Mom and Dad were coming to dinner and I wanted to bake a cake. I also wanted to go light. I have seen this cake recipe in my Best of Cooking Light cookbook many times as I would flip through the pages, but never had made it.
I had all the ingredients except for the caramel apple dip, but I knew how to improvise for that! This cake turned out so awesome! The crumb was tender and the cake was light. Believe it or not, for what it looks like - it wasnt' too sweet either. To top it all off, it has 309 calories per serving and only 8.4 grams of fat (provided you use all the ingredients as they suggest). It makes 12 servings. These are pretty good sized servings and I would only eat half of a regular serving just to cut the calories even more - but at that, if you wanted to eat the whole slice, you still could do it guilt free!
Cooking Light has been one of my favorite recipe sources for many years now. I have the annual cookbooks going all the way back to 1999. I have many of the magazines in storage that I pull out to go thru for each season too! What I love about their recipes is they are easy, simple to find ingredients and best of all light!
Dad loved the cake so much he was threatening to just take my whole cake dish home. I didn't let him. ;o) But I sent a good portion home with him!
Double Caramel Turtle Cake
The Best of Cooking Light cookbook
Cake:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon flour
1-½ cups boiling water
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
1-½ cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1-⅔ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar (I only had light brown)
2-3 tablespoons fat free milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Topping:
⅔ cup fat free caramel apple dip (I melted some kraft caramels with a little fat free half and half)
¼ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottoms of 2 (8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
Combine boiling water and cocoa, stirring well with a whisk. Cool completely.
Place granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 1-⅔ cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1-⅔ cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pans, sharlply tap pans once on counter to remove aid bubbles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (Mine baked for exactly 30 minutes and came out perfectly!) Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare frosting, melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons milk, and cook 1 minute or until sugar melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine buttter mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until spreading consistency.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread top with half of frosting. Place caramel dip in a small zip-top plastic bag. (i dip is too thick, place bag in microwave for 20 seconds.) Snip a small hole in 1 corner of bag and drizzle half of caramel dip over frosting. (This is where I just melted the caramels with some fat free half and half and then put the melted caramel in a wilton decorating bag to pipe over the cake). Top with other cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake, and drizzle with remaining caramel dip. Sprinkle with pecans.
Navita
luscious! want a slice..ot two may be!
Marthe
This looks so delicious!! I've been looking all over town for the Cooking Light magazines, but unfortunately they are not available here.... 🙁
tardevil
Man, that looks delicious! Now, I'm hungry!
recipes2share
WOW! I would never have guessed the 'light'! It looks fantastic.
Aparna
Your cake looks so rich and moist its hard to believe it's "light" even though the recipe says so.
I'm not surprised your Dad wanted to take it home.
Bellini Valli
I would never have believed this was a light recipe...but Cooking Light magazine can do it all!!!!They are my favourite!!
Meg
Beautiful cake. I love that it is light! YUM!
Debbie
Oh what a delicious looking cake. I love the fact that the calories are not that bad either!!!
Darius T. Williams
So yup - this cake looks like it totally rocks.
pigpigscorner
Ooooo looks really delicious! Love the word light =D I've been stopping myself from baking chocolate cakes recently as I am trying to lose a few pounds.
Jessie
Whoa! This is amazing! Well done 😀
+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse
Tangled Noodle
This looks almost too good to be true . . . !
Lisa
Wow! this just doesn't look light. I have that cookbook and will try it one of these days.
~Vanessa~
My goodness this looks wonderful! Light? No way?!?!?! 🙂
Hugs,
Vanessa
Robin Sue
This cake looks crazy good! I agree that I really can count on Cooking light for good recipes as well as Southern Living. Such good quality. I am happy to see that you highlight some of the recipes here. I really helps me pick which ones I should start with!
justeatfood
Interesting that it isn't too sweet! It looks absolutely gooey with goodness!
