The best low carb carrot cake recipe now comes in miniature! Just in time for your healthy sugar-free Easter celebrations.
So I had a rather strange interaction on Facebook the other day, and it really got me thinking. Someone was upset with me for posting my low carb skillet cookie on The Low Carb Keto Diet Page, because they don’t feel that this diet should include sweets. I explained my philosophy, if you will, that low carb indulgences help me stick to my healthy diet but that everyone needs to do what is right for them. This did not help, apparently, and I was suddenly being accused of hiding behind a fake persona, being paid by large corporations to promote artificial sweeteners. It got very strange very quickly, with many of my wonderful readers jumping in to my defense, and me doing my best to explain. This individual was having none of it and I ended up deleting the thread in order to defuse the situation.
But it really got me thinking, because I like to be as upfront as possible. I don’t hide behind a fake persona and I certainly don’t use artificial sweeteners. I do have a number of brands I work with, and I do my utmost to disclose my relationships very clearly. I am not trying to hide anything; I do actually make money from this blog. Recipe development isn’t cheap, my friends, and turning it into a thriving business has allowed me to do what I love and help support my family. It also allows me to continue to provide solid low carb and keto recipes to my readers free of charge. I see that as a win-win.
Swerve Sweetener is one of my brand relationships, and it’s one I cherish very much, because it developed organically out of mutual admiration and respect. I like to say we “grew up together”. Back when I was a wee blogger making a few measly cents and Swerve was a wee sweetener company trying to make a name for itself, we somehow connected over Twitter. They sent me some samples and it was an instant hit for me. It was the one erythritol-based sweetener that did not give me the cooling mouth sensation and it provided the right sweetness and the right consistency for my baked goodes. I liked it so much that I started telling everyone about it and I became something of an unofficial (and unpaid) spokesperson. My blog and Swerve seemed to take off at the same time, both of them becoming great resources for the low carb community. So when Swerve found itself in a position to pay for recipe development, I was their first choice. It’s a small operation, and they are wonderful people doing wonderful work. And it’s delightful to me that they think my work is wonderful too. It’s just as a true brand partnership should be.
So yes, Swerve does pay me for several recipes per month, one of which gets a “teaser” post here to direct you to the recipe that lives on their site. But when I recommend it to people as the best low carb sugar replacement on the market, that isn’t money talking. That’s me, my true feelings. No hiding, no faking. Nothing artificial here.
And now, just in time for Easter…for all you low carb carrot cake lovers!
Please see my Low Carb Mini Carrot Cake Recipe on Swerve Sweetener
And check out my blog post HERE.
Serves 4. Per serving:
Food energy: 244kcal
Total fat: 21.93g
Calories from fat: 197
Cholesterol: 46mg
Carbohydrate: 4.95g
Total dietary fiber: 1.81g
Protein: 5.45g
Erythritol: 17.5g
Nutritional Disclaimer
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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Haters gonna be haters. Your website is my go to for making sweets which I don’t make all that often because of time issues and because one recipe of brownies lasts me a long time, but also for all of your other recipes! You rock and swerve rocks! Keep up the great work!
Hi Carolyn sad to hear that the “haters” and perpetually offended have been trolling you on FB. You did the right thing just deleting the negative rubbish. There is absolutely no reason on Gods earth that we following a healthy eating plan should be deprived of something that we enjoy and no one is forcing anyone to eat sweet things, just as there is no reason I can think of why you shouldn’t receive payment for an arrangement that benefits everyone and helps you to be able to keep up the good work. Go Carolyn 🙂
Sweets were the one thing I was really missing on my low carb diet. I discovered your blog and Swerve and found I can eat sweets and still lose weight. I’m so grateful for your wonderful blog and recipes! I’m so sorry that person was so unkind to you!
Your recipes have fueled a whole lifestyle change for me. While I am not diabetic I have a very reactive response to sugar and other carbs. I am so glad you get some compensation for the wonderful, creative services you provide. I was grateful you connected me to serve, it makes it so easy to eat healthier. Know that you are appreciated.
Thanks, Joan!
Carolyn I’m a 74 yr old woman that’s tried everything to lose weight your receipes have kept me on this low carb plan. I think your blog is fun and the best receipes are easy and excellent there are always haters I’ve learned to ignore them keep up the good work love your site and thanks for the great food!!!
