ArcaMax

Whether you’re on Plan Z (or any other diet), the holidays can be difficult. Even if you have solid discipline, your relatives and friends can try to sabotage you. Most of us don’t have great discipline, so a combination of both can be fatal to dieting success.

I’m going to get right to the list of options that I have found successful in straying from a diet for a day. This won’t be successful if you try to do it a whole long weekend but if a day will help you feel more like part of the celebration, then these are strategies you can employ and usually “get away with it” without much damage when you step on the scale the next morning.

First, let’s talk alcohol...

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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a quick cake that can be served at a party. You don’t need large pieces when something has as much flavor as this does. Pumpkin treats are a big hit in the fall and over the holidays.

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients:

The Cake

2 Tbl of melted butter
1 cup of pureed pumpkin (from the can)
½ cup of ZSweet or Swerve sugar substitute
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp of vanilla
½ tsp of grated sea salt
1-1/4 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of cinnamon
¼ tsp of pumpkin pie spice
1/3 tsp of nutmeg
¼ cup of coconut flour or Carbalose flour
¾ cup of Super Fine Ground almond flour

The Frosting

8 oz of softened cream cheese
½ stick of softened butter
1 tsp of vanilla
3 – 4 drops of liquid stevia
½ cup of POWDERED ZSweet or Swerve*

*I buy powdered ZSweet online but if you only have the granulated version you can put it in your food processor and turn it on to make your own powdered sugar.

Instructions:

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your pan with butter spray or baking spray. I used my eight-inch loaf pan. You can also use a nine-by-nine-inch square pan or a nine-inch round springform pan. The final result will look like a single layer cake.

In your mixing bowl, put in the eggs, butter, pumpkin, sugar sub, and vanilla. Begin beating on medium to mix the ingredients. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides so everything is incorporated. Now let the mixer run for two minutes on high. I actually use a timer because I want to make sure the eggs get good and whipped.

Turn off mixer. Now, most cake recipes will tell you to mix all of the dry ingredients in another bowl and then incorporate them. I’m too lazy for that or in a hurry. I put all of the dry ingredients in the bowl on top of the wet ones but I make sure that as I add them I sprinkle them on so nothing is in one blob. Dust your spices over the top. Sprinkle the baking soda and even spread out the flour. Then do the same thing to mix. Run the mixer on medium for about 10 seconds to blend. Then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Next, let it run for another 2 minutes to make sure the batter is all incorporated well and you’ve stirred everything really thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into your prepped 9-inch pan and make sure it’s spread evenly. Then bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You can test for doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean you’re all set.

Cool the cake before you frost it.

For the Frosting

Put all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until creamy. You can taste test your frosting to see if you want to add any more liquid stevia. I think it’s plenty sweet with just a few drops. A little of that stuff goes a LONG way so be careful when adding it.

I frosted this cake in a simple manner. If you want to decorate it you can make the recipe for the frosting again so you’d have enough to pipe a border on top and bottom.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. I try to take the cake out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving it, but truthfully, the cold cake tastes really lovely, too.

BIG YUM!

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola