Carrot Cake

It's Easter. And if we're talking dessert, we have to be talking Carrot Cake... what other kind of dessert would the Easter Bunny eat!

Now when we are talking carrot cake, there is NO better one than my Great Aunt Ora Brunson's. If you are interested in that fully decadent version, I am going to link it here. However, I thought that I would give it a go and see if I could somehow get close in a guiltless version.

Start with:

• One yellow sugar-free cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. milk (2%)
• 1 small jar of carrot baby food
• 1 1/2 c. finely shredded carrots (5-6 medium)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained 
• 1 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. vanilla

 *First you need to mix up the cake mix. Mine calls for 3 eggs, 1/3 c. oil, and 1 c. water. I substituted milk (I had 2% in my fridge) for the water.

*I really wanted to replicate, as much as possible, the flavors of my Great Aunt Ora's cake, so next come the add-ins: grated carrots, pineapple, raisins, pecans, cinnamon and vanilla. In order to intensify the carrot flavor and overcome the built-in flavor of the cake mix, I added the baby food... just some pure flavor and it helps to keep the cake moist.

*Spray two round cake pans, and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Divide batter between the pans and tap on the counter to help remove any air bubbles. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Be sure to test the center, so that it is not jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean.

*While the cake is baking, mix up the frosting. Use:

• 2- 8 oz packages of reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/2 canister of sugar-free vanilla frosting

*You may want to lay the cream cheese out to soften while you mix up the cake batter. It will just make it easier to whip. But no worries if you forget, it may just take a few more minutes.

*With the whip attachment, add cream cheese and prepared frosting to your mixing bowl. Mix together on medium speed until cream cheese is completely incorporated into the frosting.

*Cover and place in refrigerator to stiffen.

*Use the remaining time that the cake is baking and chop some pecans. Now this is going to be your preference as far as decorating the cake goes. It just goes from my experience that the sides of a carrot cake are coated with pecans,... but if you aren't a pecan fan, maybe just a few sprinkles on top may be enough. To cover the sides and sprinkle the top, I used about 1 cup of chopped pecans.

 *When the cakes come out of the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and turn them out onto a cooling rack.

*Be sure to cool the cakes completely, as nothing will make cream cheese frosting thin and runny more quickly than trying to frost a warm cake.

 *About 10 minutes before frosting the cake, set the frosting out of the fridge. Add a dab of frosting to your serving/cake plate, just so that the cake won't slide around. Add a layer of frosting to the first layer. Sprinkle a few pecans here if you would like to.

*Add on the second layer, press lightly, and then frost the entire cake. I like to frost the top first, and then work the frosting over the sides. Note: the frosting recipe makes plenty, so you don't have to be skimpy.

*This part takes a little patience, but just go slowly. Take a small amount of chopped pecans between your fingers and press them into the side frosting of the cake. I think it pays off in the presentation, and hey... you are adding protein to your dessert.

*Sprinkle a few additional pecans on the top.

*And here you go!! One Easter carrot cake... frankly, an anytime carrot cake. Does it taste just like my Great Aunt Ora's?... No. But is it a guiltless and decadent, super yummy carrot cake?...YES! I love the moistness that the pineapple and raisins give the cake. Keep it in the fridge so that it will last several days... oh, that's only if you just made it for yourself. No need to tell anyone that this is a No Sugar Added recipe, and it will be gone in a snap.

Strawberry Shortcake

I can't believe that it's June!  Looking back I haven't posted since the middle of April. One thing my husband has always said, "Don't bother her in August or in May". So the end of the school year was pretty hectic. Not so hectic that I haven't been baking, but hectic enough that I haven't had time to post. So I will try to make several posts in the next couple of weeks (now that I am on vacation) and get you caught up on what I have been doing.

May is traditionally strawberry month here in Arkansas. Over the last couple of years we have been getting wonderful strawberries year round from California. I do love this but I still think about eating strawberries more during the month of May. This May was no different and I was able to get some nice, small, sweet strawberries at the Farmer's Market. I was very busy so I also took some help from the grocery store for some yummy strawberry shortcake.

