UPDATED: 12/22/2019
One of the ladies in our keto Facebook group "Mama Julie Cooks Keto," posted a recipe for Cranberry Christmas Cake and asked if it could be converted into a low carb / keto version. Oh my gosh I was certainly hoping so. The first thing I thought was, this is a great recipe idea and the first thing I wanted to add to it was white chocolate. What I did not know was is there such a thing as sugar free white chocolate??? Well, within short order the lovely people in the group posted white chocolate chip options for me. So thank you Kathy O for the inspiration and thank you Jane B for telling me about white chocolate chips that were easily found at Walmart and reasonably priced.
The link to the website that provided us with the inspiration will be listed below if anyone wants to check out this talented lady site.
The company that makes these is called Bake Believe. They make three versions that I am aware of and below the white chocolate chip are shown. They can easily be found at most Walmarts in the same area as the regular chocolate chips.
I used small bundt pans for the photo below. This is great especially if you want a really pretty presentation for the Holidays or have guests over. If you want an easier version and presentation isn't as much of a priority, then you might want to use mini loaf pans. Mini loaf pans are easier to use because the cake comes out easier. Another thing I liked about mini loaf pans was that it was much easier to have a smaller portion when that was all I wanted. I loved cutting off two little slices at a time with some cream cheese smeared on. I found this highly satisfying with very little net carbs to show for it. Net carb info is listed at the bottom of this feed.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY KETO CAKES
INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup whey protein isolate - any whey protein powder will do as long as it isn't flavored
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup / 1 stick of butter, softened, plus additional butter to drizzle into whatever baking dish you choose to use
3/4 cup granulated Swerve or Monkfruit or keto sugar of your choice
1/3 cup water
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar free white chocolate chips
1-2 cups of cranberries, frozen is recommended ( see more notes below )
optional garnishes: additional white chocolate melted, confectioners sugar alternative ( ie swerve or monk fruit etc. ), and additional cranberries
When making this you will have to decide for yourself how much frozen cranberries to add. When I made this recipe with only 1 cup of cranberries, I thought the level of sweetness was high and the level of cranberry flavor was low. When I increased the level of cranberries to 2 cups, I thought the level of sweetness was more mild and the cranberry flavor more pronounced, which I liked. I did not find that two cups was too tart. If however, you know you like really sweet desserts, you might want to stay with only one cup.
When cranberries are in season my family and I tend to buy a lot of them and freeze them for the upcoming year. I do not defrost my cranberries before folding them in. The reason for this is if they are defrosted they will break down and turn your cakes pink. If however, you want pink cakes ( maybe if you're making these for Valentines day or other special occasion ) then go ahead and allow them to defrost slightly before folding them in.
In your first bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein powder, baking powder and salt. * Sugar is not included here, in baking that is usually combined with the wet ingredients.
Cream together the softened butter and sugar. I use my stand mixer. If you do not have one, you can use a hand mixer. The end product should be light and fluffy. Now add in the water, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Fold in the white chocolate chips and your frozen cranberries.
If you want to make this easier on yourself, feel free not to put any garnishes on top. You don't have to put cranberries, powdered sugar or white chocolate drizzle on and if you don't they will still be delicious and easier for you. My family had these for dessert one night and then another day when I made them they had simple slices of the cake with their breakfast. You do you!
I really liked how these cakes turned out using these smaller bundt cake pans. Before adding the dough or cake mixture, I sprayed them with non-stick spray and then drizzled a little melted butter into the baking dish. I found this useful for two reasons, this helped the cakes come out of the tins easier and secondly, it kept the cakes super moist!
I baked the cakes at 325° F. How long you need to bake your cakes will depend on what size baking dish you choose. I experimented with all types of dishes and containers. The smallest ones I used which were the size of mini cupcakes took 25 minutes. The small bund pans I used ( shown above ) took 40 minutes.
To garnish and serve the cakes I sprinkled extra cranberries on top. I didn't expect anyone to eat the garnish, however my dad at them and enjoyed them. To each his own. Then I melted a little white chocolate in the microwave. I recommend if you decide to do this that you only do a small amount at one time and start with 30 seconds in the microwave. After 30 seconds, with protection on your hands remove the dish of white chocolate chips and stir them. If they are heated up enough they will become creamy and smooth. If some of the chips still aren't completely melted, pop them in the microwave for 10 more seconds and repeat. If you over cook the chips it will become a grainy useless mess. This is why I recommend you only microwave/melt a small amount at one time, that way you won't loose too much product as you learn the sweet spot for your microwave.
Below is the link to the talented food blogger who gave us the inspiration for this recipe. We did not use her recipe but she was the inspiration, which isn't surprising as she is clearly very talented. Her name is Mary Younkin and her website is Barefeet In The Kitchen. Below is the link to see Mary's site!!!
Everyone wants me to post the nutrition or carb info on all the recipes, which is perfectly reasonable since carbs and or net carbs is critical in the keto diet. The reason I hesitate to do so, is because in order for that information to be accurate, you need to use the exact same ingredients including brand names and the exact same amounts. So please take that into account when calculating your carb information.
I do count net carbs not total carbs and I don't count sugar alcohols in the total carb count. I entered all the ingredients into chronometer and I based it on this recipe making approximately 16 servings. After subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols Cronometer indicated 1 serving / 1/16th of the recipe has 3.50 net carbs so I just round it up to 4 net carbs. This recipe made 8 small bundt pans and I considered each bundt pan to be 2 servings as they were pretty big for eating the entire thing in one sitting. Now if you do eat the entire thing in 1 sitting that would be 7.0 net carbs according to Cronometer.
According to Cronometer, the recipe ( minus fiber and sugar alcohols ) has a total of 55 net carbs. If you use different size baking dishes or smaller servings at one time, then divide the total net carbs by how many servings you are making out of this recipe. As I said above in this feed, I like to take 2 small slices and smear it with cream cheese. When I do it this way its very filling and satisfying and very little net carbs.