December 2015 Moms

Diabetic shower cake

I am helping a co-worker with a baby shower she is planning.  I told her I would make the cake.  The mom-to-be is a diabetic and I've never make a cake like that before.  Does anyone have a recipe or site they can refer to me where the cake still tastes good? The mom-to-be said that baking with Splenda is like eating death.  I don't know if that's true, but I don't want to make a cake no one enjoys.

Re: Diabetic shower cake

  • Thats a tough one, hopefully some ladies on here will have some good ideas.  My first thought was angel food cake with berries and whipped cream, but I have no idea now much sugar is too much for a diabetic.  The nutritional info for this recipe doesn't look too bad though.  


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  • She can work it into her meal plan a 2x2 inch slice unfrosted is considered one serving of carbs. You could also consider doing mini cupcakes, a mini cupcake with frosting should be close to 1 serving (by a normal recipe). Cooking Light recipes usually have the nutrition facts listed so she would know what she needed to count. The mistake people make is you aren't counting sugar you are counting total carbohydrates on the label--so switching to artificial sweetner wont entirely solve the issue. You can also calculate it using your normal recipe just multiply the total carbs per serving listed on the sugar and flour by the amount you used and divide by number of evenly sized slices (or divide by 15 which will give you how many slices you should get that equal one carbohydrate serving--you would do this for frosting, cake and filling). A serving of carbs is 15 grams on meal plans. 
  • I've got the PERFECT recipe!! I'm gluten free, and try to avoid sugar as much as possible. This one is fantastic!! I make it all the time. I use a stevia/sugar baking blend, too.

    https://www.melskitchencafe.com/decadent-chocolate-cake/

  • I've got the PERFECT recipe!! I'm gluten free, and try to avoid sugar as much as possible. This one is fantastic!! I make it all the time. I use a stevia/sugar baking blend, too. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/decadent-chocolate-cake/
    OMG that looks amazing!
  • It's so easy!! And sooooo good!!!

    Ok. Time to see if I have the ingredients.
  • I think angel food cake is sugar free, maybe with a sugar free whipped cream and fruit?
  • Angel food cake isn't sugar free and it still has the carbs in the flour. It has more air though so the serving size would be bigger and it has more protein since the egg whites provide most of the structure.
  • The gluten free recipe still has carbs in the chocolate, quinoa, dairy and sugar--so she will still need to know what to count. Gluten is the protein in flour so eliminating it doesn't eliminate the carbs. That cake looks delicious though.
  • This might not be very helpful, but there is a recipe that uses pumpkin and chocolate pudding to make cupcakes instead of all of the other stuff that usually goes into them:


    Don't know how much this helps with the diabetic part, but I can vouch that they taste really good :)
  • TomekiaB said:

    Angel food cake isn't sugar free and it still has the carbs in the flour. It has more air though so the serving size would be bigger and it has more protein since the egg whites provide most of the structure.

    I was thinking along similar lines. Maybe ask the mom to be if she has any particular recipes that she loves. Or you could outsource this to a professional cake baker. Not sure what you are looking to spend though.
  • As others have said, it's not just about the sugar, but about the total carbs. I have GD and I personally would not want to eat a piece of cake or cupcake that had more than 30g of carbs. Unfortunately that chocolate cake recipe- while it looks delicious, is closer to 50 carbs per serving. The angel food cake would be ok by itself, but the whipped cream would need to be sweetened with something- probably adding carbs, and fruit has carbs, so the total would probably be more than 30 carbs. The pudding cupcakes look perfect. 

    But I think the best thing to do would be to ask the mom-to-be what her carb limit would be for a serving of cake, and then try to find a recipe that is under that limit. 
  • Could you go with something a little less traditional than the cake? I think something like this recipe would look cute set out in little cups.

    https://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/2015-06-raspberry-gelatin-mousse.html

    I've also seen some things like use silicone cupcake cups as a mold to make chocolate cups, fill with fresh fruit/berries and a little sugar-free whipped cream or other topping. There's still some things to figure out but it might be less than cake.

