Spice Cake (regular and low carb version)

When you can't wait for the cake to cool to frost it, you just dig in with a spoon and smear a little frosting on each bite!  Because it's THAT good!

Spice Cake (regular and low carb version)

3/4 c butter (for the low carb version I cut this down to about 1/2 cup)
1 c brown sugar (or sugar free brown sweetener )
1 egg
1/2 c raisins (leave out for low carb/sugar free)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t cinnamon
2 c flour (2 c almond flour and 1/4 c whey protein powder & optional 1 T coconut flour for texture)
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 c sour milk

Mix the butter and sugar or sweetener.  Add the egg.  Add raisins if you are using them.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add alternately with the sour milk.   Divide into 2, greased round pounds or a 7X12 baking dish.  Bake 375 degrees for about 25 minutes until done.  Cool completely and frost if you wish - cream cheese frosting is wonderful on this cake!

In the top photo, you can see I'm scooping up the cake with a spoon and smearing a bit of frosting on it... that's because the cake was still too warm to frost but it smelled SO good I just had to dig in!!!  I did end up frosting the whole cake later though, I promise!  Ha ha.   (For the frosting I used a package of cream cheese, some So Nourished powdered sweetener, and vanilla).

Sugar Free Krispy Bars - PLUS low carb and sugar free Krispy Bars (packed with protein)

We all know how easy it is to make traditional Rice Krispie Bars - and they are SO GOOD!  But marshmallows are basically just squishy white sugar and not healthy so if you don't care about low carb or high protein, a very simple way to make your favorite treat is to simply replace the sugary marshmallows with a sugar free version.   I've posted this 'recipe' on An American Housewife a couple times and you can find it here from 2015.

I have posted this recipe previously - a few times!  One of which is back in 2014 which you can find here: A Sugar Free, Low Carb, Protein Packed Faux Rice Krispy Bar

And today it's a peanut butter krispy bar version to boot!



Peanut Butter Krispy Bars - Low Carb and Sugar Free

5 T butter
Dash of vanilla
1/2 c peanut butter of choice (read labels for sugar content)
1/4 c almond butter of choice (can use all almond butter or peanut butter if you wish)
10 oz. sugar free marshmallows (I use 4 pks. LA NOUBA marshmallows)
5 c crispy low carb, sugar free protein puffs like the ones made by ProMix

Put the butter, vanilla and marshmallows into a large microwavable bowl and microwave until they puff up and double their size in the bowl. This takes about  1-2 minutes depending on your microwave strength.

Immediately stir in the almond/peanut butters IF you are using them - you don't have to, if you want a regular vanilla Krispy Bar - and the crispy protein puffs, with a rubber scraper that has been sprayed with Pam style cooking oil or oiled with canola or vegetable oil. Press the mixture into a greased or greased pan. The smaller the pan, the thicker the bar. As soon as they are cool, cut and serve!

*You can melt sugar free chocolate chips with a bit of peanut or almond butter and spread on top of cooled bars.  My husband loves them this way.  I'm not a fan of chocolate so today I made them sans-chocolate so I can enjoy this batch too!

Baking in my Solar Oven - Spice Cake! (Both recipes for regular spice cake and low carb version)

When you can't wait to decorate the whole cake, you just grab a spoon and dig in!

I did, ultimately, frost the whole cake....  after I ate a portion of it with a spoon first!

The past couple days have been 100 degrees outside and not at all 'Fall' like, but my body must know it's almost Fall because I've been craving a good old fashioned spice cake like crazy!  

I'm not a fan of raisins in any food dishes (if you are a regular reader you already know how I feel about people who put raisins in Thanksgiving stuffing, homemade cinnamon swirl bread or bagels!) but oddly enough, spice cake is the one baked good that I don't hate them for being there.  I may pick them out and leave them on the side of my plate more often than not, but then again, I rarely EAT spice cake so it's neither here nor there.

Deciding to give in to my craving, I decided to make a regular, traditional spice cake and even gave myself permission to use flour and sugar if I wished... since we got off the habit of healthy low carb over the past two weeks due to being in beach vacation mode and cooking/sharing meals for a large group of people, none of which are low carb/sugar free except us.

But I had no raisins on hand and the bag of prunes that also could have sufficed went home with a family member after vacation as well so (luckily) I had neither to work with.  And that is when I decided I really wanted to make it a healthier low carb version anyway.... time to get back on the keto bandwagon and admit that vacation is over. 

So the cake was made... which I'll include the traditional recipe and then the ways I changed it to make it low carb, flour free and sugar free.  I also opted to bake it in my solar oven since it was 100 degrees out anyway.  

Old Fashioned Spice Cake

1/2 c real butter (1 stick)
1/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c raisins
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t all spice
1 t cinnamon
1 c sour milk (use a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes)

Grease 2 rounds or one oblong (7X12).  Beat the butter and shortening with the sugar, add the egg.  Mix the flour with the spices, and add alternately with the sour milk.  Stir in the raisins and pour into your pans.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until the center is set and the cake is done.  Cool completely before icing it with your favorite frosting.  Cream Cheese Frosting is excellent on this one!


Lower Carb and Sugar Free Version
Old Fashioned Spice Cake

1/2 c real butter (1 stick)
1/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar style sweetener 
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 c almond flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 T good quality coconut flour
1/2 c whey protein powder
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t all spice
1 t cinnamon
1 c soured cream (use a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup of cream and let it sit for a few minutes)

Grease 2 rounds or one oblong (7X12).  Beat the butter and shortening with the brown sweetener, add the egg and vanilla.  Mix the almond flour with the whey protein powder, coconut flour and spices, and add alternately with the soured cream.  Pour into your pans.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until the center is set and the cake is done.  Cool completely before icing it with your favorite frosting.  Cream Cheese Frosting is excellent on this one!