This was a no bake way to have a tasty spring or summer dessert. First I de-stemmed and sliced up a quart of fresh strawberries.

These berries were pretty sweet so I only added about a 1/3 cup of Splenda. You can always adjust this amount depending upon the sweetness of your berries.  Let this sit for a little while-30-45 minutes-to allow the berries to get a little juicy. Stir occasionally.

Here's my shortcut secret. This isn't technically shortcake but it is a great substitute when you are short on time.  You can pick up a Sugar-free angel food cake in the bakery section of your local supermarket.

Slice the cake and add one to each bowl. Spoon strawberries over the cake. Don't forget to get some of that great juice to soak into the cake.

Add a couple of squirts of some light whipped cream and you are set!!  Fast, easy and delicious!


If you have a little more time and want a true Oklahoma/Arkansas shortcake, you can mix up a batch of your favorite biscuit dough. I add just about a 1/4 cup of Splenda to make it slightly sweet. Just before you put them in the oven, sprinkle just a tad more on top of each biscuit and it will be pretty and sparkly.

Split the warm biscuit, add some strawberries-and juice-then top with the other half of the biscuit, some more strawberries and finally the whipped cream!  Both versions are amazing; it just depends on how much time you have.

A special note: One Saturday I got some strawberry pecan goat cheese at the Farmer's Market. Talk about decadence!!  I made the biscuit version of this dessert and added a spread of this amazing goat cheese to the inside of the warm biscuit before labeling on the strawberries. Well, I'm not sure I can even describe this dessert to you. Maybe you had better give it a try!!

Apple Dumplings

Are you just hankering for something sweet after dinner, but you didn't plan for anything?  The other night, my husband and I were thinking just that.  I found that I had a couple of apples in my fridge and a prepared pie crust left over as I had made a quiche a couple of days before and only used one in the package.  You can throw this in the oven quickly and it will make your house smell wonderful!

•  1 apple per person
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• Splenda brown sugar Blend
• cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• prepared pie crust

Start by coring the apples.  Clean all of the seeds and core through the entire middle.  Next, find a shallow baking dish.  A 9 x 9 works great if you have 4 or 6 apples... I have this small one, that worked perfect for two apples.
I used about 1/3 of the pie crust for each apple.  It doesn't have to fit around the apple perfectly, but put the crust down in the bottom of the dish.  Add 2 or 3 T. of butter into the core of each apple and then a couple of spoonfuls of the brown sugar blend.  This makes the recipe a  Low Sugar  recipe.  If desired, give a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

Wrap the pie crust around the apples.  No worries if it doesn't wrap up nice and neat... trim and patch.
Bake the apples at 350 degrees for 45 to 1 hour.  Just check it occasionally.  You want the crust to become a beautiful golden brown.

You can serve these apples with a little half-n-half or a small scoop of no sugar added ice cream or frozen yoghurt.  The apple inside is going to be warm, sweet and soft.

Sorry there isn't a picture of the finished apples.  They smelled so good, that we dove in and ate them right away and I forgot to take the picture... the smell went straight to my brain!

Chocolate Banana Pineapple Pie

One of my friends is from Hawai'i and shared this recipe with me from cookinghawaiianstyle.com   I love tropical flavors and so I have been waiting for the time when I could make this pie.  The combination of bananas and chocolate and pineapple...  Mmmmmm!!!

The first thing you can say about this pie is that it is ... beautiful!!  It is considered a  Low Sugar  dessert since I have yet to find any sugar free graham crackers and there is a small amount of brown sugar Blend in the crust.  So here's what you do...

