"Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!"--Let them Eat Cake! And You can Too...

So, what with the recent arrival of the new little one across the pond, I've had royalty on the brain!  And the phrase that came to mind regarding royalty, as I was out running this morning, was "Let them eat cake!"--a supposedly snide comment made by Mrs. King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, of France back in the 1700s.  Historically--yeah, she probably never said such a thing (she was, after all, an intelligent and supposedly sensitive woman--at least a politically aware one!), but she will forever be synonymous with the catchphrase--and therefore, synonymous with royalty and food in my mind.

Perhaps a more fitting and TRUTHFUL historical anecdote would be the tale of

when King George and Queen Elizabeth visited the United States during the Franklin Roosevelt administration. (I was likewise reminded of this story while watching a rerun of Frasier last night where Marty gets a new grill and comments that it's probably the same one the Queen uses in England, to which Daphne scoffs that the latest postage stamp in England has her wearing grill mitts and tongs!).  At any rate, back in 1939, the King and Queen journeyed to Canada and made a road trip down to New York State.  Desiring a "typical American meal" Roosevelt--in true Roosevelt fashion--decided to serve them hotdogs and have a picnic at Top Cottage, his personal retreat on the family property in Hyde Park, NY.  Can you imagine the King and Queen of England sitting around noshing on a Kogel?


But I'm getting away from the topic at hand--cake!  An even older phrase highlighting this delicious meal-end might be, "You can't have your cake and eat it too."  Well, what in the heck does that mean?  We've all heard it applied to various situations in life, and according to the Internet (which means it must be true), it turned up somewhere during the 1500s.  It sounds bizarre, but we all seem to "get it"--you can't or rather shouldn't have the good things and still desire or partake in more re: life, relationships, food.

In particular, cake is generally something avoided in a healthier world--I mean, look at the basic ingredients:  Flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter.  Nothing inherently wrong with those things, but when mixed together and combined with leavening agents and flavorings they stand as a deliciously dangerous concoction that is, for some reason, used as the ultimate celebratory food across the United States.  Again, we're back to American culture and custom here.  I know no Ellison-family birthday would be complete without a "brown on brown round" (a round chocolate cake with chocolate frosting--and probably a few sprinkles for a "festive look.).

The problem with cake is that it has become a celebratory staple, not a regular meal staple--leaving us to often partake in too much cake when we do get a chance.  It takes time to bake a cake (despite the ease of boxed cake mixes) and effort to decorate one (even with the availability of canned frostings and decorations).  In the workaday, fast-paced lifestyle of Americans, they just don't bother with this unless there's something worth making it for--a birthday, anniversary, etc.  Combined with our modern obsession with dieting and "health," cake has lost its prominent place in everyday American life--but clearly not its status.  There was a time, however, when cake was a standard.

Ah yes, the 1950s, a glorious decade of cocktail parties, the Eisenhower administration, and the ice box cake.  Look back at any '50s Era cookbook and you'll see recipe after recipe for cakes!  Ice box, bundt, upside-down varieties, pound, angel, and devil's food...the list was never ending.  And, as every good housewife knew, you needed a variety of cake recipes because it was pretty common to have some sort of dessert at the end of every dinner--and especially when you needed to wow the husband's "boss." The good old days.

Now, I'm certainly not recommending you make a cake every day, but we have discussed eating dessert--maybe even a little every day (as my friend Christa suggests, the amount dependent upon one's workout for the day).  Cake gets a bad wrap overall though, which is why it has been relegated to once a year occasions.  I, however, love cake.  I love to bake cakes, I like to decorate cakes, and I like to eat cake.  

In fact, cake making is one of my many hobbies.  I sometimes dust off the old

pastry bag and turn out the occasional wedding or birthday cake for friends and family.  This is what I'll be up to this week as I make up some sample "cake tasting" flavors and decorations for my friends Adam and Samantha who are tying the knot in October.  I'm Best (wo)Man and also the cake lady for the nuptials.  Now, let's be real.  These cakes are meant to be a slice of decadence shared with friends and family on this once in a lifetime (hopefully) occasion--no one wants to eat healthy at a wedding, cake included!  After all, this is the point when the bride can start "letting herself go," right?

So, while I'll be making up the real deal this week for Adam and Sam, I recommend a "healthier" version of the cake for everyday affairs.  Let's bring back the cake. Long live the Cake! 

Just about any cake recipe can be "healthed up" as I like to say.  Replace the oil (or the majority of it) with a fruit puree (choose flavors wisely).  Cut the sweetener amount by a quarter to half and use half sugar and half Stevia in the Raw.  Replace the eggs with egg whites or egg beaters.  Replace whole milk with skim or water.  Right there, you have saved yourself hundreds of calories off the total cake.  You might even try replacing part of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour--you won't save yourself calories, but it'll add some extra nutrition. 

What about frosting?!  Who wants to eat a cake without frosting?  Try using sugar free instant pudding mix (flavor is up to you!) mixed with half the regular amount of skim milk.  Use this mixture to fill cakes (the goo between the layers) or mix it with half a container of lite or fat free Cool Whip for a light and fluffy frosting!  Yum and guilt free.  Ditch the cream cheese, this stuff is great on dense cakes too.

So you see, with a little know-how and a bit of creativity, the cake doesn't

have to be the King Edward VIII of dinner (Edward abdicated in order to marry American (and married AND once divorced!) Mrs. Wallis Simpson, making it a mega British scandal...or great love story, depending on your view) and can instead be something to be proud of...on any night of the week.  So you see, living a healthy lifestyle one can have their cake--and even eat it too!

Easy Weeknight Night Spice Cake

Ingredients:
--One boxed spice cake mix (such as Betty Crocker 15.25 oz).
--1 C water
--1 lunchbox container of portable, no sugar added, apple sauce (such as Mott's Granny Smith--4 oz).
--3/4 C egg beaters original
--1 small box instant, sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding mix
--1 container of lite Cool Whip
--1 C cold skim milk
--1 t. cinnamon or apple pie spice (or to taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.' Grease bottom only of a 13 x 9" pan with cooking spray or a light coat of Crisco shortening.  With an electric mixer, mix cake mix, water, apple sauce, and egg beaters in a mixing bowl until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, beating for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the middle of oven for approximately 25-28 minutes (keep an eye on it!)  Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Set aside to cool completely.

In another mixing bowl, combine cold milk with pudding mix.  Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and thickened (2-3 minutes).  Add cinnamon and beat in thoroughly.  Fold in half the container of Cool Whip.  Once cake is cooled, spread pudding mixture on cake, sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon if desired.  Enjoy!

Cake as traditionally prepared w/o frosting = 2800 calories total/233 calories per 1/12 slice

Cake as prepared above w/o frosting = 1725 calories total/144 calories per 1/12 slice

Cake as prepared above w/frosting = 181 calories per 1/12 slice