"baking" news and stories

Ever wonder how bakers achieve pristine cheesecakes with no cracks on top or oven-baked custards so tender they make you swoon?

Meet the white-chocolate brownie, a delightful home-baked treat that combines the rarefied taste and texture of white chocolate with just the right touch of sweet cranberries, under a snowy blanket of old-fashioned cream frosting. Go ahead, bake two batches: They're so easy to make and so good to eat that you're going to want to take them to your office holiday event, present-wrapping party or cookie swap.

Get the recipe after the jump.

Removing sticky residue from your roasting pans is a cinch with this housekeeping secret.

Is it the flavor profile or the fat that makes us so enamored with baked goods?

Either way, you can still enjoy a lower-sugar treat that's made with real ingredients like coconut and jam without having to worry about getting a trans-fat and preservative overload. Sugar, water and high-fructose corn syrup are usually the first and most prevalent ingredients used in store-bought baked goods, not to mention artificial coloring and a whole host of other unpronounceable things you didn't bargain for.

Here's a comparison of nutritional stats between store-bought and homemade raspberry zinger cake:

One store-bought portion:
Calories 160, total fat 7g, sat fat 3g, sodium 100 mg, total carbohydrate 24g, protein 1g

One comparable home-made portion:
Calories 127, total fat 5g, sat fat 1g, sodium 100 mg, total carbohydrate 19g, protein 2g

Find the Skinny Chef's recipe for Raspberry Zinger Cake after the jump.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, baking season has officially begun. I consider desserts a special treat, but if I can find a way to make them lighter without compromising on taste, that's even better.

Here are some suggestions on how how to lighten up your baking.

• Use plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt (I especially love the thick, strained Greek non-fat yogurt) to cut back on a quarter or half the oil. Yogurt will reduce the fat, but not the moisture, and it adds protein.
• 1-percent buttermilk makes excellent, tender cakes and can be used in place of whole milk or heavy cream – it can also be used to lessen the amount of oil or butter.
• Substitute fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream for full-fat sour cream. Either makes lovely coffee cakes and light fluffy muffins.
• Use fruit puree, such as applesauce or blended canned pears or peaches in natural juice, to cut the butter or oil – or to cut back on the amount of sugar – to make brownies and cookie bars soft.
• Substitute two egg whites for every whole egg to make baked goods lighter on fat without drastically changing the texture.

Find the Skinny Chef's Whole Wheat Linzer Cookie recipe after the jump.