Ok, so I just spent about 2 hours brainstorming in my kitchen trying to come up with a really good tasting sugar free chocolate brownie/cake. Complete with icing.
I used a really good recipe from my favorite book, and modified it to make it sugar free. The icing the same thing.
I will post a picture of a slice of the cake later so you can see what I did, and how it looks. Cuz it looks absolutely yummy!! The taste is just ok. For me anyway. I am a big chocolate freak, and so anything that isn't the real thing, will take some getting used to. It tastes ok, and I think that most would say it was good. I am pleased with the icing most of all.
I would say that the big thing is that it is extremely expensive to bake this way, using the ingredients that I did. I bought 2 bags of Splenda and minus a few cups I put into a cheesecake, I used every drop for both the cake and the icing. At almost $10.00 a bag, this is one expensive cake. Someone at my house had better eat it!
What's the reason you ask, that I decided to do this? Well, as of late I have decided to go back to my former way of eating, sugar free(for the most part) and try and take off the 75 pounds that I lost 3 years ago. I am shamefully out of shape and because I am over 40 now, it is much harder to get it off just counting calories. More like immpossible!!
Also, this week I had an order for a sugar free cheesecake for a customer whose boss(who is diabetic, along with 3 other staffers)was having a birthday on thursday. I made her a New York cheesecake, with boysenberry swirl, and a pecan, carmel, chocolate drizzled topping.
When she called me the next day, she raved about it! Said that it was the best thing she and the others had eatten in a long time. I was so pleased. It also got me thinking. There may be a "nitch" here in this sugar free thing. If someone was to be able to do the most delectable desserts, and offer a good variety, I think there would be some money in it! I have cooked this way before, and never thought about it, cuz I was doing just for me and my family. I am thinking with a broader scope now. But I am not satisfied with my latest venture. Chocolate is very hard without the real thing.........
I am asking if anyone has any good tips or recipes that they would be willing to share to help me out. I have a very picky tounge, and I know that if I don't like it, I won't give it to anyone else.
Give me some feedback and let's see what I can come up with!
P.S. For those of you that don't know this: Some sugar substitues can cause diahrrea if eatten in large amounts, or if your system is not used to it. That's one way to lose weight.....but not a good one! 
I hope for some good responses to this topic! 
personally, I would rather have a tiny bit of the real thing than something that is "fake." my boyfriend is diabetic, and I know he feels the same way - just b/c he is a diabetic doesn't mean he can't ever have any sugar - he just compensates for it (more exercise, more insulin, etc.).
BUt - you are corrct, there may be a niche there for you to fill . . .you are on the right track with doing whatever it takes to make it taste good to you before sending it out to customers.
I, for one, would pay a little more for sugar free good-tastin' stuff. It has taken me about a year to shed 70 lbs and I am always lookin' for ways to do things differently. I have never made a suagr free cake. But I have made sugar free cookies and pies. Oh yeah, and fudge. It wasn't so great but ya gotta weigh your options....gaining lost weight OR sacrificing a little taste. For me, there is no question....nothing tastes as good as thin feels. I would love to try your sugar free cake...or maybe tell me how ya did it...did you just substitute the sugar for splenda? Anything else?
I wish I had more info for ya, but I haven't experimented with this much.
$10 a bag for splenda?! That's outrageous!
Granular splenda has too many carbs for me (24 per cup) so I only work with carb free forms (liquid splenda). If I did work with the granular stuff, though, I'd definitely get the Walmart brand knockoff (Altern). I'm pretty sure it's around $5 a bag and it's the exact same stuff.
I'm curious, how big was the cake you made? A large bag of splenda contains the equivalent of 10 cups of sugar. Let say you used 5 cups worth on the cheesecake. That means you used the equivalent of 15 cups of sugar in this cake. 7 1/2 pounds! Unless you made a cake for 40+ people, that's an obscene amount of sweetener. Although most people can't detect the metallic aftertaste of splenda in your average non chocolate dessert, when you get into very high quantities, the aftertaste becomes quite pronounced/impalatable. Are you absolutely sure it tasted 'ok?' Beyond your own taste test, did you get any other feedback on it?