•  1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1/6 c. Splenda brown sugar blend
• 1/4 c. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted
• 1 c. sugar-free chocolate syrup
• 2 medium to large bananas, firm
• 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
• 2 pkg. sugar free vanilla pudding
• 3 c. 2% milk
• 12 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
• 8 oz. sugar free Cool Whip

 Mix first 3 ingredients for crust and press into the bottom of a pie plate.  Bake at 325 degrees for 6-8 minutes to set.
Now you can probably tell from my picture that I decided to use an already prepared graham cracker crust.  I just happened to have a reduced-fat crust in my pantry and decided to use it.  While it tasted fine, when I make this pie again, I will make my own crust, simply because the pre-made crust was not large enough and it did not hold the entire filling.  As a matter of fact, it didn't even hold half.  What I may try is doing a one and half times the recipe for the crust and make this in a 9x9 pan, so that it is deep enough to hold the entire filling.
Next, pour the chocolate syrup and spread over the entire crust.  I took a second before measuring the syrup and sprayed my measuring cup with a little cooking spray, so that the syrup came out easily.

 Slice your bananas.  Make sure that they are not too thick or too thin.  Layer them all over your chocolate syrup.

Whip together cream cheese & pudding mix and then slowly add milk.  I felt like this mixture didn't quite smooth out.  Tastes wonderful, but the cream cheese didn't seem to fully mix in.  Next time, I will mix the pudding mixture with the milk in a separate bowl and allow it to start thickening.  Then after whipping the cream cheese to lighten it a bit, slowly add in the pudding.  I believe this will allow for a smoother filling.
Pour filling over the banana layer.

Drain pineapple.  This is an extremely important step.  If you have some kind of strainer, I might open the pineapple before you begin the rest of the pie and let it set over a bowl and drain until you are ready for it.  Don't throw that pineapple juice away!!!  It mixes in to make a great smoothie!
Sprinkle the pieces of crushed pineapple over the top of your filling.
At this point, I allowed the pie to set up just a bit in the fridge; 30-45 minutes.

 Finally, top your pie with with the Cool Whip and drizzle with some additional chocolate syrup.

















Allow the pie to firm up just a little longer in the fridge.  Serve and enjoy.....

Thanks Jennie W!!!!  Can't wait to try this with some fresh Hawai'ian pineapple!

Cake Balls

Wow!!!  How time flies!  I guess that I baked so much during the holidays that I have kind of been on a hiatus the last few weeks.  I just didn't realize that it has been a month since I posted a recipe.  That just won't do.
So, another holiday is hitting us this week and with my daughter away at college, I just decided that I should send a small care package.  I remember being in college and it was always nice to get anything in the mail... even a card.. but a care package... WOW!!!  I think that my daughter feels the same and I try to send her something a few times a year.
Since it is Valentine's Day, I thought I would try for a more elegant look and decided on cake balls.  I had tried to make them before, and while they tasted good, just didn't stick together the way they should have and were a little messy and crumbly.  So I made a phone call to my sister, who I knew had had some success with these in the past.  What she let me know is what she had learned from our mom, work with the cake while it is still warm, so I did just that and they turned out great!

First you need to decide on the flavor for your cake balls.  I decided on strawberry since I knew they would turn out pink and I was looking for something pretty.  You can choose a box of sugar-free Jell-o powder or a container of quart size drink mix in the flavor of your choice and add it to your cake mix to create the flavor of choice.

• box of sugar-free cake mix (yellow or chocolate)
• box of sugar-free Jell-o or quart-size drink mix
• 1 c. lower fat milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• can of sugar-free frosting (vanilla or chocolate)
• package of vanilla flavored candy coating (almond bark)
• 2 T. vegetable shortening
• sprinkles of your choice

Add the cake mix and the flavoring powder of choice to your mixture.  As I mentioned earlier, I went with a yellow cake mix and a box of sugar-free strawberry Jell-0.  Add the eggs, oil and the milk instead of water as directed on the package.  The milk will bring a richness to your cake mix.  I usually have 2% milk in my fridge, but whatever you have is fine.

 After you have mixed well, spray a 9 x 13 pan and add your cake mix and bake according to package directions.  Remember that you are going to crumble this cake up, so it really doesn't matter what you bake it in.  A 9 x 13 just seems easiest to me, but if you don't have one, or if you prefer, you can use round cake pans too.

 Once the cake is done, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes.  This is the secret... let it cool just enough so that you can handle it, but make sure that the cake is fairly warm.  Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl.  The best tool is your hands.  Just crumble the cake until it is in pretty small pieces.
Next, add the can of frosting and use a wood spoon or spatula and mix the frosting into the crumbs.  With the cake being somewhat warm, this will allow the frosting and the cake to "melt" together and become a good consistency.

 Once you have the cake and frosting well mixed, form into small balls and put on a sheet on waxed paper.  You can either form these by hand or use a small meatball scoop.  The size is really a personal preference.
Put the sheets of cake balls into the freezer to harden.  This will only take about 45 minutes to an hour.  But if you want to do this in stages, this is a great place to stop.  Once they are frozen, you can store these in an airtight container in the freezer until you are ready to dip them in the outer coating.

 When you are ready to dip them, use a double boiler, or I just use a small saucepan and a glass bowl.  Put water in the pan and turn the heat to medium high.  Make sure your bowl is not touching the water or your candy coating will scorch.  You should chop the coating into smaller pieces so that it will melt more quickly.  Add a couple of T. of shortening to the coating to thin it down a little and make your dipping easier.  Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
If you want to make this a completely  Sugar-free  dessert (and I know that is normally my goal)  you should use a package of sugar-free chocolate chips.  I usually add some parafin slivers, about a 1/4 stick, to my chocolate to help thin it out and make it glossy.  But this was all about the pretty and I very much wanted to use the white; so I settled for a  Low-Sugar  recipe since there is obviously sugar in the candy coating.

 Once your coating is melted, turn the heat down on your water just to keep it simmering and keep your coating melted.  Bring your cake balls out of the freezer.  I like to use a toothpick to dip my candies.  I just feel like I can get the coating all over the entire piece.  Be sure to shake it well and remove any excess coating.
One of the things that I have started doing in the last year is tilting my bowl towards me.  This allows the coating to pool deeper and it makes it easier to dip.  Be especially careful not to get your fingers in the hot coating.

 Set your coated cake ball back on the waxed paper.  If you would like to add a little sprinkle, do so at this point, so that it will stick before the candy coating starts to set up.
I usually work with 2 toothpicks.  By the time I have used the second one, the first one has set up enough that I can twist the toothpick out fairly easily and use it on the next one.  It seems I have to get new toothpicks after 20 or 25 cake balls.

Afterwards, set your tray into the fridge or back into the freezer and allow the coating to set up well.  I usually store these in the fridge until I am ready to serve.  They will keep in the freezer for quite some time if you keep them in an airtight container.
Since I am a chocoholic, this was a nice change for me and I hope my daughter finds them the same.
However, now my mind is reeling... chocolate cake with cherry Jell-0 powder and chocolate icing, dipped in chocolate...  Nothing says "I love you" quite like chocolate covered cherries!  Maybe I should make just one more batch.

Crustless Hot Fudge Pie

I had some friends over for lunch the other day and was looking for a new and easy dessert.  I looked through some recipes that I had seen and written down; I settled on this one.  It had come across in a shared format on my FB feed.  I found it at the following link.  It took no time at all to mix up and we were able to eat it warm.

• 1 stick I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, softened
• 1 c. Splenda
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 T. cocoa powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. flour

Cream butter and Splenda for 3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix in well.  Finally add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  (This recipe originally called for 1 t. salt.  It was just a little too salty for my taste, so above I have reduced the amount to 1/2 t.)

 It doesn't look like much batter, but is enough for this small pie.  It will make 6 regular size dessert pieces.  Spray an 8" pie plate and pour in the mixture.

 Heat oven to 335 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool for just a few minutes.  You will want to eat it warm.

I just happened to have some sugar-free ice cream in the freezer...  It was the perfect addition to make it very delicious!

