Doreen’s Moist Orange Soda Cake

Cakes are great, but making one from scratch is tedious and the caloric content is sure to make you regret each indulgent slice. Instant mixes tend to be flavorful, but are still high in fat once one adds the required eggs, butter, and lard-based frosting. After a few failed experiments, I perfected a cake that was low in calories while still having the fluffy consistency and moistness of a full-fat cake. The secret ingredient: diet soda! The most amazing element of this recipe is its simplicity; it is possible to make using as little as two ingredients. To add some pizzazz, one can complement the cake with an easy, inexpensive, and low fat frosting that is vegetarian-friendly, too. As always, every ingredient in the base recipe can be found at the UNCG Marketplace and the suggested additions can be obtained at any local supermarket.

Basic Cake (vegan-friendly):

- Orange cake mix (any brand will do)

- Diet orange soda

Suggested Cake Additions:

- Orange zest

Basic Frosting (vegetarian-friendly)

- One tub of low fat Cool Whip

- One pack of no fat/no sugar vanilla instant pudding

Suggested Frosting Additions:

- A tablespoon of nutmeg and cinnamon

- A tablespoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix and diet soda. If on hand, the zest of an orange can be added to give the cake an extra citron punch. Mix until smooth.

3. Grease a shallow cake pan and add batter. If a cake pan is unavailable, a glass bowl or casserole dish may be substituted.

4. Baking times will vary depending on size and material of baking pan, between 30 and 50 minutes. Wait until edges of cake are a deep, but not burnt brown.

5. Prepare frosting by mixing Cool Whip with instant pudding mix. For additional flavor add vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix very thoroughly to evenly distribute dry ingredients. Allow to sit for 20 minutes so that the pudding agents have time to thicken the Cool Whip.

6. When the center of the cake is golden in color and solid in consistency, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove cake from pan and allow to sit for an additional 15 minutes.

7. Once cake is cool, apply frosting and enjoy.

After making the Orange Soda Cake, experiment with other tantalizing combinations like lemon cake with lemon-lime soda and chocolate cake with cola.

A version of this article appeared in print on November 10, 2009 on page 15 of The Carolinian.