Raspberry Lemon Pound Cake

Happy holiday weekend everyone!  I’m super excited to be in Washington, DC, for the Fourth of July this year because the fireworks display is supposed to be amazing.  Our house is only a couple of blocks from the national mall, and we’re scheming about how to get our upstairs neighbors to let us up on the roof.  Last time we got up there a shower curtain rod was ripped out of the wall.

I gave them half of this pound cake and am planning on baking more bribes for them this weekend.  In my opinion, this cake is tasty enough to make up for a minor house repair.

I have kept my promise of lighter baked goods with this cake.  It is made with fat-free yogurt and lots of berries.  You can tell it’s lighter because it makes a good breakfast and doesn’t weigh you down like a traditional pound cake would.

adapted heavily from Weight Watchers (sorry again, no link to the original)

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
10 Tblsp unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
12 oz fat-free lemon flavored yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups frozen raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat a 12 cup tube pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Gradually add the sugar and beat until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Gently beat the eggs and egg whites together in a small bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture.  I do this by pouring a little bit in, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl if needed.  I usually do it in about 4 additions. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
5. In the same bowl the eggs were in, mix the yogurt with the milk.
6. Add the four mixture alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mix. Very gently, fold in the raspberries.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until thin knife or wooden toothpick comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.  Cool cake in pan on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.  To get the cake to come out, you will need to loosen the edges with a knife, especially around the center tube.  Invert cake onto wire rack and cool completely.

Almond Cloud Cookies

Well, the inevitable has happened, and it’s my Cake and Bread classes’ fault.  I gained 10 pounds.  I’m not usually that concerned about my weight (my giant sweet tooth is more persuasive than my vanity), but I recognize that if I’m going to happily and successfully complete my journey toward becoming a pastry chef, I’ll need to keep my health a priority.  Tight chef’s pant aren’t comfortable no matter how many people say they’re like pajama pants.

So while I get myself to the gym more often, I hope y’all don’t mind a few lighter recipes on the blog this summer.  It won’t be bad, I promise.  No diet soda cakes, or weird fat-free ingredients used, just lots of fresh fruit and smaller slices of cake!

Don’t think of these cookies as diet food. Think of them as French Macarons without the filling, or surprise your gluten-sensitive friends with these delicious gluten-free cookies!  They’re crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside from the almond flour.  The secret ingredient is the cinnamon.  I never would have thought about adding cinnamon to merginue cookies, but the spice is so delicious with the intense sweetness that meringue cookies can have.

adapted from Weight Watchers (sorry I can’t link to the original recipe)

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup almond meal

1. Preheat over to 250°.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with non-stick spray.
2. Beat whites, salt and cinnamon to a soft foam.
3. Add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in almond meal.
4. Pipe or spoon batter into 1-inch mounds or rosettes.
5. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until firm and dry to the touch.  Let cool on sheet and then gently lift off the pan.