“Forget Honey” says this Bear. “Clearly, I’m to eat all of these pumpkin protein muffins instead!” Photo credit delightfultastesbuds.com
Several months ago I came across the yummiest flavor in all of Celestial Seasonings Teas: Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride®. Seriously, it really does taste like sugar cookies. So I got all inspired, ran into the DebbyK kitchen (which is about five paces from my computer), and on my first try whipped up what is now one of my favorite cookies muffins: Pumpkin Protein Muffins With A Sugar Cookie Twist.
Are you someone who loves the thought of eating healthy sugar cookies muffins? Then you will LOVE each bite of my Pumpkin Protein Muffins With A Sugar Cookie Twist.
And for those who care it’s sugar free, gluten/grain free, and ultra low carb.
Pumpkin muffins you make that Are Easier than Easy Bake!
My Pumpkin Protein Muffins are really easy to make, and the ingredient list is short: eggs, coconut flour, coconut oil, the tea, a low carb sweetener (I’ve tried the recipe using Splenda, powdered or liquid stevia, and powdered erythritol) , but you can keep it Paleo/Primal and use liquid stevia, erythritol, real maple syrup, or whatever your preference to keep it low carb (or not so low carb if  you really don’t care!), a high quality whey protein powder, kabocha (click on the link to find out more about this pumpkin squash) or canned pumpkin, and a pinch of salt.
It’s as simple as this:
First, mash up the pre-baked kabocha in a medium size bowl.
Then, add your eggs and mix on high speed with your hand held mixer until everything is a nicely blended together (about one minute on high speed will do). You can also use a food processor. But because the batter is a bit thick, I would not use a blender since some of the batter will be stuck on the bottom and be hard to get out.
Then add in the loose tea from each packet (open each tea satchel and pour in loose tea) and blend into the egg mixture.
Next, in a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients together (including the dry sweeteners if using them).
Then mix the dry into the egg mixture until creamy and smooth, and all lumps are gone. Again, I use my hand held mixer to do this, but you can do it the old fashioned way, by hand, and work up an appetite! You will need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as you mix with the hand mixer.
Blend in your liquid sweeteners here, if using them, and adjust to taste.
Then add in your melted coconut oil and water, give one last blast with the mixer, and pour evenly into muffin cups, about 1/2 way full.
You can let the batter sit for several minutes to let more sugar cookie tea flavors meld into the batter, or you can pop them into the oven right away. Either way they are great.
Now, Bake. Cool (if you can wait that long). Eat.
Pumpkin Protein Muffins that always taste great
Super soft with a crunch on top! Photo credit delightfultastebuds.com
And on top of being super easy to make, there’s no way to mess up this recipe. Really, you can’t burn these muffins even if you try. Not so with sugar cookies. Forget them for a split second past the timer and, well… Have you ever tired to eat a burnt sugar cookie?
Now it’s a totally different story with my Pumpkin Protein Muffins. You can forget about them in the oven (please, don’t try this at home) and you won’t have to throw them away when you discover you’ve had a senior moment and they’ve been cooking past their due date!
I know this to be true because I had a senior moment made the mistake of leaving my muffins in the oven (no pun intended) for well beyond the 40 minute bake time. It was more like an hour. I must have been writing this blog post!
Anyway, although my Pumpkin Protein Muffins were a little bit super extra crunchy on top, they were still soft and fluffy on the inside. Actually I’m one of those people who love extra crisp, so I was all smiles that their crunch quotient was beyond the curve!
In fact, I love crunch so much that after they’ve cooled, I pop them back into the oven again to be toasted, to bring out even more of that sugar cookie crispiness!
OH! And don’t forget to schemer a little bit of coconut oil or grass fed butter on top. You won’t be disappointed.
Super healthy pumpkin muffins for an anytime meal
One serving of my Pumpkin Protein Muffins is a complete meal! Photo credit delightfultastebuds.com
It’s true! I’m not joking when I tell you that my Pumpkin Protein Muffins are great for eating anytime. They may look like a muffin to you, but they have enough protein, healthy fats, and fiber to be a complete meal (or a mini meal for some).
And the Kabocha (or pumpkin) adds additional nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, and potassium.
