Guest Post: Paula Deen Done Diet!

I wanna introduce you guys to a friend of mine.  OK, we’ve only met once, but we’ve been internet stalking eachother friends ever since.  Meet Stephanie, THE Texas Girl on A Tiny Island!  Stephanie has a great sense of humor and attitude about everything, which is why I now think of her as My Friend the Guammie-Bear. 😉  She also loves to eat good food, but she is wise and self-controlled enough to make delicious treats at least a little healthier than they’re naturally inclined to be, which is why I asked her to do a guest post for my blog while I am trying to drop a few pounds.  Check out this Chocolate Cheesecake that she waved her calorie-reducing wand over!  I am so making this as my post-weight-loss celebratory treat.  (What?!  Don’t mumble about maintaining the weight loss.)  OK, I’m gonna let Steph take it away from here!

Seeing as I was born and raised a Texas girl, you may be surprised that the first time I heard about Paula Deen was when I moved to Florida in 2007 and my coworkers gave me my first Paula Deen cookbook – “Paula Deen Celebrates!” I can truly say I’ve found my baking hero, y’all. Before the military moved us to our tiny island of Guam, my husband and I visited The Lady and Sons Restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, and enjoyed her delicious Southern buffet of fried chicken, creamed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, sweet tea and of course Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.

As you know, Paula Deen’s recipes are not the healthiest around. Heck, I wouldn’t consider any dessert healthy, but I love baking so much that I have to find ways to avoid gaining 300 pounds. So when I bake, I generally choose at least one lower fat/calorie option, such as using reduced fat cream cheese, fat free plain yogurt instead of sour cream, Splenda blend instead of sugar and in this particular case – “I can’t believe it’s not butter” soft spread instead of real butter!

The following “Elvis Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cake” recipe is from the“Paula Deen Celebrates!” cookbook. (My changes are in parentheses)

Ingredients
Cake Layer
One 18.25 oz package yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted (I used 1/3 cup reduced fat soft spread)

Filling
One 8 oz package cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 reduced fat – never use fat free when baking)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used natural)
1 ripe banana, mashed with a fork or potato masher
½ cup butter (I used half butter, half soft spread)
16 oz confectioners’ sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300*F. Spray 13×9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, egg, and butter with a fork, mixing well. Pat lightly into the prepared pan.

To prepare the filling, in the same large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla. Add the peanut butter, banana, and butter and beat well. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar with a spatula, then beat until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter over the cake mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. You want the center still be a bit loose, so do not overbake. Allow to cool about 15 minutes before slicing. (Best served warm!)

I’ll be honest. The main reason I used the soft spread was because I ran out of butter and the commissary on base was already closed. The filling may have been a bit less “set” than if using butter – but hey, that’s why it’s called GOOEY butter cake, right??

Thanks, Steph!  And did you guys know that Paula Deen has a buffet-style restaurant??  This is news to me!  I see a trip to Savannah (and a 300 pound weight gain) in my future!

Drooling,

Becki