Fruit cobbler is another one that can be very low in calories and fat. Mixed berries or other fruits (or her favorite one) sweetened, only if necessary, with a bit of Splenda or real sugar (or a combination). Make a topping from oatmeal, canola oil, cinnamon and just a little sweetener. I like to use real brown sugar for the "caramel" taste, but just a little. Drain the berries really well, especially if you use Splenda as it won't thicken as much as regular sugar. Yummy and only a tiny bit of "guilt". I love the Angel Food idea too. Even a store bought or homemade full sugar version of Angel Food isn't all that bad compared to other cakes. Top with the fresh fruit and light whipped topping. I keep a "can" of whipped cream in the fridge for quick indulgences now and then (I've been on Weight Watchers for 18 months now). I think it's wonderful that you respect HER goals. That's a real friend! Deanna

I've been reading these and all of trailrunner's post. They are just great. All the hints were great. I bake bread out of boredom, I rarely use a recipe, for better or worse and like the wet doughs as well as quicker higher yeast doughs for pizza. Someday I'll get that "super peel" with the cloth belt thingy. I am forced to pre-cook my thin pizza crusts without one- My favorite bread is an olive bread that is made locally in the East Bay and sold now only at the local Berkeley farmer's market- you can go to their bakery, and they will sell stuff to you, but it's not a store front, no sales help, no hours- if they are there they'll sell it to you- they're also fresh pasta makers- 'Phoenix Pastificio'- if you're ever in the area. I've never tried to make that bread, it's almost Holy to me...( although I know he uses a biga and those black Kalamata olives). It has a thin almost black burnt crust, with large ciabatta holes to the crumb and flavor to die for.

I hadn't heard of Neem meal until your post, so I looked it up. Apparently, Neem Seed Meal is what's left of the seed after the extraction of oil. Therefore, it shouldn't burn like the Neem oil does. Down to Earth says the meal "is an excellent way to strengthen root systems, improve plant immunity and balance nutrient levels in the soil". According to reviews, the downside is cost compared to other seed meals and an unpleasant Neem smell. But perhaps the benefits are great. I hope you report back on how it does for you. I'm especially interested if you think it helps with insect resistance. I might give it a try.

It looks like we kind of split into the not-so-sweet-please and more-sugar camps. I won't eat the metallic cakes from the grocery store bakery, and around here, if it's a better stand alone bakery, they'll be made with a ton of cream filling, which I don't like either. :) But I love cake! When I bake a cake, it's most likely to be a Bundt, because it looks pretty enough as is, right out of the pan (which was the point when they put out the Bundt pan, and by being a ring it bakes tall easily. Then people started inventing glazes and layering in fillings to fancy them up again. :D ) Most often I make something with fruit in the batter, and it tastes good as is. My favorite actual recipes (I sometimes make cake without a recipe) are for strawberry, key lime and pumpkin or pumpkin/chocolate marble. For layer cakes, however, you all have reminded me of some exceptions, like the Austrian cakes with all those layers of equal parts cream., which Gooster mentioned. I was once taken all around Vienna by a friend and fed every kind of Viennese cream cake known. They were all objectively very good, but soft and even mooshy, and I don't really like cream unless it's cultured (i.e., sour cream, mascarone, etc.). But they're beautiful cakes. There are other exceptions as well. For me, American layer cakes, with American buttercream and possible secondary fillings, as some of you mentioned, should have no more than 1/4-3/8" (I promise not to use a ruler!) between layers. If it's buttercream or jam, both very sweet, I think it should be less. If it's a fresh fruit in goo thing, it could be a little more. When I was a kid, however, there was often more like 1/8=3/16" between layers. It was more there as mortar than "filling". It was a way to get a taller cake with a solid center--just glue a couple of shallow pan layers together!. I don't really like most cakes with fillings or frosting. If I can get away with it (not a a formal table where people are noticing what's happening on one's plate, and where specific manners apply), I will eat the cake and leave the frosting, and if I want some sugar at the end I'll eat some of the frosting. If there's a good fruit filling, I'll eat that first, and then the cake. I know they're supposed to all be eaten together, but I don't like the texture of the cake crumbs in the compote, nor the greasy frosting in the cake. On that basis I don't really like crunchies in the cake part. If nuts are well ground and soft, they're fine, but not crunchy. I haven't had the ones with solider crunchies that I've seen on TV. Better is crunchy things like fuilletine or panko in the frosting. It cuts the sweet, adds interest and doesn't interfere with the cake. :) Thank-you all for your answers. It's so interesting to see what you all prefer! I still don't get those inch tall banks of buttercream on TV, but it's nice to know that there's a range of opinions on this out there. :)