Agave and Diabetic Friendly Cakes
Filed Under Special Cakes by Bewitching Elegance, diabetic friendly agave cake, health | Leave a Comment
A few years ago I decided to improve my eating habits and formed an interest in macrobiotics. Through that, I got turned on to vegan baking and became one of the very few people in the San Francisco area that will make vegan cakes. Once I started doing that I got calls from all kinds of people with dietary concerns. From there, I added gluten-free cakes to my line. However, it seems the phone never stops ringing with new requests from people with special needs, which I am always glad to try to accommodate. A big one lately has been calls from diabetics wanting to have their cake and eat it too. A reasonable request, if you ask me. But a diabetic friendly wedding cake all pretty and decorated? Is that possible? Oh yes!
I recently developed recipes for agave cake and buttercream. I just adore agave. As someone who is sensitive to sugar I can enjoy dessert and not experience the headaches and racy heart that I sometimes get with sugar. I have found that there is a big mystery surrounding agave though. Many people have never heard of it. Delicious Organics has this on their website and I think it sums it well:
“Agave Nectar, also called Agave Syrup, is a relatively new sweetener, developed in the 1990s. It is naturally “tapped” like maple syrup. It comes from the Agave cactus, native to Mexico, and best known for its use in making tequila. It is similar in consistency to honey but pours more easily. It dissolves nicely in liquid. It is 10% glucose and 90% fructose, but this is fructose in it’s natural form (unlike high fructose corn syrup). It is absorbed more slowly by the body and is therefore lower on the glycemic index, eliminating the highs and lows of regular sugar. It does have a slight but pleasant flavor to it; the lighter varieties have less than the darker varieties. It contains minerals like Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium.
Most all Agave you will find is organic, natural, unrefined, economical, raw, and kosher.
Like honey, it is sweeter than sugar so you need less of it. Use it to flavor cold drinks like lemonade and iced tea instead of sugar. You can even use it in your coffee or tea. And it’s perfect for smoothies. Use it in vinaigrettes, on cereal, or as a glaze to fish or poultry. Use it in place of sugar in your homemade ice cream. You can use it anywhere you’d use honey, replace it in equal amounts. You can also use it in places you’d use maple syrup like atop pancakes or in desserts. Use 3/4 cup to replace 1 cup of sugar in recipe. Like honey, you must also reduce the liquids in recipe by 1/3. It also helps to reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees if baking with it. Baked goods come out moist and smooth with Agave.”
Something that is not mentioned is that agave rates about a 10 or 11 on glycemic index while sugar is at about 58. Because of this, it is much better for diabetics. Although I have to warn that everyone is different and if you have diabetes you should always consult your doctor about things like this.
At any rate, I love offering agave wedding cakes to my clients, which in a busy place like San Francisco, is in high demand! If I did not tell you I was not using sugar, you would have no idea. The best part of all of this is that there are none of those nasty chemicals that you find in other “sugar alternative” products and none of that “funky taste,” so it is really better for you in a lot of ways. I highly encourage everyone to experiment with agave, for the sake of your health, and your tastebuds!