Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

4 Now, the flour needs to be sifted and added to the egg white mixture. Try to add a little height while sifting the flour over the mixture, as this will make your cake lighter. Use a spatula or large metal spoon to carefully and quickly fold in the flour until incorporated. Do not beat or overmix. Limit yourself to 16 turns of the spoon!

5 Pour the mixture into a 25cm (10in) non-stick Bundt cake tin and bake for 30–40 minutes until the top is brown and a skewer inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall of the tin comes out clean.

6 Don’t turn the cake out, simply turn the tin upside down on top of a wire rack and leave the cake to cool inside the tin for about an hour.

7 Now, carefully use a plastic spatula to loosen the cake around the sides and middle, then release the cake and place on a serving plate.

8 For the icing, simply mix the lemon juice, honey and icing sugar together and pour over the cake just before serving. Decorate with lemon zest and mint sprigs.

Low-fat Ginger Cake

If it’s holiday time, make this to fill your house with festive smells. If it’s not holiday time, make it anyway! This cake is easy to make, delicious and low in fat – enjoy a delicious piece of this ginger cake guilt-free any time.

SERVES 9

light cooking spray, for coating

200g (7oz) dark muscovado sugar

1 egg

60ml (2fl oz) light olive oil

125ml (4fl oz) low-fat buttermilk

200g (7oz) plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp baking powder

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

2 Spray a 20cm (8in) square cake tin with light cooking spray and line the base with baking parchment.

3 In a large bowl, mix the sugar, egg and olive oil together until smooth. Now, add the buttermilk and combine well.

4 Next, sift the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon and baking powder into the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Don’t overmix.

5 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Once cold, cut into squares to serve.

TIP

Feel free to dust the top of the cake with a little mixture of icing sugar and cocoa powder.

Fruity Fruit Cake

Now don’t expect a very sweet and heavy traditional fruit cake with this recipe. Made with low-fat spread and only a tiny amount of sugar, this cake is wonderfully light and naturally sweetened by the dried fruit.

SERVES 10

low-fat spread, for greasing

150g (5½oz) mixed dried fruit

20g (¾oz) pecan nuts, hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped

100g (3½oz) self-raising flour

100g (3½oz) low-fat, heart-healthy spread

50g (1¾oz) dark muscovado sugar

2 eggs

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

2 Grease a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tin with low-fat spread.

3 In a bowl, combine the dried fruit and chopped nuts along with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Set aside.

4 In another bowl, beat the low-fat spread and the sugar together. You might need to squash the clumps of sugar with the back of a fork.

5 Now, add the eggs and beat into the sugar mixture. Using a wooden spoon is fine.

6 Next, add the remaining flour and mix well.

7 Finally, add the flour-coated fruit and nuts and stir to combine.

8 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 18–20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Mint, Caraway & Lemon Roulade

This is an impressive-looking, delicious and light roulade that contains only half the fat compared to one made with butter and full-fat cream cheese filling. This roulade is best eaten on the day it is made.

SERVES 8

6 eggs

175g (6oz) golden caster sugar

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed