Sunday, December 5, 2010

Flour-less Chocolate Torte

Sunday, December 5, 2010

A publisher just picked up my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism and has made it into an audio book! What a perfect gift for a friend who commutes to work and doesn't have time to sit and read! To check it out, click HERE. 

Here is a small piece from my book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism:

What mineral is needed by every cell in the body, yet odds are you don't get enough of it AND IT CAN MAKE YOU CRAVE CHOCOLATE? Hint: It's not calcium. Give up? Magnesium. It gets little attention now, but rising evidence implies that magnesium benefits your heart and bones, plus it may help prevent diabetes and migraine headaches.

Deficiencies also cause muscle spasms and pain, insomnia and fatigue. Magnesium assists in maintaining muscle and nerve function, maintains heart beat, helps our immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium is also great for diabetics because it helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Magnesium is also being researched as a natural way to curb food cravings. It is found that as magnesium deficiencies increase so do food cravings. Supplementing with a therapeutic dose of 600 milligrams of a magnesium supplement has been shown to significantly calm food cravings.

Early signs of magnesium deficiency include nausea, fatigue, or weakness. As magnesium deficiency gets worse, restless leg syndrome, numbness, muscle cramps, seizures, mood changes, or irregular heartbeats can occur.

I take 600mg of magnesium-glycinate (NOT Magnesium oxide)every night before bed to enhance my health in many ways (including helping me to fall asleep). Magnesium has been proven to:

-Aids in fighting depression
-Reduces food cravings
-Beneficial in the treatment of PMS
-Relieves restless leg syndrome
-Particularly important for maintaining a normal heart rhythm and is often used by physicians to treat irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
-Beneficial for bladder problems in women, especially common disturbances in bladder control and the sense of "urgency."
-Helps in the treatment of high blood pressure
-Beneficial in the treatment of neuro-muscular and nervous disorders
-Helps prevent kidney stones and gallstones
-Vital for a healthy immune system
-Keeps teeth healthy
-Magnesium is used by the body to help maintain muscles, nerves, and bones.
-Energy metabolism and protein synthesis
-Helps regulate blood sugar levels
-Adequate intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D coupled with overall proper nutrition and weight-bearing exercise throughout childhood and adulthood are the primary preventive measures for osteoporosis
-Useful in treatment of polio and post-polio syndrome
-Useful in the treatment of prostate problems
-Helps reduce stress

Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however therapeutic doses of magnesium in supplements can promote unfavorable effects such as diarrhea. Choosing the correct form of magnesium will help prevent this undesired effect. Magnesium oxide is found in Milk of Magnesia…so of course that version of magnesium will cause diarrhea. Choose magnesium-citrate or magnesium-glycinate; which are highly absorbable forms and cannot be found in your typical retail store; these are found in health food stores, your local nutritionist or chiropractor. These versions are a little more expensive, but you are ensuring you are absorbing the nutrient; it is money well spent.

I recommend taking magnesium around 30 minutes before going to bed. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that helps our sleep. I recommend 400mg for most people; if someone is suffering from a medical condition or is on medication that depletes magnesium, they may require more, up to 1,000mg per day. In addition to supplements, taking baths with magnesium salts is extremely helpful. Absorbing magnesium through the skin stimulates the production of DHEA, the anti-aging hormone.

Click HERE to find Magnesium Glycinate.






My tip is to make this in a pie or cake pan (lined with parchment paper and greased well) and under-bake it just a touch. Let it cool and cut into individual servings to store in the freezer for 'portion control'. When a craving strikes, take your little piece of heaven out and warm in the oven or microwave for about 20 seconds just until 'gooey and melty' top with a dollop of cream cheese frosting!...oh my!


"HEALTHIFIED" FLOUR-LESS TORTE
7 oz unsweetened organic cocoa
14 TBS (1 3/4 sticks) butter or coconut oil
1 ¼ cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 TBS Stevia Glycerite (adjust to desired sweetness) (omit if using Swerve)
5 large eggs
1 TBS coconut flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper (greased or mini muffin tins). Grease parchment paper. Brown the butter (if desired…tastes way better!) in a saucepan. Once the butter is brown (not black!), slowly add the chocolate (don't burn the chocolate). Add the sweetener. Let cool in fridge for awhile. Once cool, add one egg at a time. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with cream cheese frosting.




Cream Cheese frosting
1 stick salted butter
8 oz cream cheese or coconut cream
3 TBS unsweetened Almond Milk
1 TBS Stevia Glycerite (to taste)

Brown the butter in a sauce pan (stir constantly on high heat until light golden brown – it makes such a difference!!!). Once brown add the cream cheese, almond milk, and sweetener to taste. Mix until creamy and allow to cool for at least 2 hours, it will thicken. Spread on top of cake (add almonds if desired) and enjoy. Makes 16 servings.


NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Flourless Torte = 521 calories, 27.4g fat, 4.8g protein, 57g carbs, 2.1g fiber (54.9g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Torte = 261 calories, 27.4g fat, 4.8g protein, 4.2g carbs, 2.1g fiber (2.1g effective carbs)

32 comments:

  1. Yay baby shower! Hope you have a great time.

    Love flourless chocolate cake.

