Because I am on a clean eating diet, I decided that I wanted to make something that I could eat for dessert. My sister is making two pies that are AMAZINGLY delicious, but they are both chock full of sugar, gluten, and fat. I'll still probably steal a bite, but I can't eat a whole piece without getting sick or ruining any weight-loss progress I've made this week. Last week was a disaster where every piece of food I saw went directly into my mouth, so I'm doing major catch up this week on the whole dieting thing. Don't worry I don't starve myself. I always get between 1400-1700 calories a day! Only 11 pounds to go!!!! That being said, I made the decision that I needed to find a dessert that would suit my needs so I wouldn't feel left out or deprived. Last week, the hubs came home with a Meyer lemon, which I quickly claimed as mine. [Side note: I LOVE baking, and even though I bake a little less than I used to, I still bake quite a lot. The hubs is an amazing cook and loves to create unique dishes that are both tasty and healthy. Sometimes, we battle over ingredients, which is what we did for the lemon.] Once I knew I had secured the lemon, I had to find a gluten free and no sugar added recipe to try it out in. I searched around and found this little recipe. I adapted it to use Xylitol instead of sugar and part skim ricotta instead of the fully loaded stuff.
This recipe is SUPER easy to make and only required minimal dish use, which, in my opinion, is the sign of a good recipe! I'm sharing it with you guys today in case you're still looking for something to bake for your family. Let's get started! First, preheat your oven to 350*. Next, gather your ingredients.
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour/meal [You can find Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal at most grocery stores in the organic section.]
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup cystalized xylitol or sugar [Xylitol can be found in the dietary supplement section at Whole Foods.]
1 tsp vanilla
1 15 oz tub of part skim ricotta cheese
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
Juice of 2 Meyer lemons
Tools
1 2 cup measuring cup (or medium bowl)
1 large bowl (or stand mixer bowl)
1 stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or hand mixer
1 9 inch deep pie pan or springfoam pan, oiled
First, combine the almond flour/meal, baking powder, and salt in your large/stand mixer bowl.
Next, wash, zest, and juice your lemons. Then, combine the eggs, xylitol/sugar, vanilla, ricotta cheese, zest, and juice in the 2 cup measuring cup.
Take a whisk and mix the ingredients until they are well combined. You may want to add in a little ricotta at a time to make the mixing a little easier.
Then, pour the wet mixture into the large/stand mixer bowl. Mix on medium-low until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix or the cake will fall and crack.
Lastly, pour your batter into your oiled pie pan and toss it in the oven for 50-55 minutes.
Bake until the top is a golden color and the center is no longer jiggly. The original instructions tell you to refrigerate it for four hours before you eat it. I, however, like my cakes hot, so I dug in just after it was cool enough to eat. So, the refrigeration step is optional. This recipe makes 16 servings.
I was SO surprised with how this recipe came out. I see cake and assume moist, fluffy, cake cake. This, however, was a cheese cake but without all of the richness that comes with cheesecake. Also, because I used xylitol instead of sugar, the cake wasn't overly sweet. If you're looking for the type of cake that makes your tongue tingle with sweetness, I'm sure that could be achieved by using sugar instead of xylitol. I however, found this cake to be delicious and refreshing!
For those of you looking for the health information, here's what I got from a calorie calculator using all of the ingredients in the picture above.
Total: | Calories 2345 | Carbs 264 | Fat 147 | Sodium 1552 | Chol 140 | Sugar 24 | |
Per Serving: | 147 | 17 | 9 | 97 | 9 | 2 |
Please let me know if you decide to make this recipe. I'd love to know what you think or if you made any changes and how they went!
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, what are you making for dessert?
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