Splenda in cheesecake works. It's not ideal/doesn't provide the necessary sugary texture, but it still produces a pretty good facsimile. Splenda with chocolate... anything chocolate... doesn't work. At least not on it's own. When you work with chocolate (cake, ganache, pudding, fudge, ice cream etc.) splenda has to be combined with another sweetener or else it tastes horrible.
Not only does combining splenda with other sweeteners create a superior product, it cuts your expenditure dramatically. With the right combination of sweeteners you can trim your costs by at least a third.
This is so weird because I jumped on line wanting to post something about sugar free bakng, I was curious to see how many people do it and what their results are. I have been experimenting lately with sugar free baking and have to say, while the treats taste okay, they still are not the same! I would much rather have a little of the "real" thing than a lot of the "fake.' I have been experimenting with oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, replacing the sugar with splenda. It is just not the same and you have to be careful because if you use too much Splenda, the cookies have a horrible aftertaste! The cookies are a lot more spongy and cake like, at least the ones I have tried. Today I made banana cupcakes with splenda and while my kids like them, I can definately tell the differances. I know it depends on what you are making because I have made some things (not baked goods) with splenda and you cannot tell.
I am also curious to know what good sugar free recipies are out there!
Here is the recipe for the fudge I made...I found it on astray.com...
16 ounce Cream cheese, softened
2 each Unsweetened chocolate squares (1oz ea)melted and cooled
½ cup Sugar substitute(aspartame sweetner)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup Chopped pecans
Its not like the real thing, but I ate it. 
Ok, apparently someone got the wrong idea. I didn't use the large amount of splenda on the cheesecake. It was the half sheet size of brownies and the icing combined. The cheesecake was 2 cups. I have found that it is necessary to achieve the right taste and keep the texture.
And I would love to know where you get your liquid splenda from. Also what other types of sweetner where you talking about? Is it Xylitol? I have read alot about it, and even bookmarked a few websites that sell it, but I haven't actually used it yet. If you have and know what it is like to work with, let me know.
Anyways, like I said, I am just starting to experiment with this, and I am still in the "try it and see" stages. The cheesecake I have done before, so I was fairly confident about my results, but chocolate is a whole other ball game.
I have some really good cookie recipes as well as some other cake ones that are not only totally sugar free, but fat free to a great degree. If anyone is interested in having them, let me know and I will send you a PM and you can try them yourself.
I don't often share my recipes, especially since I am trying to run a business, but I am happy to share what knowledge I do have in the area of sugar free cooking. I first learned to do this while I was pregnant with my last daughter(who is almost 11 now), and I did it again a few years ago when I was losing weight(around 70 pounds). I have gained that all back and now as I am over 40 I am experiencing some "body changes" that I am not all that thrilled over! So, I have decided to opt back to my former healthier way of eatting and see if I can get rid of some of the unwanted and unpleasant changes that have taken over my over-weight life. Those of you who on the same page with me on this subject, know what I am talking about...... 
Anyway, I am a baker by nature and profession, so I am looking to offer my clients a healthier alternative as well as my family. Oh, I will still make and sell the regular, yummy and decadent cakes and desserts that I have always done all along, but I will also be offering the other as well. I truly believe there is a need for it, even a demand for it in certain circumstances. So if I can make a great product, and make some people very happy in the process, then it is worth all the "testing" and throw-outs, that it takes to make a perfect product. I won't eat it, let alone send it out to others to eat, if it's not perfect.
And Scott, you seem to know alot about this, so I would appreciate anymore helpful information you can give me on the "sweetner" topic.
Thanks for all your comments! Keep them coming and I will be sending some of you my recipes if you want them.
I will send you a PM with my recipe for New York Cheesecake. Just one of my recipes, but later. Right now my pillow is calling me......LOL
And don't worry, I have quite a few. 
Laters!!
Lisa
Both Splenda and Domino make a "blend" for baking........would that be ok to use for a diabetic person? The eldery gentlemen at my job, who run our mail between the bank branches, well a few are diabetic and I would like to make some cookies for them to have, but afraid to use any sugar. Can anyone who is diabetic help me on this? Thanks!
deb
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