Although so moist and seemingly rich you can eat it unadorned, we recommend trying this pound cake topped with our quick cherry sauce.

Makes 24 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours (including cooling time)

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces Neufchatel cheese (see Ingredient note)

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk whole eggs, buttermilk, oil, corn syrup and vanilla in another medium bowl until well blended.
3. Beat egg whites in a large clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until stiff glossy peaks form.
4. Beat butter and Neufchatel in a large bowl until creamy. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, beating until just smooth. Fold in about one-third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula until just smooth and no white streaks remain. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
5. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted into it comes out clean and the top springs back when touched, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto the rack; let cool for at least 1 hour more before slicing.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 217 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 44 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 1 g fiber; 140 mg sodium.

TIP: Ingredient Note: For this recipe, be sure to use Neufchatel-type cream cheese that has 1/3 less fat than regular, not "light" cream cheese, which has less fat.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: To make ahead: Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

So nice to have an alternative to a cake that is safe for all occasions. We took this to a pot-luck. Raspberry sauce (I used frozen as suggested alternative, same recipe as for cherry sauce) looked pretty and balanced the sweetness.

Anonymous

This was awesome! Only issue for me was that I don't think my bundt pan was big enough and cake rose above sides of pan, which resulted in an uneven rise.

, Salem, MA

The cake was definitely much more flavorful the next day. It's rather a lot of fuss for not as much flavor as I expected. I think I'll tweak the recipe a bit if I make it again.

AMT, Raleigh, NC