The pound cake recipe below is one that has been in my family for years. In fact, I can remember my grandmother baking it for family dinners, special occasions, get-togethers, and “just because.” I can also recall my mother baking it, and when I married and had a family of my own, I too used the same recipe. In fact, when my son was a teenager, he and his friends were always begging me to bake this particular pound cake for them, and of course I couldn’t deny their pleading, even though the cake seemed to be devoured almost as soon as I removed it from the oven. Then again, they were teenage boys with teenage-boy appetites, so I guess that was to be expected.
I still use this same recipe today, although I’ve “tweaked it in order to reduce the caloric content because, like you, I’m mindful of my weight. Yet, even though some of the ingredients have been altered from the original recipe, the cake still tastes just as good today as it did when my grandmother made it those many years ago.
Tips for Baking the Perfect Pound Cake
When baking a pound cake, low calorie or otherwise, if you keep these time-tested guidelines in mind, you will be assured of baking the perfect cake:
- Use the specified-size pan because if the pan is too large, the cake will turn out flat, pale, or shrunken; and if the pan is too small, the batter will bubble over and make a mess in your oven; moreover, the cake will be misshapen.
- Do not fill the pan more than half full of batter.
- Follow the recipe exactly and measure all ingredients accurately.
- Preheat the oven to the recipe’s specified temperature.
- Do not open the oven before the minimum baking time has elapsed.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center (only after the minimum baking time has elapsed).
- After removing from the oven, allow the cake to stand for at least five minutes before removing it from the pan.
- If frosting or glazing the cake, allow it to cool completely beforehand.
Recipe for Low Calorie Pound Cake with Lemon-Glaze
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 stick light margarine, softened slightly
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 4 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup skim or 2-percent milk
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Lightly grease and flour a Bundt pan.
- In large glass bowl, cream together margarine and shortening.
- Add sugar and then cream again.
- Add milk and flour a little at a time.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- With an electric mixer set on medium speed, mix all ingredients well (batter will be smooth and thick).
- Bake at 325 degrees until done (approximately 45 minutes) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven, let cake stand for five minutes, then invert onto serving dish.
- Allow cake to cool completely before glazing. (If you wish to reduce the calories even more, omit the glaze.)
Yield: 16 slices
Calories: With glaze, 225; without glaze; 205
Recipe for Quick Lemon Glaze
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (condensed, frozen, or fresh squeezed)
- 1/4 cup sugar. Drizzle glaze over top of the cake.
Preparation:
- Mix juice and sugar together,stirring well.
- Drizzle over the cake.
If you enjoyed this low-calorie recipe and would like to try some additional recipes, please check out the following:
- “Low Calorie Muffin Recipes for a Healthy Diet”
- “Low Calorie Pie Recipes for Weight Watchers”
- “Low Calorie Cake Recipes for Dieters”
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
