Healthier Lower Fat Sultana and Lemon Cake

This healthier lower fat Sultana and Lemon cake is adapted from my Passionfruit Cake recipe that I posted a few weeks ago.  Although delicious, I appreciate that it’s not at all healthy.  With 250 grams of butter, the cake is high in saturated fat and this isn’t good.  So, with this in mind, I’ve reduced the quantity of butter to 125 grams and added 125 grams of 0% fat Greek yoghurt.  The calorie content for the whole cake is considerably lower:

 

250 grams butter:                                                                 1,863 kcal (7,655 kJ)

125 grams butter, 125 grams 0% Greek style yoghurt:     999 kcal (4,115 kJ)

That’s a huge reduction in calories – almost 900 kcal

And the verdict:  it was good!

 

Here’s the recipe:

Sultana and Lemon Cake

 

Ingredients

• Self Raising Flour (250 grams)
• Baking Powder (2 level teaspoons)
• Unsalted Butter (125 grams)
• Greek 0% Fat Yoghurt (125 grams)
• Golden Caster Sugar (160 grams)
• Eggs (4)
• Sultanas (generous handful)
• Lemon (1 – zest and juice)

Method

1. Put the butter in a mixing bowl to soften at room temperature or microwave on full setting for 30 seconds;
2. Spoon in the yoghurt;
3. Add the sugar and, with an electric hand mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon, beat until smooth, creamy and light in colour;
4. Crack the eggs and add to the mixture, together with a small handful of flour to stop the mixture curdling, and then continue beating until well mixed and creamy in appearance;
5. Add the flour and baking powder.  Beat until mixed in (on the slowest setting if using an electric mixer) just long enough to incorporate;
6. Throw in a large handful of sultanas together with the lemon zest and juice;
7. Finally, beat slowly until fully mixed.

Baking

• Turn on the oven to 170 degrees C (325 degrees F, gas mark 3);
• Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin;
• Put the mixture into the cake tin and sprinkle with flaked almonds;
• When the oven has reached the required temperature, put the cake in and cook for 1 hour;
• Test with a clean skewer.  When the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done;
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for about half an hour;
• Take out of tin and put onto cooling rack;
• When completely cold, put cake into a tin with a tight lid;
• The cake is best stored in a fridge, unless it is going to be eaten quickly.  It will last for about a week.