This healthy yellow cake recipe is perfect for making a sheet cake for a birthday, holiday or any celebration and the easy cream cheese frosting recipe is ready in just five minutes. We made this yellow cake healthy — with less saturated fat and calories than traditional versions — by replacing some butter in the cake with oil, using reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat Greek yogurt for the frosting instead of full-fat cream cheese and butter, and using fruit instead of colored frosting for decoration.
Yellow Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Berries
Serves 20
Active Time: 1 1/4 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
For the cake:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the frosting and decoration:
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
2 cups strawberries, sliced
To prepare the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper; coat the paper and sides of the pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat granulated sugar, oil and butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.
3. Whisk whole-wheat (or all-purpose) flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and almond extract in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beating just until incorporated after each addition, scraping down the sides as necessary. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 28 to 34 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
To prepare frosting:
1. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, the yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth.
To decorate:
1. Invert the cake onto a platter. Spread the frosting over the top and sides. Use raspberries and blueberries to make flowers all over the top of the cake, leaving a little space between each flower.
2. If using blueberries for the center of the flowers, stack two on top of each other and stick together with a little bit of frosting.
3. Place strawberries slices all around the edge of the cake with the pointed ends up.
Tasty tips
Prepare frosting and refrigerate for up to three days. Let come to room temperature before using.
To get the most volume from beaten eggs, it’s best for them to be at room temperature. Either set the eggs out on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge them in their shells in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.
Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
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Recipe nutrition per serving: 261 Calories, Total Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 57 mg, Carbohydrates: 34 g, Fiber: 2 g, Total Sugars: 19 g, Added Sugars: 16 g, Protein: 5 g, Sodium: 212 mg, Potassium: 113 mg, Folate: 34 mcg, Calcium: 69 mg
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)
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