Tweed cake keeps tradition without the fat

Dear Jeanne: My mother made this all the time. She said her mother made it, too. Can you reduce the fat and calories? Thank you! — Marianne, Seattle

Dear Marianne: In researching this recipe, I found that many of our grandmothers probably made this cake, as it has been around for a long time. It is very interesting, and the speckled look of it probably inspired the name.

CHOCOLATE TWEED CAKE

1 cup grated chocolate

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup butter

21/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup walnuts, chopped

3 tablespoons water

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Add half of the chocolate to the hot potatoes. Set aside to cool. Beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time; add cooled potato-and-chocolate mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and all the spices. Add flour mixture and milk to potato mixture, alternating and mixing after each. Stir in the rest of the chocolate and the walnuts. Pour into pan, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool, and glaze (dissolve 3 tablespoons water in 1 cup powdered sugar).

Makes 12 servings.

REDUCED-FAT CHOCOLATE TWEED CAKE

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 egg whites

1/3 cup butter, softened

11/2 cups sugar

2 cups peeled, cooked and mashed potatoes

2 cups all-purpose flour