The other night I really wanted to make dessert for some friends, but since we're supposed to be eating no sugar and only whole grains, I had to seek out new resources to help me accomplish this task. I found this very useful, kind of kooky website about using different types of sweetners so I looked through the recipes for some ideas on how to incorporate the sweeteners into baking, and came up with a supertasty dessert the other night. I KNOW. A tasty dessert with no sugar and whole grains- it sounds like a paradox, and I was extremely skeptical. But, let me tell you that I didn't tell the guests that I had used "healthy" ingredients in the dessert, and they all loved it- and were surprised when I made the big reveal that it had no sugar or white flour. Of course, it did have butter and cream and other good stuff so that probably helped a bit...


The cake was really moist and had a comforting snap of spice to it. But, I thought it needed a creamy foil to really come together so I made a pumpkin pie-inspired whipped cream. It's a very Autumn-y dessert, but it worked well on a chilly February night all the same.


Oatmeal Spice Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats (not quick cooking)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup dark agave nectar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

• Heat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch square or round pan with non-stick spray.
• In a small pot that has a lid, combine the oatmeal with 3/4 cup water and cook, stirring, until it reaches oatmeal consistency (as in, a bowl of oatmeal that you would eat.) Turn off the heat and throw in the butter. Cover and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine agave, egg, vanilla, and spices in a bowl and mix together.
• Open the oatmeal pot and stir until butter is melted and combined. Add into egg/spice mixture and stir.
• Add remaining dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to blend.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Pumpkin Maple Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 5 Tblsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• pinch salt

Method:

• Using whisk attachment, whip cream until very soft peaks and turn off mixer.
• Add creme fraiche and pumpkin and whip about 20 seconds. Turn off mixer.
• Add in everything else and whip until soft peaks.
• Cream can be made up to 3 hours ahead- store in the fridge, covered. If needed whisk by hand a few times to remix before serving.