Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

Good news dessert lovers: Now you can watch your carbs and eat your cake, too. With recipes for low-carb desserts, all you have to do is make a few substitutions, says Karen Barnaby, author of the new cookbookThe Low-Carb Gourmetand a former sugar junkie who lost 70 pounds when she cut down on carbs.

But she still loves to bake, and now uses texture and flavor-carrying ingredients such as real cream cheese, eggs, mascarpone cheese, and high-quality chocolate to add oomph to her recipes for low-carb desserts. By substituting Splendafor sugar and ground almonds for all-purpose wheat flour, Barnaby creates unexpectedly gratifying desserts like a dense New York cheesecake and a creamy tiramisu.

Please take special note: Although Splenda is as sweet as sugar, you may notice that your low-carb baked goods don't rise as high or look as full. Two solutions: Try switching to smaller baking pans to give your cakes and muffins more height, and add ½ cup of nonfat dry milk powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of Splenda to pump up the volume.

Read on for some of our favorite low-carb solutions to your festive dessert dilemmas. Enjoy them in good company—we guarantee the cheer!

Prep Time:30 min
Cook Time:1 hr 47 min

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 c almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp Splenda
Pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 lg egg white

Filling:

2 1/2 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/4 c Splenda
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
2 lg egg yolks
6 lg eggs

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350° F. Line bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment and coat sides of pan with butter. Set aside.

2.To make crust: In medium bowl, mix almond meal, cinnamon, Splenda, and salt. Add butter and mix well. In small bowl, beat egg white with whisk until foamy and add to almond mixture. Mix well and pat into bottom of pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. If crust rises, poke it with a fork and press it down. Let cool.

3.Increase oven temperature to 500° F.

4.To make filling: In food processor or large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream, Splenda, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well. Blend in egg yolks. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Scrape bowl frequently while mixing.

5.Place springform pan on baking sheet. Carefully pour filling over crust. Bake 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200° F. Continue baking 1 1/2 hours. Do not open door while baking. When done, cheesecake should still look soft in center.

6.Remove from oven and run a knife around outside of cheesecake. Let cool on rack to room temperature. Serve immediately or chill.

Nutritional info per serving:470 cal, 13 g pro, 8 g carb, 44 g fat, 25 g sat fat, 255 mg chol, 1 g fiber, 350 mg sodium

Prep Time: 20 min
Chill Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

1/2 c light butter
1/4 c unsalted butter
2/3 c Splenda
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 c liquid egg substitute
1 Tbsp orange peel
1/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 c dried cranberries

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil baking sheet or coat with cooking spray and set aside.

2.In medium bowl, combine butters, Splenda, and vanilla extract. With electric mixer, beat on medium speed until butteris softened. Add egg substitute and orange peel. Mix briefly. Add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix on low speed, or by hand, until dough is formed. Add cranberries. Do not overmix.

3.Remove dough from bowl and divide in half. Roll each half into a log about 1" in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze approximately 1 hour, allowing dough to chill.

4.Remove dough from freezer, unwrap, and cut into slices about ¼" thick. Place 1" apart on prepared baking sheet.

5.Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to plate to cool.

Nutritional info per 4 cookies:160 cal, 4 g pro, 20 g carb, 8 g fat, 6 g sat fat, 20 mg chol, 0 g fiber, 80 mg sodium

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40-45 min

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/4 c Splenda
3 graham crackers
1/4 c light butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Filling:

3 c peeled and sliced Bartlett pears
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 c Splenda
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2.To make topping: Place Splenda, graham crackers, butter, cinnamon, and flour in food processor. Blend until crumbly. Set aside.

3.To make filling: In large bowl, gently toss together pears, flour, Splenda, lemon juice, water, and cinnamon. Place in prepared baking dish. Cover with topping.

4.Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbling around edges. Serve warm.

