Cleaned Up Cream Cheese Brownie Cake

This recipe comes from an old cook book called So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat by Betty Rohde. I used to make this all the time when I was in college. It's already a pretty good recipe but I wanted to clean it up to eliminate the refined ingredients and make a few substitutions for things like fat-free mayonnaise and light corn syrup (yuck)!

Cake:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unrefined golden cane sugar (I use Cuisine Camino brand)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup warm water

Cream Cheese Swirl:

1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp unrefined golden cane sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Stir until blended. Add yogurt, honey, vanilla and water. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into greased baking pan and set aside while you prepare the cream cheese topping.

3. In a small bowl. combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix together until smooth and creamy. Drop about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into 4 or 5 places on top of the cake batter. Place the tip of a butter knife into the centre of each cream cheese dollop and drag the cream cheese around to make swirls on top of the cake.


This is my swirl after baking. It sucks. Sometimes it takes some practice, and it helps if your cream cheese is really soft and creamy!

4. Bake for 40-45 minutes in pre-heated oven until cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool, then cut into squares. Serve with melted Toblerone Fudge Sauce.

This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Cherries in Brandy

Week four of Preserve the Bounty and Jenny challenged us to preserve using alcohol. Fruit and booze. How can you go wrong with that? Along with making a jar of Jenny's Vanilla Rum Plums, I also put together a jar of cherries preserved in brandy, with cherries from the farmer's market.

You will need:

Fresh cherries*
Brandy (can substitute vodka)
1/3 cup sugar
1 L canning jar, snap lid and ring

*You can either pit and de-stem the cherries or leave them intact. I chose to make a jar of each. The ones with stems on will be perfect as garnish for drinks and on dessert. The ones with no stems and pits will be perfect for baking.

1. Add cherries to a clean, sterilized 1 litre canning jar. Add 1/3 cup sugar.

2. Fill jar with Brandy to the bottom of the neck, leaving at least a half inch of head space at the top. Secure lid tightly.

3. Shake jar well to dissolve sugar. Leave jar on the counter for a few minutes for the remaining sugar to settle, then shake again until all the sugar is dissolved.

4. Store jar in a dark, cool place. Turn and shake lightly 3-4 times a week. Wait at least 4 weeks before eating.

Eat cherries on their own, in pies or on top of desserts. When the cherries are done you will have about 3/4 of a litre of delicious cherry brandy! The longer the cherries and brandy sit and mingle, the better the results!

Now... what to do with your cherry flavoured brandy? Mix up a drink!

Cherry Cola:
4 oz cherry brandy
8 oz Coca Cola
1 preserved cherry for granish

1. Pour brandy over ice in a tall glass. Add Coke. Garnish with a cherry!

Cherry Champagne Cocktail:
1 oz cherry brandy
3 oz champagne or sparkling white wine
2 preserved cherries

1. Drop two cherries in a champagne glass. Add cherry brandy. Top with champagne or sparkling wine.

Check here for more recipes using Cherry Brandy. It's from the BOLS website, makers of commercial Cherry Brandy. But be happy because you saved $20.99 (BC Liquor Store price) by making you own!


This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free