Eat your heart out
Unsweetened cocoa creates delectable, guilt-free chocolate confections
A guilt-free chocolate dessert or a home-cooked meal will help impress your Valentine
There is no need to save up all your love for one day a year. You can and should shower your loved one with flowers and treats throughout the year.
That is true for people you love who have diabetes. We need the support of our nearest and dearest all the time. And even with diabetes, love can be expressed in chocolate.
For the most part, dark chocolate with 70 percent or better cocoa is reasonably low enough in carbohydrates to have a small amount. Perhaps not chocolate every day, but far more often than you might expect.
Dark unsweetened cocoa powder is surprisingly low in carbohydrates. A little goes a long way in creating diabetes-compatible chocolate confections that will be appreciated by your loved ones with diabetes, and will surprise you with how
scrumptious they are.
You don’t have to have diabetes to enjoy these recipes. Chef Ward Alper retired to Albuquerque after being a professional chef in Boston and New York City. He blogs as “The Decadent Diabetic: Taking Back My Life and Table,” thedecadentdiabetic.com.
CHOCOLATE CAKE SIMPLE AND SWEET
Serves 8 Net carbohydrates: 14 grams per slice (including frosting)
⅔ cup flour ½ cup toasted almonds, cooled 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda (½ into dry mix, ½ into wet mix)
3 tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder Pinch of salt 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cup granulated sugar substitute
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sour cream (low fat is fine but NOT fat free)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine nuts, salt and ⅓ cup flour. Pulse until the nuts are totally pulverized. Add ⅓ cup more flour, and cocoa powder. Pulse until combined. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda and powder and pulse until combined. (I often do this much a day ahead.)
Using a stand mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar substitute until light and fluffy, add the oil and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla.
Add remaining ½ teaspoon baking soda to sour cream and stir.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and the eggs and sour cream mixture. Start with the dry. Mix only until just incorporated, otherwise you wind up with bread.
Pour batter into a well-sprayed 8-inch round spring form pan.
Bake for 26-28 minutes until a tester comes out dry from the center of the cake. Allow to cool. Remove side from the spring form pan and frost as below. FROSTING
Covers one 8-inch cake generously
Net carbohydrates: 16 per cake or 2.5 per slice
8 ounces cream cheese (can use low fat but NOT fat free)
½ cup granulated sugar substitute
½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder (recommended Hershey’s Special Dark)
Beat the cream cheese and sugar substitute until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Frost the cake when it is still slightly warm.
To keep the serving plate clean, turn cake out onto two pieces of parchment or waxed paper each big enough to cover
½ of the cake. Frost and remove paper before chilling.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE RICOTTA CRÈME Serves 4 Carbohydrates: 12 grams
¾ cup granulated sugar substitute
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
30-ounce container ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons unsweetened Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liquor, bourbon or brandy (you can substitute grated orange zest or a tablespoon of strong dark coffee)
2 squares Perugina bittersweet chocolate
Toasted, sliced almonds for topping (optional)
Lightly sweetened raspberries or strawberries (3-5 per plating) (optional)
Make this in a food processor or it will be grainy. It will still taste good but the texture will be off.
Place granulated sugar substitute in the bowl of a food processor. Cut vanilla bean open and scrape seeds into the granulated sugar substitute. Run the processor to make vanilla sugar. (If using vanilla extract you can skip this step.)
Add the cocoa powder. Process 30 seconds or so. Add the ricotta cheese and process for two minutes. Scrape down the sides and process for 1-2 minutes more. Add the liquor or coffee or zest and process until blended.
As an extra treat to the palate and the tongue, finely chop (almost pulverize) the squares of chocolate and fold into the crème. Spoon the mixture into martini or wine glasses. Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours or more.
Top with very lightly sweetened raspberries or strawberries soaked in 1 tablespoon of Trop 50.