Tag Archives: holiday

Desserts, Recipes

Celebrate St. Pat’s with a Boozy Cake!

Irish Whiskey Bundt Cake photo

As promised, I am back with a recipe to make a mini-Bundt Irish Whiskey cake.  I am having so much fun making and eating  mini treats. These little cakes have just enough Irish whiskey in them to let you know it’s there, but they won’t overwhelm your taste buds.

While the recipe is aimed at using a mini Bundt cake maker like my DASH, they can be baked in a mini-Bundt pan in the oven, or you can increase the ingredients to make a full-sized Bundt cake.

Irish Whiskey Mini Bundt Cake

1 cup Carbquik or other low carb baking mix*
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup softened Butter
1/2 cup Swerve Brown Sugar
1/2 cup granulated Sugar Substitute
1 package Sugar-free Vanilla Pudding
2 large Eggs
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Whipping Cream or Unsweetened Almond Milk

* Alternative for a low carb baking mix or low carb flour is coconut flour (1/2 cup plus add an extra egg and/or other liquid). Other nut flours might work, but I have yet to try them.

Whiskey Syrup
1/4 cup water
2 T Sugar Sub
1 T Irish Whiskey

For the Icing
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Swerve Confectioners Sugar
3 tablespoon Cream
4 tablespoon Irish Cream Liqueur

Preheat your mini Bundt pan and lightly brush with oil or baking spray.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and pudding mix. Whisk to combine and set this aside.

In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup softened butter. Mix until creamy.

To the butter, add the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. Continue mixing for 2 more minutes. This should be fluffy-like.

Add each egg, mixing well after each one, and add the milk. Add the vanilla with the last egg.

Next, add the dry ingredients in three batches. Stop mixing once it is incorporated.

Spoon 1/4 cup batter into the mini Bundt maker. Spread the cake evenly, close the lid, and bake for 8 minutes. Let Cool.

If you’re baking in an oven, grease and flour the Bundt molds and divide the batter evenly into them. (My pan makes four cakes, so they will be higher in carbs if you make four.) Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Use a toothpick to check doneness; a clean or almost clean toothpick means they are done.

If you’re making an entire Bundt cake, double the recipe, grease and flour the Bundt mold, and pour in the batter, distributing it evenly. Thump the pan a few times on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 50 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

For more moisture, brush with whiskey syrup before icing.

Whiskey Syrup

In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, whiskey, and sugar substitute and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the mixture thickens to a syrup consistency.

Poke a few holes in the cakes, then brush the syrup over the top. It will go into the cake, adding more moisture and flavor.

Ice the Cakes

To make the icing, beat softened cream cheese in a bowl. Add Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar, whipping cream, and Irish Cream liquor. Alternatively, you can use 2 tablespoons of whiskey instead of the Irish Cream or add sugar-free Irish Cream Syrup. Beat until the ingredients are combined, and the icing thickens to a spreading consistency. If it is too moist, add additional confectioner’s sugar until it is easily spread. Use a knife to ice the cakes.

If you’d prefer a glaze to the icing, use less sugar and mix until it is syrupy. Spoon over each cake and let it run down the sides.

Nutrition information shows the carb counts for a 1/2-cake serving with Irish Cream Liquor and with either whiskey or a sugar-free Irish Cream syrup.

Cake only Nutrition Info

Nutrition with topping

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. They are a close calculation and may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands of flour have other carb counts.

Looking for other St. Patrick’s Day recipes? Try one of these.

Irish Cream Ricotta Cheesecake Tops St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Apple Cake Made Low Carb

A Bit of Luck with an Irish Benedict Brunch

LC Irish Soda Bread

 

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

Rugalach for the Holidays

Photo: Close up of rugalach

Just a little late for the Jewish holiday, I made a batch of low carb Rugalach cookies. These are simple to make, although a little time-consuming, and make a delightful cookie for the holidays. After my first batch, I plan to make a few minor changes to the next batch I make, but I wanted to get this recipe up before I do that. I cut down a little on the chocolate used, and this recipe reflects that.

Rugalach Cookies

FOR THE DOUGH:
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup low carb all-purpose flour *

FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts or almonds)
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
2 ounces sugar-free chocolate, finely chopped

FOR THE GLAZE:
2 tablespoons egg whites
1 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse sugar

* For this recipe, I used Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Low Carb Flour rather than their biscuit mix. Tova Foods also has an All Purpose Low Carb Flour as does LC Foods. I have not tried this with Almond Flour, but I believe it would work fine since it is mixed with cream cheese.  You will need to make sure the dough is chilled well or it will break easily.

