The healthy recipes for these beautiful baked goods cut down on sugar or cut it out altogether, thanks to the imaginative use of natural ingredients. As a bonus, many of the recipes are also gluten-free and dairy-free.

Discover how to bake more than 70 delicious low-sugar and sugar-free recipes, including healthier versions of favourites such as carrot cake, muffins, gingerbread, and hot cross buns. Every recipe tempts with a stunning photo of the finished cake or baked good.

The recipes contain little or no processed sugar, instead relying on easy-to-source sugar substitutes and natural sugar alternatives, such as honey and seasonal produce. Foraged edible flowers adorn decadent chocolate muffins, and freshly picked berries peek out from between the layers of beautiful cakes, creating a feast for the eyes, too.

Written by Carolin Strothe—cook, food stylist, and author of the award-winning blog Frau Herzblut—and her husband, Sebastian Keitel, the book explains the benefits of a low-sugar diet and debunks the myth that healthy baking must come with a compromise. Carolin includes a seasonal calendar to help you choose the best ingredients; basic recipes for pantry essentials such as applesauce and cashew icing; and tips to help you elevate the look of your creations using natural colourings. With Naturally Sweet Baking, you can cook and enjoy treats without a sugar overload.

 

Naturally Sweet Baking: Healthier recipes for a guilt-free treat, is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

 

 

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Blueberry Naked Cake

Hazelnut Sponge Cake, Coconut Cream, and Blueberry Jam

Makes 1 Cake (Diameter 8 in/20 cm)

Jam

5oz (150g) frozen or fresh blueberries

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

Cake Mix

3⁄4 cup hazelnuts

4 large eggs

1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar

1⁄3 cup mild vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

1⁄2 cup applesauce

2–3 drops vanilla extract

1 cup whole-grain emmer fl our or whole-grain spelt, plus extra for dusting

3 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1⁄3 cup almond milk

Filling

3 cups of coconut cream

7oz (200g) blueberries

Decoration

edible flowers: horned violets, borage, purple basil (optional)

Instructions

Bring the blueberries and sugar to a boil in a pan. Lower the heat and simmer the berries for a couple of minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the consistency resembles thick jam. Stir occasionally during cooking, then leave the jam to cool.

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until pale brown. Leave to cool completely before grinding finely in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (185°C). Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl for several minutes with an electric mixer, until the mixture is a pale cream colour. Add the oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract and stir. In a second bowl, combine the ground hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, and salt, then add this in batches to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. Take care not to stir too much once combined.

Grease two springform pans (diameter 8in/20cm) with oil and dust with the flour. Divide the cake mixture equally between the pans, smooth the surface, and bake in the center of the oven for 20–25 minutes, until risen and golden. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, the cakes are ready. Remove the cakes from the pans and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Briefly chill the coconut cream for the filling. Place one of the cakes on a cake platter. Fold the jam into the coconut cream using a spatula, taking care not to blend them completely, and spread half the mixture over the cake. Spread half the blueberries over the cream, place the second cake on top, and cover with the remaining blueberry and coconut cream. Scatter over the remaining blueberries and decorate the cake as desired with edible flowers. Chill in the fridge for 30–60 minutes before serving.

Excerpted from Naturally Sweet Baking/copyright 2019 DK Publishing.