Gingerbread Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Paul and I needed some dessert for Oscar watching on Sunday. I decided to make one of our 'old' favourites from Cooking Light. This cake is moist and packed with flavour. The flavour of the ginger pairs surprising well with the blueberries. The crystallized ginger deepens the flavor in this moist cake (although it's fine without it).

The best thing about this cake is that it is low-fat. A serving has 280 calories (about the same as 6 store bought chocolate chip cookies). Ask yourself . . . what would you rather have? This cake is a perfect reminder that low-fat doesn't have to mean tasteless!

The blueberry sauce is not thick. I like it thin but if you wanted to thicken it you could do so with some cornstarch . . . recognize that you're adding some extra calories that way though!

Enjoy

Gingerbread Cake with Blueberry Sauce

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
Cooking spray

3/4 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk and next 5 ingredients (buttermilk through eggs); stir well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish or 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in dish for 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Spoon Blueberry Sauce over top of individual pieces; dollop with whipped topping

Blueberry Sauce

1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; add blueberries. Return to a boil, and cook 1 minute. Cool.

Comments

[Cindy Ruth]

That does look really good. Nice to have a lowfat dessert recipe.

[nancyhol]

It looks yummy, Jerry. Can I come over for a piece of it?

[Annie]

This sounds wonderful. I love ginger and esp. crystallized ginger. I made a frozen lemon yogurt with crystallized ginger last summer - it would be good over this cake too.

[girasoli]

I would have never thought about putting blueberries and gingerbread together but this looks very delicious!

[JDeQ]

Cindy - all of our desserts are low-fat these days. :-(

Nancy - hop on by (although you may wnat to wait until it gets a bit warmer! LOL)

Annie - the crystallized ginger really makes it.

Girasoli - I have pretty much decided that there is nothing that isn't better with a blueberry!