Decadent SKINNY Chocolate Cake

In my world opposites quit frequently attract.  Loud noises make me crave quietness.  Dark rooms usually suggest providing some light into the room. Cold floors make me want to have warm socks on my feet. And wanting to loose weight usually makes me search out chocolate night and day.  Yup, opposites do attract for me.  As we come out of the holidays into the NEW year I feel a strong tug towards shedding those extra "Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's pounds" yet all I can do keep myself from eating chocolate is maddening.  Chocolate is mouthwatering.  It's comfort food to me.  It just tastes so good! Yet my clothes feel a bit tighter than they did back in the beginning of November before all the holidays kicked into full swing deliciousness.  Thus my ambition to make better food choices at meal and snack times has been a constant priority.  And well, chocolate at every meal and snack really should just NOT happen.  It won't help my pants from feeling snug.  My brain knows this but does my taste buds and will power know this too? Goodness it better, real fast.  And SOON!!

Recently my world of opposites came to a happy, happy place.  Through my January assignment on the Secret Recipe Club I discovered a fantastic recipe for chocolaty chocolate, decadently decadent CHOCOLATE cake on the blog, Burnt Apple. Oh yes, a cake full of sinful chocolate yet NOT full of fat.  My pants still fit nicely even after eating a piece of this cake! And my need for chocolate was completely satisfied too! The best. 

Burnt Apple is a treasure of a blog as it is packed with many, many recipes that are delicious in taste yet conscious and brilliantly altered to have a healthy make-over.  The ingredients used in the recipes are budget friendly for families of all sizes too.  I have my eyes on a couple more recipes from Burnt Apple such as the Whole Grain "Sour Cream" Coffee Cake Bread and the Pear Walnut Waffles.

For this cake,  plain Greek yogurt and unsweetened apple sauce help reduce the usual amount of fat found in a good chocolate cake.  The addition of hot coffee helps enhance all of the chocolate flavor in the unsweetened powdered cocoa and mini chocolate chips.  As suggested in the original recipe I chose to finish off my cake with a lovely chocolate ganache poured on top of it.  This cake is truly a decadent treat even if the fat and calories are less than in a normal chocolate cake.  I will definitely make this cake again when my chocolate cravings take over my will power of super powers.  

Skinny Chocolate Cake 
         (Recipe from Burnt Apple)

Ingredients:

For the cake - 
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar (the original recipe calls for 1 3/4 cup sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract 
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce  
1 1/4 cups HOT coffee (milk or hot water can be substituted in place of coffee if you wish) 
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 

For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup chocolate chips - dark, milk or semi-sweet is great
1/2 cup heavy cream - 1/4 cup of milk can be used (I used 1/2 cup of half and half with success) 


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the unsweetened cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, salt and sugar making sure all are incorporated well.

Mix eggs, yogurt, applesauce in a medium bowl and then pour into dry mixture.  Stir to incorporate and then add in hot coffee.  Stir well all together.  Add in mini chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool cake and then invert onto a serving platter.  

While cake cools make chocolate ganache. Pour chocolate chips into a medium size bowl.   In a small sauce pan heat cream (or milk) to a gentle simmer.  Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and then stir together carefully with a rubber spatula.  Mixture will thicken as the chocolate melts into the cream.  It's really magic in a bowl.  Pour ganache over cake.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips if you wish.  Serve and enjoy to the fullest.

Happy Skinny Chocolate Cake Baking!

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