Make the dough first. In a food processor, place the softened cream cheese pieces and the softened butter pieces. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the cream cheese and butter are blended together. Add the flour and pulse several times to mix it in. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed to get all the flour mixed in. Pulse until the dough forms large curds.

You can mix it with a hand mixer also, but don’t let the dough form into a ball on the blades.

Turn the dough out into a bowl and gather it into a large ball. Divide it in half, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic, then put into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

Before you begin rolling the dough out, make the filling. Heat the jam over low heat or in the microwave until it liquefies. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar substitute and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the cranberries in a small food processor. In a microwavable bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the cranberries. Microwave for 40 seconds. Stir well.

Ready two baking sheets.

Pull one disc of dough from the refrigerator, place a sheet of parchment over the breadboard, and sprinkle low carb flour on it. Roll out the dough into a circle about eight or nine inches in diameter. If it is too firm to roll easily, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Spoon or brush about 1/2 of the melted jam in a thin layer over the dough and sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar over the top. Scatter 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the cranberries, and 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the jam. Cover the filling with a piece of waxed paper and gently press on it to push the filling into the dough. Remove the waxed paper, Slide the disk onto a baking pan and put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you roll the second disc and repeat the steps.

Pull out the first pan when you put the second pan in, then cut the original dough into quarters, like you would a pizza. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter for this. Try to get it separated evenly. Now, cut each wedge into three triangular slices. Starting at the outside edge, roll the dough toward the middle to form a crescent cookie and tuck the end tip under the dough on the baking sheet, curving the cookie a little. Repeat with each triangular shape, cutting each of the quarter wedges into three triangles.

Pie cut for 12 slices.

Repeat with the second round of cookies. Put the shaped cookies in the refrigerator or other cold place on their baking sheets  to firm up for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.) Position the racks in the oven to divide it into thirds.

Before baking the cookies, mix the egg white and water together and brush over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle the granulated sugar substitute over each.

Photo: One dozen rugalach cookies

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom racks and turning them from the front to the back of the oven about mid-way through the baking. Remove when they are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack until they are just warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24 cookies.

Nutrition information per cookie:
Calories:102.2 Fat: 8.9 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 3.3 g

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Holiday Cheeseball

If you’re like me, you can be sorely tempted at a holiday party this time of year.  When you have several to attend and you can bring a side dish or appetizer, you can at least make sure something you bring is low in carbohydrates. This past weekend, I had two parties to contribute a dish and I made two easy to make options that didn’t stress my low carb allotment, although a couple of the other goodies at them did make it tough. I’m posting the recipe for one of them today and I’ll put the other one up later in the week.

This one is based on a recipe from All Recipes with a couple of changes to suit my tastes, such as adding taco seasoning to give it a bit of spice.  It looks really cute on the table and is as delicious as it is attractive.

Seasoned Yule Tree Cheeseball

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion or 3 tablespoons fresh minced onion
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper, freshly ground

1/2 red bell pepper
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds (optional)

If using dehydrated onions, add the minced onion to about 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let sit until most of the water is absorbed. If you use three tablespoons of fresh minced onion, omit this step.

In a large bowl, add cream cheese and use a mixer to whip until creamy. Add cheese, minced onions, taco seasoning and garlic pepper and mix until completely combined. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to pull the cream cheese together into a ball.

Cover a plate with plastic wrap, then form the ball into a cone-shaped tree. Put in the refridgerator to chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to decorate, cut the bell pepper into short strips and cut out a top decoration, such as a star or a circle, or whatever you would like. Chop the parsley sprigs or pull them off for longer greenery.

Press the parsley into the cheeseball tree to give it a lush green tree look. Add pieces of the bell pepper to form decorations or garlands on the tree. Top with the your topper choice. Add a few sliced almonds to make additional decorations.

Chill until ready to serve, then carefully use a wide spatula to slide under the cheeseball and move to a serving platter. Serve with low carb crackers or vegetables to keep the treat low carb.

Makes about 20 servings.

Nutrition Information per 1 serving:
Calories:106.2 Fat: 10.0 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 3.1 g

Tip: If you’re having a small party or a family dinner, this recipe can be halved easily to serve 8 to 10 people.  Or make a full recipe, split it in half and make two trees for different parties. 

Other appetizer recipes for the holidays – click on the images:

Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Tomato Spinach Cheese Puffs

 

Tamale Pie ‘Shrooms