[NotBubba]

Well, here we are, ready for the holidays. Whee.

I usually craft quite the scrumptious (if I do say so myself) assortment of sweeties and cookies and cakes and stuff for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and really don't want to let le Beast ruin that tradition.

So now that I've received my batch of erythritol and Ez-Sweetz (thanks, Shanny!), I'm ready to start experimenting...but I'd rather pick some brains before I waste a lot of ingredients. My first try will be debster's brownies, but I have many other family recipes I want to try to convert to low-carb as well.

So, basically, my questions are thus:

1. My grandmother's sour cream chocolate cake (RIDICULOUSLY delicious) is very light & fluffy, yet moist at the same time. The kind of cake that's to die for the day it's made, but quite a bit "soggier" the next day (but still yummy). Will almond flour perform the same way as normal cake (e.g. Swan's Down) flour? This is really important, as the fluffiness is the whole thing...if almond flour won't do it, then I guess I'm willing to accept the carbs that 1.5 cups of Swan's Down will contribute to the recipe.

2. And this is probably a stupid question, but does using almond flour make the resultant product taste almond-y?

3. If I have a recipe that uses 1.5 cups of sugar, how much erythritol/liquid Splenda should I use in its place?

4. I also make an OMG chocolate butter cream frosting, and I know that's going to be a bit of a problem...the whole body of the frosting is based on a massive amount - usually two cups or so - of powdered sugar. There's the whole chemical-reaction thing going on between the fat molecules in the butter/cream and the sugar crystals, and I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that no mix of Splenda (liquid or granulated) and erythritol is going to behave the same way...any thoughts or ideas?

5. Those of you who've already gone through a Holiday season with modified recipes and such, what baking-related lessons have you learned? Is it silly to expect recipes to come out OK with so many substitutions? Baking is all about the chemical reactions of proteins, sugars and heat, and I'm assuming the removal of wheat flour and sugar poses more than a few problems...

Thanks much in advance!


Edited: (apologies, I posted this before I saw this thread: http://www.diabetesforum.com/diabetes-forum-lounge/7324-erythritol-how-use.html. )

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

1. Will almond flour perform the same way as normal cake (e.g. Swan's Down) flour?

I've only started to use almond flour this year. I think it doesn't behave like flour. At all. I only use recipes that call for almond flour.

2. And this is probably a stupid question, but does using almond flour make the resultant product taste almond-y?

In my opinion? No. I find it makes desserts and breads quite filling though. I don't eat as much.

3. If I have a recipe that uses 1.5 cups of sugar, how much erythritol/liquid Splenda should I use in its place?

I'm so sorry I can't help you with that one

4. I also make an OMG chocolate butter cream frosting, and I know that's going to be a bit of a problem...the whole body of the frosting is based on a massive amount - usually two cups or so - of powdered sugar. There's the whole chemical-reaction thing going on between the fat molecules in the butter/cream and the sugar crystals, and I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that no mix of Splenda (liquid or granulated) and erythritol is going to behave the same way...any thoughts or ideas?

I don't know if it's the case with other fellow diabetics but I personally find that I don't like anything that tastes too sweet anymore. Strange, isn't it? So I got used to no frosting. Just powdered cocoa or sometimes a tiny bit of powdered sugar on top. That's it. That's not helpful is it?

5. Those of you who've already gone through a Holiday season with modified recipes and such, what baking-related lessons have you learned? Is it silly to expect recipes to come out OK with so many substitutions? Baking is all about the chemical reactions of proteins, sugars and heat, and I'm assuming the removal of wheat flour and sugar poses more than a few problems...

I haven't tried to make my own substitutions. I try to find already tried recipes in this forum , I ask friends, or I surf on different websites. You are so right when you say baking is all about chemial reactions...! I don't dare challenge this delicate balance.


Thanks much in advance!

I just LOVE Christmas cooking! I still cook old family favorites though... the regular, cholesterol, fat, sugar loaded goodies one expects at Christmas. More and more I come up with other better suited recipes for diabetes too and you know what? People just don't notice. Only my meter notices

 

[NotBubba]

I just LOVE Christmas cooking! I still cook old family favorites though... the regular, cholesterol, fat, sugar loaded goodies one expects at Christmas. More and more I come up with other better suited recipes for diabetes too and you know what? People just don't notice. Only my meter notices

Thanks, Scarlet! I agree, my sweet tooth has all but disappeared, too, so as far as I'm concerned, new and improved "diabetic" recipes will probably do just fine. And maybe, like you said, nobody will notice. But I will be drawn and quartered William Wallace-style if I don't provide my in-laws with "The Cake"...so any changes I make to it sweetener-wise MUST be indistinguishable.

