As the weather gets warmer, our taste palettes tend to crave cool, sweet desserts. Unfortunately, for those who are wary of breaking their diets or are concerned about their health, dessert tends to be left out. However, with the many healthy dessert recipes available, you can now enjoy treats that will indulge your sweet tooth without packing on pounds.

When you think of cakes, you tend to think of an overload of sugar and layers upon layers of cavity-inducing icing. But it doesn’t have to be. With the right recipes and ingredients, you can learn how to create, serve and eat cakes that won’t leave you feeling down in the dumps afterwards.

Ginger Tea Cake: Only 139 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat, you won’t find another cake recipe that is more guilt-free! If you’re in the mood to make a cake, gather the following ingredients:

·    1 tablespoon ground ginger

·    ¼ teaspoon fine salt

·    2 cups cake flour

·    1 teaspoon baking soda

·    2 large eggs

·    ¼ cup finely chopped and crystallized ginger

·    ¼ cup reduced-fat buttermilk

·    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·    1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

·    4 tablespoons unsalted butter

·    1 packed cup light brown sugar

After preheating your oven to 350 degrees F, stir your flour, ginger, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and use another bowl to whisk your vanilla, buttermilk and pumpkin puree. Line a large metal loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Using an electric mixer, beat your butter until smooth for one minute and then add your light brown sugar. Continue to beat this mixture until it is light and fluffy for about four minutes. Add one egg at a time to the mixer then reduce the speed to low and toss in your first mix of flour, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Next, add your second mixture of pumpkin puree, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and add your crystallized ginger. Take your thick batter and fold it using a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into your pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 55 minutes to an hour or until the cake tester or toothpick comes out of the cake clean with no batter attached. Lightly press on the top of the cake after removing it. If it springs back, then you’ll know it’s ready. Cool your ginger tea cake for about 10-15 minutes and then transfer it over to your serving dish. For an added touch, you can lightly dust the top of the ginger tea cake with confectioner’s sugar. Now you can share your new recipe with friends and family and eat all you want without a care.

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