Sugar Free Christmas Cake

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Ground almonds. For super-fine almond flour, reduce the amount by ¼ cup.

Dark chocolate. I am using 90% Lindt. It is very low in sugar. You can also use a sugar-free chocolate such as Lily's. In this case, reduce the amount of sweetener accordingly.

Butter. Melted, then cooled.

Heavy cream. Also called double cream. Room temperature.

Dates. I used 8 pitted dates.

Eggs. Should be large and room temperature.

Granulated sweetener. Any 1:1 sugar substitute works. I used a brown erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend. Allulose, xylitol or Bocha Sweet are alternatives.

Baking powder

Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

My Thoughts On Dates

This cake is made with a small amount of dates, which contribute to the moist texture and lend a lovely deep caramel flavour.

I don't often use dates because they do have a high natural sugar content. However, the sugar in dates is absorbed less rapidly than table sugar.

Dates have other health benefits, which you can read about in this sweet potato brownies recipe post.

Since I'm using only ½ date per slice, the amount of sugar per cake slice is low and I have no issues calling this recipe a diabetic Christmas cake.

As mentioned above, my mother-in-law is a type 2 diabetic and is very aware of her blood sugar levels. She enjoys this cake year after year without issues. The same goes for my husband, who keeps his pre-diabetes in check by watching his carbs.

Of course, only you know how much sugar you can handle. Details on how to make the cake keto are further down in the post.

Instructions

It is just a few simple steps to make a sugar free Christmas cake. Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step 1: Melt the chocolate and butter in a non-stick pan or in the microwave.

Step 2: Line a springform with parchment paper and grease the sides. De-stone and chop the dates.

Step 3: Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Step 4: Mix the egg yolks and sweetener. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and blend.

Step 5: Stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking powder and spices). Add to the wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth dough.

Step 6: Gently fold in the egg whites.

Step 7: Pour into your springform, decorate with cinnamon sticks and almonds and bake until the cake is cooked but still a little gooey in the centre.

Top Tips

Don't over-heat the chocolate or it can curdle and seize. Melt it slowly, together with the butter. Once it is almost melted, take it off the heat or stop microwaving. Stir until it is fully melted.

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest and 1-2 tablespoons of brandy to the cake batter to take the Christmas cake flavour to the next level.

Recipe FAQs

How do I make this cake keto?

Replace the dates with another 4 tablespoons of erythritol and reduce the amount of almond flour by ½ cup / 50g. This changes the net carb count to 3.5g and the sugar to 0.7g per slice. Or, add the spices to my keto chocolate cake.

Do I have to separate the eggs?

The recipe will still work if you don't. But you get a lighter crumb structure by beating the egg whites and folding them in last.

Can I use cocoa powder instead?

No, that would not work.

Can I use a different cake pan?

Of course. You will have to adjust the baking time. The cake will take longer to bake if you use a 20 cm springform pan.

What else can I decorate the cake with?

Try the ganache from my sugar free birthday cake or the frosting from the chocolate avocado cake. Or enjoy with sugar free whipped cream.