Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Miracle Fruit

Pineapples are naturally sweet. With miracle berries they are slightly sweeter, which enables this cake to lose some sugar from the original recipe—and with the grapefruit juice, the cake balances out nicely. Recipe by Homaro Cantu in The Miracle Berry Diet Cookbook.

Makes one 13 by 9-inch cake, 12 servings.

Ingredients

• Canola oil spray
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 2 cups grated zucchini (see note)
• 3 cups chopped fresh pineapple (reserve any pineapple juice)
• 1 recipe Vanilla Frosting

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with canola oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, coconut, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
• In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable oil, egg, agave nectar, vanilla, and grapefruit juice.
• Stir in the zucchini and pineapple and fold into the flour.
• The batter may be stiff, but keep folding until it comes together.
• If it is too dry, add a few drops of the reserved pineapple juice to moisten it slightly. Spoon batter into the pan.
• Bake for 33 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• Frost with Vanilla Frosting.

NOTE: If your zucchini are particularly large, scoop out the seeds before grating, and spread on a layer of paper towels to drain any excess water before adding to the batter

Vanilla Frosting

This recipe has a subtle sweetness obtained from the grapefruit juice. Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup grated lime zest

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, beat the flour into the milk over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the milk thickens.
2. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Stir in the vanilla and grapefruit juice.
4. With an electric mixer, combine the butter and agave nectar.
5. Add the milk-flour-juice mixture and beat until well-combined and fluffy, resembling whipped cream.
6. Fold in the lime zest.
7. Refrigerate covered in plastic wrap.

When you are ready to eat, let the Miracle Berry tablet dissolve on your tongue and then enjoy the dish.

Replacing 1 1/2 cups of sugar from the Vanilla Frosting with 1/4 cup of agave nectar and the sweetness from the berry, plus replacing 3 1/4 cups of sugar from the cake with 1 1/4 cups of agave nectar and the sweetness from the berry saves 168 calories per serving