A little bit goes a long way in flavoring, or adding texture to a baked good. And what I love best about my Pumpkin Protein Muffins with A Sugar Cookie Twist is that the kabocha helps make them soft, with a nice crumb on the inside, yet they still remain slightly crunchy on the top, reminding me of the sugar cookies I used to eat as a kid.Yumminess!
So what are you waiting for? Â Go ahead! Make my muffins, and enjoy them anytime.
If you’re not a chocolate lover now, you will be after eating one of these…!
Hello Your Fit Day Friends!
I’m kind of on a chocolate roll these days. Funny, because I’m not even a chocolate lover. In fact, you’ll never see me go hunting for chocolate, or wear one of those Death by Chocolate T-shirts.
But still, I love making my sugar free low carb treats…and chocolate is good for us (right?)…and practically everyone I know will snatch up a piece of chocolate something, if offered.
So… I’m offering,..with my Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Brownie Bites!
This recipe is a variation of my Melt In Your Mouth Chocolate Chiffon Brownie Cake, the one where I used Kabocha squash (known also as Japanese pumpkin) and Splenda granules. The one that tastes like a chocolate truffle!
In this Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Brownie Bites recipe I’ve replaced the Splenda with erythritol and liquid stevia.
And for convenience, and because some people can’t find kabocha squash in their area, I used canned pumpkin.
Each bite melts in your mouth, and tastes just as decadent as my Chocolate Chiffon Brownie Cake. And if you let it sit in the fridge for a day it becomes nice and fudge-y!
These Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Brownie Bites are not too sweet, so you may want to add extra sweetener. But I think it’s really really good just the way it is!!
For most of my pumpkin baking treats I usually use kabocha squash, which is also called Japanese pumpkin. Â I love kabocha and have been using it for more than 20 years. You can read about kabocha here.
Crispy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth on the inside!!
So here’s how I made these brownie bites:
First, I sifted the dry ingredients together, minus some of the sweetener which is used for the egg whites.
Then I beat the egg whites in a stainless steel bowl until frothy (copper bowls are best, so they say; and you can also use glass),
at which time IÂ added in the cream of tarter. I continued beating until soft peaks formed,
and then added in the sweetener of choice (See notes below), a little bit at a time so it wouldn’t fly around the room. (In the pictures I used erythritol and liquid Splenda)
After it was all incorporated I beat for about another 30 seconds, just until stiff peaks formed. When they are fluffy, STOP your beating!
Whip it! Whip it good!
Make sure not to over beat the whites or they can liquify again. And if they’re too stiff they will get dry and crack when you are folding in the other ingredients. If this happens make sure not to panic! Just add in another egg white and carry on. It’s a learning experience…all will be OK!!
Next I gently poured the squash/egg mixture on top of the egg whites.Â
Then I folded in the squash/egg mixture until all incorporated.
So it looked like this,
Then I sifted and folded in the dry mixture, in 4 equal siftings, until no pockets of the dry mix was left visible.
This part takes a lot of patience and time. Because every time you think it’s all mixed in another little pocket appears underneath the egg whites. So you kind of have to gently lift that bubble of egg white/dry mix, and shake the spatula against the bowl when it appears, so it bursts out the dry mix hidden inside, and then keep folding. I told you this takes patience!! But it’s well worth the effort in the end!
Your final batter will look like this:
Try not to eat the batter, like I do!!
If you’re not too sure on how to fold flour, or any other ingredients into egg whites, refer to my Lemon Chiffon Poppy Seed Cake recipe directions and watch the video on folding.
Then I divided my batter evenly (about 2.5 tbsp per cup) into 8 greased muffin cups without the parchment paper-because they come out more crispy-and placed them on the middle rack. (Or you can use parchment lined muffin tins, but they are not as crisp on top and sides and bottom).
And finally, after baking in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes (while being tortured with the smell of chocolate wafting through my apartment) out from the oven they came. As hard as it was to do, I let them sit for 15 minutes.
Then I plated them up…
and devoured every last one. Well, that part wasn’t hard at all!!
Really, I did! Because my chocolate brownie bites, have 24 grams of protein for the entire batter. I’d qualify that as a complete meal!
BTW: The macros for canned pumpkin and kabocha are very similar.
Notes about Sweeteners and carb counts:
Using Splenda Granules and erythritol:Â The first time IÂ made these brownies I used Splenda Granules. (Yes! I eat Splenda!) This is what helps impart that light and airy melt in your mouth texture. I find that Splenda granules bake up more like real sugar than erythritol does.
