Does this low fat carrot cake recipe work?

156 Calorie Low Fat Carrot Cake








INGREDIENTS:


1/4 cup margarine, softened


1/2 cup sugar


1egg


1/4 cup skim milk


1/2 teaspoon vanilla


1/2 cup finely shredded carrot


1 cup all-purpose flour


1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder


1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/8 teaspoon salt


Dash ground nutmeg


Nonstick spray coating


2 teaspoons sifted powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS:


In a small mixer bowl beat margarine and sugar till blended. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir in carrot.


In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add to carrot mixture and stir


till blended.


Spray an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray coating. Pour batter evenly into pan.


Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 20 to 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake


comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. (If desired, remove from pan after cooling 10 minutes. Then, cool


completely.


Place a paper doily on top of the cake. Lightly sift the powdered sugar evenly over the doily. Then, carefully


remove the doily.


Makes 9 servings.





Calories: 156/serving


TIME:





Preparation Time: 20 min.


Cooking Time: 20 min.





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can i substitute i can't believe it's not butter fat-free spread for regular margarine? can i substitute splenda baking sugar for regular sugar? does it call for vanilla extract in the recipe or is it real vanilla? and would it taste completely different if i didn't put in cinnamon and nutmeg?


Does this low fat carrot cake recipe work?
You could use Splenda..it doesn't lose its sweetness when baked. I would use regular butter, rather than margarine. (People don't realize how bad that stuff is for you). I can't believe it's not butter may not work..you need some sort of fat. Plus those spreads contain alot of water.





You'll lose alot of flavor without cinnamon and nutmeg. If you don't have those on hand, allspice works nicely in replacement, but carrot cake always contains some sort of spice.





When they call for vanilla, they mean vanilla extract unless it specifically calls for a vanilla bean, which it does not.Does this low fat carrot cake recipe work?
I wouldn't substitute the margarine, I think that ';buttery spreads'; don't bind as well as margarine or butter. You can substitute Splenda (you already know how that will alter the taste, though). Vanilla extract will be fine, and cinnamon and nutmeg are really the flavor bases for carrot cake, so it would taste very different if you left those out of the recipe.
Yes, to the I can't believe it's not butter.


You need to check the proportions between spelnda and sugar, but yes, you can sub it.


Always real vanilla!!


And it changes the flavour without the spices.
It's only a 1/4 cup margarine, divided by 9, not enough to worry about. Leave the spices in and use real vanilla if you can. It sounds okay.
The recipe should come out well. I would even use applesauce in place of the margarine- omit the butter/fat-free spread/margarine completely. If you go with the margarine instead- do make sure it's softened- either let it sit at room temp- or put in the microwave for 30seconds on power 4. You can substitute splenda baking sugar for regular sugar. Use vanilla extract. Definitely keep the cinnamon and nutmeg. You do need to sift the sugar. You don't have to do that separately. Pour a little more than the amount into a small seive- then shake the seive over the cake. That way, there's no lumps on the cake- just a fine powder. The doily will make a very pretty design.
You can substitute Splenda for sugar in nearly any cookie or cake recipe. Just read the label to see if your Splenda is 1-to-1 sugar, or if it's the double-strength Baking Blend. I Can't Believe it's Not Butter IS margarine; but you'd want to use the sticks (not tub - which is whipped with air %26amp; water). Whenever a recipe calls for vanilla, it means vanilla extract. You should always use PURE vanilla extract, since artificial doesn't contain any vanilla and is actually made from wood! (and doesn't taste very good). You can leave out the nutmeg, but it should have some cinnamon to give it flavor.....