Whoopie Pie or portion control - I'm decided!

It's portion control! A new pan from Williams Sonoma, see web description below, is perfect for small cakes or muffins, under 100 calories each .....a terrific snack for children and adults too. I tried a gingerbread mix and six regular sized muffins in a muffin pan and used the left over batter as my first experiment using the whoopie pan. The pan has a dozen wells, 7 were filled with gingerbread batter and the empty holes filled with water. The small cakes took a few minutes less to bake and I watched them carefully not to overbake. Delicious! I'm delighted to enjoy a small cake because I can't be trusted to eat only half of a regular sized muffin.

from Williams Sonoma:

Whoopie Pie Pan: A taste of sweet nostalgia, whoopie pies were introduced generations ago, when American country homemakers placed them inside lunch boxes as an afternoon surprise. Enriched with a luscious cream filling, the cakelike sandwich cookies are said to derive their name from the shouts of delight that spring from everyone who tastes them. Our pan is designed with shallow wells to bake a dozen round cakes that pair together to make the tops and bottoms for six 23⁄4" diam. whoopie pies. Constructed of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, the pan features our signature Goldtouch™ ceramic-reinforced nonstick surface. Cakes bake evenly and release effortlessly every time. Hand-wash. 18-oz. cap.; 14" x 10 1/2" x 1/2" high. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive.

mini cakes: dark chocolate and wonderful!

This is adapted from and inspired by a Weight Watchers web recipe. It tastes rich and chocolaty because of a 'secret' ingredient: sauerkraut. My husband came into the kitchen wondering what was that odor. A few minutes in the oven and the aroma was unmistakeably chocolate cake! The cake is crunchy on top and fudgey on the inside.

Instead of baking the batter in a bundt pan I used my favorite WW tool (portion control) and made individual mini bundt shaped cakes. Cupcake pans would work too.

WW Points per mini: 4

Recipe servings: 14

Dark Chocolate Cake published by Weight Watchers

baking flour spray for pans

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa ( I used Hershey's)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (one stick)

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sauerkraut, pureed until smooth (drain juice before processing)

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa to sprinkle on baked cake

I added more vanilla and 1/4 tsp Vietnamese (strong) cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a bundt pan or muffin tins with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and 2/3 cup cocoa. Add melted butter, hot water and vanilla extract (and any other spices that you prefer); mix well. Add sauerkraut and blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s); bake in center of oven until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes for cup cake sizes, 55 to 60 minutes for one large cake pan. Cool cake in pan for about 20 minutes and then turn out onto a baking rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cocoa before slicing into 14 pieces for the large cake. 1 slice or cupcake per serving.

Notes: You can easily change the flavor of this cake by adding strong coffee instead of the hot water or adding cayenne pepper and cinnamon with the vanilla per WW.

What I've learned about portion control: I will be satisfied eating just one when something tastes very good if I don't have to make a decision about having another piece. So I prefer not to bake a whole cake or pie and cut myself one portion at a time. It will call my name until I have another slice. I put each of the mini cakes in a plastic bag in the freezer. Whenever I want one, I quickly microwave it on low power for about 15 seconds and it smells and tastes fresh out of the oven.