APPLE KUCHEN

I've subscribed to Cooking Light since it's inception and though  I don't use many of the recipes, I pick up a lot of good information about how to cook more healthfully. Since DSO was diagnosed with diabetes last winter, I've done very little baking. To keep within his daily allocation of carbs, he must be very selective about the desserts he eats.

This month's COOKING LIGHT featured a recipe for Apple Kuchen. The nutritional information  is:
cal 251; fat 11.4g; protein 3.9g; carb 35.1g; fiber 1.7; chol 51mg; sodium 185 mg per serving. A serving is a small square and, while the carbs are still high, as a special treat, I decided to give the recipe a try.

Yield:  15 servings (serving size:  1 square)
3 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (more! more! more!)
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp baking powder
6.75 oz all purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, softened and divided
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup nonfat buttermilk (make your own by adding a small amount of white vinegar to skim milk)
cooking spray
1/4 cup apricot preserves (I only had orange marmalade; it worked great)
2 tsp apple juice (didn't have any; I used freshly squeezed lemon juice)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the apples and juice; toss. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of the salt and toss to combine.

Weigh the flour and combine with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the baking powder in a bowl, stirring well.

Place the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and 6 tbs of butter, and the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined.

Scrape the batter into a 13X9 inch baking pan coated with nonstick spray (be lazy like me and use a disposable one). Arrange the apple slices over the batter. Melt the remaining 2 tbs butter and brush over the apples.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until set. Combine the preserves and juice and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Brush apricot mixture over apples and cool. Cut into 15 squares.
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TASTE NOTES
You would never know by the taste that this is a "light" cake. Admittedly, it is a small piece of cake for the calories, but it is rich and satisfying. It has a dense texture that makes it seem like you're eating a lot more of it than you are. It's so good, in fact, that I'm going to make it for Thanksgiving. I will definitely add a sprinkling of brown sugar to the top next time.