Peach Crisp

I have been doing so much baking in the last couple of weeks that I haven't had the time to get anything posted.  So you can expect quite a few new recipes coming in the next few days.
Recently I posted a recipe for peach cobbler.  Not long ago we had a potluck at my work for the holidays and my department was set to bring desserts.  The afternoon before, as I was struggling to make a decision on what to make, I was watching the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network.  She was making one of her famous crisps.  So I quickly wrote down her crisp topping recipe and took another package of peaches out of the freezer.  I was able to mix this up in no time and baked it that evening.  It was perfect for a potluck!  This is a  Low Sugar  recipe; there is some brown sugar in the recipe and the natural sugars in the fruit.

First, take a look at my peach cobbler recipe for the filling.  Remember that peach just happens to be one of my family's favorites.  You can always use any fruit or fruit combination that happens to be in season or that you might have in your freezer.  You won't have any crust, so spray your pie plate or dish and pour in your fruit filling.  I looked for the link to Ina Garten's crisp topping, but can't find one that doesn't have oatmeal.  Interesting because I wrote it down while I was watching and it came out great.  So I can't find the link, but here is what I wrote down with my little twists.

•  1 c. flour
• 1/3 c. Splenda
• 1/4 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 stick I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

Add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl and mix on slow speed.  Cut your butter stick into small pieces and add, mixing until it resembles small peas.

 Cover the top of your fruit completely with the topping mixture.  Mine was more than a thin layer by the time I got it all on.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  This was a quick and easy preparation and perfect for the potluck.  No need to cut into pieces...just add a serving spoon and you are set to go!

Chocolate Fudge??...or Gelato??

My daughter came home for the Thanksgiving holidays and as we worked to make our holiday dinner menu and list for the grocery store, I told her that I was really missing some good old-fashioned marshmallow cream fudge.  I have wanted to try and see if I could make some with Splenda, but up until now I have been hesitant.  Being part of the tech generation that she is, by this time she was already on the internet checking out the forums to see what someone might have to say about that.  Her report back was that you can't just replace the sugar because it is more than a sweetener in fudge...it is a structural component.  She looked a little and found 2 or 3 recipes that were posted there to make fudge without the large amount of sugar.

We chose one and decided to see if it would work:

• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1 T. liquid sugar substitute (I had some agave nectar in my pantry)
• 1/2 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 3 oz. cream cheese (I chose reduced fat)
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla

 Start by adding the first four ingredients to a small saucepan and heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is starting to thicken.
In the meanwhile, put the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip until light and fluffy.  (It doesn't take that long for the chocolate mixture to melt and thicken, so you might want to whip up the cream cheese beforehand.)

 Pour the melted chocolate and milk into the mixing bowl and mix to combine.  Add the vanilla and mix once more.

Butter a piece of parchment paper and line an 8 x 8 pan.  Pour mixture into pan and put in the fridge to set up.
I found this recipe to be very easy to do.  As I tasted..you know that I was going to taste it, right?...it wasn't really as sweet as I thought it should be and so I added about 3 teaspoons of Splenda and combined well, tasting after each teaspoon.  Once I had a sweet enough taste, I poured it into the pan.
A few hours later I checked on it and it wasn't really set up, so I decided to leave it over night.  The next day, it still wasn't set up and I noticed that there were some small clumps in the surface.  Finally after about 24 hours, I used a spoon and I tasted it.  The taste was good, but the small clumps took away from that taste, and it had the consistency of a thick pudding.
So we put our heads together to brainstorm just exactly what this mixture could become, since it was clear to us that it wasn't going to be fudge.
My daughter came up with the idea of putting it into the ice cream maker.  First she emptied it into the food processor and turned it on for a short time to try and remove those clumps.  Then, she added a small amount of cream to get the consistency of an ice cream mixture.  Once she added it into the ice cream machine it only took a small amount of time (maybe 5-7 minutes) for the mixture to freeze.  It only made a small amount, but it was rich, and smooth, and creamy and tasted like Chocolate Gelato.
I definitely think I will make this again and will make the following changes:  Beat the cream cheese ahead of time and be ready to add the chocolate mixture just as soon as it is melted and starts to get thick; Once the mixture has been combined with the cream cheese, pour it through a strainer, to remove any clumps; Add cream and put in fridge to chill; Once cold go ahead and add it to the ice cream machine.
The moral of this story is to never be afraid to try something new.  Even if it doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would, you might find out that it is something amazing!

