Better-for-you Birthday Cake!

Today is my birthday and like everyone else who has a sweet tooth, I LOVE cake.  Birthday cake, graduation cake, anniversary cake....and my favorite thing about holy unions: wedding cake! (Oh! And the champagne...)

But most of the time we have NO idea what goes into these cakes!  Shortening in the frosting, a dozen eggs in the batter, a heaping of sugar in the fondant.....cake is often a trans- and saturated-fat-filled and cholesterol-soaked slice of a blood sugar nightmare.  Though yummy to the tastebuds, it does virtually nothing good for your body. 

While we can`t control what the bakery puts in the pre-made cake that is sitting on the table at your graduation party, we can control what goes into what we make ourselves!  Though I don`t encourage frequent use of store-bought cake mixes, I know most people buy them and use them for birthdays and special occasions. So rather than preach against them, let me suggest some ways to make them better for you...

• Swap out the oil that the cake mix requires for an equal amount of applesauce (you won`t detect this in the finished product).
• Swap out the oil that the cake mix requires for an equal amount of Greek yogurt (you won`t detect this in the finished product).
• Swap out the oil that the cake mix requires for an equal amount of mashed avocado.  I would only recommend this in chocolate or red velvet cake. (Otherwise, the color will be different!)
• Swap out the egg or eggs that the cake mix requires for egg whites, egg substitute, OR 1 T of flax seed mill in 3 T water for every egg.
• Leave out both the oil AND the eggs and add a 1 can of pureed pumpkin.  This will make for a stiffer cake but won`t change the flavor.  I would only recommend using this with chocolate, red velvet, spice, and carrot cake mixes.
• Add raisins and chopped nuts to the batter.  This will add iron, protein, and some healthy fats to your dessert!
• If using a carrot cake mix, add 1/2 shredded carrots to the batter!  This will add moisture and Vitamin A!