Light Lemon Cheesecake

Cooking spray 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1-1/3 cups sugar-free vanilla cookies 3 (8-oz.) packages fat-free cream cheese

1-1/3 cup fat-free sour cream, divided 2 cups sugar substitute 3/4 cup egg substitute 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Crumble the cookies and mix the crumbs with melted butter; press mixture onto bottom and up 1-1/2" on the sides. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned on edges. Place on rack to cool.

2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream together in a large bowl with electric mixer for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar substitute. Reduce mixer speed and add egg substitute; mix until blended. Stir in grated peel and lemon juice. Pour into cooled crust.

3. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. Place on rack to cool. When completely cooled, spread 1/3 cup sour cream over top and refrigerate several hours before serving.

Cherry Pudding

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 c. milk 1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

Directions:
Blend oil and sugar in mixing bowl. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add alternately with milk to sugar mixture, stirring well. Grease a 9x9-inch pan, and spread the batter into it. Spoon cherry pie filling over the batter. Do not stir. Bake in a 350 ° oven for 40-45 min. Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.

Notes:
This was one of my father's favorite desserts and it was one of the first recipes I learned to make when I was a little girl.

The recipe originally used a can of sour pie cherries. The cherries were drained and spread across the batter while the juice was cooked with sugar and cornstarch to thicken it before pouring it over the top. I've changed the recipe to use ready-made pie filling instead of pie cherries and vegetable oil instead of butter.

This is a low cholesterol, low fat recipe if you use lowfat or skim milk.

Light Berry Angel Dessert

1 angel food cake (purchased or homemade)
2 (3 oz.) packages raspberry sugar-free gelatin
2 (3 oz.) packages strawberry sugar-free gelatin
1 (3 oz.) package instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
1 large carton fat-free whipped topping

Directions:
Prepare the 4 packages of gelatin, mixed together, according to the package directions. Spray a 9x13-inch dish lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the prepared gelatin into the dish and chill. When the gelatin is set, cut it into bite-size cubes and keep it chilled until ready to use. Cut the cake into bite size cubes. Prepare the pudding according to package directions. Spread a few spoons of whipped topping across the bottom of a large bowl. Place half of the cake cubes on top of the whipped topping. Place half of the gelatin cubes on top of the cake. Spread half of the pudding over the gelatin cubes. Then spread on a layer of whipped topping. Repeat the layers, using the remainder of the cake cubes, gelatin cubes, and pudding. Finish with whipped topping. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Will keep for a couple of days in refrigerator.

No Bake Neapolitan Cake

1 (10-inch) angel food cake
1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 large tub Cool Whip (thawed) or Whipped Cream Frosting below
1/3 cup chopped nuts or toasted slivered almonds

Directions:
Freeze the cake for 30 minutes (in its bakery container or wrapped in plastic wrap) so it will be easy to slice. Thaw the ice cream for 20 minutes so it will be soft enough to spread. Slice cake into 4 layers with a sharp serrated knife. On the serving dish, place the bottom layer of the cake. Spread it with chocolate ice cream. Then place the next layer of cake and spread it with vanilla ice cream. Place the third layer of cake and spread it with strawberry ice cream. Finally, place the top layer of the cake on top of the ice cream/cake stack. Spread Cool Whip or Whipped Cream Frosting over the entire cake and sprinkle the nuts or almonds over the top. Freeze 1 hour; then wrap well in plastic; freeze 6-8 hours total before serving. (Serves 8-10 )

Whipped Cream Frosting
Beat 2 cups of whipping cream at highest speed until the cream foams. Then add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, a bit at a time, while beating. Finally, beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue beating until the cream is stiff enough to form and hold peaks.

Notes:
Cool Whip works fine in this recipe instead of the whipped cream frosting. The finished cake stands tall, so make sure you have room in your freezer.

An obvious variation: 1 cake, sliced into three or four sections and layered with your favorite flavor of ice cream. With a low fat, low sugar ice cream, non-fat Cool Whip, and the angel food cake which is non-fat and fairly low in sugar, this is a sensible treat.