Keen to reduce your fat intake while still enjoying traditional treats? Well, thanks to Angela Nilsen and her ultimate makeovers, you can. We've put together these irresitible lower fat cakes and desserts – and even a delicious cheesecake.

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Some fat in the diet is essential – it aids our absorption of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, D, E and K while also supplying energy and providing the building blocks for important hormones. However, fat is calorie dense, and too much in the diet leads to excess weight and other potential health issues.

By using some clever swaps and tweaks to some of our all-time favourites, we’ve made them healthier. However, don’t forget that sweet treats such as these should be enjoyed occasionally as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Healthier treacle sponge

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Classic: For many, just the smell of this schooldays treacle sponge transports them back to their younger days. While it may remind us of innocent times, the huge calorie count and a whopping 25g of saturated fat makes this a once-in-a-while dessert.

Give it a makeover: With less than half the calories and just a fraction of the fat, Angela's lighter steamed sponge is good news for everyone.

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Makeover treacle sponge recipe

Healthier Victoria sandwich

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Classic: A slice of a classic Victoria sandwich old favourite is difficult to resist, but at 558 calories and 28g fat, a second slice could be hard to swallow. Give it a makeover: Now you can have your cake and eat it with Angela Nilsen's lighter version, which contains almost a third of the fat and just 263 calories, with all the same great taste.

Makeover Victoria sandwich recipe

Lemon drizzle cake

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Classic: Our best-loved recipe on the site – you just can't get enough of this classic lemon drizzle cake!

Give it a makeover: Halve the fat and save yourself some calories with Angela's version, which uses natural yogurt for a healthier helping.

Makeover lemon drizzle cake recipe

Chocolate brownies

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Classic: Gooey greatness comes at a price in this easy chocolate brownie recipe.

Give it a makeover: These reworked brownies have a secret ingredient that reduces the fat content, saving you over 100 calories.

Makeover chocolate brownie recipe

Lemon tart

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Classic: Gordon Ramsay's zingy lemon tart is the most popular on the site – but at 490 calories, you'd be right to be waist-wary.

Give it a makeover: Light, lemony and well under half the calories – keep this one just for you.

Makeover lemon tart recipe

Sticky toffee pudding

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Classic: Young or old, nobody can resist warm sticky toffee pudding, but its vital statistics leave little to be desired – quite literally.

Give it a makeover: Natural yogurt and half-fat crème fraîche are just two of the factors making this pud's nutritional value far more palatable.

Makeover sticky toffee pudding recipe

New York cheesecake

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Classic: Creamy, cool and even easy to make, classic New York cheesecake is an irresistible dessert.

Give it a makeover: This tempting recipe looks and tastes the same, but now weighs in at under half the fat and a fraction of the calories.

Makeover New York cheesecake recipe

See more of Angela Nilsen's ultimate makeover recipes


This page was last reviewed on 2 September 2019 by Kerry Torrens.

Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.

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All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

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