*For the cream cheese frosting in the photos in this post I used an 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened and added a splash of vanilla extract and about 1/2 c natural sweetener (I used Erythritol with Monk Fruit and a bit of Pyure - always mix 2-3 brands for best flavor) and added enough to cream to get it the consistency I wanted (maybe a quarter cup? I just poured and mixed until it was spread the way frosting should).  

 Baking in my solar oven as it was a hot, sunny day.  Just bake it until the center is completely set.

I couldn't frost it yet as it was still too warm (and I had been cooling it in the freezer to hasten the process...)  but when you can't wait, you just grab a spoon and dig in!!  I would put a smear of frosting on each bite - and yes, I enjoyed it immensely.

 I did however, finally get around to icing the whole cake!

Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

  

We just returned from a vacation at the beach, before-which I had emptied out the refrigerator of many of the foods that would go bad while we were away.  I didn't go to the grocery store this morning so today (and maybe the next few days) I'm just going to get creative to use up what we have in the house.

The dish tonight is loosely based on a recipe I've posted here on An American Housewife before - it's a spicy chicken dish.  But because I was improvising and substituting, I ended up with a dish that is similar, yet different.  And oh, so good.  It's something I'll gladly make again.


I obviously didn't measure anything so I'll guesstimate but obviously use more or less depending on what you like and what you have on hand.



 

 

 

 

 

Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

3 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. spinach (frozen, thawed or use fresh and cook just enough to wilt it)
Peppers - green and yellow
Onions - about half a medium yellow onion or about 5-6 green onions, diced/chopped
Butter to saute' the peppers and onions
8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 cups prepared salsa
1/3 cup jalapeno slices or mild yellow peppers depending on your spice level of choice
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a sprayed/greased casserole dish layer the spinach.
Top with the chicken.
Saute' the peppers and onion in butter in a pan until tender and add the cream cheese. When melted, layer over the chicken.
Top with the salsa or the diced tomatoes, add the jalapenos or yellow peppers and spices.
Top with the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is all melted.  Can serve with sour cream if you wish or you can add the sour cream to the dish with the cream cheese.  




The first layer was spinach

Followed by chicken

The cream cheese and pepper/onion layer

Tomatoes and peppers/jalapenos or salsa

Cheese!

Heated through and ready to eat!

Sugar Free Lower Carb Birthday Cake Cheesecake

Originally posted  similar in 2016

Of course no one else has to make it sugar free if they don't want to.
Use regular sugar, a regular cake mix and put a regular graham cracker or sugar cookie crust on this baby and you've got it made.

Amounts don't specifically matter!  I'm putting down the approximate amounts but if you use a little more, a little less; it won't matter.  Taste test if you want.


Sugar Free Lower Carb Birthday Cake Cheesecake

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, soft
2/3 c natural sweetener of choice (I mix 2 kinds for best flavor)
1/4 t Lorann Princess Cake flavoring
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dry cake mix from the package (I use sugar free)
1/2 c half and half or milk

sprinkles (these have sugar in them but you don't have to use many if you don't want to or you could make sugar free out of food color and unsweetened coconut flakes)
Crust if you wish to use one or make one - you can always make cheesecakes without them.

Simple Basic Low Carb Crust:

1 1/2 c almond flour
1/3 c natural sweetener, confectioner's style (like So Nourished, Just Like Sugar, etc.)
1/4 t salt
4 T butter, melted

Mix or blend the almond flour, sweetener and salt in a small bowl.  Add the melted butter, stir until it starts to come together, place in your pie pan or a small 8 or 9 inch pan (for pie or bars).  Press evenly all across the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with the sweetener and the princess flavoring and vanilla until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl.  Add a bit of the whipping cream and start the mixer on low (trying to cut down on splatters).  Keep pouring in the rest of the cream and half and half.  Then increase the speed to a medium/high like you usually use to whip.  Within about 1 minute it should be whipped to stiff peaks.  Add the cake mix and mix on low just until blended. I just dumped some in - going to guess it was about 3/4 cup-ish.  One cake mix can make about 3 of these cheesecakes. Save the rest of the dry mix for another time.  

At this point mine got really thick so I used about 1/3 c half and half to thin it out just a little bit.  Use your half and half or milk for this purpose if it's super thick, to get it to a nice thick batter more like stiff peak whipped cream.  Mix in some sprinkles if you wish at this point to make it rainbow sprinkled all the way through or you can leave it white and put the sprinkles only on top.  Up to you!

Scoop into the springform pan over your crust if using.  Smooth the top.  Top with sprinkles of your choice - as heavy or light as you like.  Now chill for at least 6 hours or freeze for about 2 hours and then move to the refrigerator until serving time.  If you can make this 1 day a ahead that is best!  It will set up beautifully and the taste really has a chance to mix through the entire cheesecake. 

Whipped cream and cream cheese before adding the cake mix.

Scoopable... not a real thick batter but not thin or pourable either.  "Scoopable" and "spreadable" is about right.

Here comes the pretties!

Scoop into the springform pan (I didn't spray mine and it came out perfectly after freezing/chilling).

Ready to add the rest of the pretties on top and then chill.

I wanted it to be set up in time for dinner in a few hours so I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours.  It went into the refrigerator after that.  Set up beautifully.

This is actually the snapchat I sent my family - that's why you see text on the photo.