Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Eating Whole Foods: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Surprise Cake; A Healthier Valentine's Day Option

By: The Food Hunter



We all need to indulge a little from time to time and with the recipe below you can have your cake and eat it too without feeling so guilty. Made with 100% whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt and 1/3 less fat cream cheese...you can easily splurge with a piece of this extravagant cake.

If the photo alone isn't enough to convince you to bake this cake than I hope the fact that it's
somewhat healthy and very delicious does the trick. With Valentine's Day just around the corner I thought this would be a nice treat for those of us that like to stick to a healthy way of eating but don't mind going on a spree every now and again.

***Win A Whole Foods Market Gift Card....Details below***



Chocolate Covered Strawberry Surprise Cake
(adapted from Chocolate & Carrots)
(printable recipe)

Yield: 12 - 16 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

For the strawberry sauce:
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

For the filling:
8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup strawberry sauce

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup boiling water

For the ganache:
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 - 5 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
8 - 12 fresh strawberries, for garnish

For the strawberry sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the frozen strawberries, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Return the strawberry mixture back to the pan and place back on the heat. Add the cornstarch which has been mixed with water. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. This should yield about 1/3 cup of sauce.

For the filling:
Beat the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. When well combined, add in the strawberry sauce. Set this aside.

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare a 12 cup bundt cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray and flouring. Do not skip the flour! In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the eggs, Greek yogurt, oil and vanilla. With a hand mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be extremely thin; almost like water. Pour all of the batter into the prepared pan. Gently and slowly pour in the filling, trying to keep it about 1 inch away from the edges of the pan. The more in the center you can keep it, the better.

Bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the ganache:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the honey and coconut oil. Once melted, add the vanilla and then the cocoa powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. Let cool for 5 minutes and then stir in a tablespoon of Greek yogurt at a time, until you like the consistency. I used 3 tablespoons.

When the cake has completely cooled, pour the ganache over the cake and garnish with raspberries right before serving, if desired. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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11 comments:

  1. This looks delicious, but way beyond my baking skills. I need to find someone who wants to make it for me.

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  2. Hello, I follow you on Pinterest!!! Cake looks very yummy and healthy!

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  3. I love cooking, but I won't be cooking for this Valentine's. I will be making heart sugar cookies to give away (and save a few..)!!!

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  4. This is really informative post for everyone and we will surely visiting this website. We are also in same field and welcome you to visit our website.

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  5. We made our usual Friday night pizzas

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  6. I follow you on Pinterest as cezovski9
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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  7. I made steak with all the trimmings for Valentine's Day
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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  8. I had sushi and lots of desserts :)

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  9. I had to eat alone on Valentines Day because my hubby was out of town. :( But, we're going out this weekend instead!

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  10. I follow you on Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/nikmcc

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  11. I did not plan anything for Valentine's dinner - I watched my niece for my sister.

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