2014 - *See an update 'note' at the bottom.... Yesterday I started to crave my homemade almond pound cake. Although I gave up sugar for Lent, this is a wholegrain, nutty pound cake that is sugar free (uses Splenda
) and happens to be low-carb diet friendly too if you are looking for a low carb dessert.When I make this, I like the wholesome, nutty flavor and texture of grinding my own raw almonds. I like this cake when I am craving something similar to my favorite pecan pancakes rather than a 'cake'. You can purchase finely ground 'almond flour
' to use if you want a smoother, whiter cake. If you are strict about counting carbs you'll have to use your own personal favorite website or book to figure your exact count based on the ingredients you use and the amounts, as well as the size of slice you serve but it will average 6 net grams of carbs per serving if the cake was sliced into 12 servings.
Sugar Free Almond Pound Cake (Low Carb too)
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, room temp
1/2 c cream cheese (not fat free)
1 c Splenda (or sugar)
5 large eggs
2 c ground almonds (or use almond flour for a smoother, whiter cake)
1/2 c Cake Ability*
1 t lemon or almond extract
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
Ground about 12 oz. natural, unsalted almonds in a food processor. You need 2 cups after ground. Don't grind too long or you'll end up with paste. Just until powder like and uniform in texture.
Cream butter, cream cheese and splenda. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Mix the Cake Ability with the ground almonds or almond flour. Add the batter to the almond mixture a little at a time while beating. Add the extracts.
Pour or spoon into a greased 9" Springform pan, bundt pan, ring pan or even round pans. Bake at 350 for approximately 50-55 minutes.
*2014 - I had a reader comment that this didn't turn out for her and that it tasted too much like baking soda. Which I feel terrible about - because who wants to waste all these ingredients! However, as you can tell from my personal photos, I've made this cake many times since 2009. I've used this recipe for 5 years now (2009 - 2014) and it's turned out for me.
But I'd like to explain why there is 2 T baking soda in it -
Originally back in the early to mid 2000's there was a product called Cake-Ability that could be used in this recipe. When they stopped making it, people had to come up with a substitute. The substitute was;
*Cake-Ability
1/4 cup egg white powder (like JustWhites)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 Vitamin C tablet - crushed
Mix. Store air-tight. Use when called for in recipes.
You mix this together in a coffee grinder and when your recipe calls for Cake-Ability you can use this substitute. This particular recipe called for 1/2 cup Cake-Ability. When I make up the substitute I usually triple or quadruple it and keep it in a jar or baggy in my pantry and use what I need. In this cake, 1/2 cup.
With low-carb, sugar free baking the recipe can change SO MUCH with different product brands. I am just thinking out loud here, but I wonder if the taste and texture of the cake changes depending on the brands of everything else used? I'm not sure of the answer. I went back to my recipe book and yes, this is the recipe I've used since November of 2009. If you are making it - PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PLAY WITH THE INGREDIENTS. If you want to only use 1 T baking soda, perhaps that would work better? I'm not sure since it worked for me, but low carb and sugar free baking can be tricky!
A nutty, thick batter
Fresh from the oven... Mmmm!
