Secret Chocolate Cake (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Yum! I like chocolate cake, yet all those carbs... bleh. Luckily you fell upon this yummy low-carb version! This title sure does not explain how amazingly delicious this cake is. And look how ridiculously photogenic it is (I even took two photos, it's THAT photogenic!), like seriously... share the beauty, cake.

 Plus, this cake has a secret!

But I'm not gonna tell you! Just kidding... I would't have a blog if I didn't tell you my recipes. 

Update: Thank you all so much for giving me 1600+ views on this recipe! Thanks to Lauren for the shoutout on Facebook and on her blog (healthyindulgences.net). Thanks to everyone who pinned my recipes on Pinterest and those who repinned them!

Makes one cake

Ingredients

13 ounces (about one can) kidney or black beans

5 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsps butter, softened

3/4 cup xylitol

6 tbsps cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a springform pan with butter or oil and dust with cocoa powder. Drain and rinse (very thoroughly) your beans and dry them. Put the beans, 3 eggs, vanilla and salt in your blender and blend until completely smooth. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda together. In a seperate larger bowl, beat butter and xylitol until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the eggs and beat until completely combined. Then take your blended bean mixture, add that to your butter mixture and beat for about a minute. Add in cocoa powder mixture and mix until combined and smooth. Pour batter into your pan and smack against your counter until air bubbles start to surface and pop. Put into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is rounded and the edges are starting to get darker. Let it cool and then remove cake from pan. Ice with chocolate buttercream icing and cut into 8 slices. 

Makes about 2/3 cup icing

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered xylitol

6 tbsps cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp water

1/4 tsp pure stevia extract

2 tbsps whole milk

1 egg yolk

Directions

In a medium bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered xylitol into your butter so it doesn't fly everywhere. Add your cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth. Beat in milk, egg yolk and water until completely combined. Add in your stevia, about 1/8 tsp at a time until you reach your desired sweetness. Beat until smooth and thick. Smother over your cake and enjoy!

Adapted from Healthy Indulgences recipes

Nutritional Info (Per one slice, iced)

Low Carb

Calories: 305

Total Fat: 25 . 2g

Sat. Fat: 14 . 7g

Cholesterol: 195 . 2mg

Sodium: 340 . 2mg

Carbs: 20 . 4g

Fibre: 11 . 8g

Net. Carbs: 8 . 6g

Sugars: 1 . 5g

Protein: 8 . 6g

Classic

Calories: 934

Total Fat: 33 . 9g

Sat. Fat: 13 . 7g

Cholesterol: 80 . 9mg

Sodium: 322 . 9mg

Carbs: 108 . 2g

Fibre: 14g

Net. Carbs: 94 . 2g

Sugars: 107 . 5g

Protein: 13 . 4g

Pots de Crème au Chocolat with Raspberry Coulis (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Photo credit: Scott Saunders

For those of you who don't speak French, this translates as chocolate cream pots, but the French version sounds much nicer doesn't it? These are "perfectly delicious" as Julia Child would say! This recipe also makes a raspberry coulis (my own recipe!), so it's a double whammy! Anyway, I made these since my Nana and cousin, Scott, were coming over and we made a big "Last Supper" before I was getting my three wisdom teeth removed. Yes, they are out now and I am suffering with a case of chipmunk cheeks and sore, stitched up areas. Oops, I probably just made you lose your appetite. But even if you still are hungry and skipped all that or just have a strong stomach, I'll post it!  PS, most of the carbs are from natural ingredients like the rasbperries and cream, but it's still pretty low compared to classic. "Bon appetit!"

Pots de Crème au Chocolat

Makes 7 ramekins

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup coconut milk

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped coarsely

heaping tsp vanilla

6 egg yolks

10 tbsps xylitol, powdered

1/8 tsp pure stevia powder

2 cups water

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F. 