Erythritol is a heavier sweetener by weight, and I believe this makes the brownie texture slightly more dense. But this could just be my own experience with it.
The recipe below is using erythritol, which gives the brownies a slightly different mouth feel; a bit more fudge-y.
Should you count Erythritol Net Carbs?:Â Personally I don’t count the sugar alcohols of erythritol into my net carb count, like some low carbers do. Erythritol has been shown not to spike insulin, and is not metabolized by our bodies, and even eating the entire cake doesn’t affect me.
But we are all individual snowflakes, so follow your bliss!
So if you choose not to count the erythritol carbs, that leaves the entire batch of brownies with 15g net carbs. That’s less than 2 grams net carbs per brownie!
However, in the nutrition info I have included total net carbs using erythritol, for those of you who count the sugar alcohol’s net carbs.
P.S- You can also bake these as a cake and enjoy the crispy corners! I prefer to bake these in one of those grocery store 7″-8″ cheap pie pans.
Melt In Your Mouth Brownies made with pumpkin
Alas, let’s get baking!
Note: If you prefer even more of a ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ experience and don’t mind using Splenda,  check out this chocolate ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ brownie recipe.
Large Stainless Steel, Copper, or Glass mixing bowl
Medium size bowl
2 small bowls
Rubber spatula
Mixer, either hand or stand
Sifter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Lightly grease muffin tins with coconut oil
In a medium size bowl, separate the egg whites and the yolks (best done when the eggs are still cold straight up from the fridge). Reserve the yolks for another use.
Let egg whites rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes
Grind ¼ cup erythritol in a coffee grinder.
In a separate bowl, mix coconut flour, whey protein powder, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, ¼ tsp powdered stevia and ½ of the powdered erythritol.
Sift the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, mix canned pumpkin with 1 Tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp of water. Mixture should resemble thick gravy. Don't make it too watery. If the batter gets too watery, a quick remedy would be mix about 1-2 tsp of the sifted dry ingredients.
By this time, the egg whites should be at a room temperature.
Using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment, lightly beat egg whites until foamy.
Lower the mixer speed, then put in ⅛ tsp cream of tartar. Increase the mixer speed and beat until soft peaks formed.
Lower the mixer speed, then mix in the remaining powdered erythritol. Mix it slowly until everything incorporates so you won't have powdered erythritol flying around.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peak formed.
Pour in the pumpkin/coconut milk mixture and carefully fold into the egg whites. Please watch video on folding below:
Once the batter is mixed, sift ¼ of the dry ingredients on`to the egg white. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites mixture. Repeat this three more times, until you use up all the dry ingredients.
Fill about 2.5 Tbsp batter into each muffin tin. The batter should fill about ½ of the muffin tin if you want to make them into 8 muffins.
Bake in 350F for 45-50 minutes
Remove from oven and let sit about 15 minutes before removing from muffin tins. They come out easier this way.
Enjoy!
Notes
Take your time when folding all the ingredients into the egg whites. And make sure to break apart, very gently, any lumps or bubbles of dry mix that you see.
The best way to do this is by lifting the lumps onto your spatula and breaking them apart by tapping the spatula on the side of the bowl.
Using Splenda: I use ½ cup of the Splenda granules (not the baking Splenda or packets) and then powder that for the dry mix, and use ¼ cup for the egg whites.
Net Carbs: NOT Counting Erythritol, for Entire Batter: 15g That's for the entire batter!
As I sit here on my ball, writing my post, the scent of chocolate is wafting it’s way throughout my apartment and under my nose. This is causing quite a stir. With me anyway, since I’m the only one here, and I know how amazingly good this low carb melt-in-your-mouth chocolate brownie cake is!
And I can almost guarantee that you will soon add these chocolate melt-in-your-mouth brownies to your list of ‘go to’ and ‘must haves’!
Now, for those of you who know me, or who’ve clicked around on my blog, here, and here, you know that I’ve been sugar, and processed-foods free for the past 26 years.
But that doesn’t stop me from indulging in a bit of decadence-low carb style. And that’s just how my low carb melt-in-your-mouth chocolate brownies make you feel: like you’re diving into a box of Swiss chocolates!!