Nutritional info per serving:150 cal, 2 g pro, 25 g carb, 6 g fat, 3.5 g sat fat, 10 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 85 mg sodium

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25-30 min

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 c Splenda
1/2 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c canola oil
1 c liquid egg substitute
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:

1 pkg (8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop imitation maple flavoring
1/2 c Splenda
1/2 c confectioners' sugar
Finely chopped crystallized ginger, walnuts, or gingersnaps (garnish, optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a 13" x 9" pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2.To make cake: Place Splenda, brown sugar, oil, egg substitute, and pumpkin in large bowl. Mix until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir well. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

4.To make frosting: Place cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, maple flavoring, Splenda, and confectioners' sugar in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat on medium speed until well blended. Frost when cake is completely cool. Sprinkle garnish, if desired, over top of cake.

Nutritional info per serving:220 cal, 4 g pro, 23 g carb, 13 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 10 mg chol, 1 g fiber, 260 mg sodium

Prep Time: 20 min
Chill Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 7-9 min

Ingredients:

Cookies:

2/3 c light butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 c Splenda
1/4 c liquid egg substitute
1/4 tsp mint extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling:

1 pkg (8 oz) fat-free cream cheese
1 pkg (8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c Splenda
30 hard sugar-free peppermint candies, very finely crushed (garnish)

Directions:

1.To make cookies: Blend butter, chocolate, and Splenda in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat well on medium speed. Add egg substitute and mint extract. Mix briefly. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix on low speed until dough is formed. Do not overmix.

2.Remove dough from bowl and divide in half. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill dough in refrigerator 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil baking sheet and set aside.

3.Roll out chilled dough on floured work surface to slightly less than 1/4" thick. Cut dough into 1" circles. Place 1" apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Remove to plate to cool.

4.To make filling: Blend cream cheeses, vanilla extract, and Splenda. Set aside.

5.Sandwich the cooled cookies with 3/4 teaspoon filling. Press together lightly. Spread any excess filling around outside of each cookie to help candies stick.

6.Roll cookies in candies, completely coating the outside. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional info per Cookie:50 cal, 2 g pro, 6 g carb, 2.5 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 5 mg chol, 0 g fiber, 55 mg sodium

Prep Time: 18 min
Chill Time: overnight

Ingredients:

5 lg eggs, separated
1/2 c Splenda
2 1/2 c mascarpone
Basic Almond Sponge Cake [recipe below], cooled
1/2 c strong brewed coffee or espresso
3 Tbsp rum
1/2 c Dutch-processed cocoa

Directions:

1.Place egg yolks and Splenda in large bowl and beat on medium speed with electric mixer until thick. Add mascarpone and beat on low speed, scraping down bowl as needed, until incorporated. Do not overbeat or mixture will curdle.

2.In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir one-quarter of the whites into mascarpone mixture, then fold in remaining whites.

3.Cut cake in half crosswise, then lengthwise into 8 slices per half, to make 16 fingers. Combine coffee and rum in shallow dish. Place cocoa in sieve over a bowl.

4.Sprinkle bottom of a straight-sided serving dish lightly with cocoa. Quickly dip a few cake fingers into coffee mixture and line bottom of dish. Do not get them too wet or tiramisu will be runny. Spread on one-quarter of mascarpone mixture and dust top with cocoa.

5.Repeat process several times to get 3 or 4 layers. End with a sprinkling of cocoa. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Per Serving:400 cal, 15 g pro, 11 g carb, 31 g fat, 13 g sat fat, 335 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 250 mg sodium

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Basic Almond Sponge Cake

Makes: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 lg eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15" x 10" jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment and butter again. Set aside.

2.In small bowl, mix almond meal, baking powder, and salt.

3.Place eggs and Splenda in large bowl. With electric mixer, beat on medium speed until thick, light, and tripled in volume, 8 to 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Fold in almond mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

4.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until top springs back when pressed lightly. Cool in pan or on rack.

Nutritional info per serving:150 cal, 8 g pro, 5 g carb, 11 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 160 mg chol, 2 g fiber, 190 mg sodium