Diabetic Birthday Cake

I know I am late but I had to reply. =)
I just made a frosting with a tub of Cool Whip-completely thawed in the fridge..and added a box of sugar free pudding (lemon-what I had on hand) and is was VERY GOOD!! Does not soak the cake..pudding flavors & thickens it up like a cream but not thick like butter frosting. You could frost an already made angel food cake from the bakery.
You can also try the Cool Whip & a box of sugar free jello- any flavor & frost. This thickens nice and TONS of flavor. You could add a can of drained fruit cocktail for a middle layer filling but maybe that is not good for the diet diabetic. hope that helps =)

I am diabetic and married to a dietitian. He has gotten me a sugar-free ice cream cake. It was from TCBY, but I imagine that other ice cream shops might make them. It was the best cake I have ever had, and everyone liked it.

There are good sugar-free cake mixes- and if you make those up- and frost with sugar-free cool whip - they are very festive, pretty and ( best of all ) tasty-- you can also use fruit sweetened jam as filling ( does it sound like I'm a diabetic with a sweet tooth???? --- yup -- guilty on both counts)

Blessings-
J.

Make angel food cake from a mix. The cheaper the mix the better for you since they usually have a little less sugar. Even an already baked angel food cake will do. And then add a sugar-free whipped topping and fresh fruit like strawberries. I went to a friend's birthday party and this was what her mother made for her as the cake. I couldn't get enough, it was so good. I didn't know it was a healthy alternative until I asked for the recipe later. I think angel food cake has about 100 calories per slice. SInce then I have served it to guests at my house.
Here is another recipe I love for myself and guests. I got it from a diabetic cookbook. It is a great apple cake:
1 3/4 c four
2 t baking powder
5 c peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (4 to 5 apples)
2 t ground cinnamon
1 c plus 3 Tbsp sugar
6 T vegetable oil
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c orange juice
3 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk flour and baking powder and set aside. Place apples in large bowl with cinnamon and 3 Tbsps sugar. Beat remaining sugar with oil. Add eggs and egg white, applesauce, oj, and vanilla. Combine well. Fold in reserved flour mixture, then 4 cups apples with its juices. Put 1 cup apples decoratively on bottom of coated bundt cake or 10 inch tube pan. Then add the batter. Bake 350 degrees until cake pulls from sides and is springy- about 1 hour or so. Cool cake about 30 minutes, then loosen around edges and invert onto a cooling rack.

My husband is Type 2 diabetic so I altar things quite a bit. Some people don't like using splenda -- if you don't there is a diabetic "sugar" I order from www.wheylow.com. It was develped by a Dr. for his wife who has severe diabetes. It is good -- also available is a brown sugar.

I usually use whole wheat white pastry flour from Bob's Red Mill for my baking. If you don't want to use it totally you could use half with your white processed flour. If it's for a carrot cake, for example, you can't tell the difference!

For frostings -- try using a sugar free jello pudding mix and whipped cream which has been sweetened with the splenda.
Hope these ideas help.
S. Robinson

www.1000moms1000dollars.com/S.

I used splenda.com to get alot of recipes from. There is a recipe on there for a cake that is really good it is called Died and Went to Heaven Chocolate CAke. I use sugar free cool whip to frost it with and then drizzle sugar free canned pie cherries down the sides of it. I have made it for several luncheons, birthdays,and have had alot of compliments on this cake.

Dr Neal Barnard, the head of Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) did a 30 year study on curing diabetes through diet alone. He has a book which I got my dad and is an amazing read: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Dia...
There are many natural sweeteners that have a lower glycemic index: agave nectar, brown rice syrup, barley malt and like someone mentioned xylitol. These are much healthier choices for sweeteners. Diet really is the key to maintaining and fixing what ails us.
You can make a yummy frosting by putting cashews, sunflower seeds and some rice milk in a food processor with some agave nectar. It's awesome and it will be thick enough. If you want to make it pretty juice a small beet and add it in for a pink hue. My daughter loves her cakes that way.

