Let Me Eat Cake! Bariatric friendly cake recipe
Commercially-made or shop bought high-sugar and fat-laden cake is generally off the menu for bariatrics, so what to do if you yearn for a small slice when all around you are indulging in theirs? The answer is to make your own…that way you’re in control of the ingredients and the portion size.
Using vegetables like carrots, courgettes and beetroot in cakes isn’t new and it gives sweetness and moisture to tea breads. So why not employ the same for a bariatric-friendly cake?
Try this one, it’s a pumpkin-based one that uses plain pumpkin puree (simply cook pumpkin in water until tender, drain very well then whizz in the blender or food processor until smooth). Alternatively, use canned pure solid pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). You will need half a can for this recipe…so the perfect excuse to make two since it freezes well!
It’s a sweet, moist teabread that keeps well in a tin, wrapped in foil, but does freeze for up to 3 months. It’s amazing as a cake but consider serving it warm as a pudding too with some low-fat and low-sugar custard.
BARIATRIC FRIENDLY CAKE RECIPE – PUMPKIN TEA BREAD
Ingredients
Low-fat cooking spray
175g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons low-fat spread or light butter
12 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
3 tablespoons olive oil
225g pureed unsweetened pumpkin or ½ x 425-g can pure solid pumpkin
2 large eggs
100 ml water
50g raisins
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4. Generously spritz a 22 x 11 x 6-cm loaf tin with low-fat cooking spray and line the base with greaseproof paper.
2. Mix the flour with the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
3. Whisk the low-fat spread or light butter with the sweetener (using an electric beater), until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Blend the pumpkin into the butter mixture and then the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture with the water, then fold in the raisins. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin.
6. Bake in the oven for 60-75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (not sticky with mixture. Allow to stand for 10 minutes then turn out to cool on a wire rack until completely cold. Slice to serve.
SERVES 16
WLS Portion: ½-1
Calories per Portion: 104
Protein: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 12.6g
Fat: 5g
