Less is Best!

[Maggie]

Yesterday I made the Spice Pound Cake from the April issue and I thought it was a great fall dessert. It went together quickly and I didn't have to make a trip to the store for ingredients. I'm not sure how well stocked you are on spices--you do need cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. But all other ingredients were very basic. It would be really good served with ice cream or real whiped cream or fruit--or some of all of that!
I've posted it below.


Spice Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR 18 SERVINGS:
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with breadcrumbs.

3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour and the next 6 ingredients (flour through salt) in a
bowl; stir well with a whisk. Beat the butter in a large bowl at
medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the
granulated and brown sugars and vanilla, beating until well- blended.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add
flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beating at low
speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

4. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and
5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool
completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Yield:
18 servings (serving size: 1 slice).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 263 (26% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 4.3g, mono 2.2g, poly
0.5g); PROTEIN 3.9g; CARB 45g; FIBER 0.7g; CHOL 54mg; IRON 1.6mg;
SODIUM 158mg; CALC 58mg

[Stacey Strawn]

Doesn't get easier than this.......

Instant Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS FOR 10 SERVINGS:
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
24 ladyfingers (2 [3-ounce] packages)
1/2 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

INSTRUCTIONS:
The Italian pop classic pick-me-up (that's what tira mi su means) is terrific even without the fat of the usual mascarpone-rich restaurant version. You can find ladyfingers in the bakery section of your super-market near the packaged angel food cake.

1. Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, and sugar in a food processor; process until smooth.

2. Split the ladyfingers in half lengthwise. Arrange 24 halves in a single layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Drizzle with half the
Kahlua, and let stand 5 minutes. Spread half of cheese mixture evenly over the ladyfingers. Repeat procedure with the remaining ladyfingers, Kahlua, and cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa. Yield:
10 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 216 (29% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 5g, mono 2.5g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 6.8g; CARB 27g; FIBER 0.2g; CHOL 55mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM
244mg; CALC 106mg

Recipe Copyright © Cooking Light Magazine

[Susann]

If you don't feel like baking, try cherries in the snow-it has been posted on the board before. The ingredients are canned cherries, whipped topping, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and angel food cake. It tastes great and makes an impressive presentation.

[SHERRY]

Kind of informal....but a time saver and yummy.. I pat a roll of Pilsbury Chocolate Chip cookie dough in a round Pizza stone and bake until golden. serve in wedges with vanilla ice cream and hershey syrup.

[Grace]

Here's one that's good, and uses very basic ingredients, although you might not have buttermilk on hand, for which you can substitute milk and a little lemon juice (? - I know I read that several times on this board - I forgot the exact proportions, though!).

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: May 1998 PAGE: 115

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, and cut in
margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse
meal. Reserve 1/2 cup flour mixture for topping, and set aside.

3. Combine remaining flour mixture, baking powder, and baking soda, and add
the buttermilk, vanilla, and egg. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until
blended. Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray.
Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for
30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool on
a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 211 (29% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 1.5g, mono 2.9g, poly 2g); PROTEIN
3.5g; CARB 33.9g; FIBER 0.6g; CHOL 28mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 206mg; CALC 62mg

[Ohioan]

How about some nice fruit -- maybe even mixed fresh and canned -- in fruit juice and whatever liqueur you have around the house (or even without the liqueur)? Top with chopped nuts or shredded coconut, and you have a winner.

I know someone who tossed some chocolate chips into one of these, but I'm not sure it worked too well. I thought there was too much contrast between the sweetness of the chocolate (even semisweet) and the tartness of the citrus fruit. Maybe if there'd been some whipped cream to act as a buffer... Hey, but we're all dedicated to "cooking light," aren't we? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

Cheers, Phoebe

[Beth]

One thing I almost always have everything to bake on hand in brownies, and everyone loves them. Dust with powdered sugar to dress them up a little, or try on of CL's caramel, jr. mint or other versions.

[andreajackson]

I need to make a dessert for a party tomorrow night and I am very short on time. So if anyone knows of a fast dessert recipe will you please post it? It would be better if the recipe didn't call for that many ingredients because seeing as how I'm short on time, I can't run to the store. Thanks so much for your help!

[Deanna]

This is one of the things I like best about Mastercook. You can enter the ingredients you have ON HAND and it will give you a list of recipes using those ingredients.

It would be hard to know what to suggest, andrea, if we don't know what you've got!

My suggestion as always, for a really-fast, four ingredient (okay five, including the topping) dessert is the Key Lime Pie.

Sweetened condensed milk
Key lime juice (in a bottle!)
Egg yolks
Keebler ready-made graham crust
Cool Whip topping

[andreajackson]

I have all the basic baking ingredients and some that are not so basic. For instance I have flour,sugar,butter,brown sugar,powered sugar and so on. I also have a ready made pie crust. I don't know if that helps you out at all? Thanks for your help.

[NydiaC]

There's always good old fashioned dump cake. It's like a cobbler and it's the easiest dessert I know of.

2-3 large cans crushed pinapple, drained
2-3 large cans cherry pie filling
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts work well)
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter (I didn't say it way a light dessert http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif )

Mix the pinapple, cherry pie filling, and nuts; pour (dump) into a greased casserole pan, spread the dry cake mix on top. Slice the butter into teaspoon-size slices and place them evenly over the top of the cake mix. Bake at 350 until the cake mix top is golden brown (like a cobbler). Serve plain or with ice cream. (Yummmm! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

[This message has been edited by NydiaC (edited 09-25-2000).]

[This message has been edited by NydiaC (edited 09-25-2000).]