With an Italian dinner planned for family and friends next week, I wanted to come up with a low carb version of Tiramisu, that delightfully rich, but light tasting, Italian dessert that caps off a heavy pasta dinner. Traditionally made with ladyfingers, I needed to create a sponge cake similar to them. I found several recipes on line and eventually created one that I thought would be fairly simple to make and still be true to the original. This one uses a sponge cake made from a recipe that evolved from the Oopsie Roll from Your Lighter Side. Mine has additional ingredients, including coconut flour and granulated sugar alcohol, as well as almond extract for a light almond flavor. The filling simply uses coconut milk instead of regular milk and a few drops of liquid Sucralose in the whipped cream. My recipe called for rum, but if you want more of a coffee flavor, use a sugar free Amaretto syrup instead.

I think that Sponge Cake recipe will be very useful for other desserts, like a strawberry cake with fresh whipped cream and possibly a Boston creme pie, so I am going to repeat it on its own page to make it easier to find.

Sponge Cake:
4 Eggs, large
4 oz. Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon Splenda
3 tablespoon sugar alcohol substitute (I use Ideal)

Filling:
3 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup Almond Breeze Coconut Milk, unsweetened
1 tablespoon liquid sucralose or Splenda
8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese

Topping:
2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Other:
1 cup strong Coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
1 1/2 tablespoons Cocoa powder, unsweetened

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 300 F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Be sure to go up the sides.

Separate the eggs and put whites into a grease free glass or metal bowl. Put the yolks in a separate bowl and set aside. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy, then add cream of tartar and continue to beat until they form stiff peaks.

To the egg yolks, add cream cheese and mix together. Add coconut flour, whey powder, sugar substitutes and almond extract. Mix well until smooth.

Fold the egg yolk mixture, one third at a time, into the whites, being careful to not break down the air in the whites. With a soft (rubber or silicone) spatula, fold just until blended, then spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the top of the cake.

 

 

 

Before and after cooking.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a golden brown. Cool, then turn out onto a bread board. Cut the cake in half through the middle to form two layers. Use a long serrated knife or a thread the width of the cake that you can just pull carefully through the middle. Try to get these are even as possible so the cake layers are equal. Set aside.

For the zabaglione:
Separate three eggs. Put the whites away to use for something else. (Meringue cookies are a good option.) Put the egg yolks in a sauce pan. Add the coconut milk (you can also use regular milk or almond milk. Regular milk will raise the carbs a little.) Add a tablespoon sweetener. Mix together and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle boil and cook for one minute. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Get out the mascarpone cheese to soften while the yolk mixture chills. Make a strong coffee by using just two cups (or less) of water to your normal grounds or making Espresso. Turn off to come to room temperature.

When yolk mixture is chilled, add the mascarpone and mix until smooth.

Topping and Assembly:
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and vanilla extract until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Mix rum with 1 cup of coffee. Place the bottom sponge cake in an 8x8x2″ inch dish and generously sprinkle with half the cookie mixture. It will absorb it. Spread one half the zabaglione mixture over the cake and smooth, then spread one half the whipped cream on top of that and smooth. Place the top sponge cake on top and repeat the procedure using the rest of the coffee mixture, filling and whipped cream. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top, cover with plastic wrap (keeping it off the whipped cream) and chill for at least two hours before serving.

Makes 8 generous servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 280  Net Carbs: 2.7g   Protein: 8.6g