A big Happy Birthday to my son Charlie! I’m so lucky to be his mom and so proud of the young man he’s become. I’m baking one of his favorite cakes to celebrate. It’s one of my favorites too. So rich tasting and super moist. The skinny for 1 slice of this dreamy cake, 250 calories, 6.7 grams of fat and 7 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. No need to wait for a birthday celebration, bake this dreamy cake soon. You’re gonna to love it!

Prep Time: 15 minutes (including the frosting)
Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients for Cake:

1 (18.25 ounces) Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Cake Mix or Devil’s Food

1 (3.4 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup warm water

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 ounce red food coloring (1 bottle)

2 eggs, I love Egg-Land’s Best eggs, see shopping tip

2 egg whites

Ingredients for Skinny Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces (½ of an 8 ounce package of reduced-fat cream cheese)

1½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon reduced-fat milk

Sprinkles for decorating or mini semisweet chocolate chips, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour, see shopping tip below.

2. In an electric mixer or using a hand mixer, combine all the cake ingredients except the eggs and whites. Beat well. Add the eggs and egg whites and beat on high for 1 minute.

3. Fill Bundt pan and spread the batter evenly. Shake the pan a few times to make the batter is even on top.

4. Bake for about 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 15 minutes. Carefully loosen sides of cake with a flat knife or spoon before removing. Invert cake onto plate. Let it cool before frosting.

5. To make the frosting-using a mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powder sugar, milk and mix until smooth. It should be somewhat thick.

6. Drizzle the frosting all around the top of cooled cake.  Decorate with sprinkles or mini chocolate chips, if desired.

7. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings (each serving, 1 slice)

My son Charlie and me!

Food Fact
Some food historians think red velvet cake originated as a devil’s food cake. Chocolate devil’s food cakes became very popular in the early 1900s. Though some believe a chemical reaction between the old-style baking sodas and processed cocoa powders sometimes gave the cake a red tint, this phenomenon is actually created by adding a generous amount of red coloring. The red coloring doesn’t alter the taste of this cake. If fine to leave it out, if you choose. The cake will have a dark brown color instead of a reddish brown.

Shopping Tips
Whenever a recipe calls for using whole eggs, Egg-Land’s Best eggs are my favorite to use. They have less saturated fat, less cholesterol, more Vitamin D, more Vitamin E and double the Omega 3 than regular eggs. They’re sold in most supermarkets

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I love using cooking spray, with flour in it. It ensures that the baked cake will not stick to the pan and break. Cooking spray with flour can be found in the aisle where cooking oils are displayed.

Storage Tip
This cake will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week. It also freezes great. Make sure the cake is cooled before frosting. Once the frosting sets, freeze in plastic containers. When ready to eat, zap in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Or, let them defrost on the kitchen counter.

Weight Watchers (old points) 6
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 7