They’re super chocolatey, with a slightly sticky, merengue-like top. And, they have crisp sides, which has always been my favorite part of a brownie.
Ahhhhh…and when you sink your teeth into one…it’s so light and airy… and just melts in your mouth.
They will melt in your mouth after each bite!
OK! Well, I don’t want to make you wait any longer…so here’s what to do:
Make the kabocha squash mixture and set aside.
Creamy Kabocha squash mixture should be like a thick gravy or sour cream consistency.
Sift together dry ingredients following recipe directions, and set aside.
Beat eggs until frothy, and then add in the cream of tarter,
Beat until soft peaks form,
and then add in the sweetener of choice (see notes in recipe), a little at a time, and continue beating until stiff peaks form
Beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form
And then add the kabocha mixture gently on top, and spread around a bit, making sure not to break the whites.
Kabocha mixture should sit on top of egg whites
Then fold the mixture gently into the egg whites. (You can watch the video on folding here)
Slowly fold kabocha squash mixture into beaten egg whites
Until they look like this
Folded to perfection with lots of volume
Then, take 1/4 of the dry mixture and sift it over the egg whites. Then fold this into the egg whites gently. Repeat this step three more times. It will eventually look smooth and creamy like this.
The dry mixture has been nicely folded into the kabocha/egg white mixture. Make sure that all the large and small clumps have been bursted and incorporated
You’re almost done!
Now pour this lusciousness into the prepared tin.
Tap the pan on the counter to take out all the air bubbles. Look how nice and smooth the batter is!
And bake, following the directions below, until it looks like this.
Waiting to be cut and plated for some eating pleasure!
Or if you are a square, like this!
(Personally, I prefer to bake these in one of those grocery store 7″-8″ cheap pie pans because the bottom and edges come out super crispy).
Let cool without going nuts (Oh, you can fold those into the batter at the end if you want!)
Slice and plate them up, like this, if you want!
Or this…
They will melt in your mouth after each bite!
Or this…
Almost too pretty to eat…NOT!
Honestly, I couldn’t wait this long with my first batch. They were gone, baby, gone!
Really, whichever way you choose to bake these, it’s like eating milk chocolate truffles (that recipe’s coming soon!).
Ha! I should have called it my milk chocolate truffle cake!
Alas, let’s get baking!
All photos credited to Jos. Be sure to check out all her yummy recipes, too!
5-6 Tbsp water (this really depends on how watery or starchy your kabocha squash is. Add 1 Tbsp each time until you got that thick gravy/sour cream consistency
Large Stainless Steel, Copper, or Glass mixing bowl
Medium size bowl
2 small bowls
Rubber spatula
Mixer, either hand or stand
Sifter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Lightly grease 7-8 inch tin with coconut oil
In a medium size bowl, separate the egg whites and the yolks (best done when the eggs are still cold straight up from the fridge). Reserve the yolks for another use.
Grind ½ cup granulated Splenda in a coffee grinder until it becomes powdered
In a separate bowl, mix coconut flour, whey protein powder, baking powder, powdered Splenda, cocoa powder, and salt.
Sift the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, mix mashed baked kabocha with 1 Tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp of water. Mixture should resemble thick gravy. Don't make it too watery. If the batter gets too watery, a quick remedy would be mix about 1-2 tsp of the sifted dry ingredients.
By this time, the egg whites should be at a room temperature.
Using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment, lightly beat egg whites until foamy.
Lower the mixer speed, then put in ⅛ tsp cream of tartar. Increase the mixer speed and beat until soft peaks formed.
Lower the mixer speed, then mix in ¼ cup granulated Splenda. Mix it slowly until everything incorporates so you won't have the Splenda flying around.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peak formed.
Pour in the kabocha/coconut milk mixture and carefully fold into the egg whites. Please watch video on folding below:
Once the batter is mixed, sift ¼ of the dry ingredients on`to the egg white. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites mixture. Repeat this three more times, until you use up all the dry ingredients.
Fill your 7-8 inch tin with the batter.
Bake in 350F for 45-50 minutes
Remove from oven and let sit about 15 minutes before removing from the tin. They come out easier this way.
Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Take your time when folding all the ingredients into the egg whites. And make sure to break apart, very gently, any lumps or bubbles of dry mix that you see.
