Sylvia's Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Jan. 2, 2006 — -- Sylvia Woods is perhaps New York's most famous soul food chef. In fact, she's been crowned the "queen of soul food," a cuisine that is not generally known for being low calorie.

The Zagat New York City restaurant survey said that the food at Wood's Harlem restaurant is tasty and comforting, but warned: "Don't tell your doctor what you ate."

That's all changed. Woods has joined forces with Splenda and concocted some delicious, yet light treats.

Makes 12 servings

Preparation time: 20 min.

Bake time: 50 to 60 min.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sprinkle walnuts in pan; set aside.

Combine flour, Splenda granular, baking powder, salt and soda in a large bowl; set aside.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer for about two minutes or until creamy. Add sweet potatoes, buttermilk and extracts, beating until blended. Add flour mixture in thirds, beating until batter is smooth after each addition.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center comes our clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan nut side up.

Nutrition information per serving:
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories 300
Calories from Fat 130
Total Fat 15g
Saturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 30mg
Sodium 230mg
Total Carbohydrate 33g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 2g
Protein 7g

Exchanges per serving:
2 Starch, 3 Fat

This recipe, when compared to a traditional recipe, has a 48 percent reduction in calories, a 65 percent reduction in carbohydrates and a 97 percent reduction in sugars.

Sylvia Woods is a compensated spokeswoman for Splenda Corp.