8 servings 3 Better Balance Bites/Blue Points
Calories 123 Fat 5.2g Sat. Fat 1.7g Protein 3.4g Carbs 24.2g Fiber 1.9g Sugars 2.3g
Ingredients
Topping
· 1 tsp light butter
· 1 Tbsp brown sugar replacement (see notes)
· 1/4 cup (30g) pecans, chopped finely
· 1/4 cup (30g) shredded coconut, sweetened OR unsweetened (see notes)
Cake
· 1 egg, room temperature
· 1/4 cup sugar replacement
· 1/2 tsp salt
· 1/2 cup almond milk, room temperature
· 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
· 1 tsp vanilla
· 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (see notes)
· 1 cup flour (see notes)
· 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
· Sugar-free caramel sauce, optional (see notes)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. For the Topping: Melt butter in an 8” oven-safe skillet (see notes), spreading it so that it coats the skillet halfway up the sides. Add in the sugar replacement and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted into the butter and become syrupy, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle pecans and coconut into the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat as you make the cake batter.
3. For the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk egg, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk in the cocoa powder until well incorporated into the wet ingredients, then add the flour and baking powder and whisk just until the flour is incorporated and no flour is visible. Pour batter evenly over the pecan/coconut mixture.
4. Place the skillet into the oven and bake 18-24 minutes, until you can lightly press the center of the cake and it springs back (doesn’t hold the impression). Allow to cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then gently run a spatula along the edges to free any places that may be sticking. Flip it out onto a cooling rack. Cool another 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
· You can use granulated sugar replacement (or even regular sugar) in the topping, but brown sugar replacement gives more of a caramel note, similar to the original cake.
· There is surprisingly little difference in bites/points between sweetened and unsweetened shredded coconut, so either is fine and the bites/points shouldn’t change.
· You don’t have to sift the cocoa powder and flour into this, but you can if you want to keep the chance of lumps to a minimum.
· Feel free to change up the topping as you like. If you use fruit, be aware that it may slightly alter the texture of the cake. Or simply make the cake without a topping!
· If you want more of a true German chocolate cake flavor, drizzle a bit of sugar-free caramel on top. I've used both Smucker's and Walden Farms. Smucker's gives more of the feel of German chocolate cake and you can have up to 6 grams of it for 0 bites/blue points.
· If you don’t have an oven-safe 8” skillet, you can prepare the topping in a skillet, then transfer it to an 8” cake pan coated with cooking/baking spray and continue the recipe from there. OR you can use a 9” skillet, but cook it for less time.
· You can use a toothpick to test the doneness of the cake, but it is less reliable than the method described above. If the cake keeps the dimple made by a light tap of your finger, there is still too much moisture in the cake. This goes for any cake, not just this one.
