Light(er) Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce

January begins the birthday and celebration season in our house.  It begins with my husband's birthday...and a few days later, it's Teenaged Son #1's birthday.  We have a brief break until February, when we celebrate our anniversary ... and then a few days after that, it's Teenaged Son #2's birthday.  That's a lot of cake!

Tim, my husband, always requests something chocolatey.  This year, his birthday falls in the  middle of the week on a day when I have meetings until dark.  And, like everyone else at this time of the year, we've resolved to eat a bit healthier.  Make ahead + chocolate + light ... that's quite a list of requirements.

Many years ago, I saved a recipe from Cooking Light magazine that  fits the bill.  Chocolate ... check.  Freezes well ... check.  Light ... check.  Delicious ... check, check, check.  I like to bake this cake in a 9x13 pan so that I can cut it into squares, split them in half, and spread the halves with fat-free whipped topping and a homemade strawberry sauce.  Cutting the cake and freezing the pieces means I can thaw only as many as I need ... which definitely cuts down on the calories.

LIGHT(er) CHOCOLATE CAKE with STRAWBERRY SAUCE
Printable version of this recipe

INGREDIENTS for CAKE
1 cup boiling water
1-1/2 t. instant espresso or 1 T instant coffee granules
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 egg substitute
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine water and espresso in a bowl.  (Note:  I have also substituted a cup of very strong, hot coffee.  And, I will admit, there have been times when I've used part coffee and part Kahlua.)  Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Combine espresso  mixture, buttermilk, egg substitute, oil and vanilla; add to sugar mixture.  Beat at medium speed with a mixer until well-blended.  Batter will be thin.

Pour batter into a 9x13-inch pan or 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with baking spray and flour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Keep a watchful eye on the oven; sometimes the 9x13 pan can take up to 55 minutes.  Cool cake in pan for at least 10 minutes.  I have the best luck when I let it cool almost completely and then turn the cake out onto a large cutting board to finish cooling.

When cool, I trim the edges of the cake so that pieces will have a completely square appearance.   (Tip:  crumble the cuttings into a freezer bag and store in the freezer near ice cream.  They'll make a delicious topping for sundaes!)  To freeze, I wrap a piece of waxed paper, top and bottom, around a single layer of about six squares.  These are placed in one gallon-sized freezer bag and I then use a straw to remove as much air as possible.  Repeat with the remaining squares in a separate bag.  The cake is quite moist, so the waxed paper helps the cake to not stick to the bag.

Cake can be made ahead and frozen until you give in to temptation.  To serve, remove squares from freezer and thaw at room temperature.  I like to slice each square in half horizontally and spread a layer of whipped topping between the two.  Top with another dollop of whipped topping and drizzle strawberry sauce over the whole thing.

The original recipe divided this cake into 16 servings at 250 calories, 7.4 g fat, and 0.8 g fiber.  I cut my cake into 12 pieces, which is closer to 335 calories and somewhere around 10 g fat.

EASY HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
1 pint strawberries (fresh or whole, frozen, but not in syrup)
1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract



DIRECTIONS
Thaw strawberries if frozen and slice.  Place in a small saucepan and stir in sugar.  Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and juice begins to thicken.  Stir in vanilla.  Use a potato masher to mash up strawberries into smaller pieces if desired.  Allow sauce to cool, and serve.

Sauce can be kept in refrigerator up to a week and can also be frozen.  Also delicious on pancakes or cheesecake.

Original recipe for strawberry sauce from Allrecipes