I make a standard carrot cake, use splenda instead of sugar, decrease the fat and use a pear or applesauce. Top with 1/3 fat cream cheese whipped with splenda. Toast the nuts for a nice flavor for the cake. No one will know the difference until they check their sugar level.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/27485190#27485190

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12934360/

My husband is diabetic & his son who lives with us is ADHD so I am always looking for low or no sugar recipes....check out Barnes & Noble for some great cookbooks. I also found a sugar free angel food cake at Meijer - make 3 layers out of it, fill will low sugar cool whip & fruit mixed together - each layer can have different fruits! Then top with the same mixture -- it's great and healthy!

Hi I just read the update on this so I know my response is late, but I wanted to share a tip that I find useful and tasty when I bake birthday cakes. I am not diabetic but I try to keep to a minimum my ingestion of simple carbs so as to avoid it.

For birthdays I make a cake batter with hazelnut meal, but there's an almond meal ooption too. It's high in protein and fairly low in carbs and DELICIOUS!!

Drop me a line if you want the recipe for future birthdays or celebrations.

I've been cooking diabetes-friendly meals for 6 years, since my dear daughter was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. If you go the the Splenda.com site and use the recipe search for carrot cake, you'll find the one I make most often for family gatherings. It's great. When there are guests in my home for meals, I don't even bother to tell them that they are being served sugar-free foods. They love to eat here, too. That's the nice thing about today - it's so very much easier now to eat a diabetes-friendly diet, and as you said yourself, a diabetes-friendly diet is good for everyone, even without reasons for concern.

Hi S., I am Hypoglycemic, and have been borderline diabetic for 28 years. Praise the Lord I havn't switched over yet. I attribute that to my diet. I make all of my favorite recipes right from the cook book by using wheat flour instead of white. I use fructose or slenda. I use sugar free chocolate chips. Sugar free pineapple chunks, ect. Just make what you like and substitute the stuff with sugar in it for stuff sugar free. You can make just about anything you want.

As a diabetic myself, I would make the cake with Xylosweet (xylitol- which is an alchol sugar, but digests slower). Also, rather than one for one substitution as directed, I would use only half the amount. (i.e. 1 cup sugar -1/2 cup xylitol.) Or I would use some other type of natural sweetner, guava necter, stevia, or whey low [can be found at www.wheylow.com) I would never use any type of artificial sweetner as they have a lot of really bad side affects. One of the websites telling about the bad effects of Splenda is owned by the company which makes it.
Even using other natural sweetners doesn't mean that it is still "good" for diabetics, as the flour is a carbohydrate source. The diabetic should know how to plan their carb intake for the day, taking into account they will be eating cake. I agree with Jill L. and Saundra R. Another thing, just because a recipe comes from a "diabeitc cookbook" doesn't mean it is diabetic friendly.
I hope this is helpful. If I can be of further help just email.

Have you thought about an Angel Food Cake. My grandmother was diabetic and my husband's grandmother is too and that is one cake they say they are allowed to eat. If you want it, I have a recipe to make an Angel Food Cake. Just email me. I also once made one and then cut the cake in thirds, I put sherbet ice cream in the middle. Topped it with some sugar free cool whip. Makes for a tasty treat.

I've found to make your own cake and reduce sugar just enough so it tastes good, the carb's are the same as ANY low sugar or sugarfree item. My son is type 1 and all the times I've tried to buy less sugar or sugarfree -the carb's are so close to the original, just have the good tasting stuff and eat it in moderation(1 piece of cake). Good Luck!

My daughter is diabetic and someone previously hinted at something really important. If you are serving dinner it would be a good idea to serve a high protein, low- or no-carb dinner. This will help your SIL deal with the sugar better. If she has a bunch of protein in her system before eating the cake she will deal with the sugar much better. You will still want to do a diabetic friendly cake, but even a diabetic friendly cake has a lot of carbs. Good for you for being sensitive to your sister's health requirements! Not everyone is so accommodating.

Hi S.,

The only thing I would emphasize on top of all this good advice is that white flour is just as bad as sugar. The suggestions of carrot cake using whole wheat pastry flour is great or, if you don't like carrot cake, use half whole wheat pastry flour and half unbleached white flour. If you make an angel cake from scratch this way using whey low sugar, it's great. In the summer, I top it off with strawberries and whipped topping. Yum!
Also the comments about a high protein (also high unsaturated fat) meal beforehand makes a huge difference. That's why angel food cake is so good. 12 egg whites! Lots of protein.

when celebrating with my diabetic grandfather, we always did angel food cake with fruit on top, like strawberries.

