A pleasingly less-plump pound cake: our version weighs in with great flavor and a healthier profile - includes recipes - Recipe Redux

Vegetarian Times, April, 1996 by Jennifer McLain

POUND CAKE gets its name from the proportion of ingredients used to make it: a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound of eggs and a pound on the chest to get your heart started again. Since most people don't want to have to call the paramedics after dessert is served, a lighter version seems in order.

Pound cake is a wonderful dessert because of its versatility--it is delicious plain, or with fruit, whipped cream or ice cream (or all of them at once). In my own assortment of cookbooks, I found 31 different possible cakes, ranging from simple (lemon or marbled) to more complex (butter pecan or cherry almond) to astonishing (black pepper or chocolate hazelnut with espresso cream).

And since pound cake is no longer commonly made by weighing the ingredients, I also found a surprising range in terms of proportions as well as variations. While our before-redux recipe is fairly representative, some recipes called for fewer eggs or less flour; one deadly recipe called for an incredible 10 eggs and 3 1/2 cups sugar.

So what makes pound cake pound cake? No matter what the ingredients or variations, they are all golden loaves of cake, moist and slightly dense, richly flavored with butter and vanilla. How could one achieve a reasonably low-fat substitute when the main agents of flavor and texture--eggs and butter--are the very things to reduce or eliminate?

One of the first things I tackled was the sweetener. White sugar, as well as being nutritionally void, is short on flavor; by switching to a syrup sweetener I could boost flavor and increase moisture. While honey or light maple syrup work beautifully, my sweetener of choice is Lyle's Golden Syrup (available in many specialty stores) because it has a rich, almost caramel flavor.

The next challenge was the eggs. With soft silken tofu as the binder and moistener I found that I could get a moist, flavorful cake without any eggs at all. The result? A beautifully golden cake that doesn't require medical assistance upon consumption.

Pound Cake After Redux

2 cups white cake flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup cane syrup (see glossary), light maple syrup or honey

15 3/4 oz. soft silken tofu (1 1/2 10 1/2-oz. packages) (see glossary)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. almond extract or orange extract (optional)

PREHEAT OVEN to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In food processor or blender, mix together cane syrup, tofu, vanilla extract, and almond or orange extract if desired, until smooth. Add tofu mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined.

Pour into a nonstick or lightly oiled 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden and top springs to the touch. If needed, tent cake with aluminum foil during last 10 to 15 minutes of baking. Remove cake from pan; cool slightly on wire rack. While cake is still warm, wrap tightly in foil (this will prevent a hard crust from forming on cake). Makes 12 servings.

                          The Final Score