The Diabetic Pastry Chef

4 eggs
2/3 c sugar
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar (aka, confectioners’ sugar)
1 c sugar-free or reduced sugar jelly or jam
1 c sweetened flaked coconut

With electric mixer, beat the eggs until light. Gradually add the sugar and beat until mixture is thick and lemon-colored.

Combine dry ingredients. Fold with vanilla into the egg mixture. Turn into 15×10-inch jelly roll pan that has been lined with greased parchment paper.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cut the edges off of the cake and turn at once onto a clean cloth or dish towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Remove the paper from the cake. Spread the cake with softened jelly or jam to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Sprinkle with coconut. Roll up quickly, starting at the narrow side of the cake. End with the open end on the underside. Wrap in towel and cool on wire rack. Once cooled, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Best eaten the next day.

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c bread flour
3 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter
1 8-oz pkg. light cream cheese
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c Splenda
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 c or more maraschino cherries, drained and halved
1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

Mix together flours, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream together butter, cream cheese, sugar and Splenda until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, and stir in vanilla and almond extract. Beat in flour mixture just until incorporated.

Dredge cherries in 1/4 c flour and fold into batter.

Bake in 8-inch greased and floured tube pan at 325 degrees for 60 to 80 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

A recent post on a homemaking forum I belong to reminded me about the two-ingredient cake mix desserts. I was first introduced to these recipes through Weight Watchers. These are great for diabetics because the recipes omit the eggs and oil that are typically needed to bake a cake. Try the new reduced sugar cake mixes from Pillsbury with these recipes and you’ll really do your body a favor. These recipes work well for low-carbers and non-diabetics also, so feel free to serve these to your friends or whole family.

1. My favorite recipe is to take an angel food cake mix and add an undrained 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple. Do not add anything else. Mix well with a large spoon and follow package directions for baking. This is great topped with whipped cream or frozen whipped topping.

2. Take a (18.25-oz) box of spice cake mix and add 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix). Mix and spread in a 9×13-in pan and bake according to package directions.This recipe can be found at allrecipes.com. Be sure to read the reviews for tips: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Two-Ingredient-Pumpkin-Cake/Detail.aspx

3. Take a (18.25-oz) box of dark chocolate cake mix and add exactly 10 ozs of diet Coke or diet root beer. Mix well and pour into a 9×13-in pan and bake according to package directions at 350 degrees. The cake will be a bit more dense than a regular chocolate cake, more similar to a cake brownie. Use Pillsbury’s reduced-sugar Devil’s Food cake mix for this.

4. Try the above recipe with a white or yellow cake mix and diet Sprite. Pillsbury also puts out a reduced-sugar yellow cake mix.

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple in syrup
1 20-oz can lite cherry pie filling
1 18.5-oz box reduced-sugar yellow cake mix
3/4 stick butter
1 c pecans, chopped

Layer first 3 ingredients in order listed in 13 x 9-in baking pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream or whipped topping.

For a more gourmet version, this also works well with 2 cans of pitted dark Bing cherries in heavy syrup, in place of the 1 can of cherry pie filling. Drain one of the cans of Bing cherries and proceed as above. This tip is courtesy of my sister, Gwen.

This recipe is so easy to prepare!

10 T butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 1/4 c flour
1 c ground almonds
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 raw egg yolks
2 hard boiled egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 (15.5-oz) jar low-sugar orange marmalade
egg white
sliced almonds

In mixing bowl with mixer at medium speed, combine the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the flour, ground almonds, lemon rind, cinnamon nutmeg, raw egg yolks, boiled egg yolks and vanilla. Continue to mix until well combined. Chill for at least one hour.

Divide the chilled dough into two pieces. Roll out half the dough, and fit into a greased 8-inch square pan. Spread the orange marmalade over the bottom of the pan with a spatula.

With the remaining dough, make a lattice top to cover marmalade. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes, or until a pale golden color.

4 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c Splenda
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 c ground almonds
2 T confectioners sugar, sifted
6 T lemon or lime curd
1/2 pt heavy cream
toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line jelly roll pan with a single sheet of parchment paper.

In mixing bowl with mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in the almond extract, vinegar and ground almonds and mix together lightly.

Turn into the parchment lined jelly roll pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Tap the pan lightly to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is a pale golden color and feels firm and set. Remove from oven and cool.

In the meantime, whip cream until thick, and reserve. Invert the cooled roulade onto a large sheet of parchement paper sprinkled with the 2 tablespoons of sifted confectioners sugar. Carefully strip off the lining paper. Spread roulade with the lime curd and then the whipped cream. Let sit a few minutes to allow the roulade to soften. Carefully roll. The roulade will crack slightly as you roll, which is normal. Sprinkle top with toasted almonds.

Here’s a heads-up…

1.  Pillsbury’s reduced-sugar cake mix
I was just in my local supermarket and noticed that Pillsbury has both a yellow and chocolate cake mix with half the sugar of their regular cake mixes! The cake mixes contain Splenda.

2.  Sugar-Free frosting recipe
AllRecipes.com has a sugar-free frosting recipe that contains cream cheese and a box of sugar-free pudding as the sweetener. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it has received excellent ratings! Here’s the link: Sugar-Free Frosting

Serve with sugar-free ice cream and enjoy. 

Below is a link for another tasty frosting recipe that can be made diabetic-friendly by modifiying the recipe a bit.  Just substitute sugar-free pudding in the recipe for the regular vanilla pudding. I use regular whipped topping, as it has very little sugar.  Here’s the recipe:

Cool Whipped Frosting  (Be sure to read the reviews!)

This is scrumptious topped with sliced almonds!