    M

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  2. Maria, this sounds perfect for a get-together I will be at this week. I am wondering why you like to add the Tbs of peanut flour since it is optional. Thanks!
    Lisa

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  3. I added the TBS of peanut flour because I saw a recipe like this that added 1 TBS of white flour and I wanted to see if that would work...but it works without it too:)

    Happy Baking!

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  4. Thanks Adam!

    This is my easy go-to dessert!

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  5. Totally making this! Thanks Maria.

    Thanks, too, for some of the very best, healthy kid-friendly recipes out there.

    Best,
    Jennifer

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  6. Thanks Jennifer!

    I really appreciate your kind words;)))

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  7. Just two questions, am I adding the the ingredients to the brown butter in the pan or bowl and am I beating the eggs in one at a time? I really want to make this and not mess it up. thanks :)

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  8. I just add the rest of the ingredients into the same saucepan as the butter (to decrease clean up).

    I also beat the mixture after each egg.

    Happy eating!

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  9. I made this tonight, as cupcakes without the frosting. Not sure but I thought it was way to sweet! I just started a new low carb eating habit, so it might just be me!! Super easy to make though:)

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  10. Thanks for the feedback Danielle! I adjusted the recipe. Do you think that would help for future bakers?:)

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  11. I think so!! I would try to make it again then.

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  12. What about using Stevia in the Raw instead of truvia, would I then omit the stevia liquid as well?

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  13. I don't recommend Stevia in the Raw if it has maltodexterin which is a corn derivative and is 110 on the glycemic index!

    But if you do, yes, omit the liquid stevia.

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  14. I made this last month and did not follow your instructions/advice for slicing and freezing for portion control! :) It was very good, and I am planning to make it tonight as well. In your cookbook, I know you make these in mini-muffin pans (which I think will aid in my not eating the entire torte). Can you clarify though, do you still use the parchment paper when using the mini-muffin pans? I bought the professional series pans from Sur La Table and have been so happy with them, so I was thinking if I just greased them with some coconut oil I should be ok (since that is what I do far all your other muffins - just not sure if this chocolate recipe would be different. ALSO - do you think Just LIke Sugar would work in this recipe?

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  15. Thanks Molly!

    No, I don't use parchement with the muffin tins, I just use my coconut oil spray:)

    Just Like Sugar would work great!
    My recipes will call for erythritol and stevia glycerite. I use these separate to help keep my costs down. In any recipe you can use ZSweet, Truvia, Organic Zero, Xylitol or Just Like Sugar. In order to use a different product, use the same amount of sweetener for the amount of erythritol in the recipe and omit the stevia (except for Organic Zero, that is only erythritol and you will still need stevia for sweetness).
    1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup ZSweet
    1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Truvia
    1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Xylitol
    1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Just Like Sugar
    1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Organic Zero and 1 tsp stevia

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    Replies
    1. If using Just Like Sugar, would you need to wait to add it after the butter/chocolate has cooled some or would you still add it at the same time you would the other sweeteners? Thanks!

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  16. Does it change the carb count if using Swerve?

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  17. Can you use EZ-Sweetz (liquid sucralose) for the sweetner and if so how much? Thanks!

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    1. Sorry, no sucralose. Please listen to this. It has great information about sweeteners. http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/atlcx-episode-18-the-truth-about-sweeteners-dr-david-getoff/14520

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  18. This is amazing and I didn't even make the icing!!

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  19. on the box of truvia I have it says 3carbs per packette. We would be using quite a few to get to the cup level needed for the recipe....can u tell me how your getting only 4.2 carbs/serving? thanks for your help in advance...my husband and I have just started the low carb way of eating in the last 6wks. :-)

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    1. That is one of the reasons I don't use Truvia anymore. Here is an audio with lots of great information on sweeteners. :) http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/atlcx-episode-18-the-truth-about-sweeteners-dr-david-getoff/14520

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  20. Hi Maria,

    Thanks so much for this delicious recipe, can you tell me if the calorie count is with the cream cheese frosting or out, and if out, the info for the frosting. Also, if you make them into mini muffins, what would be the calorie intake for that? Thanks!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! The nutritional info includes the frosting. For minis there are about 2 to 3 in a slice so I would cut the nutritional info by 1/2 or 1/3. :)

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  21. Maria, I just made these and holy cow are these fantastic! I've been eating low carb and grain free since being diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in late August. This delicious torte is going to be my saving grace! I've been dying for something rich and chocolate-y for months and this did not disappoint! I, along with my "standard American diet" extended family (still can't convince them that this is a healthy way to eat) could not tell these were low carb or healthy.Thank you so very much!

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  22. Hi Maria, what type/brand of chocolate do you use?

    thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I use unsweetened organic cocoa. I updated the ingredient above. :)

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  23. I just ordered some NOW magnesium and calcium reverse - its mainly oxide but contains a mix of the others too.. cant wait to try this cake!! I love the simple ones!!! :-*

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