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Product Review

Product Review: DCC Cinnamon Swirl Snacking Cake

Photo: Happy Thanksgiving

November is always a busy month for me because it is time for NaNoWriMo, which means I spend several hours a day working on a novel. In addition, I am also a municipal liaison, meaning I am trying to coordinate activities for other writers in the area. Bottom line is my cooking time is reduced to quick and easy things to make, which are mostly what I have already posted.

However, I also had a chance to try out another of Dixie Diner’s mixes. In this case, it was their Cinnamon Swirl Snacking Cake. The mix is not totally inclusive as you do need to add four eggs, one-half stick of butter and water to it. It does include the flour pouch and the cinnamon filling bag. The mix is simple, just add melted butter, eggs, and water and stir until it is completely mixed. Then add more butter and water to the cinnamon mix, drop it on top in clumps, and swirl it into the batter. Easy. Then bake.

Photo: DCC Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

First, I added vanilla to the cake mix. It seemed to want some additional flavor, and in retrospect, I should have added some sweetener as the cake is not very sweet at all.

The snacking cake bakes up well, but I found it a little dry and thick. Oddly, with all that butter and eggs, you would expect it to be more moist. It did taste okay, but I’ve eaten better ones. I added a sugar-free powdered sugar icing with a touch of vanilla added that helped. But I warm it up to serve and still add more butter.

On the plus side, the cake makes 9 large slices with only 2 net carbs per slice. That’s hard to beat and it is satisfying.

If I were to make it again, I would add more vanilla and sugar substitute to the cake batter and possibly put chopped nuts on top before baking.

So, I rate this a four cooking spoons out of five for flavor. It’s not bad, but I can make better low carb ones from scratch.

Photo: Snacking cake slice
A slice of the Dixie Carb Counters Cinnamon Swirl Snacking Cake.

If you’d like to try it, you can purchase the mix from Dixie Diner or from Netrition.com.

Here are a few Thanksgiving recipe links if you’re looking for a few  coffee cakes, sides or desserts:

Amazingly Scrumptious Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake

Biscuit Based Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Warm Up Your Meal with Pumpkin Soup

Smashed Turnips with Leeks

Broccoli with Mornay Sauce

All reviews on my blog are my own opinion. I have received no compensation or test products from the manufacturers. I am simply sharing my views and experience with the product.

Breads, Desserts, Product Review

Product Review: Dixie Carb Counters Applesauce Snackin’ Cake Mix

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Dixie Carb Counter Applesauce Cake Mix.

This past weekend, I tried out Dixie Carb Counters Applesauce Snackin’ Cake Mix (trademarked by DCC), which is one of several snacking cakes that they make.  Generally, I like the baking products from DCC, so I was eager to try this one.

Making the cake is super simple, you just need to add a few ingredients to the two packages of mix that are supplied.

To packet #1, you need to add 4 large eggs, 1/3 cup coconut oil or other oil and 2/3 cup water to make the cake.  Packet #2 is sugar seasoning for the frosting to which you add 8 ounces of cream cheese and 1/4 cup water.  Pretty easy.

You just mix the cake ingredients in a bowl, add the included cup of unsweetened apple sauce, mix well and put it in a greased or sprayed with baking spray 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and you have a lovely, moist cake.  Let it cool, then combine the ingredients from packet #2 to the cream cheese and water and beat until creamy and spread it over the cake.

Applesauce cake without the icing.

The cake makes 9 servings and each serving is 2 net carbs.  You can add in nuts and/or raisins if you like, but they do increase the carb count per serving.  Adding just the nuts brings it up to about 2.5 net carbs, but adding 1/2 cup raisins will add about 2.5 net carbs, so a total of 4.5 net carbs for the raisins alone.  If you want to go that route, I’d suggest using reduced-sugar craisins instead.

The cake has a lovely texture and is very moist and look at that nice layer of cream cheese icing.

After the icing was on the cake, it was time for the taste test.  Both PK and I tried a piece and agreed that the texture was very nice and it was moist.  But we didn’t feel that the apple taste was very strong, so it could have used more of that flavor.  Still with the cream cheese icing, it was a good treat.  I have made better from-scratch cakes, so I don’t think that I’m likely to buy this one again.  If I did, I think it could be improved by adding one packet of sugar-free Apple Cider mix and a little more cinnamon. I would also likely add 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder which adds taste as well as protein.

I do have two other packets of snacking cakes that I will be trying in the next few weeks, so I’ll let you know how those stack up.

Nutrition information per one slice of the cake
Calories: 218  Total Fat 0  Carbohydrates: 6 g Fiber: 4 g  NC: 2 g

On a scale of one to five, for flavor I give this cake four spoons.  Good, but not great.

4-spoons

This mix is available by mail from Dixie Carb Counters website or from Netrition.com.

Disclaimer: I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review have asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.