EW Diec and Gone To Heaven Chocolate Cake-Question

[Sheila in MD]

Hi All-

Need to make this cake this evening...have an abundance of reduced fat sour cream in the fridge and wondering if I could sub it for the buttermilk? This is my first time making this recipe so a bit unsure-I know it is a good sub in many baking recipes but not sure here. Thanks in advance!

Sheila in MD

Eating Well's Died-and-Went-to-Heaven Chocolate Cake

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
* 1 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
* 1 cup packed light brown sugar
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup hot strong black coffee

Icing

* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, or low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, invert and shake out the excess.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Whisk in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin.)
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely.
4. To make icing: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing over the top.

Nutrition

Per serving : 222 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 27 mg Cholesterol; 44 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 340 mg Sodium; 142 mg Potassium

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

[Valerie226]

I've made this cake many times. I don't see why that wouldn't work. wisk together sour cream and some milk/water to get it more the consistency of buttermilk. Hope it works.

[SallyT]

I LOVE this cake! You can also substitute milk and lemon juice for buttermilk - check it out here:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/con...ermilk_Sub.htm

[funniegrrl]

I wouldn't hesitate to sub regular sour cream for buttermilk. Not sure about the reduced-fat, since it has other things in it. Chances are it will work fine, though. Worth a shot if you have sour cream to spare!

[Sheila in MD]

Thanks for the responses...I was about to use the sour cream and realized I had powdered buttermilk in the fridge so used that instead since the cake was for someone and I wanted to make sure it was "right".

FWIW-I have often subbed reduced fat sour cream for full fat in baking and never noticed a difference but now you have my curiosity up. Has anyone else done this and if yes, did you notice a difference? Could have been the recipes I used for all I know!

Sheila in MD

[Beth]

I can't remember ever having a problem subbing reduced fat sour cream or cream cheese. I don't sub the nonfat versions in baking and will only use that if it is specified in the recipe. I do sub nonfat yogurt and skim milk because they are what I have on hand. If the recipe needs the additional fat to get a good result, I may make a special purchase, add cream if I have some left over or add a bit of butter.