Hi, well I also have type 2 and what i do is go to the store and for about four dollars i purchase a cake mix and frosting mix that is sugar free. I know those usually taste auful but this one is made with splenda, so it tasts pritty good. also what you can do is make it all from scratch and just use splenda or even sweet and low like you would the sugar. make sure you read the instructions on the sweatener though becouse sometimes they are much sweeter than sugar so it takes alot less. We also like to have strawberi shortcake. the shortcake is not that sweet and you and your own sweetener into the strawberries. Its not that you cant have any sugar its just a limited amount. Have fun.

I know im late but, what about coconut flour in place of white flour? it reduces carbs, so it might also reduce the glycemic index.

I have been a type 1 diabetic for the last 10 years. I don't really have any recipes but there are lots of good diabetic cookbokks out there. The main problem with cake is the frosting. When I have cake I just scrape off the frosting. My question to you is does your SIL want you to make something special or do you just assume this is the nice thing to do? Most diabetics understand that this is just the way things go and do not expect or want people to make special concessions for them. I have learned to adapt to other people, when I go to family parties I either eat a small amount, scrape off the frosting or have none at all. All I wanted after I was diagnosed was to feel somewhat normal not have everyone emphasising my differences. Shortly after I was diagnosed a well meaning co-worker bought me special sugar-free ice cream when they bought a ice cream cake for everyone else all it did was make me more self consious about it, I would have preferred to be treated like everyone else.

Hi S.,
My husband is diabetic and so I do have a recipe cook book with all kinds of goodies that you can make. Give me a call and lets get together. Or let me know your address and phone number and I could mail information to you. We have two of our children that are diabetic. Hope to hear from you. My phone number is ###-###-####.

M. P.

If you make things from scratch, you can substitute the sugar in almost any recipe with something like Splenda. So you can use recipies that you love and just do a simple substitution. Or you could try a low sugar cake mix.

The doctors used to say use fructose instead of sugar, but now say it is better to use a small amount of sugar and focus on watching your carbohydrate intake.

S.,
I hope your daughter's celebration was a great one and whatever recipe you decided to make, you can share it with us all! I thought you would find the following link interesting, based on your comment about where you gain weight. Cinch is a revolutionary program that allows you to keep your muscle mass! My risk of becoming diabetic increases just for the fact that I'm latina, so I've made some lifestyle changes that are keeping my children and family healthier! lost 2 inches of my waist with it! Safe for diabetics!

http://www.cinchplan.com/totalnaturalsolutions

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it.

Regards,
N. Z
###-###-####

Don't know if you are doing anything dinner-ish, but my SIL (who is has type II diabetes) has said that if its balanced with a good protein in the same meal the digestion of carbs is slower, resulting in less impact on bloodsugar.
I wouldn't go with a 'normal' storebought cake/mix/recipe anyway - at least substitute the sugar with splenda. But if there is a very low-carb high protein meal everyone will be less likely to overindulge in the cake, and it will be easier on those who have issues with sugar.
Also, skip the ice cream, or serve sugar-free, low carb ice cream.

BTW, you are an ANGEL for thinking about your husband's family and making considerations for them instead of just saying - oh well, they'll have to make do or find their own substitute. Big Kudos for that.

Hi S.,
My husband is a diabetic and what I've learned from him is that he would rather have a tiny little sliver of the real deal, than a bigger slice with artificial sweetners. Artificial sweetners are great on occasions like the birthday, but keep in mind that too much of them aren't necessarily a good thing. It also helps to focus on the carbs rather than the sugar. All that said, if you get a really good low carb recipe that comes out good I hope you will share it with us after the party!
I have a diet that is great too if you are interested. Good Luck!

I was going to use the Cool Whip sugar-free recipe, till I read the ingredients of the Cool Whip. It is all hydrogenated oil - very bad. The regular Cool Whip is high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil - double bad! So I wouldn't recommend using Cool Whip on anything!