I have a customer who wants a cake for a mother-to-be who has diabetes. Are there any good recipes that I can use since she can't have sugar? Maybe a recipe with splenda, I'm guessing but not sure.

Have you checked in the recipe forum? This has been discussed so I expect there's a good recipe or two in the recipe area. Good luck. (You can do a Google search, too.)

My dad is diabetic also. Please keep in mind that it's not only sugar that you have to reduce in the recipe, but also flour. Carbs are a diabetic's worst enemy. Sorry, I don't have any good recipes, but you can check http://www.dlife.com. I made their pineapple upside down cake for dad, but it was not good.
Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

I just re-read your post...do you know if the mom-to-be has 'regular' diabetes or gestational diabetes? I had gestational diabetes with my youngest, and it wasn't too terrible for me to have a LITTLE something sweet. Of course, it depends on how severe it is and that's a decision only she and her doctor can make.

well, I had gestational diabetes and there would have been NO WAY I could have had ANYTHING with flour or sugar at ALLLLLLL... I could only eat vegetables and nuts and meat... An apple about put me over my limits. They are even stricter with sugar numbers...

I have a recipe that is a nut cake and the flour is basically 100% ground nuts. It is amazingly delicious - people go CRAZY over this cake - it's nuts and eggs (a lot of them) and sugar. But... it also has a quite a bit of sugar, but I suppose you could try to substitute that... I don't know, I never used a substitute... but honestly, you should ask her - she might prefer to just have it available for her guests and will be skipping it altogether for herself. Whatever she eats, it needs to be HIGH protein to offset all the sugar as sugars spike and proteins do not... I think this cake I mentioned here is as good as it will get with keeping blood sugars in check, but still... it HAS sugar and she may not be able to have that at all...

I know with my midwives, if I had a SINGLE high reading, the would have forced me to switch to a doctor's practice and so on...

Now, if she is insulin dependent, she might "cheat" a little, but still that's not recommended to do... Let me know if you want the recipe of the cake. The frosting is either white or brown chocolate and is a buttercream cooked with whole eggs and butter (and sugar), so again, still better than traditional buttercream and it is possible to pipe with it, but it melts quickly.

melissa

oh man I wish I could help. Let me go look in some of my recipe books and will get back to you soon.

ok I have a recipe from the Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs cookbook for Roasted Peaches and Blueberries with Vanilla Cake. If you want I can PM you with it. Let me know.

I was planning on using one of these recipes for my SIL shower cake; she has type II diabetes. Orange Cake
Ingredients:
1/3 cup reduced calorie margarine, melted
1/4 cup granulated brown sugar substitute
1 tsp. powdered sugar substitute
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup unsweetened orange juice
Vegetable cooking spray
Combine margarine, sugar substitutes and egg. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon, stirring to blend. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with orange juice, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat at low speed after each addition. Spoon batter into an 8 inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Note: You can make two of these and layer them if you wish or bake them in round pans instead. 9 servings.
118 calories, 19 grams carbo, 3 gm protein, 3 gm fat, 257 mg sodium, 30 mg cholesterol.

Applesauce-Spice Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 1/4 cups raisins
2 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons powdered sugar substitute
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
cooking spray
Combine 2 1/2 cups water and raisins in a heavy pan and bring to a boil. Boil until the water evaporates or is absorbed by the raisins. (watch carefully) Remove from heat. Add applesauce, eggs, sugar substitute, oil, and remaining water. Stir to combine. Sift together flour, cinnamon and soda, then gradually add to the applesauce mixture with vanilla, stirring after each addition. Spoon batter into a 10 inch Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool on rack. Frost as desired. Makes 28 slices.
29 mg Cholesterol, 165 calories, 20 gm carbo, 2 gm protein, 26 mg sodium, 8 gm fat

About the Author
Brenda Hyde is a Mom

I found them with a google search. Before you use Splenda check the website, the cake won't rise as much, you have to reduce baking time, and it won't brown either. The website explains what to do. Good Luck.

I beleive the mother-to-be has gestational diabetes. I'll check with her again just to make sure. I don't want to make a cake for anyone that will cause problems.

maybe they'd like two desserts? One traditional cake for the guest and a small, single serve diabetic dessert for the mom? I would hate to single her out, but she is already probably not planning on eating cake, so it might be nice for her to have something special.
If you can find a good cake recipe, my dad loves the SF instant pudding with SF cool whip, that might make a good filling.

A friend of my has diabetes and I know she loves Angel Food cake- normally plain, no frosting. For her birthday I made her one, made a very thin glaze that just covered the top and barely dribbled down the side. I added a gumpaste flower to the side to make it look special. She was thrilled with it. It is the only photo I have listed.

Also, wanted to say, this recipe I have uses no bakign powder, it relies on egg whites only for "fluff" of the cake...

melissa