The best way to do this is by lifting the lumps onto your spatula and breaking them apart by tapping the spatula on the side of the bowl.
Using Splenda: I use ½ cup of the Splenda granules (not the baking Splenda or packets) and then powder that for the dry mix, and use ¼ cup for the egg whites.
When Debby shared her recipe to me, I couldn’t wait to try them out and it has become one of my staple low carb treats whenever I need a sweet-tooth fix. FYI, in general, I am not a sweet tooth person but once in a while, that thing kicks in.
I enjoyed her Low Carb Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon ‘Chiffon’ Poppy Seed Cake (in these photos, I made them in muffin tins). When she posted her recipe, she told me that the cake will go very well with my Lemon Curd, which I posted on my blog here.
Since her recipe yields extra 2 egg yolks, I am thinking instead of having you figuring out how to scale down my original Lemon Curd recipe, might as well I do it for you, right?
A yummy dairy-free lemon curd. Perfect companion for Low Carb Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon ‘Chiffon’ Poppy Seed Cake.
Author: Jos
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon full fat coconut milk
1 Tablespoon erythritol
½ tsp liquid SweetLeaf Vanilla Stevia
1-2 tsp lemon juice (if you like it tart)
1 tsp liquid lemon extract
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and heat on a double boiler on medium heat. Stir constantly. If you don't have a double boiler like me, you could place the bowl on top of a sauce pan filled with water. Just make sure the bowl isn't touching the water.
Mix until the mixture thickens but be careful not getting it too hot or you'll end up with scramble egg yolks. (usually takes about 7 minutes at least).
Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Cover the curd with plastic wrap directly to prevent skin forming. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Are you ready to got to low-carb heaven? Wait until you try my Low Carb Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon ‘Chiffon’ Poppy Seed Cake. This was really just an experiment and it was the first try. I wasn’t even sure it would come out OK.
When I tasted it… I almost died. But I didn’t, thank god. Instead, I ate the whole cake. I couldn’t help it. It literally melted in my mouth.
So here’s how I came up with this delectable lemony lusciousness. Â I thought I’d try to make an angel food cake using coconut flour. I was hungry, wanted something sweet, it was a low carb day, and I still had macros left to consume for the day.
And when I’m in the mood for baking I love to experiment and come up with goodies that I can make into a complete meal…and gobble them right up after I make them!!
So I got to baking and this is what I ended up with.
You don’t have to eat just one slice… This is a complete meal!
It’s actually not a classic chiffon cake, since there is no oil in the batter. And it’s not a classic angel food cake because there are yummy yolks involved. But it has that spongy, light texture, it melts in your mouth, and is just as yummy as both of those cakes. As it turns out, it’s really what I was going for using the coconut flour!
So, with any angel food cake it requires that the dry ingredients be folded into the egg whites in  four equal parts. I’m not sure why, but that’s what I’ve read on many food blogs, and also what my mother taught me. You can’t always trust a blog, but who’s to argue with your mother!
But folding coconut flour into egg whites is not that easy, and takes some patience folding it four times. Because it’s really boring you need to do it slowly and gently. It actually puts me into a Zen state. In fact, I’m sure making this cake lowers my cortisol with all the folding! Just another excuse for everyone to make this cake! Not to lower my cortisol, but to lower yours!
Now… Back to my making and baking…
No crumb will be left behind!
The first few times I made this cake all I did to combine the dry ingredients was to whisk them together. Then, using a small tea strainer, I sifted and folded the dry mix into the egg whites, in four equal parts.
Sifting and folding the first two of the four portions of the dry mixture was always the hardest to incorporate into the whites. It just didn’t dissolve very well into the whites, like how my other gluten free flours would.
Make no mistake, the cake never failed to come out melt-in-your-mouth, even the first time I made it. But I’m a recipe hacker, and I knew I could make the folding easier, and upgrade the cake.
So I thought, what if the coconut flour was super super fine, and also blended into the protein powder more uniformly.
The secret, which I found out after many trials of baking  and eating every crumb of this deliciousness, was to sift the dry ingredients twice. ( I bet a third time would be even more of a charm, but that would be torture having to wait even longer to eat this cake!)
So here’s what I did: Instead of just whisking the dry ingredients with a fork and calling it a day, I sifted them after whisking them together. And that first sifting made all the difference.
