Cinnamon Coffee Snack Cakes

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.

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!

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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.