So, I'll experiment (I told my wife there might be three or four test cakes to sample this weekend, and she positively squealed! ) and see what we can come up with.

 

[Patdart]

Please post your results! I find most of the desserts too sweet, but I made a recipe of Lizzies (fruit cake cookies) for my new son-in-law yesterday. He's so new I don't know if he even likes fruit cake, but he's in Afghanistan and can use them for barter if not.

Since I'm not a sweet person, the recipes for cream cheese cake sound really good to me, as well as Shanny's recipe for pumpkin pie.

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

But I will be drawn and quartered William Wallace-style if I don't provide my in-laws with "The Cake"...so any changes I make to it sweetener-wise MUST be indistinguishable.

I know what you mean!

You know what I did last year? I made my chocolate cake as usual but turned it into very small one-shot cupcakes (using a mini cupcake pan!). They were cute! They were tasty! And it was easier for me to only have one mini cupcake than cut myself a big slice of chocolate cake

 

[Shanny]

I did used to do a lot of Christmas goodies & was a little unnerved the other day by an email prompt reminding me to start the stollen! lol! These are wonderfully rich breads with fruits soaked in rum or brandy & often filled with marzipan. They are made weeks ahead of time so they can be glazed & the moistened fruit flavors can permeate the loaf. At any rate, I'm no longer making stollen for Christmas.

My biggest push was in making candy & we often used it for gifts (actually, certain family members came to EXPECT it as their gift! ). I would start in late October or November making chocolate-covered cherries. This was a time consuming project, because the maraschino cherries needed to steep for a coupla days in brandy, then be coated with fondant & finally dipped in the chocolate coating. Once they were assembled, a 2-week "curing" time was required so the fondant could soften & the flavors could "marry". Less time consuming were homemade caramels, peanut brittle & a nifty little confection called a Martha Washington bon-bon.

Those were the days! heheh!

 

[Gizmo]

Will almond flour perform the same way as normal cake (e.g. Swan's Down) flour?

does using almond flour make the resultant product taste almond-y?

I also make an OMG chocolate butter cream frosting, and I know that's going to be a bit of a problem...

Almond flour is made of ground almonds, I make my own. It is not like normal flour in that it does not absorb liquid as normal flour or cake flour does. That is one reason most low carb cake recipes call for at least 2 different types of flour. Flaxseed meal is often used in combination with almond flour because it is good at absorbing liquid.

I have never bought almond flour, so I don't know how fine it is ground, but if you grind your own, be sure to put it through a coffee grinder or the cake could be grainy. Of course, if the cake has nuts in it, the grain would probably go unnoticed. Spices and flavorings usually do a good job of masking the almond taste. I find if I add 2 or 3 teaspoons of vegetable glycerine when I make cake, it comes out very moist.

It may not be possible to convert your frosting recipe to low carb. You might want to consider making a cream cheese frosting or you could do a search for low carb frosting recipes. I'd sure love to participate in the taste-testing. Best of luck.

 

[moon]

Sheesh Shanny - and here I thought I was on my way to recovery on the sweet thing. I'm passing out here - that's amazing!

Why oh why couldn't I have lived my pre-diabetes life as your neighbor?

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

Sheesh Shanny - and here I thought I was on my way to recovery on the sweet thing. I'm passing out here - that's amazing!

Why oh why couldn't I have lived my pre-diabetes life as your neighbor?

Same goes for me!!!!!

 

[jwags]

When I first started LC baking I had some successes and failures. It is a lot of trial and error to find the right recipes. I find some I have to bake for less time or even more time. Little by little I have altered some recipes that I have found to work. I find sometimes Almond Flour to be dry and the cookies or cake can be dry if you don't use other ingredients to counteract it. When I make muffins I always mix the AF with Flaxseed Meal and that gives a moist muffin. I also find using CO instead of butter works well. MCS's chocolate chip cookie recipe works perfectly for me. The wierd thing is it doesn't have any eggs in it. But I roll the cookies in a little splenda and flatten them on the cookie sheet before baking. Some nut flours burn quicker so you may have to lower oven temp for some recipes. As far as the Erythitol. If the original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar , I usually cut it in half if not more. I find the artificial sweeterner overly sweet. As far as the icing, I'm not sure if the erythitol will work the same as sugar. You can put your grandular erythitol in the blender to make something similar to confectioner sugar. I think I would make something similar to a cream cheese frosting to get the thickest product. I like to use Gluten Free Webstites for many of my dessert recipes. The only thing I have to switch out is the honey or agave, ususally

Gluten Free Dessert Recipes | Easy Healthy Desserts

By Recipe | Comfy Belly

 

[Carolina]

for me , I just make them per my recipe or the recipe.

Give them to the person in question. Walk away.

If I then want something just for me, I make that too.