I love dessert.
Like really, really love dessert.
Ice cream, Pop-Ice, cupcakes, pie — present it on a plate and I’ll probably eat it. I’d rather cut calories a hundred other ways than sacrifice my sweets, which sometimes means my lunches and dinners can get drab . . . but it’s worth it to indulge in those little extras.
Eventually I realized maybe I could have my cake and eat it, too, as they say. If I tried making lighter desserts, I could enjoy my sweets without the extra helping of guilt that sometimes accompanies them. Look, I’ll be honest: I’m a curvy woman who likes to eat. And bake. Counting calories sucks. I’ve never been skinny and doubt I ever will be, so I do the best I can to exercise, eat healthy — and bake wisely. Having calorie-laden goods hanging around the kitchen counter is a recipe for derailment.
Enter this lower-fat cherry almond cobbler. Adapted from this AllRecipes creation, the dessert calls for vanilla yogurt, egg whites and a limited amount of added sugar. The result is more cake-like than cobbler-ish, but it’s delicious and light — almost like angel food cake with fruit! Even my cherry-hating dad and sister gave it a solid B and B-, respectively. (And my cherry-loving heart gives it an A.)
Lighter cherry almond cobbler
Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup slivered almonds
1 (20 ounce) can reduced-sugar cherry pie filling
Fat-free whipped topping, if desired
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat yogurt and sugar. Add egg whites; mix well. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into yogurt mixture. Pour into a 13 x 9-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon cherry filling on top, then cover with slivered almonds. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Top with whipped topping, if desired.
write meg! 
This looks wonderful! I have an intense sweet tooth, but I have never tried lighter desserts…I end up using full-cream, butter and the works. In my case, I have found that sharing what I bake with other people helps me keep things under control.
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I usually hate all things cherry. Still, this tasty treat is graced with almonds. 🙂 In addition to writing, I’m also quite the baker (baker at a nursing home for close to three years). I will try this recipe, although I may substitute apricot for cherry. Thanks for this!
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I feel this is so deliciously fancy! It seems like something I’d have with afternoon tea. I love it. And I love what you say ‘bake wisely’ Unfortunately, it’s too hot for me to turn my oven on. I’m living on ice cream dreams.
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This sounds really good to me! Cherry and almond is such a good combination. Like you, I’m a big dessert fan so any way I can make a yummy dessert a little bit lighter makes me very happy.
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This is great because I was astonished to discover that cobbler is one of the most fattening of all desserts – who would have thought, with fruit and all?!!!
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This looks AMAZING. I love cherry desserts — the texture of the cake looks so appealing! YUM!
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Cherries are so delicious this time of year so thank you for sharing a dessert that is a little bit healthier!
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Ooooo, thank you for posting it Meg! It looks delicious! I’m adding this to my To Make Pile. 🙂
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This looks amazing!!!!! Totally pinning it.
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Yes, yes, YES! I will be making this ASAP!
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