, as he is a fan of my cooking.

    A few years ago, Jimmy was diagnosed with type two diabetes. This made dessert a real challenge on those occasions when the Jones’s ate here.

    BUT, along came your Dr. Pepper cake which gave me the idea to try to find a sugar-free mix. Duncan Hines makes such a product in devil’s food. So I just substituted the diet soda for the eggs and oil and, wallah! A sugar free desert that was unbelievably moist. I whipped up some heavy cream, no sugar, and put a dollop on top. Mr. Jones was beside himself, not having been able to eat cake for years, so we let him have the whole sweet all to himself.

    Thank You!

    Linda Carlson

    P.S. – It strikes me that this could be a good recipe for dieters too.

    (Hey, there. Nina here, again! I wanted to also mention James Earl Jones is currently starring in Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man“, opening on Broadway this Sunday.)

    Category 52 Cakes | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Week 8: Strawberry Ginger Cake

    February 29, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro

    Since I started this project, the cake recipe that generated the most enthusiasm was my Dr. Devil’s Food Cake aka Diet Soda Cake. I could see why. It’s easy, cheap, low calorie, and more importantly, delicious! I was pleased when so many friends tried the recipe for themselves. (more…)

    Category 52 Cakes | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  4. Week 4: Dr. Devil’s Food Cake

    January 29, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro

    Have you heard of diet soda cakes? Well, now you have. The idea is simple. You select a cake box mix and instead of adding oil, eggs, and water, you simply add a can of diet soda. “But how is that possible?” you ask. Well, I’m not entirely sure. But it works! I read somewhere that when boxed cake mixes first hit grocery store shelves, they simply required that you add water and bake. They didn’t sell well. Customer research revealed home bakers felt that the process was too easy. So the cake box people adjusted the mix and directions to require eggs, oil, and water. But I suppose there’s still some sort of loophole in which you don’t have to add so much fat to cake mix to make it work. (more…)

    Category 52 Cakes | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments