Doctored-up cake mixes can be heart-smart

Sometimes it's A challenge to "healthify" a recipe without making it taste too healthful.

This is especially true of desserts. A few people have told me that they gave up white sugar and flour and don't miss it. But for most of us, a dessert still needs to satisfy the sweet tooth.

The "healthful halo effect" compounds the issue. If a doughnut contains oat bran, or a cheesecake is made with reduced-fat sour cream, there's a tendency to think you can eat more than you normally would.

So you overdose on Nabisco Snackwells, taking in two or three times the calories that you'd get from a regular chocolate chip cookie, but never really finding the same satisfaction. (Maybe guilt is a necessary component?)

Last month, I wrote about Mikki Sannar's book, "Olive Oil Desserts" (oliveoildesserts.com, $19.95). During our interview, we discussed how people with a major health crisis might be motivated to drastically change their diet. But most people are more accepting when the changes to a dessert or treat are not too noticeable.

"If the taste and texture is off, nobody is going to eat it," Sannar told me.

I had these words of wisdom in mind when I made some "welcome-home" cupcakes for a neighbor who suffered a heart attack. Not sure what exactly his diet restrictions were, I wanted to make my usual cake-mix cupcakes more heart-smart — but not to the point that they would scream "health food!"

I used a devil's-food cake mix and substituted olive oil for the vegetable oil. I used three regular eggs and 2 egg whites (I realize egg yolks contain all the cholesterol, but they also contain a lot of nutrients.) I added 3/4 cup of whole-wheat flour, plus a six-ounce carton of nonfat plain yogurt to help tenderize it. Instead of frosting them, I dusted the tops with powdered sugar.

In subsequent batches, I added 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and increased the whole-wheat flour to a full cup. The cocoa gave it a richer flavor, but the extra whole-wheat flour made them seem bran muffiny.

I think it reached the "healthful but not TOO healthful" goal. My neighbor graciously thanked me, but the real proof came from the note left by my 19-year-old son, Eric, where the leftover cupcakes had been.

"Mom, these cupcakes were really good," it said.

I realize that cake mixes contain hydrogenated fat, and there's still calories, sugar and so on to contend with. But the flavor and texture are rich enough that one cupcake might be all you need for sweet-tooth satisfaction.

HEART-SMART CUPCAKES

1 devil's food cake mix

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

2-3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup water

1 6-ounce carton plain yogurt

3 eggs

2 egg whites

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low. Increase speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes, until batter is smooth and thick. Drop by spoonfuls into cupcake liners, filling them halfway full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of cake springs back when gently touched with a finger.

Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving. Makes 24-30 regular-size cupcakes.

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E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com