Sugar Free Baking

No Guilt, All Taste Christmas Treats

The festive season can be a time of overindulgence and tricky for those who are trying to manage their weight and blood sugar levels. Rich meals and sugary treats are plentiful and make it difficult not to feel guilty after eating. Australia's most recognised creator of sugar free recipes, Carolyn Hartz, has a number of delicious, guilt free Christmas recipes that won't hurt the waistline and are actually good for you.

Unlike other supposed -sugar free recipes', Carolyn has found ways to create some of her favourite Christmas treats and desserts without using refined sugar or hidden sugars like honey, rice malt syrup or agave, but instead use the natural, sugar free alternative Perfect Sweet xylitol (zy-li-tol). This sweetener looks and tastes like sugar with no after taste and helps manage sugar cravings.

'It is so difficult to beat sugar cravings as many alternatives still cause the dreaded high and lows, making us want more. Perfect Sweet is sugar free and helps you stop reaching for second helpings. The added bonus is no one will know the difference as it tastes just like sugar".

In her cookbook, Sugar Free Baking, Carolyn shows us how to bake her popular festive recipes including Christmas Cake, Ice Cream Cake and Amaretti biscuits, allowing her to enjoy her Christmas holidays sugar free.

'I have proven it is possible to create sugar free, gluten free desserts that are as tasty and even better than the originals. All my ingredients are nutritious with no empty calories and gluten free. Perfect for the whole family."

Enjoy these decadent Christmas treats with 100% pleasure and 0% guilt.

Sugar Free Baking
Sweet Life

Ice Cream Cake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
2 vanilla pods
500ml milk
6 large egg yolks
120g Perfect Sweet® xylitol

Raspberry Layer:

1 00g raspberry or strawberry puree
30ml rosewater
200ml whipping cream

Vanilla Layer:
200ml whipping cream

Chocolate Layer
100g sugar free dark chocolate, grated, plus extra to decorate
200ml whipping cream
Fresh berries, to decorate

Method
Line the base of a 17cm spring form baking pan with baking paper.
Open vanilla pods and with the blunt side of a knife, scrape seeds into a saucepan. Add pods and milk and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.
Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks and xylitol in a bowl on high speed until pale and creamy. Using a balloon whisk, gradually pour the boiling milk mixture over the egg mixture, while quickly whisking. Remove pods.
Pour mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Raspberry Layer
Pour 200ml of the custard mixture into a bowl. Add the puree, rosewater and cream. Mix well and refrigerate.

Vanilla Layer
Pour 250ml of the custard mixture into another bowl. Add the cream, mix well and refrigerate.

Pour the remaining 200ml warm custard and the chocolate into a clean bowl and mix well. Add the cream and mix again. Refrigerate.
Chocolate Layer
Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to first churn the Raspberry Layer. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula. Freeze. Repeat for the Vanilla Layer then smooth mixture over the Raspberry Layer. Freeze.
Lastly, churn the Chocolate Layer. Spoon on top of Vanilla Layer and freeze, preferably overnight. To serve, turn onto a serving dish and decorate with fresh berries and shaved chocolate.

Christmas Cake

Serves 24

Ingredients
Butter or oil, to grease
250g unsalted butter, chopped
125ml water
165ml brandy
80g Perfect Sweet® xylitol
375g raisins
250g sultanas
250g currants
125g pitted prunes, chopped
1 00g dried mixed peel
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
1 tsp orange zest, finely grated
270g almond meal
1 00g natural almonds, chopped
1 ½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp bicarb soda
16-20 whole natural almonds,to decorate

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Brush a 23cm round cake pan with butter or oil to grease. Line base and side with two layers of baking paper.
Place butter, water, 125ml of the brandy and xylitol in a medium saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and combined. Add dried fruits and mixed peel. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes, stirring often.
Place mixture in a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Add eggs and zests to fruit mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix well.
Stir in almond meal, chopped almonds, mixed spice and bicarb soda and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Decorate with whole almonds and cover cake with baking paper.
Loosely wrap pan in brown paper and bake for 1 hour. Remove the brown paper and reduce temperature to 150°C/130°C fan-forced. Bake for a further hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Drizzle hot cake with the remaining brandy and set aside to cool completely.

Chocolate and Pistachio Brownies

Makes 16

Ingredients
150g raw almonds, ground
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
20g cacao powder or good quality cocoa, sifted
200g raw pistachios, finely chopped 100g Raw Dark Chocolate (recipe page 124) or good quality sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
150g unsalted butter, softened
100g Perfect Sweet® xylitol
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ripe banana, mashed (approx. 125g)

Chocolate Ganache:
50ml whipping cream
20g Perfect Sweet® xylitol
125g Raw Dark Chocolate (recipe page 124) or good quality sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
Edible gold leaf, to decorate

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Line an 20cm square baking pan with baking paper.
Mix the ground almonds, baking powder, cacao and pistachios in a large bowl until combined.
In a saucepan, bring water to the boil and remove from heat. Place the chopped chocolate into a bowl and place over the saucepan and melt while stirring.
Carefully remove bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
Use an electric beater to beat the butter and xylitol in a clean bowl on high speed until soft and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate, eggs and banana and beat on medium speed until combined.
Combine the chocolate mixture with the ground almond mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, do not over bake as the brownie should be fudgy in the middle. Leave to cool in pan before covering with ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:
Gently heat the cream and xylitol in a small saucepan, do not boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Spread over the brownies and when the ganache is cool, slice into squares and top with edible gold leaf.


Sugar Free Baking
Sweet Life