Leaner Decadence -- Two Cakes That Lower The Fat And The Guilt

THE BOX LOOKED elegant enough, gold type on a black background. The claims were even more impressive, starting with the name: "The Incredible Delicious All-Natural Reduced Fat Chocolate Truffle Cake." Zero cholesterol, and only 4 grams of fat, the package said, 77 percent less fat than conventional chocolate decadence cakes.

I wasn't too optimistic when this box showed up in our office a couple of years ago. I expected a gummy texture and chemical taste, as found in many of today's low-fat and fat-free sweets.

I was surprised. Small, dark, flat, a little mousse-y, it was not only good, it was very good. And though the package said the 15-ounce cake served 7, it tasted so rich it could have easily served 10, 12, even 14.

Before spreading the word, I checked availability with the company, "Desserts By David Glass," in Hartford, Conn. But David Glass himself said his Northwest distributor had just gone out of business and, unlike many of his other (higher fat) desserts, the reduced-fat chocolate truffle cake was not available by mail order. "Too delicate," he said.

So for two years I've waited, checking supermarkets, occasionally calling Hartford to see if the cakes had returned to local shelves.

They're back.

Just in time for the most guilt-ridden weeks of the year, the new QFC at University Village has them, and Glass says other QFCs can special-order them from his new distributor, Good Earth Products in Portland. They can satisfy a serious chocolate craving while making just a modest dent in one's fat intake.

To double-check my recollection, I recently set up a little taste test, with 1) the David Glass cake, 2) Chocolate Decadence from Seattle's Pacific Dessert Co., and 3) a cake I'd had my chocolate-loving eyes on for some time, The New Chocolate Decadence, from a recipe in Alice Medrich's recent cookbook, "Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts."

My friend Torben, who's not much for cakes but does like his chocolate, rated the David Glass cake No. 1, followed by the old Chocolate Decadence and then the new one. He liked the moist texture and more complex flavor of the David Glass cake, which is flavored with espresso and extracts of mint and Grand Marnier.

For me, by one count the Medrich Decadence (at 6 grams per serving) ranked first, and not only because it was my first homemade cake in years, if not decades. I liked its drier texture, akin to a very rich cake-like brownie. I picked the David Glass a close second, for the mousse and the slightly bitter taste of espresso - even though I don't like coffee. To my surprise, the Pacific Desserts Decadence - despite 19 grams of fat per serving - was third on my list, almost too dense and sweet, though its flavor improved the more it came to room temperature.

If I combine taste and convenience, however, I'd go with the David Glass cake nearly every time, though the Medrich cake wasn't very difficult to make.

Both the David Glass ($7.99) and 20-ounce Pacific Desserts ($11.59) cakes are found in the frozen-foods section; the Medrich recipe is one page 10. All three gain, of course, with the traditional addition of raspberry puree and whipped cream.

Low-fat whipped cream, I mean.

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Magazine. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTEBOOK

Reasoning by chocolate

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University wanted to study self-control. They divided 67 undergraduate students into three groups. One group was exposed to the aroma of chocolate-chip cookies being baked in the same room, then was allowed to eat either the cookies or radishes. A second group could smell the cookies baking, had both radishes and cookies placed in front of them, but were allowed to eat only the radishes. The students were then timed to see how long they'd persevere in a boring task, tracing geometric figures.

Students allowed to eat only radishes gave up the tracing assignment earlier than those who ate the cookies and those in the third group, who were exposed to no food. Researchers concluded that the self-control used to not eat the cookies reduced the radish eaters' resolve during the tracing assignment. Resisting temptation, they said, has a psychological cost.

Another possible conclusion: Eating chocolate-chip cookies helps us trace longer.

Climbers beware

An outdoor recreation group estimates that more than 90 percent of people learning to rock climb in the U.S. today do so in gyms. But gym climbers are used to wooden walls with bolted "rock" holds that catch them when they fall. They often don't learn how to place anchors in rocks, watch for changing weather or estimate the time a climb will take, yet still decide to tackle a real rock face, and discover the more serious consequences of wilderness falls. So the Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America has started a national ad campaign to warn people about the dangers of climbing.

Send comments to On Fitness, Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, e-mail mmar-new@seatimes.com or call 464-8243. -----------------------------------------------------------------

The New Chocolate Decadence (12 servings)

Make 1 day before serving. Work time: 30 minutes. Bake time: 30 minutes. Chill time: 24 hours

Vegetable oil spray . 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine . 1 whole egg . 1 egg, separated . 1 teaspoon vanilla extract . 1 egg white .

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar .

1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch process cocoa . 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour .

2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar .

3/4 cup 1 percent milk .

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray sides of 8-inch round cake pan (solid bottom, 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep) with vegetable-oil spray and line bottom with parchment paper. Put on kettle of water to boil for Step 4. 2. Place chocolate in large mixing bowl. Combine 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk in small bowl with vanilla. Place 2 egg whites in medium bowl with cream of tartar. Set all 3 bowls aside. 3. Combine cocoa, flour and 2/3 cup sugar in 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in enough of milk (about half) to form smooth paste. Mix in remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon or heatproof paddle to prevent burning (especially around the bottom edges), until mixture begins to simmer. Simmer very gently, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes. Pour hot mixture immediately over chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla mixture. Set aside. 4. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating at high speed until stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites. Scrape mixture into cake pan and smooth top. Set cake pan in baking pan at least 2 inches deep and 2 inches wider than cake pan, and place on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into baking pan to come about a third to halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. Surface of torte will spring back when very gently pressed but still will be quite gooey inside. Remove cake pan and water pan from oven. Remove cake pan from water and cool completely on a rack. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight before serving. (Dessert may be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.) 5. To serve, unmold by sliding thin knife or metal spatula around sides of pan to release torte. Place piece of wax paper on top of torte. Invert a plate on top of wax paper and invert torte onto plate. Remove pan and peel away paper liner. Turn torte right side up again and remove wax paper. Cut into wedges with sharp thin knife, dipping knife in hot water and wiping it dry between each slice. Or cut with dental floss like a moist cheesecake.

Note: Medrich serves this cake topped with lightly sweetened raspberry puree and, if desired, low-fat whipped cream.

From "Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts" by Alice Medrich ($31.50, Warner).