Diabetic Cupcakes and Frosting

here is a recipe from food.com that has a cream cheese frosting made from splenda. i use a lot of these types of recipes, as my mom, step dad, and MIL, are all diabetic. the great thing with splenda is that it has the same basic taste as sugar, not a chemical taste. word of warning though...splenda does NOT cook well on the stove top. I tried to make pear preserves with it and it scorched really bad to the bottom of the pan. i really hope this helps!

Is this the one that you are talking about ?? http://www.food.com/recipe/absolutely-sugar-free-frosting-123602

I attempted to make sugar free cupcakes / frosting a few months ago for my bf who is type 1 diabetic. I tried just using my vanilla cupcake recipe and substituted the sugar with splenda but when the cupcake bake the texture was a lil on the firm side on the tops of them. I decided to make cake truffles inside because I did not want to look at them like that and figured maybe the inside was more moist (since baked with reg. sugar it always is)....then I found a recipe for sugar-free frosting online that called for sugar substitutes and dry milk. The consistency was terrible. I added a little unsweetened cocoa to make it chocolate and then formed it for cake truffles and dipped in sugar free chocolate. I tried them and did not like them, but my boyfriend was gobbling them up asking for more! lol I guess I just love sugar and hate sugar free things as far as taste, but he said for sugar free they were great. Now if only I could figure out a way to make the cupcakes more appealing and less dense/dry with using splenda that would be great, along with making up a sugar free frosting that could be piped. I hope this is the link that you were talking about- I will have to try it!

I don't eat sugar (except for the occasional cheat day!) and I bake all the time. www.healthyindulgences.blogspot.com has fantastic recipes using sugar substitutes such as stevia and erythritol. You can sub splenda as well. Sub out white flour for coconut or almond. She even makes cakes from beans!

I make a cream cheese icing with cream cheese, butter, splenda, cream and butavan and it comes out great!

Lowcarbfriends is another good place to find sugar free recipes.

didnt realize it didnt post the link...lets try this again
http://www.food.com/recipe/splenda-cream-cheese-frosting-199618

My favorite sugar free frosting is mixing sugar free pudding with heavy whipping cream. It makes like a mouse type frosting. It does require refrigeration but it is super yummy. My favorites flavors are chocolate, white chocolate and cheesecake but for lemon raspberry I'd use lemon pudding.

I am unsure if any of the previous posters are diabetic, but I am. I'd like to offer some education if I may.

The main issue for diabetics is not just sugar. ALL carbohydrates are the problem. That means flour, rice, fresh and canned fruit, fruit juice, milk, crackers, bagels, bread, corn, potatoes, etc etc etc. Going sugar-free is good where you can do it effectively, like using sweetener in iced tea. But baking sugar free is somewhat difficult as sugar free batter won't rise as much or brown well.

My dietitian advised me it is better to have a moderate taste of the real thing occasionally, than to believe you can have more of the "fake" which in the end can cause you more problems. And the fake thing won't taste as good. I personally have decided that if I want to include a serving of real cake (or whatever) into my carb allowance, I will... but I make sure I take away something else like bread or fruit. It's all about portion size and accounting for everything for a diabetic.

There are about 30 grams of carb in 1 serving of plain unfrosted yellow cake. That is 2 carb servings if you count carbs. The carbs are about the same for sugar free. Add frosting and you add another carb serving for each 15 grams. Calling a food sugar free can lull a person into thinking it's also calorie free. The calories are often higher for a sugar free item, and usually where sugar is taken out, something else is added, like fat or sodium. And of course there is the problem of sugar alcohols. A person might eat 3 servings thinking it will be "free", and then suffer belly cramps and worse. Sugar alcohols such as erythritol and maltitol can cause gastric/intestinal disturbances like gas or diarrhea.

I've tried the Pillsbury Sugar Free Cake Mixes and Sugar Free Frostings...not worth it in my opinion. Give me real.

Anyway, my advice is to eat real cake if you want to have cake, but take away an equivalent something else, like servings of potatoes, corn, bread, fruit, beans, whatever. Taste is more important than volume, imo. The easiest way to control portions is with cupcakes.

No offense intended to anyone. Education is awareness of possibilities, and knowledge of the consequences of actions.

I agree with SugarFrosted. I am also a diabetic. The biggest misconception about diabetes is that sugar is the enemy. Carbs are the enemy! There is no such thing as a diabetic-friendly cake, unless it's styrofoam. Have a smaller piece of the real thing, or don't have any at all.

Yea finally someone explained about sugar free. I tell my clients this all the time. Im not diabetic but I knew about the carbs in flour and as long as you compensate for the piece of cake youll be fine.

Has anyone tried baking with Whey Low as a sugar replacement?  I am going to give it a try but I would love to hear if others had any luck.