Recipes: Low sugar Strawberry Coffee Cake

There are times when sugar can be replaced with honey, fructose or artificial sweeteners. And there are times when you can’t. And there are times with you can reduce the amount of sugar by substituting only part of the sugar. It depends on what the function of the sugar is in the recipe. In baking, sugar is often used more as a liquid, adding moisture to the finished goods. If cooking with yeast, some form of real sugar has to be used so the yeast can eat it to do its job. In other cases, sugar used as a sweetener can be completely replaced in one part of the dish, but not in the other.

I came across a recipe to use up all those gorgeous strawberries that were in season a few weeks ago. I decided to try it out but making a low-sugar version. If you get some strawberries soon, try this out.

Strawberries are really called Fragaria and are a member of the rose family. It got the name strawberry because growers used straw around the base of the plants for mulch and protection. Taste-wise, strawberries are one of the most popular fruits and flavors. When they come into season, it’s a good idea to get some. They’re great on cereal, dipped in chocolate or whipped cream, in a salad or dressing and just by themselves.

Here’s one good way to use them — a quick and easy coffee cake that’s good for breakfast or as a dessert. While it’s best to serve it warm, it’s pretty good cold, too.

Strawberry Coffee Cake

Prep time: 30 minutes. Baking time: 30 minutes. Makes 9 servings.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

• 1 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Sucralose (Splenda)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries

For Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar substitute blend (Splenda Brown for Baking)
• 1/4 cup cold butter cut into small chunks
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake dry ingredients: flour, sugar, sucralose, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine cake wet ingredients: egg, milk and oil. Blend the wet ingredients well and add to dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten all ingredients. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Top the batter with strawberries, laid out evenly.
2. In a bowl, combine sugar and flour. Cut butter into the mixture until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle evenly over the batter and strawberries.
3. Bake at 375ºF for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into 9 squares and serve.

As a dessert, a little ice cream or whipped cream with some additional strawberry slices wouldn’t be unwelcome. By cutting back the butter and sugar, we’ve made this a little healthier than it otherwise could be. Just strawberries are great, but this is just another idea in The Bachelor’s Kitchen.