IS CHOCOLATE CAKE CONSIDERED JUNK FOOD?

[demgurl]

There are a couple of people in my house who have vowed to give up junk food. Someone brought a chocolate cake into our house and the people who vowed no junk food are saying chocolate cake is NOT junk food and a couple of other people are saying it is junk food. I will not say who says what but you guys are settling whether chocolate cake. (Pepperidge Farm to be exact) Is cake junk food and can the people who vowed not to eat junk food eat cake? Please be serious with your answer as a bet is on the line. You all are intelligent so what say you?????

Thanks for your input.

[AccessGranted]

1. Not According to Bill Cosby

"Dad is great...he gave us the chocolate cake!" Remember that?

[Brigid]

16. LOL!!

I was going to post that until I saw your post! Chocolate cake has eggs, milk,. and wheat in it -- it's not junk food! :rofl:

[AwakeAtLast]

36. That was my first thought as I clicked on this thread!

:rofl:

My dad would have totally done that, too!


:rofl:

[lost-in-nj]

2. It has

dairy
flour
protein (egg)

and chocolate is an anti-oxident

no junk food here!!!!!!

promise...


:evilgrin:


:hi:


lost

[redqueen]

3. Lots of sugar = junk food.

Sorry...

[demgurl]

8. No need for sorry.

The discussion is over in my house so I guess I can disclose that I was on the 'WTF, of course cake is junk food' side. My husband and one of my sons are the ones who were saying it was fine and definitely not junk food. After he posted a poll of his own, at a forum he frequents, he came to terms with the fact that is junk food.

Now he is arguing pizza is not junk food. He says if that is junk food than why not the grilled chicken on penne pasta with vodka sauce he had over the weekend. I say the pasta is more nutritious and that is why. He is just not biting.

I guess I should let the whole thing drop. I just feel anything with fructose syrup basically is junk food. Even all the definitions I looked up varied to one degree or another.

[Diana Prince]

13. Homemade chocolate cake

does not have high fructose corn syrup. We cut it out of our diet last year. I have 2 nephews and a niece who have horrible reactions when they are given it. They actually become hyperactive and violent, so we are very aware of foods that have that. It is hard to find basics without hfcs, most breads have it as an ingredient and lots of so called healthy cereals too.

I have to disagree that pizza is junk food. We make our own with whole wheat crust and lots of veggies. It is 10x better than anything you can buy.

[demgurl]

14. Yeah, homemade pizza may not be that bad....

but he had slices from a NY pizza place. I doubt it is that healthy from an establishment. Basically the same as Papa John's, Pizza Hut or Domino's. It can not be that healthy. Our nephew just stayed with us and when he was about 12 or 13 they ate pizza every single night. (hard to resist free pizza on a budget) Anyway, he said that he used to take Tums several times a day back then and now it does nothing for him. It just can not be that healthy coming from a fast food joint.

[demgurl]

15. Yeah, homemade pizza may not be that bad....

but he had slices from a NY pizza place. I doubt it is that healthy from an establishment. Basically the same as Papa John's, Pizza Hut or Domino's. It can not be that healthy. Our nephew just stayed with us and when he was about 12 or 13 they ate pizza every single night. (hard to resist free pizza on a budget) Anyway, he said that he used to take Tums several times a day back then and now it does nothing for him. It just can not be that healthy coming from a fast food joint.

[Diana Prince]

17. We cut out a lot of processed foods...

My DH was living on TUMS, but when we started making our food from fresh ingredients he no longer needed them. We still buy bread, but only whole grains with no hfcs.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. not really. fake made up food with no nutrition and no real food in it is junk food.

dessert is not junk as food is meant to be enjoyed.

[redqueen]

33. I guess for me... junk food = less nutritional value.

So... often those foods with lots of sugar are also foods that are low in nutritional value.

That's not to say that it shouldn't be enjoyed... just in moderation only. :)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

35. to me junk food in chemical filled junk. so under the right conditions a chicken sandwich

can be junk food (if you buy it from mcdonalds, and its full of processed meat, on white chemical bread etc)

real dessert has a value and should be enjoyed

[lost-in-nj]

38. oh I know that......

just tying to justify eating the scrumdilishousness that is
chocolate cake!!!

:)



lost


:hi:

[Lil Missy]

4. No! It's considered one of the major food groups!

:P

[Doug.Goodall]

12. Chocolate is one of the major food groups.

I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.

[Lil Missy]

19. Trust me! It is! Bill Cosby told me so!

:evilgrin:

[Beaverhausen]

5. It's only junk food if you eat a piece as a meal, or eat 3 pieces a day

one piece of cake isn't going to hurt anyone.

[LibertyLover]

6. Are you kidding -

Chocolate cake has eggs, milk, butter and flour - all healthy foods. So how can it be junk food? At least that's the rationalization my uncle used to use to feed the various kids in his family whenever his wife was away.

[AmyDeLune]

7. Wha...!?! *Chocolate* and *Junk Food* in the same sentence!?!

Sacrilege!!1!

*takes notes*
We're keeping an eye on you, oh yes we are!!1!



