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RECIPE: Winners of the Low-To-No Sugar Showdown Chocolate Dessert Contest

Imagine trying to win a dessert contest with barely any sugar!

MINNEAPOLIS — Winning a recipe contest at the Minnesota State Fair is quite a feather in your cap. Now imagine having to make a prize-winning dessert with low-to-no sugar!

Barb Lutz of Elk River took first place with her Splenda Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Pie.

Coming in second place was Jodi Johnson of White Bear Lake with her Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake.

Cyndi Harles, the Blue Ribbon Group Recipe Contest Organizer, joined KARE 11 Saturday to discuss the contest and baking with low-to-no sugar.

Splenda Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 Tblsp Splenda Magic Baker, divided
  • 2 Tblsp flour
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 1 Prepared 9” pie crust (see below)
  • 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate bar, melted
  • 1/4 + 1 cup sour cream, divided
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Garnish

  • 24 ounces fresh raspberries
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate bar, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Splenda Magic Baker and flour over raspberries. Toss lightly to mix/coat. Pour into a 9-inch glass pie plate lined with unbaked crust (see below). Bake for 15 minutes. While the pie is baking, beat cream cheese with 1/4 cup Splenda Magic Baker until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until creamy. Stir in a dark chocolate bar (that's been melted and cooled slightly). Add 1/4 cup sour cream and mix. Pour mixture over warm raspberry/pie crust layer. Return to oven, lowering the heat to 300 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes and remove. Blend the remaining 1 cup sour cream, remaining 2 Tblsp Splenda Magic Baker, and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread over hot pie. Chill pie. Garnish the pie with fresh raspberries completely covering the top of the pie. Drizzle melted dark chocolate bar over the top of the raspberries. Yields 8 slices

Homemade Pie Crust:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter, cold
  • 1 Tblsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

Measure flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until particles are the size of small peas. Add oil and buttermilk. Mix until all flour is moistened and the dough cleans the side of the bowl. Yield 3 pie crusts. Unused pie crusts/dough) may be frozen for later use.

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
  • 1 1/2 cups Splenda Magic Baker
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. espresso powder
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup hot water + 1/4 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey (mixed together)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10” bundt pan with baking spray that has flour in it. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine, flour, cocoa, baking magic sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat oil, applesauce, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined.

Stir in dry ingredients to combine, the batter will be thick, slowly add the hot water whiskey mixture until well combined, the batter will now be quite thin, mix for 2 minutes scraping the bowl to make sure all is combined well.

Pour cake batter into the prepared pan, and tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean from the center. Remove cake from oven and let cool for 1 hour. Invert to a platter to cool completely.

Sugar-Free Ganache:

  • 7 oz. Stevia dark chocolate chips
  • 7 oz. stevia vanilla chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 can of coconut milk

Heat coconut milk, pour over chips, stir until fully melted, stir in vanilla, cool. Drizzle over cake.

Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup Splenda Magic Baker Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter until fully browned. Add Splenda Magic Baker Brown sugar. Let dissolve in butter, add cream. Cook until thickened (about 15 minutes) pull and stir in vanilla, cool. Drizzle over the cake.

Optional Cherry Garnish: cherries dipped in sugar-free vanilla chips. Place on top of the cake.

Serves 12

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