fake cake
last night we went to dinner at the home of some friends in burlington. only after i volunteered to make dessert did i learn that the husband is diabetic and has to limit his sugar intake. so i decided to experiment.
i made the buttermilk country cake, the finest cake in my repertoire, replacing half of the sugar with splenda. splenda is a sugar substitute, and, believe it or not, it's not half-bad. unlike sweet 'n' low or equal, it has no artificial taste whatsoever — it's just sweet.
unfortunately, it doesn't have the same properties as sugar when it comes to structure, tenderness, or browning. the cake rose about 3/4 as high, and i don't think it browned as beautifully as it has when i've used the full measure of sugar (just a cup, for the record). additionally, it was slightly drier than the original, as the splenda people recommend you supplement it with a bit of dry milk in cake recipes; my theory is that that sucked up some of the moisture.
that said, the cake tasted good, looked nice, and satisfied even our friend who has to watch his sugar intake. an acceptable compromise, and a successful experiment.
Comments
I'm thinking I'll make that cake today. We have a friend coming down from the Hudson Valley and it calls for a little celebration. If I can get my ass off the couch.
Posted by: Molly | August 9, 2003 01:07 PM
o, it is a fine cake! we had it with some sliced plums ladled over the top. molly, you are perhaps the one person who appreciates cake as much as i do.
Posted by: julie | August 9, 2003 01:14 PM
that cake is so good. and it's the recipe that got me to swear off the powdered buttermilk. incredibly, for a quality ingredient fanatic, I was not using the real stuff every single time. what a mistake.
Posted by: terry | August 9, 2003 01:52 PM
i tasted the real buttermilk for the first time when i made this cake. GOD, is that stuff revolting. but i'm going to freeze the remainder of the quart in recipe-sized containers.
Posted by: julie | August 9, 2003 02:01 PM
here's a use for that buttermilk in your freezer:
buttermilk margarita's!
pour equal parts lime-aid, buttermilk, and good tequila into a blender three-quarters filled with ice. add 1/2 part triple sec or grand marnier. (to make things easy, 1 part = 1 lime-aid can-full.) pulse in blender to desired consistency and enjoy. it sounds nasty, but it's not. it's snot.
Posted by: harold | August 9, 2003 02:38 PM
why the apostrophe in "margarita's," you ask? drink one and see how long your punctuation holds out.
Posted by: harold | August 9, 2003 02:41 PM
drink one and see how long your hypothalamus holds out.
Posted by: julie | August 9, 2003 03:25 PM
My cake is in the oven! I love recipes that use a whole stick of butter. So tidy. I also bought some raspberries to make a little compote to serve with the cake. GOD I love cake. Cake cake cake. I used a springform pan; meant to ask you first which pan you recommend.
I shall bathe my face in the leftover buttermilk, like Anne of Green Gables, to fade my freckles.
Harold, I don't know who you are, but you are revolting. Please come over so we can serve you sweetbread martinis.
Posted by: Molly | August 9, 2003 05:12 PM
I use the springform pan for that cake, too, molly. And i sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Posted by: terry | August 9, 2003 08:24 PM
though the thought of buttermilk margaritas makes some folks' gallbladders sputter with revulsion, i assure you all (and molly in particular) that the buttermilk margarita recipe is quite delicious. it's a down home southern-mexican (rednex-mex?) combo that will surprise and delight. as for the sweetbread martinis: are they gin or vodka, and does one garnish with a sliver of spleen or just a patch of hair?
Posted by: harold | August 10, 2003 09:58 AM
That's exactly what I did, Terry, and I served it with a warm raspberry-tangerine coulis. It was FANTASTIC.
Harold, I am ignoring you, you revolting revolter.
Posted by: Molly | August 10, 2003 12:45 PM
i just use a regular cake pan because i don't have a 9" springform. chicago metallic nonstick all the way. molly, your cake sounds amazing. do ignore harold, there's a good girl.
Posted by: julie | August 10, 2003 01:01 PM
Do you have a bar that you can recomend that would serve up such a margarita? Seems a bit involved for us lightweight drinkers.
Posted by: Tim | August 10, 2003 02:02 PM
I just ordered the Cake Bible from Amazon (my local indie didn't have it, booo) and am considering buying one of the new square springform pans. I want to make cakes all this autumn. Nothing makes the apartment smell as nice as cakes do. I need to get my mom's cinnamon apple torte recipe -- possible the best cake ever, and you guys need to try it.
Posted by: Molly | August 10, 2003 04:32 PM
molly, remind me in season, and I'll post the recipe for the apple pie cake. basically, you slice apples, put them in a cake pan, and our runny cake batter over the top. delicious! i'm going to teach a cooking class this fall and include that recipe -- it's that easy and that good.
Posted by: terry | August 10, 2003 04:45 PM
I love apple ANYTHING so I will definitely remember to poke you for that recipe.
Posted by: Molly | August 10, 2003 05:20 PM