"Too-Damn-Tasty-to-Be-a-Converted-Recipe" Recipe

DISCLAIMER:  There's a recipe in this blog that is NOT A HEALTHY CHOICE.  It is a lighter version of a standard recipe, but it is STILL NOT A HEALTHY CHOICE.  Consider yourself warned!!

The Devil in Disguise?

I'm pretty sure that Paula Deen is the devil.  Well, maybe not the devil, but at least a minor demon.  Her recipes are heaven on your tongue but hell on your hips.  And I'm pretty sure the word "decadent" was coined just to describe her mouthwatering concoctions.  Loads of sugar and fat in all kinds of tempting combinations seem to be her forte.  I don't care what kind of diet you're on--Paula Deen can help you blow it.

As many of you know, I transgressed over the recent three-day weekend. One of the items that led me astray was Gooey Butter Cake.  Now, I generally don't have much of a sweet tooth.  It is the salty, crunchy, deep fried stuff that turns me on.  However, if I'm gonna go wild for a dessert, it's gonna be something rich and creamy.  Let me tell ya, this Gooey Butter Cake was AWESOME!!

My sister brought a pan of its sweet deliciousness to our family get-together.  She then proceeded to twist my arm, hold me down, pry my mouth open, and force feed me a small morsel (really--it happened just that way, I swear!).  It was divine.

It was so rich and delish that I was hard pressed to believe her when she said it was a converted recipe.  It was though, and I am very pleased to share it with ya'll!  I don't know who Bobby is, but god bless him.

Bobby's Lighter Version of Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake

For the whole recipe:  665 Fewer Calories, 90g Less Carbohydrates, 71g Less Sugar

Ingredients:

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup reduced-fat buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil

Filling
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup plain low-fat (2%) Greek-style yogurt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon melted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Place the cake mix in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and oil in a small bowl until blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the cake mix, stirring just until blended. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and butter. Spread over the cake mixture. Bake 40 – 50 minutes. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not over bake.

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For comparison's sake, here's the ingredients for the original recipe:

Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

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As you can see, the lighter recipe calls for only 1 teaspoon of butter versus the original recipe's 16 tablespoons!  You only use two eggs instead of 3. Full-fat cream cheese is replaced by the reduced-fat variety, and you only use 3/4 cup of powdered sugar as opposed to a 16-oz bag.  Buttermilk and yogurt help keep the cake moist.  I'm telling you, the lighter version tastes incredible--you'll never miss all the crap that's not in it.  

Here's a breakdown of the original versus the converted recipe (per serving):

                Paula Deen's Version     Bobby's Version

Calories:            412                             279

Fat:                   19.3 g                           9 g

Saturated Fat:    8.3 g                           4 g

Cholesterol:       82 mg                         12 mg   

Carbs:               57.6 g                          47 g      

Please note:  I did not do the nutritional analysis myself but got the info off the internet.  Paula Deen's version is based on 15 servings; Bobby's version is based on 16 servings.

One of these days, far in the future, I would love to try to make this recipe with a sugar alternative and see if I couldn't get that carb count down even more!  I'm in far to fragile a state to be trying anything like that any time soon, however, as I'd probably eat the whole pan.

I realize that this is not diet food by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm feeling a little devilish myself having shared it on my weight-loss blog. However, holidays are just around the corner and here's a recipe that will wow your friends and family like my sister wowed me.  No one will ever believe it's a revamped, lighter recipe!

Mwahahaha! I just couldn't help myself!

DISCLAIMER NUMBER 2:  (Wow!  Two disclaimers in one post--what's up with that?)  WHAT FOLLOWS IS A SHAMELESS PLUG FOR MY DAUGHTER'S BLOG.

Hey friends! If you get a chance, check out my daughter's blog, Be Who??? At BU.  She just started it about a week ago and so far has only one follower (ME!).  She is a sophomore at college in the big city, living away from home in the dorm.  She is struggling with her weight and trying to find herself and just generally going through all that wonderful coming-of-age stuff.  She is smart and beautiful and funny and I just want her to have all the encouragement she can get so she'll keep blogging.  We all know how good blogging is for the soul.  Thanks!