Sugar Free Chocolate Cake

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

- Laura Ingalls

Imagine having to live without sweets for the rest of your life!! 

I can understand how awful it must feel when a dessert in placed in front of you and you can have no more than a bite out of it. But, truthfully no one can understand it more than the person who actually has to go through it.   

Staying together in the same vicinity as my parents and in-laws, we all generally get-together a lot and most of our occasions are celebrated together including birthdays and Wedding anniversaries. And for each of these special occasions, I am assigned the official cake-maker, a position which I thoroughly enjoy. Not only do I get to try out a new recipe of a cake every time but I also get to polish my skills at icing cakes, which otherwise, though the kids would want it, I don't get an opportunity to do (rather prefer not to) for everyday cakes baked for home.

Both my in-laws have diabetes - which means lot of dietary restrictions and almost a sugar free diet. During celebrations, I feel it must be hardest for them to resist the temptation, when they get to have only a teeny-weeny bite while we all are happily pandering to our sweet desires. 

So, this time on their anniversary (which was yesterday), I decided to treat them with a sugar free cake to grace the occasion. Why haven't I made it earlier? It is because I have always been skeptical about using a sugar free substitute, unsure about the flavor and the texture of the cake and how it would turn out. Nevertheless, I thought of giving it a shot. 

To replace the sugar, I used Sugar free Natura, a sweetener made with Sucralose, which is easily available in any grocery store in the market. Natura comes in an easy to use powdered form and unlike other substitutes,  is heat stable which means it is suitable for baking cakes and cookies. But remember to go easy while using this artificial sweetener as it is supposed to be  more intense than regular sugar, so a small amount is all you need. 

I was quite surprised and equally impressed as the cake rose fairly well and was extremely soft. I get a bit of an aftertaste in sugar free cakes (why have sugar free when you can have the real thing?) so I did not have a taste. But my in laws loved the taste and found it delicious. In the end, it was worth every bit of smile on  their faces.

If you or anyone else has diabetes in your house, or you are just in the mood to go on a sugar free diet, make yours and your loved ones life sweeter with this guilt free cake. They would love you for it!!

Ingredients

150 gms flour
1 tbsp cornflour

2 tsp baking powder

100 gms margarine (I used Nutralite)

3 medium eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp cocoa powder

50 gms Natura sugar free

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.

In a large bowl cream the margarine and sugar free natura together with an electric beater.

Add in the eggs and beat well for a 2-3 minutes.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk till mixed well.

Pour the batter in a greased 8 inch round baking tin.

Bake it at 175C for 30-35 minutes or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow it to cool, then enjoy.