The second sifting comes when it’s time to incorporate the dry mix into the egg whites.
Here is a video on how to fold ingredients into egg whites. Focus on the folding technique.
For my lemon cake it takes about 14 minutes to fold in all the ingredients, including the squash mixture and lemon. When folding in the lemon juice and extract I do that in about 3-4 folds, so I don’t break down the whites. Same with the poppy seeds and lemon zest. Less is more-She’s so right!
The addition of the first sifting really made the difference in how much easier I was able to fold the dry ingredients into the whites. And you can see how creamy and smooth the batter is! (It’s really hard not to eat the cake batter, so I do!).
Sifting the dry ingredients twice makes all the difference.
I really think sifting is key when using coconut flour in any recipe that calls for it, since it’s such a heavy, clumpy flour. And if you’re not afraid of a few extra carbs, like 2 of them OMG, you can always add 1 tsp of cream of tartar to the dry mix, which I find makes the combination of coconut flour and whey protein lighter, and more uniform in texture for folding.
The cream of tartar actually makes for a more fluffy crumb, and I’ll have that recipe posted shortly.
The pictures above and below are of the cake baked at 350 degrees in a convection oven, not a traditional oven, and this one was slightly under baked, where the edges are only slightly brown. It’s OK though, because being slightly under baked can also help give it that creamy melt-in-your-mouth explosion, just with a little less crisp to the crust.
If you use a convection oven, click here to get appropriate recipe adjustments.
I like my cake a bit more brown and crispy on top. So I generally bake the cake so it’s uniformly golden brown, with the edges a bit more brown and crisp. And it still has the melt-in-your-mouth sensation, equally as good. (There’s a picture of this in the baking experiment section below)
The batter also makes super muffins ( I use silicon baking cups so they don’t stick), as well as a yummy mini muffin-cake like this one below, which was baked in a ramekin.
Tastes great as a mini cake or muffin too!
Before baking this cake make sure to read all of the notes below, including my oven temp experiments, as well as the recipe ingredients and steps. So keep reading…!
Some baking notes before starting:
Oven Temperatures:
Make sure your oven is calibrated and is accurate. Most ovens are not. I always recommend an oven thermometer to make sure.
In fact my oven bounces around and I often have to keep adjusting the oven for the first half of the baking time.
Oven Temperature Experiments:
These all produce yummy  cakes with slightly different textures.
At first I baked this cake at 375 for 30 minutes and let it sit for 10 a few minutes before trying ( I couldn’t help myself, it smelled so good!). It was light and fluffy in the middle, very moist. The top of the cake was deep yellow with deep golden hues. Not deep brown..but golden brown. Â You don’t want to let it get to the deep browned top stage, or else the inside will not have that melt-in-your-mouth experience.
However, this cake is very forgiving, and even if you really brown the top (like, a few times when I forgot-it-in-the-oven for 40 minutes brown!) the cake will still taste great, just a bit more cake-like, with a soft spongy crumb.
I also baked it at 365 degrees for 33-35 minutes. For my taste, I think this is the best oven temperature, and amount of time in the oven. I find at this temp and time the edges and top are crisp, and it still springs back to the touch, leaving you with a light melt-in-your-mouth experience. I prefer the juxtaposition of crisp and melt-in-your-mouth textures. Here is a picture of how I like it…
This is how I like my cake baked…all golden brown with a crispier crust…Yum!
I also baked it at 350 for 35 minutes (the pictures at the beginning of the blog post) and it was very moist, had the melt in your mouth texture, but the sides and tops weren’t as crispy as the 365 degree cake (and I love crispy!). This is always a good go-to temperature for baking this cake.
And, lastly, like some traditional angel food cake recipes, Â I tried pre heating the oven to 375, reducing the temp to about 365, and lettigng it bake for about 33 minutes, or until the tops got golden brown all over and it was still soft to the touch. These too were delicious, and had the crisp and melt in your mouth sensation.
Here’s what the squash/egg/coconut milk mixture should look like. It should be like a thick gravy, that will sit on top of the egg whites and not crash or run through them.
Get it nice and creamy, like a thick gravy!
