Every time I see the word Stevia I giggle: it’s close enought to DH’s name to make me giggle. In the same way that I get excited when I see number plates that feature the initials of the people I know. I’m like that.
So when Sprite- now with Stevia- sent us some to try, I had to struggle to compose myself. New Sprite has the same great taste but 30% fewer calories, making my lager shandy on a sunny day better for me than before. Of course there haven’t been many summer days on which to enjoy a shandy yet this year, but I’m hopeful.
Because Stevia has shaved the calories off a can of Sprite, they decided to celebrate with celebrity chef, Rachel Allen, to create an exciting challenge. I have to recreate a staple DG meal with fewer calories- ideally without anyone noticing. And by doing so I get the chance to win a cooking masterclass with Rachel herself. #win!
Now I love cake. But lets face it, it’s not a low-cal option. In fact a slice of home made Victoria Sponge can be as much as 300 calories. I’ve been meaning to try a ‘low-cal’ option that I’ve seen across Pinterest: the ‘Sprite’ Cake. But I didn’t have a box of cake mix to hand, so instead, remembering the cookie mix jars I made ages ago, I had a look around for evidence that you could use a homemade cake mix together with a can, and you can!
So, I used:
225g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
can of low-cal fizzy drink- here I used Diet Coke, but you could use Sprite!
Mix all dry ingredients together and then add coke. Pour into greased tin and bake at 160C for about 30 minutes until cooked through.
Easy. And fewer calories than full-fat cake! Huzzah!
Obviously you can layer it with cream and jam as you would a Victoria sponge. I ended up putting my beloved coffee icing on the top- not that low cal, but balanced out the low-fat cake. I tested the recipe on DH and The Girls as well as a friend who bakes cakes professionally. We were all impressed that the cake was so light, yet still had a chocolatey flavour. It would need to be eaten fairly soon after making as the lack of fat means it won;t keep very well but would be delicious served with fresh berries and perhaps some half-fat cream.
*disclosure: I was sent cans of Sprite in return for creating this recipe.
Go on! You know you want to tell me what you think!