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Lemon Butter Cake (REDUCED FAT & 181 Calories)

 

I woke up at 8 am Saturday morning because I had to work till 2 pm, life does suck at times.  I wasn't feeling well, but I was craving something sweet and light.  My work was on and off so I decided to bake on this cold, windy, and rainy day.  I kept thinking what do I need to use up, and I remembered how I had a couple lemons lying around, so I thought, Lemon Cake.  I hunted for a recipe and found one that used 1 stick of butter... I knew I had to trim down the fat.

 

This cake has a very slight butter flavor, it is spongy, light, and lemony.  This is the perfect cake for a rainy day or a lovely spring day... I'll say just about anything for a slice of cake.  After I was done working and baking, I woke up from an afternoon nap and had a cup of tea with a slice of cake.  My husband was my taster and he really enjoyed this cake, he ate 4 slices in one sitting... SIGH!  I hid the rest from him 🙂  I plan on seeing my family tomorrow so I'll get more feedback, they are a tough crowd to please. 
 
MODIFICATIONS I MADE:
 
  • I used 1 cup of All Purpose Flour and ½ cup of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.  This adds some fiber to the cake without altering the taste of the cake. 
  • I used 2% milk, and added another ¼ cup to the recipe. 
  • Instead of 8 tablespoon of butter, I used 6 tbsp.  Next time, I plan on using 4.5 tbsp.
  • I used 1 cup of sugar instead of ¾ cup, YES, you heard me, 1 cup.  I skipped the glaze all together.
  • Lastly, I used 2 eggs and 1 egg white.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 12 generous slices)

Calories: 181 cals
Fat: 6.7 g
Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
Carbs: 28 g
Protein: 3 g
Fiber: .67 g


LEMON BUTTER CAKE - REDUCED FAT (inspired by Gourmet)

~ yields 12 slices @ 350 degrees
~ lowered calories by 10%; lowered fat by 24% (using my modifications).
 
INGREDIENTS for Cake:
  • All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
  • Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - ½ cup
  • Baking Powder - 1.5 tsp
  • Salt - ¼ tsp
  • Butter - 6 tbsp  (room temperature)
  • 2% Milk - ¾ cup
  • Lemon Zest - zest of 1 lemon
  • Eggs - 2 
  • Egg White - 1
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Vanilla Extract - ½ tsp

 

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, stir the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest.
4. Beat the butter and sugar for 3 minutes until blended. 

5. Add 1 egg at a time and blend well. 
6. Add the flour and milk mixture in 3 batches, alternating between the two.  Start with the flour and end with the flour.  DO NOT OVERMIX.
7. Pour the batter into a cake pan.  Place the cake in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. 
8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. 
9. Garnish with powdered sugar.

 




OVERALL RATING: ****/5

This cake was excellent.  It looked so pretty and dense.  It was very moist and had a slight lemon flavor, a very light cake.  I definitely have to try and lower the butter slightly more.  The cake goes so well with a cup of afternoon tea, it is perfect for those rainy days, or a warm spring day.  I would make this cake again.
Texture: The texture of the cake is light, spongy, crumbly, and soft.  The next day I felt as though the texture was a bit tough, this is why I gave this cake 4 stars, instead of 5. 
Moistness: This cake was very moist and soft. 

 

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  1. Anonymous says

    Hi,

    Can I substitute Whole Wheat Pastry Flour with All Purpose Flour since I don't have pastry flour? Also, what is the use of pastry flour?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  2. honeywhatscooking says

    @Anonymous - yes, that will taste even better. I added WWPFlour for health reasons. 🙂

    Reply

  3. Anonymous says

    Hi,

    I tried the recipe with 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour and added 3 eggs instead of 2 eggs and 1 egg white. It turned out awesome! This was my first successful cake attempt and you can guess my happiness! 🙂 Like you mentioned, the cake was spongy, moist and had a hint of lemony flavor. I did not put any icing on the cake and had it just like that. My hubby absolutely loved the cake and asked me to make it again 🙂 I would rate the cake 5 stars cos the cake tasted even better the next day. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Please post more of these non-chocolate cake recipes 🙂

    - Shubha

    Reply