Rich low carb, grain-free gingerbread cooked in your slow cooker or crock pot. Plus other diabetes-friendly recipes for World Diabetes Day.
Today is a special day and special days deserve cake. No, it’s not anyone’s birthday or anniversary, at least not anybody I know. I am sure someone out there somewhere is celebrating a birthday or an anniversary, or possibly both. Many congratulations to them. Many happy returns of the day. However, this special day for me isn’t exactly something you celebrate. It’s more something you acknowledge and make note of and try to get other people to acknowledge and make note of. Because today is World Diabetes Day. And at the rate that diabetes is increasing in the world, this day is certainly an occasion worth noting. So I ask you to take a moment, at least, and think about it. Think about diabetes, think about why it’s increasing at such an alarming rate and think about what you can do to help. That’s all I ask of you.
All of November is actually Diabetes Awareness Month. Did you know that or did it get lost in the excitement of preparing for Thanksgiving? Even if you did not know that, I hope your Thanksgiving preparations include diabetes-friendly alternatives. What is “diabetes-friendly” is a matter of some controversy, but I stand firmly in the camp that it should be low carb and not raise anyone’s blood sugar much at all. I also stand firmly in the camp of thinking that everyone, even the non-diabetics, should be eating this food, lest they develop diabetes too.
For the past two weeks, I have partnered with 8 great healthy food bloggers to bring you lower carb, healthier options on A Sweet Life Diabetes Magazine. And of course it culminates today with my own recipe for a delicious low carb gingerbread cake cooked in your slow cooker. Because people with diabetes deserve dessert too and I love developing low carb dessert recipes that barely register a blip on the glucometer. In case you haven’t noticed, I have become very enamoured of slow cooker cakes. They are so moist and dense, they are more like old-fashioned steamed puddings than cake. This gingerbread version was a special request by a few readers and I knew it was the perfect recipe for A Sweet Life on World Diabetes Day.
Please see my Slow Cooker Gingerbread Cake on A Sweet Life Diabetes Magazine. And stop for a moment, if you please, and acknowledge the day. Raise a little awareness if you can!
Also check out these great diabetes-friendly recipes for Diabetes Awareness Month:
White Chicken Chili by Lauren of Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Pie Muffins by Taylor of Food Faith Fitness
Turkey Sausage, Broccoli and Tomato Crustless Quiche by Brianne of Cupcakes & Kale Chips
No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles by Brenda of Sugar Free Mom
Hearty Fall Harvest Vegetable Sausage Soup by Jeanette of Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Spicy Buffalo Mixed Party Nuts by Alyssa of Everyday Maven
Roasted Garlic Beet Hummus by Gina of Running To The Kitchen
Cauliflower Tabbouleh by Mellissa of I Breathe, I’m Hungry
Karena says
Hi Carolyn,
Your recipes are so outstanding–thank you for all of your hard work creating them! I am jones ing for some good gingerbread and this looks perfect. However, when I click the sweet life link above, the Pin it takes me to is frozen and won’t open. Help?!
Carolyn says
Hmmmm, weird. Let me try to get the direct link for you.
diana says
I spent some time searching for a good low carb gingerbread recipe, and after reading a dozen or so that have been posted by various bloggers over the years, I decide to make this one. Oh, my goodness, this is one of the best cake recipes of any kind I’ve ever made! It’s rich, tender, moist, and redolent with spices. We ate it hot right out of the crock pot with a little whipped cream (although it didn’t really need any dressing up). DH and I both thought this was one of the best low carb desserts—no, actually one of the best any kind of desserts, low or high carb—that we’ve ever had.
I did do a couple of tweaks (don’t we have to if we love to bake?). I used ½ cup of lupin flour to replace ½ cup of the almond flour, and I increased the ginger and cinnamon and baking powder a little bit, because: spice and rise. Probably didn’t make the recipe any better, but I love a lot of spice and I love the lightness that lupin flour brings to cakes.
Thank you, Carolyn, for another magnificent recipe!
Carolyn says
Hey, if you are a baker, I EXPECT you to make tweaks! 😉
patti says
Very good! Esp like the dark chocolate touch to the flavor. A little hard to serve, a little crumbly – kinda what I expect from a low carb cake, but one of our better cake baking attempts low carb style. If you like gingerbread, this meets a need!
patti says
This recipe looks great! After the cake is cooked, how do you recommend getting it out of the slow cooker? Do you take it out to before cutting the servings,or do you serve directly from slow cooker?
Ann says
Would I be able to make this in my relic? It’s the round one from the 70’s ?
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say. Some of the old ones are better than the new ones, but who knows!
Hanim says
Hi,
I quite liked this recipe although as I’m from Australia, I was expecting it to be more gingery (like our ginger snap cookies). I completely missed the “bread” in gingerbread and it did taste like gingerbread. All good, my bad!
Next time I think I’ll halve the cinnamon and triple the ginger (I had already doubled)… so if you’re Aussie, and want it strong ginger do this!!
Carolyn says
My dad (Canadian, not Australian) said it needed more ginger too. I love lots of ginger but wanted my kids to like it so had to go a bit light.
Hanim says
fair enough I completely understand 🙂 It was all eaten and everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Beth says
Hi,
I wanted to try this recipe, but can’t find Swerve anywhere. I live in Toronto, and have tried a major supermarket and three specialty/health food stores. Do you have any ideas where I might look? Thanks!
Beth
Carolyn says
What brand of erythtritol can you get easily? Truvia? You can order Swerve online from Low Carb Canada.
Michelle says
Amazon, I am prime so I don’t pay shipping charges and I buy a bunch at a time.
Beth says
OK, I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Sara says
So yummy! I was at Peet’s Coffee this morning and was tempted by their gingerbread loaf but held strong. I came home and made this and it is a perfect replacement. I topped it with LC cream cheese frosting with a little orange zest to mimic the Peet’s version. With this around I don’t miss the real gingerbread at all!
Carolyn says
That makes me SO happy to hear! Love it when someone feels like one of my recipes replace a high carb fave at a restaurant or coffee shop.