Best,
Emily
5 Star Foodie
I love the pecan topping! Looks amazing!
Stephanie
Oh wow, that looks absolutely incredible! Way to go on finding a deliciously decadent recipe that doesn't break the calorie bank!
Maria
That cake looks amazing! I am wishing I had a slice!! Nice work!
Pam
This looks heavenly! I just love Cooking Light recipes. Excellent photos too.
Terri
My Gosh! This looks absolutely sinful! I have to try it!
Sabrina
That looks amazing! seriously... Im drooling!
Creative One
Looks yummy. It is a plus that it is low in calories as well.
Peabody
309 calories per serving...too bad their idea of a serving and mine are VERY different. 🙂
This looks super duper good!
n.o.e
Your cake looks great!
Nancy
Linda
I love Cooking Light too. This looks really good.
noble pig
I would have stolen the cake and ran out the door ! Wow, I love it!
Reeni♥
Your cake is awesome! I would of never known if you hadn't told. It looks delicious!
Barbara Bakes
Shelby - This cake looks devine! My internet isn't working and I'm so addicted I went to the library to use the internet. I may have to go home and bake instead!
Gera
Shelby I'm drooling with the caramel dripping a sweet masterpiece! Totally craving it and light better 🙂
Gera .:. sweetsfoods
Vera
The cake looks so rich and chocolaty!
And there are only 6 tbsp of butter; amazing!
pinkstripes
OMG. That looks so delicious. You could never guess that it is a light recipe. YUM>
Chocolate Shavings
That surely doesn't look light but I'll take your word for it! It looks delicious.
Esi
I have totally had cake on the brain lately, and a cake that's light is even better!!
CookiePie
That is one gorgeous cake!!!
Chef E
OMG, you find me in the kitchen the next morning passed out with the evidence of chocolate, caramel, and pecans gone, because I ate it all in one sitting!
That is a beautiful piece of dessert you have made!
jgodsey
those pictures are pornographic,
Melissa
Wow!!! That looks incredibly delicious. I am going to have to try this one.
Katypi
This cake looks sinful...being good is highly overated in this instance, I think!
Carrie
That cake looks AWESOME!
Sara
I made this one for my husband's birthday a few years back, we loved it!
Megan
That cake looks awesome! Now I just need to find me an excuse make it. Cant have a cake like that in this house with just a family of three. You know how that would up the calorie count. 😉
Alyson's Wonderland
Oh man if that's light then I'm starting my diet now!
The Food Site
Now, that's what I call a cheat meal without cheating! Would love to try it out soon, hmmm..maybe for my son's birthday.
~Foong~
Cakelaw
Wowee wow wow - this is low fat? Hooray!!!! It looks wonderful - good news for baking lovers like me who are trying to shift some Christmas weight.
Theresa
This looks delicious, Just what I'm looking for, low fat, I think!
Susan
This looks really delicious- no wonder your Dad wanted to take it home!
Becky
Thank you so much for commenting on my blog. Not just because I love comments but because you led me to a delicious looking almost guilt free chocolate cake! I'm so excited to make it, I love chocolate.
No Thyme To Cook
That cake looks awesome!
Kevin
That cake looks so decadent and good!
Maris
I'm TOTALLY floored that this cake is from Cooking Light. I NEVER would have guessed!
Linda
I love Cooking Light & haven't used any of their recipes in years. This cake looks delicious!
Olga
wow, I don't think I've ever made a cake from scratch (other than the Daring Bakers challenges).
It looks so good!
Sam Sotiropoulos
Oh Shelby! When I saw this cake I almost broke into tears... In a word: Wow!
Jaime
i'm drooling over here!
Sarena Shasteen
I am really not a huge chocolate fan, but oddly...now I am craving chocolate! It looks so good! I too have been an avid reader of CookingLight for many years and I do love it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that recipe. I will have to try it out!
Amanda
Oh how I wish I could lick my screen and taste that beauty. It looks so super yummy!