(Low fat) Chocolate pineapple cake

Product using the English spelling "yogurt" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Summer may have reached us today personally I'm not convinced temperatures, soared to around 15 or 16 in parts of the U.K. Today after all the rain and the chilly days strong winds and to be honest totally unfriendly weather. I have still decided to continue with a summer recipe, Pineapple is a great summer fruit well to be honest we don't really get native fresh pineapple in the U.K.But it is coming soon surely. In the mean time we are going to be using tinned pineapple which I do adore,also in this recipe I'm using low fat natural yogurt
which has so many uses and health benefits, some of which I never even realized .So I thought  I would try and enlighten you by giving you a couple of these benefits that could enhance your well being.

1. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk. Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons. Bacterial enzymes created by the culturing process, partially digest the milk protein casein, making it easier to absorb and less allergenic. In our pediatric practice, we have observed that children who cannot tolerate milk can often eat yogurt without any intestinal upset. While the amount varies among brands of yogurt, in general, yogurt has less lactose than milk. The culturing process has already broken down the milk sugar lactose into glucose and galactose, two sugars that are easily absorbed by lactose-intolerant persons.

2.Yogurt contributes to colon health. There's a medical truism that states: "You're only as healthy as your colon." When eating yogurt, you care for your colon in two ways. First, yogurt contains lactobacteria, intestines-friendly bacterial cultures that foster a healthy colon, and even lower the risk of colon cancer. Lactobacteria, especially acidophilus, promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduces the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile acids. The more of these intestines-friendly bacteria that are present in your colon, the lower the chance of colon diseases. Basically, the friendly bacteria in yogurt seems to deactivate harmful substances (such as nitrates and nitrites before they are converted to nitrosamines) before they can become carcinogenic.

These Quotes have been taken from askdrsears.com
So without further ado the recipe and remember stay healthy.

Low-fat Chocolate & Pineapple Cake
Serves 9

Ingredients

150 g/ 5 1/2 oz/ 2/3 cup low-fat spread
125 g/ 4 1/2 oz caster (superfine) sugar
100 g/ 3 1/2 oz/ 3/4 cup self-raising flour, sieved (strained)
3 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved (strained)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
225 g/ 8 oz can pineapple pieces in natural juice
125 ml/ 4 fl oz/ 1/2 cup low-fat thick natural yogurt
about 1 tbsp icing (confectioners') sugar
grated chocolate to decorate

Instructions

1.Lightly grease a 20 cm/ 8 inch square cake tin (pan).

2.Place the low-fat spread, caster (superfine) sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with  wooden spoon or electric hand whisk until smooth.

3.Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin (pan) and level the surface. Bake in a preheated oven, 190oC/ 325oF/ Gas Mark 5, for 20-25 minutes or until springy to the touch. Leave to cool slightly in the tin (pan) before transferring to  wire rack to cool completely.

4.Drain the pineapple, chop the pineapple pieces and drain again. Reserve a little pineapple for decoration, then stir the rest into the yogurt and sweeten to taste with icing (confectioners') sugar.

5.Spread the pineapple and yogurt mixture over the cake and decorate with the reserved pineapple pieces. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate.

Mac's tip

Store the cake, undecorated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Once decorated, refrigerate and use within 2 days.

Chocolate fact

Proper storage and care is important and here is a short but very important list to ensure you will be enjoying every last bite. Store in a cool, dry place at approximately 65-70 degrees F. It can and will absorb aromas and odors of other foods stored around it and should be kept in mind when storing. For the most part the shelf life is around 1 year if stored properly. Do not store in the refrigerator, the moisture from the refrigerator will effect both the appearance and texture. The same is true with storing in high heat, this will cause a "bloom" effect which will not affect the taste but it definitely affects the appearance.

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