Beating the Egg Whites:
After adding the cream of tartar, beat the whites until soft peaks, where they just fold over. Then add your sweetener of choice. Then beat just until stiff peaks form and no longer. They should look moist and shiny. So check the whites about 30 seconds after you add the sweetener. Â You don’t want to over beat where the whites become dry and crack.
Folding ingredients into batter:
Folding coconut flour:
As you go underneath the whites scraping from bottom, up and over, you will notice pockets of the dry mix as you fold. Be patient and keep folding. It takes time to get the coconut flour all mixed in. Just when you thought it was all mixed you’ll suddenly see another pocket of dry mix on another fold!!! Keep folding!!
Take your time, go slow, and breathe through your tummy!! This is the Zen part of baking. Be super gentle and remember, less is more. Use a soft touch, as if you were helping a wounded chick back into it’s nest. You want to be that gentle!
Frosting And Layering The Cake:
Sometimes we just need a little more decadence in our life! Layering or frosting this cake with Delightfultastebud’s yummy lemon curd is sure to take it to the next level of YUM. And it’s a great way to use up the extra egg yolks, too. Â So go to town. If you count your macros remember to add this in!
I will have a chocolate ganash frosting on the blog soon, too! So check back, or sign up for my newsletter to get regular updates.
Nutrition Values:
The nutrition value for this cake is for using Splenda. So the carb count will be higher. That’s why I divided up the servings into four. But if  you’re not concerned then eat the whole cake if you want!!
If using erythritol/Stevia blend then I count the net carbs at below 10 for the entire cake, since erythritol and stevia don’t spike insulin. Personally no-calorie sweeteners don’t have an affect on my body composition, so I don’t stress about them. Make your own decision.
But I’m not a food Nazi so eat how much of it that you want, whenever you want. Just enjoy it when you do 🙂
Experiment and let me know what you like.
I want to thank my friend Jos, at delighfultastebuds, for baking and taking such lovely pictures of my low carb melt-in-your-mouth lemon ‘chiffon’ poppy seed cake. It was so nice of her to help out. I didn’t hear any complaints, most likely because by the time she was finished her tummy was full. Lucky for me I got such great pictures before she ate up all the goods!
I know it looks like there are a million steps to this recipe, but many of them are just explanations.
If you want more of my low carb and post workout gluten free treats, most of which you can eat as a complete yummy meal, make sure to sign up for my newsletter for weekly updates and recipes 🙂
A low carb lemon poppy seed chiffon-like cake that melts in your mouth with each bite. This cake can be eaten as a complete meal, assuming your macros allow it. So enjoy each bite til the end!
Author: DebbyK
Recipe type: Dessert/Meal
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
2 deep cereal sized bowls
Small dish or cup for lemon juice and lemon extract
1 large glass or metal mixing bowl that is clean and dry (this is a must for the egg whites)
Flexible rubber spatula
Hand mixer or stand mixer ( I use a hand mixer, but I wish I had a stand mixer, hint hint!)
7 (best) or 8 inch aluminum pie plates (yes, those cheap ones make the cake come out the best)
Hand sifter or metal strainer (I use a small tea strainer and sift in batches)
Optional: Silicon muffin cups for some quick muffins, or ramekins for mini cakes
coconut oil for greasing tins
Ingredients:
4 Egg whites
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp organic lemon extract
1 tsp lemon rind zest(optional)
2 Tbsp baked Japanese pumpkin or Kabocha squash(Approximately 30gr, weighed after baking ) or any other baked winter squash, or canned pumpkin like LIbby's. Make sure there are NO spices and sugar in the LIbby's.
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ scant tsp guar or xanthum gum
3 gr (approx. 1 tsp) poppy seed
7 grams weighed of a sugar free, no carb plain whey protein powder. You can also use vanilla if that's all you have but I haven't tried that yet.
pinch salt
10 gr Granulated Splenda, not the baking splenda, or packets
Optional instead of Splenda:1/2 cup erythritol (separated into two ¼ cups , and then powdered into powdered sugar) and1 tsp liquid stevia( or ½ tsp powdered stevia if you prefer it to the liquid-I don't like powdered stevia that much) Primal version
1-2 Tbsp water if needed to make squash mixture consistency of a thick gravy, maybe more depending on moisture content of your squash.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease aluminum pie plates with coconut oil, and/or ramekins if using.
