One of the most dreaded things about learning one is diabetic is the idea of giving up sweets, especially wonderful chocolate sweets for us chocoholics! But giving up sweets is not necessary. Here are some great chocolate desserts especially for diabetics. And guess what! Others will enjoy them, too. Peanut Butter Brownie Cake is made with a reduced sugar brownie mix. The cup of peanut butter will counteract what little sugar you do get in a piece (yes, one piece a day) and it also uses sugar-free hot fudge topping. Delicious! The Mini-Chocolate Cheesecakes are a little more complicated to make but they are well worth the effort. The No-Flour Chocolate Cake is quite different and very good with some sugar-free ice cream. So indulge your chocolate sweet tooth anytime.
PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE CAKE
1 box (12.35 oz) Reduced Sugar Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp water
1 large egg
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 jar (11 3/4 oz) Sugar-Free Hot Fudge Topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Prepare brownie mix as directed on the box using the oil, water, and egg listed above. Stir in almond extract and peanut butter until well blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan. Place cake on a serving platter. Just before serving, stir the Hot Fudge Topping until smooth. Spread over the cake top and sides. Using a frosting spatula, make swirl designs on the top for a pretty presentation.
Note: If you have them available, a few fresh berries in the center of the cake makes a very pretty presentation. A few chopped peanuts scattered over the top is another option.
MINI CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKES
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
4 oz Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese
1/2 cup Equal Sugar-Lite
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 oz sugar-free chocolate wafers, crushed to fine crumbs (usually about 4 wafers)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three (4-inch) mini springform pans with nonstick cooking spray, or use six (4 oz) custard or souffle cups and don't spray. Put a kettle of water on to boil to prepare a water bath.
In a food processor or blender, puree cottage cheese, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until absolutely smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add the cream cheese, Equal, cocoa, egg, egg white, vanilla and salt; pulse, scraping sides, until just smooth. Pour into prepared pans.
Pull the oven rack partway out. Place a 9 x 13-inch baking pan on the rack and add the filled cake pans. Carefullly pour water into the baking pan, up to 1/2 inch. Bake until the cakes are just starting to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 35 minutes for the custard cups and 40 minutes for the springform pans. Cool completely on a rack; then cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours or preferably, overnight.
To unmold the cakes, release the spring and use a wide spatula to transfer the cakes to small plates. Press the cookie crumbs around the sides of the cakes. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Serve with a spoon.
NO-FLOUR CHOCOLATE CAKE
Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds
1/2 cup SPLENDA granular
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with the cooking spray.
In a cold medium glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, beat egg whites on high-speed of electric mixer until stiff glossy peaks form. Microwave chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Scrape chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Stir in cocoa, nuts, SPLENDA, sour cream, egg substitute, and vanilla extract. With a spatula, gently fold in egg whites. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and gently smooth out the top. Bake for 30 minutes and cool. Loosen edges of pan and remove cake. Cake will deflate--don't panic! Serve with a scoop of sugar-free iced cream, if desired.