PS I’ve lost over 25 lbs
Thank you, Sharon!
Oh Jeez – wasn’t paying attention – it’s gnu gnus! HaHa!
This is sort of old news (April) but I understand your frustration – it is nearly impossible to come out on the upper hand in a discussion with an idiot – and they are the ones hiding with complete anonymity on the internet.
Anyway, love receiving your recipes. There is no shortage of people offering to send recipes out but who has the time to read them all . Besides, think you are a Canadian girl eh?
Just a note on Swerve – decided to google sales locations in the Interior BC as I had never seen it in local stores – found that it is available in a health food store here. I guess that is because they are a growing company. Stevia in the Raw seems to be the popular sweetener here – imagine they are very similar but don’t know. Anyway, the Stevia works fine for me – will probably try to pick up the swerve when I am in that neighbourhood.
Oh Jeez – wasn’t paying attention – it’s gnu gnus! HaHa!
Yep, Canuck here! Swerve has made some pretty good inroads into Canada so that’s good. But glad you like the stevia.
Echoing what others say about trolls – ignore ’em! Being in Canada, I would not have found Swerve without you, and I don’t think I would have been able to stay on this eating plan without it. I’ve tried the other (sometimes cheaper) alternatives available here, and they just aren’t the same.
And your recipes are amazing and I’m so very happy you make something from them in a way that allows me to still benefit from them. I’m glad Swerve is recognizing how key you are to their brand.
Thank you for everything you do – you are a lifesaver!
PS I have now found Swerve at several locations in Canada – hooray!
I am so glad that Swerve has such a Canadian distribution. Helps my sister because she loves it too (in BC).
I’m in BC, too, and have found it in Surrey (grocery store listed on Swerve’s site) and here in Kits (Choices). Previously I was ordering on Amazon and having it shipped to Point Roberts, but that was a pain. Hopefully your sister can find it here, too.
PS As a BCer of probably similar age to you, I grew up on Nanaimo bars as my favourite holiday treat (Mom only made them at Christmas), and your Nanaimo bar recipe from your holiday cookies ebook that I bought a few months ago was one of the “saved my life” recipes. Since you’ve proven I can have Nanaimo bars on this eating plan, everything is sunshine and coloured bubbles. 🙂
And puppies and unicorns!
First of all, I have so much appreciation for your blog and your creative artistry in coming up with tasty and gorgeously appealing low carb sugarfree recipes. I tell other diabetics, like myself, and people who are just trying to lower carbs and/or delete sugar from their diet to check out your blog. The fact that your recipes use Swerve is just fine with me since that’s one of my preferred sweeteners as well. I especially like the fact that they offer the confectioner’s blend so that I no longer have to grind up granulated erythritol (I know, so lazy of me). And now that they’ve gone more mainstream and I can get it from some regular grocery stores without having to order it online makes it even better.
With regard to your collaboration with Swerve, I hope you’re not “wounded” or taking to heed the inane/insane comments of some off-kilter poser poster. I was actually glad when I found out that you were able to get some remuneration for all the delectable recipes you come up with. Okay, maybe it wasn’t purely altruistic of me because in the back of my mind I was worried that your generosity in providing free and yummy recipes to greedy people like me might eventually cause you to shut down your blog and go to work for some crass commercial enterprise So if Swerve is paying you for your considerable talents I say YAY for you, YAY for them, and YAY YAY for me! As for the mean-spirited comments from others, it never ceases to amaze me that Facebook and similar forums seem to sometimes bring out the worst in people because they assume relative anonymity gives them the right to spew their toxic thoughts and words as they please to the detriment of others. I say don’t entertain them or feed them with the attention they crave. Once you’ve determined that they are unreasonable and only intent on demeaning and devaluing the contributions and opinions of others, do what you need to do to disregard and block them. This, in turn, will deny them their “platform” and the warped pleasure they get from denigrating others. Meanwhile, KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK! THANKS!
Thanks, Pamela. I am actually not wounded at all, nor was I at the time. But what it did do was give me an opportunity to talk to people about why bloggers take on sponsors and what a really good brand/blogger relationship should be like. My relationship with Swerve is probably more the exception than the rule because it’s not very commercial or monetarily driven but it evolved organically out of mutual respect.
