If you’re like most of us, New Year’s Day brought a few changes to your lifestyle. The most common item on the list, of course, is eating better to lose a few kilos. When it comes to improved eating, we usually equate that with getting rid of all the good stuff like desserts and lollies. This is especially bad news if you’re a cake lover.
But fear not – there’s a solution for you to keep enjoying your favourite treats. Below we’ve listed a few ways to make better choices while maintaining your diet. Check out these simple fixes and see how easily you can stay in your calorie budget while enjoying your favourite dessert.
1) Yogurt: Easy, Delicious Substitution
When you hear most people talk about substitutions in their cake recipes, apple sauce is usually the term thrown around. While apple sauce is delicious, did you know there is a potentially better way? That way, believe it or not, comes by subbing out some of your higher calorie ingredients with plain yoghurt.
Yogurt can provide a simple replacement for higher fat dairy such as thickened cream. It can also enhance a recipe by amping up a tangy flavour or keeping the batter smooth and moist. According to Med-Health.net, you’ll get all this good stuff with a significant cut in the total calories of your recipe.
Calorie Savings: Swapping fat-free yoghurt (either plain or Greek) saves anywhere from 20-25% of your recipe’s total calories.
2) Bananas: More Nutrients, Less Fat
If you’re a banana fan, here’s some more good news for you: ripe bananas make an excellent substitution in a cake. According to a post from food blog Your Cup of Cake, bananas provide a great way to cut down calories while boosting the nutrients and fibre content.
Generally speaking, you can expect to use about half as much mashed banana as you would for oil or butter. The key is finding the right magical ratio. Experiment a bit with your recipes to find the right amount of banana for the perfect cake.
Calorie Savings: Up to 30% of your calories can be saved by subbing bananas for butter.
3) The Power of Presentation
This simple point is often neglected in the minds of dieters. Here’s the biggest secret you may not know: the key to indulging during a diet is to do so in moderation. If you want to enjoy a delicious dessert, you can do it. You just need to avoid blowing your entire calorie budget on one cookie or custard tart or vanilla slice or jelly slice or, or, or.
Once you make your healthier recipe, cut it into smaller portions (say 12 slices instead of 8). You’ll have the understanding that it’s a sweet treat to be savoured – not scoffed. And having that understanding will help you learn how to indulge sensibly and avoid a big binge.
Calorie Savings: Smaller portions can easily cut 20% of calories from your treat.
Simple Fixes for Enduring Success
By sparing calories in these cake recipes, you can enjoy a delicious indulgence without killing your diet. True dietary success doesn’t mean permanently cutting out all your favourite foods and desserts.
Instead, it means finding new and exciting ways to enjoy the foods you love – in moderation.
XO
Recipe to try:
Banana Yoghurt Muffins
