Don's Valentine's Day Low-Guilt Chocolate Yogurt Cake

½ cup unsweetened, unflavored applesauce

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plain yogurt (such as Fage Zero)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Set a wire mesh strainer over a bowl sufficiently deep to keep the strainer's bottom from touching the bowl's bottom and add applesauce. Set aside.

Place the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-by-5-inch (or 8½-by-4½-inch) loaf pan with vegetable oil. Set aside.

To a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder and salt. Using a wire whisk, whisk and stir together until combined; about 30-45 seconds.

Add eggs and vanilla to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. Measure ¼ cup drained applesauce and add it along with the egg mixture, yogurt and oil to the dry ingredients. Whisk everything together until blended.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Serves eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 272 calories (32 percent from fat), 9.3 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 41.9 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fiber, 7.6 g protein, 80 mg cholesterol, 191 mg sodium.

Adapted from food.com