After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Stacey Harris (‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’) taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from a traditional bakery item.
“I started experimenting by using almond milk or whole milk mixed with water to cut down on carbs, then tried different flours, incorporating white whole wheat flour, soy flour, oat flour, black bean flour, and other alternatives into my brownies, cakes, and cookies,” she said in an How 2 Type 2 article.
She adds,”To cut back on sugar, I started using all-natural substitutes, like agave nectar, and trying erythritol. I also bake with a store-bought blend of sugars that tastes delicious.”
All of The Diabetic Pastry Chef‘s recipes are adapted to her preferences and dietary needs; we encourage you to adapt them to yours!
2 cups erythritol sweetener or other preferred sugar-free sweetener equal to 2 cups
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1-4 drops red food coloring depending on how pink you prefer the cake
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cake enhancer if using. set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together by hand the egg whites, Champagne, vanilla and oil until well blended.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium speed beat together the softened butter and erythritol for 3 to 4 minutes until light and creamy. Add the flour mixture and egg mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add and stir in the red food coloring.
Divide the mixture into 12 greased and floured cakelet cavities (2- 6 cavity cakelet pans). Bake until the cakes are slightly brown around the edges and cakes just pull away from the pans, about 30 mins. Remove from oven and after 10 minutes invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool, prick the tops of the cakelets with a fork and drizzle a bit of champagne over each cakelet to soak in. I would suggest 1/2 to 1 tsp Champagne per each cakelet. Dust with sugar-free confectioners sugar or decorate as desired.
Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef shares her recipes in a fabulous book so that people with type 2 diabetes and others looking for sugar-free treats can make their own lower-carb versions of baked goods at home. She also started her own online bakery that ships homemade treats all across the country. The most common thing she hears from customers is, “I don’t even miss the extra sugar!”
Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite Podcast Inspired by Gladys Knight
Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, guests on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from Gladys Knight & The Pips. Our musical inspiration, Gladys Knight doesn’t have diabetes, but the disease is as close to her heart as the memories of her mother, Elizabeth Knight, who died of complications from the disease in 1997. The five time Grammy Award winner never misses an opportunity to use her voice to encourage early detection and treatment of diabetes.
If you have walked down the baking aisle at your local grocery store lately, you may be tempted to start experimenting with unending varieties of baking flour.
Recently I discovered chickpea flour and felt bored and fearless enough to try it!
Chickpea flour or chana atta is a soluble fiber that not only reduces blood cholesterol levels but also aids in the slow absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, causing the blood sugar levels to rise slowly. It’s a great alternative to refined wheat flour, as it’s lower in carbs and calories yet richer in protein and fiber
Expert bakers and bloggers say that chickpea flour provides a sweet, rich flavor that works well in pizza crusts, crackers, and breads as well as desserts with strong flavors such as chocolate cake or pumpkin bread. It can even be used as a thickening agent in soups, sauces, and gravy in replacement of all-purpose flour or cornstarch.
When using it in a recipe, it is recommended that you replace up to one quarter of the flour with chickpea flour. One-quarter cup provides 110 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrate, and 5 grams of fiber.
Here’s a great chickpea flour recipe off of Instagram!
We’re talking about Secrets to Longevity & Diabetes with musical inspiration from Dionne Warwick on this episode of Diabetes Late.
Living longer and increasing your life expectancy with diabetes doesn’t have to be a chore. From flossing your teeth daily to getting a good night’s sleep, there are simple things you can do to help you live long, happy and healthy life.
Guests include The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Kitchens of the Great Midwest Author J. Ryan Stradal, Deborah Greenwood PhD, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Fonzi Thornton, Rachel Stahl MS, RD, CDN, CDE, and Lorraine Brooks.
Type 2 diabetes doesn’t stop ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’, Stacey Harris from indulging her sweet tooth. From her tasty treats to her outlook on life, this pastry chef keeps things as sweet as can be as well as … sugar free!
Sugar-Free Fruit Tartlets Recipe
Cookie Crust Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Whey Low D Granular, or equivalent dry sugar substitute
2 large eggs
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
Directions: In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar substitute and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time beating until combined after each. Add the flour all at once and mix on low just until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Roll out and use fluted 3″ cookie cutter to cut and place in 24 mini muffin cups. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven until golden brown approximately 10 minutes.
Custard Ingredients:
1/3 cup Whey Low D Granular, or equivalent dry sugar substitute
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions: In medium saucepan, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually stir in the milk, and cook over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens while stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. In small bowl, blend approximately 1/3 of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Return the yolk mixture to the hot mixture and blend well. Cook the mixture until it bubbles, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Cool. Fill each muffin cup about half way with the cooled custard and add topping. Fruits can be brushed with a little heated currant jelly if you would like them to appear glossy. Refrigerate until serving time.
Topping: Various fruits and berries such as: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, sliced almonds, confectioners sugar or substitute for dusting and/or mint leaves for garnishing.
Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef shares her recipes in a fabulous book so that people with type 2 diabetes and others looking for sugar-free treats can make their own lower-carb versions of baked goods at home. She also started her own online bakery that ships homemade treats all across the country. The most common thing she hears from customers is, “I don’t even miss the extra sugar!”
We’re talking about nighttime diabetes management with musical inspiration from Gladys Knight & The Pips courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’, Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RD, LDN, MBA, CDE, CEC, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, SleepyHead Central founder Tamara Sellman RPSGT, CCSH, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.