This may sound weird and impossible, but it isn't, and the cakes are actually pretty good. The cakes are soft, moist, and just a little sweet. They also taste of strawberries (okay, they should, shouldn't they?). Rather than refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, the recipe uses date paste/puree for a sweetener (see below for how to make it). The dates are loaded with nutrients and beneficial fiber, although they do contain fructose (fruit sugar). Greek yogurt and tofu keep the protein content of the cake high, which is important if you're diabetic. I like to make the cakes in the air fryer to avoid heating up the kitchen, but you can bake them in a regular oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, if you prefer. The cakes aren't frosted, and they really are good with additional sliced strawberries alongside and a fluff of whipped cream or light whipped topping. We also like pieces, plain, for breakfast. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Low Sugar, Diabetic Friendly Strawberry Cakes -- Makes 2 Small Cakes
1/2 cup of quick oats
3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
8 ounces of silken tofu, drained well
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of thick date paste/puree (see below)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt (fat free is fine)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of chopped strawberries, plus a few more to decorate the tops of the cakes
Coat two 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and set them aside. In a food processor pulse the quick oats until they become a flour (pulse for a minute or two, a few coarse bits are fine). Put the oat flour, white whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk them together. To the now empty food processor bowl add the tofu, canola oil, date paste, egg, yogurt, and vanilla and pulse them together until they are blended and fairly smooth. Add the wet ingredients from the food processor to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk them together until they are well mixed. Stir in the chopped strawberries. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Slice the remaining strawberries and place the slices in a decorative pattern (or however you want!) on the tops of the cakes. Air fry the cakes (one-at-a-time) at 320 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a pick inserted in a cake comes out with no wet batter attached. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes or so before turning them out to cool completely. Store the cakes in the refrigerator.
How to Make Date Paste/Puree
Date paste or puree is available commercially, but I make my own because it's cheaper and really easy. If you want a large batch of puree (date puree is good to make a variety of baked goods and as a "healthier" sugar substitute because of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals in dates), simply cover about 24 ounces of dried dates with 2 cups of boiling water and let the mixture sit until it cools and the dates are fairly soft (you can let the mixture cool and refrigerate it overnight, if you want). Put the dates/water (the dates will absorb a lot/most of the water) in a food processor or blender and process them/puree them for a few minutes. You should have a thick, dark caramel-colored paste. You can add a little more water to the paste, if it's too thick for your liking. If you refrigerate the paste, it should keep indefinitely. If you want just enough puree for this recipe, cover half a cup of dates with boiling water and let them sit for about 10 minutes or until soft. Pour off the water and mash the dates well with a fork or puree them in a mini-chopper (I go the fork route, because I don't want to wash the chopper).
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