    You could make up a table of mini desserts in cups. Even layer small cubes of angelfood cake, strawberries and topping, like a short cake. Everything would be divided up in to servings already to make it a little easier on the mom-to- be rather than trying to figure out if the piece of cake is really a serving. It could also help things move a little more smoothly and make for easier clean up.
  • mrs14678mrs14678 member
    edited September 2015
    TomekiaB said:

    The gluten free recipe still has carbs in the chocolate, quinoa, dairy and sugar--so she will still need to know what to count. Gluten is the protein in flour so eliminating it doesn't eliminate the carbs. That cake looks delicious though.

    Quinoa is packed with protein, so maybe that would help? From what I understand protein helps diabetics offset the carbs? Not sure. I don't know why people think gf is healthier. Haha. It's still carbs, just different. My MIL orders gf bread when she eats out with me (she always orders whatever I order, and if she's placed her order before mine, she'll change it after me, haha!) I explained that I order gf because I have to... Not because it's healthier.


    I will say, this cake is so rich, you wouldn't want a very big piece anyway!! Probably half of a "normal" cake's serving!



  • I didn't read everyone else's comments but maybe a "naked" cake. You know no icing, just fruit. If the sex is going to be incorporated in the shower you could always die the batter blue or pink and trim the brown edges off to show the color. Use a sugar free whip cream mixed with cream cheese and a touch of powder sugar to hold the layers together. Garnish with blueberries and green grapes for boy, strawberries and raspberries for a girl?
  • Honestly as someone recently diagnosed with GD, and recently visiting a nutritionist, there is not a good cake option as others have mentioned that a bunch of the ingredients besides sugar have carbs. I'd recommend a fruit and yogurt parfait with Greek yogurt, strawberries, maybe some nuts. Sweet and delicious but not too bad. 15g carbs in 1 cup strawberries and most yogurts you can find a decent 5oz container with just 12-15g carbs, and Greek has the benefit of added protein. My snack allotments allow me 15-30g carbs, so something like that is probably exactly what I will eat at my shower for dessert, while everyone else has cake.
  • If the mom to be wants a cake then she should plan her diet for the day to accommodate the extra carbs and sugars. Find out what she wants and let her plan accordingly.
  • As a diabetic I would much rather my guests enjoy a delicious full flavor cake and I have little or none because my life is hell right now anyway and my chances of having what I want in a portion I want just doesn't exist.  So why try.  Lol.  The guests should at least be happy.  Idk if every mom to be feels like the same.  I would ask.
  • My son is type 1. Whenever I bake, I use almond flour. It has very little carbs and makes an excellent sub for traditional flours. It's not just sugar but all carbs that's need to be accounted for. Angel food and frosting are both going to make her blood sugar skyrocket. As others recommended, ask her what she thinks first. But this ingredient is a great option and when used with a sugar free sweetener can dramatically reduce carbs. If you are interested, I have a cookbook that I can email a recipe from for almond flour chocolate cake or almond flour blueberry coffee cake. Or maybe a sugar free cream pie with almond flour crust? PM me at stephaniechen82@gmail.com
  • Just make sure she's not allergic to any artificial sweeteners.... :) that's why I use stevia. I'm really allergic to the artificial ones (Splenda, aspartame, etc...)
  • The above Greek yogurt idea is excellent

    You could make little parfaits or do something similar with sugar free jello.
    .
    I also forgot to add that when trying to cut carbs, subbing half the sugar for stevia or Splenda tastes pretty decent.


  • @ArielleRene protein is part of meal planning but it doesn't increase the amount of carbs she can have at a time. Protein and fiber both can help the glucose get absorbed more evenly over time...which is why it helps meal planning. However, quinoa doesn't have a ton of protein..."it has a lot of protein for a grain." Quinoa has twice as much carbs as protein.
  • Cool. Thanks!
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