Combine cream, coconut milk, chocolate and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat.   Whisk often until mixture turns a light brown and chocolate is completely melted. Take off heat.   In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and xylitol until smooth.   Pour slightly cooled cream mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly until completely combined.     Take out a large lasagna pan and place ramekins in it. Make sure they are evenly spaced.     Heat water and pour into lasagna pan, making sure not to splash any in the ramekins. The water should rise a little more than half way up the ramekins.     Pour your mixture evenly into the ramekins and put into the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. They should still be very jiggly when they come out, but the top should look a bit darker and hard.     Chill for at least 2 hours.  Enjoy!

Adapted from a Healthy Indulgences recipe

Raspberry Coulis

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/4 cup water

2 tbsps sweetener

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine raspberries and water over medium heat. Stir constantly. When the raspberries have thawed and have made a red liquidy, seedy sauce, reduce temperature to medium-low and add your sweetener. Mix for about 3 more minutes or until you are happy with your coulis. Take off heat and cool before using. Add to chocolaty desserts or cheesecakes.

Nutritional Info (per one ramekin and one tbsp raspberry coulis)

Low Carb

Calories: 353

Total Fat: 30 . 3g

Sat. Fat: 19 . 4g

Cholesterol: 226 . 8mg

Sodium: 27 . 2mg

Carbs: 28 . 1g

Fibre: 16 . 7g
Net. Carbs: 11 . 4g

Sugars: 4 . 4g

Protein: 2 . 1g

Classic

Calories: 599 

Total Fat: 40 . 6g

Sat. Fat: 24 . 1g

Trans Fat: 0 . 05g

Cholesterol: 195 . 8mg

Sodium: 63mg

Carbs: 56 . 8g

Fibre: 6 . 6g
Net. Carbs: 50 . 2g

Sugars: 43 . 7g

Protein: 7 . 3g

Key Lime Cheesecake Pie (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Who? Ceara? Hmm... I don't remember her. Something rings a bell though. Oh right! She's the one who hasn't posted on Low Carb Cookie Jar since, what? Last month? Finally she's come up with something...

So sorry to have waited this long! I don't know what's been keeping me. Maybe the shortage on Xylitol, having busy weekends, or just slacking off...? Lets just say a little of all the above. I will try to post more often for all you, if anyones reading this? Anyone? I'd really like to hear comments if there are any readers out there! 

This recipe uses my famous almond flour crust! I can't believe this is the first time I've introduced it, since I use it in every pie or whatever you use a crust for. Although, this is the first pie recipe I've posted, and what better way to start than with key lime pie? 

It also uses sweetened condensed milk, which is normally super high in carbs. Fortunately, I found a low carb version! I had a bit of trouble with it because it just would not thicken! Little did I know, it thickens when it cools. So don't get frustrated when your milk doesn't thicken on the stove. I also forgot I did not have key limes to I had to use normal limes. Key limes normally have a lime-ier taste, so if you do decide to use normal limes, make sure to use a little more juice. Both the almond flour crust and the sweetened condensed milk recipes are in another post below if you'd like to use them.

This recipe actually turned out to be a bit of a cheesecake. It is normally less creamy and more limey. I did have to run out during the middle of making it, so that probably messed something up. Maybe yours will turn out better than mine!

Makes one pie filling

Ingredients

8 oz (one brick) cream cheese, softened

1/2 - 3/4 cup key lime juice

1 1/4 cup (about 1 can) sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add lime juice and sweetened condensed milk and mix until completely combined. Pour into pie shell and chill for at least half an hour. Add topping and enjoy!


Nutritional Info

Low Carb

Calories: 213
Total Fat: 30 . 9g
Sat. Fat: 19 . 4g
Cholesterol: 104 . 4mg
Sodium: 124 . 6mg
Carbs: 10 . 4g
Fibre: 3 . 6g
Net. Carbs: 6 . 8g
Sugars: 0 . 4g
Protein: 2 . 5g

Classic Key
Calories: 450
Total Fat: 13 . 2g
Sat. Fat: 5 . 2g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 240 . 6mg
Carbs: 52g
Sugars: 42g
Protein: 6g