October 26, 2011

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

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As you read this, I am on my way home from what we hope was a wonderful, relaxing family vacation. I have to confess, stepping away from the computer for even a few days, let alone a full week, is kind of scary. The foodblogging world moves quickly, thanks in part to the insanity of social media, and I feel like I am going to miss so much. How many zillions of yummy posts will I have missed seeing that are now buried under masses of tweets? Exactly how many shares will I have in my Foodbuzz and Stumble Upon inboxes? The idea of playing catch up is so overwhelming, it’s enough to make my head spin! I am just trying not to think too much about it.

Of course, as I am writing this, I am not even gone yet. I hope you enjoyed my guest bloggers, Katrina, Roxana and Cara, and the delicious recipes they shared. But I couldn’t help but schedule a post of one of my own creations, because I made this before I left and I am eager to share it. Gingerbread is one of those things that has grown on me as I’ve gotten older, and we are quickly coming into Gingerbread Season. It’s not that I didn’t like gingerbread when I was younger, it’s simply that as always, I would have chosen chocolate over gingerbread for dessert. But I’ve come to appreciate the warm, comforting flavour more and more. Gingerbread baking in the oven, whether in cake or cookie form, is about as good as it gets, especially when it’s chilly outside.

The pairing of gingerbread and lemon seems to me like a natural one. One of my favourite cookies ever, back in the days when I could eat storebought cookies, was Carr’s Ginger Lemon Cremes. I even attempted my own low carb version, and although they turned out more like whoopie pies than crisp cookies, they were delicious. When I thought of making a gingerbread bundt cake, I considered a number of different glazes. Chocolate seemed to heavy and overpowering. Caramel seemed too sweet, if there is such a thing. But lemon seemed like a great choice to play off the warm spices.

The Results: This is such a great cake, and it really could go either way – as an elegant dessert or as a coffeecake-type brunch item. The cake itself was moist and dense, but it rose nicely in the oven…moreso than I was expecting. I do think it needed a little more spice in it, so I added a touch more to the recipe. The lemon glaze was really, really good. I am glad I used a little cream cheese to thicken it, as glazes made with powdered erythritol or xylitol can be a bit on the thin side and simply soak into the cake. But this poured nicely down the sides and the bright white looked so good against the dark cake. And the zesty bright lemon was a lovely contrast to the more earthy gingerbread flavour.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze

Cake:
3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
1/3 cup vanilla whey protein powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz greek yogurt
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 tbsp molasses (optional, but adds colour and flavour)
25 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Glaze:
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp butter, softened
6 tbsp powdered erythritol
10 drops stevia extract
2 – 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp grated lemon zest for garnish

For the cake, preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch diameter non-stick bundt pan very well, making sure to work butter or oil into all crevasses.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, granulated erythritol, protein powder, spices, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Beat in molasses if using and stevia.

Beat in half of almond flour mixture until just combined, scraping down sides of bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in almond milk, then remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.

Pour batter into pan and smooth the top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in powdered erythritol and stevia. Add lemon juice, 1 tbsp at a time, until a thick but pourable consistency is achieved.

Pour glaze over top and down sides of cooled cake. Sprinkle with grated lemon zest and serve.

Serves 12 to 16. For 12 slices, each slice has a total of 10.7 g of carbs and 3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 7.7 g.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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