Dark Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Enjoy a restaurant-quality chocolate dessert that's not so bad for you, thanks to the Sparkpeople Cookbook.

Per Serving: 152.3 calories, 2 g total fat, 0.6 mg cholesterol, 269 mg sodium, 32.2 g total carbs, 2.5 g dietary fiber, 4.6 g protein

Yield: Serves 16

Ingredients

When it comes to chocolate, there is no substitute. The darker the better, for me. So many diet plans and healthy cookbooks claim that you can have cake, eat chocolate, and so on, and then they offer a tiny sliver of cake made with sugar substitutes, little chocolate, and no flavor. Chocolate-coated cardboard would be more appealing. Here, we’ve created a satisfying dark-chocolate dessert that could be on the menu at any restaurant.

My inspiration for this recipe (on Page 359) was devil’s food cake. I wanted to combine the rich chocolate of that cake with the lightness of an angel food cake. I think I succeeded. It’s devilishly angelic, if that’s possible. Even the glaze is low in fat and calories, but high in flavor. I like to serve this cake with fresh fruit, especially raspberries or strawberries. You can also make cupcakes from this batter: just use a muffin tin with cupcake liners and change your baking time according to the package directions.

My chef’s tip here is this: don’t be afraid of taking help where and when you need it. You could make an angel food cake from scratch, or you could use a box, as I have here. -- Chef Meg

1 box angel food cake mix
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder

For the Chocolate Glaze:

2⁄3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces dark chocolate (62% cacao), finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to temperature specified on package directions.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the angel food cake mix and cocoa powder. Add water according to box directions (my brand called for 11⁄4 cups) and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.
Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan and bake according to package directions (mine took 40 minutes). Let cool.
Make the Glaze. Warm the evaporated milk in a saucepan, then sift in the cocoa powder and sugar, whisking to avoid lumps. Stir until the mixture comes to a simmer.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the warm glaze over cooled cake.