Chocolate with Caramel

Last weekend, I spent the day with a group of my quilting friends, exchanging fabric, sewing, eating and generally just having a great time!  Everyone brought a potluck and we met at our local library's community room.  For some reason I was in a Chocolate/Caramel mood and so I made a couple of desserts to take along.  Both are considered  No Sugar Added.  There is a small trace of natural sugars in pecans.

First, I made German Chocolate Cupcake Surprise.  I chose this because it is one of my husband's favorites, so I knew I would have to have a few cupcakes set aside for him...if they are his favorite kind...the better I come out in the deal.  These cupcakes are called surprise because from the outside they just look like chocolate cupcakes.  The part that makes them German Chocolate is all tucked in nice and neat on the inside.

 This recipe is going to start out by enhancing a box cake, and end up with a yummy gooey center.

• 1 chocolate sugar-free cake mix
• 1 c. milk (I used 2%)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. non-fat, plain yogurt
• 1-2 oz. Torani, sugar-free caramel syrup, (optional)
• 1/2 jar sugar-free caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2-3/4 c. chopped pecans
• 1/2-3/4 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 can chocolate sugar-free frosting

Mix up your cake mix, with the eggs and oil, but substituting the milk for the water.  Additionally, mix in 1/2 c. yogurt.  The milk and the yogurt will help keep your cupcakes extra moist.  I also happened to have some sugar-free caramel syrup in my cabinet (you know, the kind you add to your coffee...) and so I decided to add about an ounce.  If you don't have any of this, I wouldn't buy a whole bottle just for the little bit you need for this.   Bake according to package directions:  325 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Using a scoop, add the batter to the cupcake liners and fill them about 3/4 full.  You can fill them a little fuller, but you will need to cook them an extra minute or two and you won't get a full 2 dozen cupcakes.

 Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and after a few minutes, remove them from the muffin tin and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.  Once cooled, you will need to remove a small amount of cake from the center.  I use the center to my donut cutter, but you can use any tool you might have around your kitchen that would be a small circle.  The centers make great little snacks or you can save and combine them with leftover icing and make some cake balls.

In a separate bowl, mix the caramel ice cream topping, coconut and pecans.  You may have to adjust your amounts slightly.  Just remember that you are going for something that has the consistency of German Chocolate frosting.
Spoon the filling into the cupcake centers.  No need to overfill, but do fill the holes completely.

Lastly, frost the cupcakes, covering the centers as you go.  You can either use a piping bag or you can just frost with a knife or small spatula.  Again, here I took the opportunity to add an ounce or so of the caramel syrup to the frosting.







Somehow I just couldn't stop here.  I felt the need to make some Turtle Brownies.  Although I have seen several recipes out on the internet for this type of dessert, I didn't find them and just kind of winged it myself.

• 1 box sugar-free brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 3 T. water
• 1/2 jar of caramel ice cream topping
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. chopped pecans

First I mixed up a brownie recipe, using the mix, the egg, the oil and the water and followed the directions for baking.  Spray an 8 x 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Once the brownies come out of the oven, go ahead and start adding the "turtle" ingredients on top while the brownies are warm.  Drizzle the caramel ice cream topping over the top.  A half jar should allow you to cover the entire top of the pan.  A couple of handfuls of chocolate chips and a couple of handfuls of chopped pecans will top it all off.
After the brownies cooled, I put a lid on, or you could cover with plastic wrap and I stored them in the fridge.  This just allows them to set up really well and they will last longer, well, if your family doesn't eat them all up!