A few weeks ago I had a food revelation – the perfect dessert to make celebrating summer. I wish I could tell you what it was but you will have to wait a week or two (oh my god, I am such a tease! So sorry!). Anyway, this dessert is going to blow your mind (as it did mine) but it needed this cake. Any cake will do so if you have a hankering to make it, I suggest skipping the loaf pan. Make it in a 9×13 and it will cook up in 1/3 of the time! That will keep your apartment, house, dwelling, cooler and won’t overtax the AC. Believe me, your family will thank you!
Light Pound Cake (adapted from Cooking Light)
Serves: 8 (8 slices from a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan)
3 tablespoons
canola oil
1
vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 cups
sugar
1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick), softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk
Lightly spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Combine oil and vanilla bean in a small skillet over low heat. Slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let the mixture stand about 10 minutes (until the mixture is about room temperature – the temperature of your fingers). Scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean. Stir the seeds into the oil; discard the bean. Combine the oil, sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Beat until well-blended (about 4-7 minutes). Add the egg and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, whisking together until completely blended. Add the flour mixture and the milk to the sugar mixture, alternating between the two but beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaf for about 45 minutes – 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes. Then, remove from pan and let cool completely before using in any recipes. Or, serve it warm immediately.
Calories: 265
Fat: 12g
Carbohydrates: 40g
Sugars: 21g
Sodium: 113mg
Protein: 4g
Until the next time my oven is on…
