Cakes Desserts Low Calorie

Cinnamon Coffee Snack Cakes

August 22, 2011

I have an insatiable sweet tooth and I’m one of those people that feels a meal isn’t quite complete unless a little dessert follows…whether there’s room in my belly or not. There’s a great line in the move Simply Irresistible by Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character where she says, “dessert is the whole point of the meal.” It’s 100% true. Being the coffee lover that I am, I had to make these Cinnamon Coffee Snack Cakes. One recipe makes 32 cakes and each is only 75 calories.

Cinnamon Coffee Snack Cakes

So, how’s it taste?

Wow, these little cinnamon coffee bites exceeded my expectations! The cake ingredients are so simple that I thought they would be really bland and I tasted the glaze before topping the cakes and it didn’t exactly float my boat. Overly sweet and way too much coffee flavor, but the trick is the two together. I renamed these from “bars” to “snack cakes” because to me bars are much more dense and these cakes are light as can be. The cakes by themselves aren’t that sweet, so they’re the perfect vehicle for the super sweet glaze. The older these cakes get, the better they taste. They’re pretty darn tasty warm from the oven, but a day later and they become fantastic! The glaze slowly seeps into the top of the cakes and the cinnamon coffee flavors really blend beautifully. Feel free to use espresso powder for a stronger coffee flavor over the coffee granules, too. The original recipe makes 48 bars, but come on, that’s barely a bite. If you wanted to cut them that small, the calories drop to 50 each. Cut them to the size you prefer and adjust the calories accordingly. I’ve been eating two at a time after dinner and it’s the perfect sweet ending without negating all that work at the gym!

Cinnamon Coffee Snack Cakes

Betty Crocker Everyday Meals, September 2005
makes 32 cakes
per cake: 75 calories, 2.5g fat, 15g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein

Ingredients:

Cakes
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup water

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. cold strong coffee

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray; coat with flour. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining bar ingredients. Spread in pan.

2. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until top springs back when touched in center.

3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars while warm. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

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  • Lesley August 22, 2011 at 9:34 am

    They really are. Rumba used to give away little coffee cakes and such at the end of a meal. I’m not sure if they still do it, but it was always such a nice treat!

  • Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking August 23, 2011 at 9:23 am

    Oh these just look amazing!!

  • Sues August 23, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    I agree- what’s the point of a meal without dessert?? Cinnamon is really good for you, so this dessert is totally guilt-free 🙂 And it looks amazing!

  • Sue (KyddSR) August 29, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    Oooh, these look delightful! And, I could easily make them dairy-free! I might just have to try them!