Separate eggs and let the whites sit for at least 20 minutes to bring them to room temperature
Set aside 2 egg yolks in small bowl. (The remaining yolks you can freeze for later use)
Whisk dry ingredients together with the 5 grams of Splenda that has been powdered, into small bowl (or if using erythritol and powdered stevia combo, powder ¼ cup of erythritol, using coffee grinder, and sift that with the dry ingredients, along with the stevia powder. If using liquid stevia then add this to the egg mixture)
Re sift dry mix into another small bowl.
In a cereal bowl, If using baked squash, first mash it with a fork to get it as soft, smooth, and creamy as possible. If using pumpkin just stir it to get it creamy.
Next, add in coconut milk one tbsp at a time and mash it further until it becomes even more creamy and smooth.
Then add in egg yolks, one at a time, and continue to blend with fork continuing to make the mixture as smooth as you can.
Add in vanilla.
Add in liquid stevia here if using.
Add in any water that you need to get it to the consistency of thick gravy(see picture), one tbsp at a time. There should be no chunks in the puree, but it also should not be too think and runny. It's fine if it's of pourable consistency, again, like a thick gravy.
Set aside.
In large glass bowl beat egg whites until foamy
Add cream of tartar
Beat until soft peaks form
Add the other 5 grams (approx ¼ cup)granulated Splenda, by pouring small portion at a time over egg whites and then beating, so the Splenda doesn't fly all over the place. (or, if using, do the same with the other ¼ cup of powdered erythritol)
Beat until stiff peaks form
Set aside. If it is very humid or hot in your kitchen put the egg whites in the fridge while preparing the other parts of the cake.
With the beaters still attached and a little bit of egg white still on them, beat the squash mixture one last time!
Pour squash mixture gently on top of the egg white mixture. Gently smooth them over the top of the egg whites evenly. They should sit on top without dissolving the egg whites.
Gently fold the squash mixture into the egg whites until the egg whites are uniform in color. Do not rush this part. (If you are not experienced with folding please refer to the video link on folding). This may take about 3 minutes. Be sure to get underneath the egg whites, and bring up and over, turning the bowl as you go. Slow turtle wins the race here!!
Combine the lemon juice and lemon extract in small dish.
Fold lemon mixture into egg white using about 3-4 folds. If you are not using lemon juice, use 1-1½ tsp lemon extract, depending on how lemony you like your cake. I like mine lemony!
Fold in grated lemon rind using 2-3 folds.
Then fold in poppy seeds until incorporated. They hide in pockets so make sure they all get folded in.
Fold in dry mixture, in 4 equal parts, sifting each part over egg whites and incorporating it into the whites before sifting in the next part. This takes time. And as you go underneath the whites scraping from bottom, up and over, you will notice pockets of the dry mix as you fold. Be patient and keep folding. It takes time to get the coconut flour all mixed in. Just when you thought it was all mixed you'll suddenly see another pocket of dry mix on another fold!!! Keep folding!!
For best results Bake in 7 or 8 inch aluminum tin (the cheap flimsy ones you get at Walgreens or the grocery store) at 350 for about 30-35 minutes...
Tops will be light golden brown and edges will be slightly brown, starting to get crispy. Top should still be soft to the touch. (Please refer back to baking notes above)
If using muffin cups fill up 70% to top, same with ramekins. It will make about 6 muffins
Check muffins at 25 minutes. Tops should be golden brown. For ramekins about 30 minutes. For cake, check at 33 minutes, it may be done then, depending on your oven. They are done when the tops of cake or muffins are uniformly golden brown along with the edges slightly brown.
For more of a creamy texture slightly under bake.
Let cool and set for about 15 minutes. I know... this is the hard part! I hardly wait that long!
Run a think knife around the edges.
Slice in quarters, or eat the whole thing. Who cares, just eat it now!!
Notes
Be sure to use granulated splenda and not the packets. If using erythritol, powder both the ¼ cup that is added into the egg whites, as well as that which is added into the dry mix. If using liquid stevia with the erythritol, use 1 tsp. If using powdered stevia use about ¼-1/2 tsp. If you like your cake more crispy on top then let the top get brown. At all suggested temperatures the cake will be done in 30-35 minutes. It's a very forgiving recipe!
no need to ground them or brew them. You will be adding them loose leave into the batter.
Hi Your Fit Day Friends!