:P

[demgurl]

9. Sorry, but I do think it is junk....

and this comes from a girl who loves her chocolate. And I do think junk is fine in moderation but my husband and son have a bet about who can go the longest without eating junk food. The first one who eats the junk food has to get a buzz cut!!! Then my husband comes home with chocolate cake!!!!!!! He and my eight year old get ready to show down and I tell them it is junk food and I almost have a mutiny on my hands. He then goes on to tell me he supposes that I would categorize the pizza he had for lunch as junk food! Well, yeah!!!!! *sigh*

[Connonym]

24. you're going to have to more narrowly define that bet

the category is too nebulous. Please post pix of the loser :)

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. Chocolate cake is all-natural and increases the IQ. It also removes wrinkles and cellulite.

[hobbit709]

11. Homemade from scratch-no way!

Storebought probably.

[ccharles000]

18. No it is medicine

[harmonicon]

20. store bought crap sure is

If it was home made for a birthday or something, then it's not junk food, it's just something to eat as a treat on that one day. It's not good for you, but it's excusable.

[Iggo]

21. Cake is not food, Cake is cake.

It must be widely accepted as food before it can be called junk food.

[kentauros]

22. Depends...

How junky would you call this recipe?
_____________________________________________________________________________

"Flourless Chocolate Cake"
Pre-heat oven to 350 F or 175 C

Standard measurements:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1.75 C superfine sugar
(Superfine can be made by putting regular sugar in a food processor (Cuisinart) with a metal blade and pulsing for a couple of minutes until the sugar is of a finer grain than previously)
15 oz. butter (unsalted)
15 large eggs, whole - separated
__________________________________________________________

Metric measurements:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
570 gm bittersweet chocolate
420 ml or 350 gm superfine sugar
(Superfine can be made by putting regular sugar in a Cuisinart with a metal blade and pulsing for a couple of minutes until the sugar is of a finer grain than previously)
430 gm butter (unsalted)
15 large eggs, whole - separated
__________________________________________________________

Equipment and pan(s):
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Large mixer with whip and paddle attachments, plus a bowl of 5 qt. or 4.5 lt capacity
Mixing bowl of at least 6 qt or 5.5 lt capacity for final mixing
(I find that my 12 qt or 11.5 lt stockpot works perfectly for the folding of the egg whites into the chocolate batter)
Double boiler - can also use a large stainless bowl sitting over (not in) boiling water
10x3 inch springform pan, buttered
(With buttered parchment paper fitted for bottom of pan)

Or

25 cm by 7.5 cm springform pan, buttered
(With buttered parchment paper fitted for bottom of pan)
__________________________________________________________

Directions:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Melt chocolate in double boiler.
Whip butter and sugar, scraping sides as needed.
Remove whip attachment; use paddle.
Add chocolate to butter/sugar mixture.
Beat together, scraping sides as needed.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating 20-30 seconds after each addition.
Transfer to separate bowl.
Clean machine bowl.
Whip egg whites.
Fold whites into chocolate mixture.
Pour cake mixture into pan, reserving one quarter of batch.
Bake cake at 350 F or 175 C for one hour.
Chill reserved batter.
Cool cake on rack. Cake will fall in middle. This is normal.
Chill cake in pan overnight (12 hours).
Level cake with top of pan; fill with chilled batter/frosting.
Unmold and serve.

NOTE: On these last two steps, I often unmold the cake first, then level the cake so that the leftover pieces can be fitted into the fallen portion in the middle, thus leveling it better. I then use a large flat frosting spatula I keep resting in hot water as I frost the cake with the remaining chilled batter. It also helps to leave the batter out for a few minutes, to help it soften up to a spreading consistency. Final decorations can be made with chocolate shavings pressed into the side of the cake. Pipe some ganache swirls evenly around the perimeter of the cake and you're done!


__________________________________________________________


I would say a storebought cake is junkfood, but a homemade from scratch cake never is!

[Connonym]

23. see the thing you have to do is make it into a cupcake and it becomes a muffin

and muffins are perfectly acceptable breakfast foods. I'm a bit of a snob I guess because I think if it was a home-made cake it wouldn't be junk food but if it like Hostess or something it would definitely be junkfood. But I'm the kind of person who can come up with enough bullshit to support any side of any argument so don't listen to me.

[kentauros]

25. Or forego the idea of cake entirely

and share a bar of 85% cocoa-content dark chocolate, like Vivani brand

[Skittles]

26. one piece not junk food

more than one piece - absolutely junk food :D

[Tuesday Afternoon]

27. if it is cheap store bought crappy chocolate...meh...maybe so

if it is Grandma's home made with love then HELL NO...that is food for the gods and you must savor every gormet morsel

[demgurl]

37. This was Pepperidge Farm frozen cake....

so, yeah, it is junk food by your and my definition! :)

[Eurobabe]

28. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants, and reduces cholesterol

Bring.It.On.

Chocolate Lovers Take Heart
http://www.usaweekend.com/01_issues/010204/010204eatsmart.html

[redqueen]

34. ...

:rofl:

I like your spirit. :)

[Rosie1223]

29. Chocolate comes from cocoa trees

I think that means it is a fruit. :evilgrin:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

30. no its a celebratory food. which means you shouldnt have it everyday but should occasionally

celebrate with cake !

[old mark]

32. certainly not by me.

Especially not with peanut butter icing.

mark

[Runcible Spoon]

39. Pepperidge Farm cake IS, but both pizza and cake made from scratch are NOT junk food

to me, junk food means cheap, unhealthy, highly processed, flat, predictable, and mass-acceptable flavor profiles.

But crafting any food with love, quality ingredients, skill, and time is an art form, and resulting treat is NOT junk!