RASPBERRY CRUMB COFFEE CAKE (LITE)

My friend and faithful foodblog follower, Pat, recently gave me some past issues of Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. I've seen other Taste of Home publications, but never this particular one. I leafed through the back issues and bookmarked a number of recipes to try. When I saw this recipe for raspberry crumb coffee cake, it was a no-brainer. There's a bakery outside Lake Wallenpaupak that Larry and I have stopped at numerous times. I love their almond horns, though after I've eaten one I always vow that it's the last. They are cloyingly sweet and it's really the first 2 or 3 bites that are the best. The rest I eat because I was brought up a member of the "clean plate club." Maybe I should buy one, eat half and freeze the rest. Ya think? But I digress. Larry's favorite is a raspberry crumb thingy that to me tastes more like a pastry/cookie than cake. I find it a bit dry, but he loves the things and generally carts a few home. The photo that accompanied this recipe looked remarkably like his favorite thing, so I decided it was first up at bat.

I tasted one and liked it about as well as I like the ones he buys, which is to say it's just not my favorite thing. He thinks they're good, though, so it was worth trying them. I would cut the sugar substitute if I make them again. I used Splenda, as editors noted they did. I have to confess that I've never liked baking with this substitute. It's supposed to be used in the same proportion as sugar, but I find it overly sweet with a bit of an aftertaste. I'm guessing I could have gone with just the regular sugar and these would have been sweet enough. I will also mention that you can't "pour" this batter. It has the consistency of cookies before it is baked, so needs to be spread. Baked, it is cake, not cookie.

So, if you're watching your calories--as who doesn't seem to be--and you have a sweet tooth, I recommend these. You get 20 generous servings for just under 200 calories each. That's a whole lot better than many of the costly prepared "lite" desserts that are out there, less expensive and better tasting.

Prep: 35 min

Bake: 30 min

1/4 cup sugar

sugar substitute (Splenda, for example) equivalent to 1/4 cup

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup cold water

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tbs lemon juice

BATTER:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup cold butter

1/4 cup cold reduced-fat butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup fat free milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPING

1/2 cup all purpose flour

sugar substitute equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cold butter

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray (I like the one for baking with flour in it).

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, sugar substitute, and cornstarch. Stir in water until smooth. Add raspberries and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 batter ingredients. Cut in the butter and the reduced fat butter until the mixture is crumbly. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir into the crumb mixture. Batter will be thick (like cookie dough).

Spread half the batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly with the cooled raspberry mixture. Drop the remaining batter by tablespoons over the filling.

For the topping: combine the flour and sugar substitute in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut into 20 pieces.