With the festive season comes one too many baked goods and sugar-laden treats that are, quite simply, heavy on the waistline. If you’re a banter at this time of year, it takes great discipline to deny yourself the odd mince pie or a helping of Christmas pudding. To save you from missing out, we have done our research and have found some of the most innovative recipes for banting-friendly desserts.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Who has ever been able to deny themselves a bowl of gooey, chocolatey goodness? While it is not necessarily a traditional Christmas dessert, the mousse is a firm favourite among chocolate lovers. This dark chocolate pudding provides you with all the taste and without having to worry about that giddy, sugary high.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the mousse:
300-grams pure dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (no sugar added, minimum 70% cocoa)
60 ml black coffee
Six eggs
55-grams (¼ cup) xylitol
Three tablespoons of cocoa powder
500 ml whipping cream
For the topping:
100-grams fresh blackberries
100-grams pecan nuts, toasted
30-grams coconut shavings, toasted
Two tablespoons of raw honey for drizzling (this is an optional extra)
Method:
First, place the chopped chocolate pieces into a bowl over a pot of simmering water – ensure your bowl is heatproof (you don’t want it to melt!). Stir chocolate until it is melted, don’t leave it for too long as you don’t want the mixture to burn. Set the bowl aside to cool for a short while.
Place your eggs and xylitol (a sugar substitute) in a bowl and beat the mixture together until it is thick in consistency, doubled in volume and pale in colour.
Gently sift the cocoa powder over before folding in the melted chocolate. Continue to fold until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Using a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks, then lightly fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
Spoon the mixture into glass dishes and place them in the fridge. Allow the mousse to set overnight for optimal enjoyment.
When ready to be indulged, remove from the fridge and sprinkle with the toppings.
Chocolate Ice Cream
Christmas occurs in the middle of Summer, so it’s not unusual for South Africans to switch up the usual hot puddings for a scoop of chill ice cream. However, if you have a strict sugar-free diet, licking an ice cream off a sugared cone will be considered cheating.
If you can’t go without a heaped serving of soft serve, try out this recipe for banting chocolate ice cream. The recipe is simple and the result is delicious!
Here’s what you need:
One tin coconut milk
Two heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
Two heaped tablespoons of xylitol
One teaspoon of vanilla essence
Method:
The method is incredibly easy, it follows a one, simple step! Mix all your ingredients in a blender and pour the thoroughly combined mixture into a mold.
Freeze for approximately two hours before serving. Scoop out of the mold, then indulge without without feeling guilty!
Moist Chocolate and Raspberry Trifle
For many, trifle is one of the highlights of a Christmas meal. Who can deny themselves this moist, creamy layered dessert! However, with all that custard and cake comes an excess of sugar entering into your body. Our version of trifle skimps out on custard and sweet cake for marscapone cheese and sugar- free brownies.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the brownies:
One cup of nut flour
Half a cup of cocoa
One teaspoon baking powder
Three tablespoons of Xylitol
Two Eggs
100ml Cream
Method:
Mix the dry ingredients together before folding in the wet ingredients.
Bake the mixture at 180 degrees Celsius for roughly eight to ten minutes, or until cracks begin to appear on the surface.
If you don’t like your brownies to be gooey on the inside, cook for another two to four minutes.
For the mascapone mixture:
Two tablespoons cocoa
Xylitol to taste
Four tablespoons of cream
260-gram of Marscapone cheese.
Method:
Mix the mascapone with the cocoa, add some xylitol to taste.
If you like your pudding sweet, play around with the sugar substitute until you are happy with it.
Folding the cream into the mixture and stir well.
For the layering:
Melted dark chocolate
one packet of sugar-free raspberry jelly
Raspberries.
Method:
While your brownie mix is in the oven, mix your jelly and allow for it to set in the freezer.
Once the ‘brownie cake’ is cooked and cooled, you can now start assembling your trifle. Get yourself a large bowl and layer the bottom with some cake.
Smother melted chocolate over the cake, before adding your first layer of jelly. Add your second layer of cake and slather it with the cheese mix.
Finally, decorate your trifle with raspberries and fill the fruit with leftover, melted chocolate.
Cranberry and Orange Cake
Cranberry and Orange cake is a banting alternative to the traditional Christmas cake. While this recipe is carb and sugar-free, it also skimps out on the raisins for more wholesome fruit.
Here’s what you’ll need:
One cup of almond flour
3/4 cup xylitol
Four eggs
One teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
Four tablespoons of softened butter
The zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
100-grams softened cream cheese
One cup of frozen cranberries which has been thawed in the fridge overnight. Drain off any liquid.
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease and line a small loaf tin with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sweetener, before adding the softened cream cheese.
Beat the mixture until it is well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Then, add the orange zest, orange extract and the dry ingredients and combine the mixture thoroughly.
Place a third of the batter in the pan followed by a third of the cranberries. Continue layering, before ending off with cranberries.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for around 35 minutes. Cover the top of the cake with some foil to ensure that it remains a golden brown colour.
If you cake isn’t cooked through, keep it in the oven for another 10-20 minutes.
If you follow the banting trend and would like to share your secret recipes with us, please comment below!
