(PCM) Ever hear of the diet soda cake? Instead of adding the usual eggs and oil when preparing cake or cupcakes from the box, some dieters like to substitute in diet soda. Somehow it gives you the same results, but for a fraction of the calories.
Well, not everyone likes diet soda, whether it’s the taste, the artificial sweeteners, or one of the many other disturbing side effects of soda. If you want to cut back on the calories and fat, and perhaps even add some nutrition to your baked goods, there are natural, less disturbing substitutions out there.
Try using either canned pure pumpkin or club soda in place of the oil, eggs, and water in your next batch of packaged cake mix! Both pumpkin and club soda help keep things moist and light (and together!) without adding much of any flavoring, and work equally well in both cake and muffin mixes. Make sure to use canned pure pumpkin (full of fiber and other nutrients), and not pumpkin pie mix, which is loaded with sugar and has a much higher calorie count. And don’t confuse tonic water with club soda, either, which is also full of excess sugar and calories.
1.5 cups of pumpkin or club soda = eggs & oil
Such a simple, healthy swap!
photo courtesy zoomyummy.com