Being naturally low in fat a piece of cake

The trouble with low-fat baked treats is that they usually taste it.

No amount of apple sauce, prune puree or other fat substitute can replicate the magic that butter and cream impart on sweet treats.That’s the problem with most efforts to trim the fat — they eliminate the ingredients that make these foods treats .

As desserts go, angel food cake is practically health food. With no fat and just over 100 calories per serving, you really can indulge.

This angel food cake recipe is from Nick Malgieri and David Joachim’s “Perfect Light Desserts” (William Morrow), a collection of light desserts that are made with real sugar and fat.

If you buy egg whites by the carton, be certain to get those intended for use in angel food cakes.

Orange angel food cake

1½ cups sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups egg whites (from about 12 large eggs)

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice (strained of any pulp)

1½ teaspoons orange extract

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

EQUIPMENT:

Parchment or wax paper

10-inch two-piece tube pan (not greased)

1 empty, narrow-necked wine bottle or similar bottle

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside 3/4 cup sugar. Sift remaining sugar together with the flour onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites, salt and lemon juice. Using the mixer’s whisk attachment, whip at medium speed until the eggs are white, opaque and begin to hold their shape.Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip in the reserved 3/4 cup sugar a couple tablespoons at a time. Whip until the egg whites hold a soft, glossy peak. Add the orange extract and zest and whip another few seconds.

A third at a time, sift the flour and sugar mixture over the whipped egg whites, then use a large rubber spatula to carefully fold it in. Scrape the batter into the ungreased pan, rotating the pan to fill it evenly. Gently plunge the rubber spatula into the batter at 2-inch intervals with an up-and-down motion to release any large air bubbles. Use the spatula to smooth the top of the batter. Bake the cake 45 to 55 minutes, or until well browned, well risen and firm to the touch. Invert the central tube of the pan onto the neck of the bottle so the cake hangs upside down and let the cake cool completely, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Use a long, thin knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan, scraping the knife against the side of the pan, not the cake. Remove the cake from the pan by pulling the central tube. Run the knife between the cake and bottom of the pan, then use the knife to loosen the cake from the tube. Invert the cake onto a platter and gently pull the pan base and tube away from the cake. Makes one 10-inch tube cake, about 16 servings.