Ah, to be skinnier or happy???? I'll take Happy, maybe I'll be skinny when I get to heaven. "Never trust a skinny chef" my mother used to say. I made KAF's red velvet cake this weekend and it gave a substitution for buttermilk using water and buttermilk powder; I assume that would work here too? For some strange reason buttermilk seems to be hard to come by lately. The red velvet cake came out great btw. Does anyone know how it got its name, particularly the velvet part? I love the idea of using this recipe to celebrate St Patrick's day next month. Could I use egg white powder to help stabilize the cream? How about some espresso powder in place of the chocolate extract? Do you think a tablespoon would be too much? Thanks for another great recipe! HI Fran, while I think the espresso powder would be fine (about a teaspoon), I don't think the egg whites would work to stabilize the cream. You can definitely use the buttermilk powder, that would be fine. I used to think the same thing about skinny chefs, but then I met PJ and Sue Gray. They are both amazing cooks and bakers, and work hard to stay slim, so that motto went out the window! :) ~ MaryJane

• Reply