My new BFF- Swerve.

 Let's try this again...I just deleted my entire post.  Wah.  After my diagnosis with gestational diabetes 11 weeks ago, I had to totally change my eating habits.  By no means was I a terribly unhealthy eater (no shame in the few handfuls of goldfish game)....but I had to change when I was eating and what type of foods I was putting into my body.  I have always preached eating in moderation, and balancing macronutrients.  I was not afraid to eat the "healthy carbs", because I know how important those are to fuel a busy and active lifestyle. I know I posted about this before, but it is truly amazing how quickly food can raise blood sugar levels, and how some seemingly healthy foods, even some of these healthy carbs, are off limits.  For example, I love green grapes.  Nope.  No more.  They spike my blood sugar.  Bananas- no freaking way.  Potatoes...yeah right.  So if simple fruits and veggies can't work with my diet...no chance I can indulge in my pregnancy cravings such as rice crispy treats...or ice cream....or chocolate chip cookies...or Cadbury mini eggs...I could go on.....

This brings me back to the title of my post...my new BFF Swerve.  Swerve is a sugar-like sweetener that can be used in baking low carbohydrate and low sugar snacks and it doesn't raise blood sugar levels.  A friend of mine was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a little over a year ago.  She totally took her diagnosis by the horns and created an amazing keto-friendly bakery serving all sorts of treats that don't raise blood sugar levels (follow her on Instagram @beyondgrainbakery).  She introduced me to Swerve.  Swerve can be found in the baking aisle.  I found it at Whole Foods and Meijer (I think some Kroger stores sell it as well), and have included the link for Amazon below .  This very pregnant lady is super grateful to have a sugar substitute to help curb some of these cravings, and live a little.  I wanted to bake something for the 4th of July that would be delicious and that I could share with everyone, and that would not put me into some type of diabetic coma...and that wasn't like a hardboiled egg....because that is just no fun.  So I found and tweaked this lemon berry cake recipe....and OMG it is amazing.  Like Eric told me he would rather have it for dessert than ice cream from Graeter's.  Which is a HUGE compliment if you are from Cincinnati.  We will definitely keep it in our recipe wheel for frequent use!  So here is what you need:

Ingredients
Cake Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sweetener (confectioner's Swerve- they make granular and confectioner's so make sure you pick up the right one)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon extract 
• 1 lemon lemon zest and juice 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup blueberries

Frosting Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 1 cup sweetener confectioner's Swerve
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp lemon extract 
• 1 lemon zest of one lemon 
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup blueberries (for decorating)
• 1/2 cup strawberries sliced (for decorating)

**Note:  I know there are lots of FATS in this ingredient list.  I am by no means a keto diet expert, nor do I normally live a keto lifestyle.  Eating fat has been extremely mental for me...but I am getting over it.

Instructions
Cake

• Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans. Grease with coconut oil or olive oil spray. 
• Combine the butter, sweetener, and heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer.
• Blend in the eggs one at a time on high speed.
• Add the lemon extract, as well as the vanilla.
• Next, mix in the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Carefully stir in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
• Divide the batter equally into the two cake pans.
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean, at 350 degrees.
• After resting for 10 minutes, remove from the cake pans and let cool completely.

Frosting

• Using a mixer, combine together the cream cheese, butter, and sweetener.
• Add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon extract,  and salt.
• Mix together until you get a spreadable frosting consistency.
• To frost the cake place one of the cooled cakes on a serving dish.  This cake is SUPER crumbly.  Just be aware.  I kind of had to piece together some parts of the cake with frosting as the glue.  It works.  Just don't worry if it falls apart!  
• Top with about a third of the frosting and spread it around evenly.
• Place the second cake on top of the first and top with another third of the frosting.
• Use the rest of the frosting to ice the sides and even out the top.
• Top with the remaining blueberries and strawberries.  Refrigerate to set before serving.  I let my cake set overnight and it was perfect.

I promise if you try this, you will find it exceptionally hard to believe that a serving is less that 6 grams of carbohydrates, and it doesn't raise blood sugar.  It is that good.  I will keep exploring keto-friendly desserts for the next 4 1/2 weeks (yikes this baby is coming), but for now...this one takes the cake.  Pun intended.

XoXo,

​NaturallyNati

Swerve

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