Today I spent most of the day in the kitchen. And at the grocery store. And at Sears buying things I needed in the kitchen (hand mixer, muffin tin…measuring cup…). I made dinner, and the goal of it was to show that healthy eating can be delicious.
The menu included: baked rancho-pistachio chicken fingers, broccoli salad, quinoa-red pepper-cheddar salad, and mini layer cakes for dessert. I’m really happy with how everything turned out, especially because the chicken fingers and the dessert were both new recipes that I made up. I’ll share the other things later, but the dessert is taking center stage today…
Mini Vanilla Layer Cakes with Lemon Cheesecake Filling
(gluten free, grain free, low carb)
With hand mixer (or KitchenAid if you’re lucky enough that yours is not in storage!):
5 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp maple syrup (you may want to add a slight bit more if you like things really sweet–these cakes are not super sweet)
2 packets Truvia (yes, I bought truvia…and I’m not happy about it, but Whole Foods didn’t have the sweetener I wanted)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Add and mix well:
2 Tbsp almond flour
6 Tbsp coconut flour
6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (you could use butter)
Grease a regular size muffin pan with coconut oil, and distribute all the batter evenly (to make 12 cakes). The batter will be super thick, so you have to smooth and spread it in the muffin cups so the top is flat. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. They should slide out of the pan really easy. Let them cool and then cut them in half so you can make two layers. Pipe a blob of frosting in the middle, smoosh the lid on top, and then pipe more frosting on top.
Frosting:
8oz heavy cream
1 packet Truvia or use stevia/erythritol to taste…or use maple syrup
8oz cream cheese (room temp)
1T maple syrup (you may need more to taste, depending on how sweet you like things—remember, the cakes are not very sweet, so the frosting can be a little on the sweet side)
juice of half a lemon
First, make whipped cream out of the heavy cream and 1 packet of Truvia.
Next, whip (with the hand mixer) the cream cheese with the maple syrup and lemon juice. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and then refrigerate for a couple hours. This makes it thicker and more firm—then you can pipe it more easily.
To pipe the frosting/filling, I just scooped it into a plastic baggie and cut the corner off so I could squeeze it out and make it look kind of smooth.
These are amazing! The frosting/filling tastes like lemon cheesecake, but it has a lighter and fluffier texture.The cake itself is not super sweet, but this is balanced by the frosting. Even though I made them in a muffin pan, they don’t look like muffins at all because they really didn’t rise and are flat on top. I think they’d be great with other “things” added, but I wanted to keep them simple this time. I’m dealing with some picky eaters 🙂
The verdict–LOVE. The guest vote was very very positive for the dessert…but I have to say it was slightly overshadowed by “the best chicken I’ve ever had.” (I’ll share that recipe later)
News/Notes:
This is my third day in a row drinking green juice, and I love it! I plan to buy it everyday, and also drink classic kombucha in the mornings (maybe I’ll quit coffee? I don’t know, I haven’t decided on that yet). It’s a beautiful day on the Central Coast (I think maybe everyday is), and I made sure to spend a lot of time outside in addition to being in the kitchen. I wanted to run, but I really can’t do that based on my achilles tendon issues, so I walked down Ocean Ave for a while and then back and down to the end of the pier. Sometimes I don’t like being around a ton of people—I get kind of self-conscious and uncomfortable, but it was good today. I better get used to it because there are people everywhere—lots and lots of them!
Cousin and I are about to go out for a drink for happy hour…to sit outside and relax and chat. Perfect Friday night!
Happy #WineFriday!!
What are your plans this weekend?!
so glad your dinner + dessert were met with appreciation, lisa!! always a great feeling when our inventions turn out.
i have never had kombucha. after trying coconut water and hating it, i am wary of “healthy” drinks!
enjoy the ocean-side walking – and the people watching!
it’s buskers weekend here – street performers, king street is closed to traffic, it’s a great time! and we have perfect weather so there’ll be tons of people out. i intend to head over after work and this eve! last night i saw a contortionist who was amazing!
Yummmmyy creation. It looks so fluffy and light! Have a blast at happy hour!
Hey, what was the sweetener you were going to put in the lemon cakes that WF did not have?
wow your recipes are so impressive! The quinoa salad sounds good and definitely the dessert!
That dessert! YUM! I’m so glad the dinner turned out well. It kind of makes you feel like a rockstar in the kitchen. That flavor combination along with the texture sounds amazing!