Love your recipes. Thanks for making them available for FREE, also. I plan to ask for your cookbook for Christmas. Please, keep doing what you do!
Thank you, Amy!
You may get some ideas from this Raw Carrot Cake. The frosting is amazing
CARROT CAKE
therawchef.com
3 c finely grated carrots
2 c pecans
⅜ c raisins, roughly chopped
⅜ t ground cloves
⅜ t grated nutmeg
⅜ t powdered ginger
⅜ t ground cinnamon
1 c soft, pitted dates
½ c orange juice
½ t salt
½ t orange zest
½ c desiccated coconut
In the food processor, grind the pecans to a “meal.” Scrape into large bowl. In the food processor (don’t clean it), make a paste of the dates and orange juice, scrape into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. On a piece of wax paper, shape into a flat square cake, or individual cakes (I use 3” rings, form and remove ring). Dehydrate at 115° F for 8 to 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, place in refrigerator to set. Frost with KREEM CHEEZ FROSTING.
KREEM CHEEZ FROSTING
therawchef.com
1 ½ c cashews, soaked 6 hours, drained
2 T agave
3 T coconut oil, room temperature
1 T vanilla
¼ t salt
Blend all ingredients together with just enough water to make it blend. Place in refrigerator to thicken. Frost cakes just before serving.
I have been following since 2011 and I am super grateful for your blog. I am in one FB keto group and very familiar with the “no sweeteners” stance. I get where it’s coming from, but I am totally different. Not overweight, not an emotional eater or sugar addict. Your recipes that you offer completely free of charge have made low carb not just bearable but enjoyable for me. I can’t get Swerve where I live but I use other sweeteners, and I am more than happy to let Swerve pay you for your hard work and talent so that you can keep gifting us your recipes!
Thanks, Anna!
You know, if one looks at low carb/keto as a long term ‘way of eating’ rather than as a short term ‘diet’, which I do, life is going to throw a wide variety of situations our way: holidays, dinners with friends, kids’ parties, pot lucks, house guests, family reunions, ‘we made it though the week’ celebrations, and many more. And if participating in and contributing to these events makes life more full, then what better way than to do so than without derailing your healthy lifestyle?
Thank you, Carolyn, for sharing your creative and delicious recipes; the best out there, I believe. I’ve learned a huge amount from you even about adapting some of our old family favorites! Your site is clean and elegant, always straightforward about partnerships. And affiliations are with reputable companies.
And if any of us chooses to incorporate a baked good in our way of eating, let it be our own responsibility!
PS Can’t wait for your cookbook! 🙂
Thank you, Tory!
You and your recipes rock. Don’t let the trolls get you down or make you feel like you need to explain yourself. You are amazing and generous. I appreciate you and your recipes so much. Can’t wait to buy your book.
Thanks, Christina!
Am also a devoted Swerve user. Do you think they will ever come out with a brown sugar replacement? I emailed them this question but never got an answer. (Also emailed Lily’s about white chocolate chips and never heard from them either).
I have been bugging both of those companies for the very same things! Swerve has worked on a brown sugar replacement but apparently the equipment to make it is costly. I am not sure if it’s going to happen but I sure hope so.
Gosh I am surprised you didn’t get a reply from the people at Swerve. I live in Australia and cant get that brand here so I emailed and they very promptly kindly sent me links to online stores in the USA where I could buy the product. I have ordered from Vitacost and they were very prompt in dispatching my order. Looking forward to trying the Swerve and Lilys baking choc chips
Not to plug a different brand, because I love Swerve, but Sukrin does have a brown sugar alternative which is wonderful. You can also mix a teeny bit of molasses into Swerve and make your own!
I love your recipes. I’m sure facebook wonders about all the people that I’ve blocked in the past year but when I have someone start running me down about my opinion, I don’t answer back, I just block them! I have a right to my opinion, also!
You do indeed, Sandy. I agree with your opinion!
You have described the most authentic and most transparent blogger/brand relationship, one that benefits the brand, the blogger, and the consumer. These are the kinds of partnerships that will stand the test of time…and trust. I love working with brands who truly understand the value of a long and genuine partnership. So much better than the brands that throw money at bloggers with big numbers for a mention or recipe who have no real connection to their product.
Also…that cake!
Aw, thank you Candace. I love my Cabot cheese too and am trying to turn the whole of Portland into Cabot lovers. 😉