Low-Calorie Upside-Down Cherry Cobbler Cake

When the doctor told me I had PCOS, cake and cake-like foods were pretty much the first to go.  I was sad because I loves me some dessert; it's my favorite meal of the day!  *Winks*  Of course, that was before I knew that I didn't have to give up the foods that I so desperately craved.  Well, you can imagine how excited I get when I stumble upon a new recipe that allows me to have those things.  This recipe is almost like a "dump cake" except it is not 100% effortless; stirring the cake batter is technically work, albeit minimal.  Can I go off-topic for a moment?  Isn't "dump cake" the most horrendous term?  It sounds awful.  Thank goodness it's delicious.  Anyway, this dessert reminds me of a cobbler (not the old-timey shoemaker sort).  The beauty is its versatility - you could pretty much use any flavor cake mix or any flavor pie filling (but watch those calories!).

This cake can be eaten cold straight from the fridge, or warmed up in the microwave (that's the way the hubby likes it).  To warm it, pop it in the microwave for about 30-60ish seconds.  The serving sizes are very generous!  This recipe makes 8 servings, and they are a nice, hearty size.  We are a three person household, so this cake goes fairly fast.  If you're single or like to switch up desserts daily, it could easily be frozen so you could stretch it out a little further.

Ingredients:

• 1 box (about 16 oz.) sugar-free yellow cake mix
• 1 can (about 20 oz.) no-sugar-added cherry pie filling
• 1 can (or about 1 & 1/2 cups) diet cream soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray (I used this butter-flavored kind). 
3. Spread the cherry pie filling evenly over the bottom of the pan.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the dry cake mix and the diet soda - some small lumps will remain.
5. Spread the cake batter over the cherry pie filling.
   
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
8. To serve, flip upside-down so cherry filling is on top.  Garnish with some fat-free whipped cream, if desired.

Yields: 8 servings

*Nutritional Information:

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.