A decadent low carb, gluten-free cake with layers of meringue, pastry cream and sugar-free chocolate ganache. Chocolate eclairs in cake form!
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients:
Pastry Cream:
- 1 ¼ cups whipping cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch*
- 2 tbsp butter cut into two pieces
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp stevia extract
Meringue Layers:
- 3/4 cup fine almond flour
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 2 tbsp granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- pinch salt
Chocolate Ganache:
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Pastry Cream:
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Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
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In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with sweetener and salt, then whisk in arrowroot starch* until mixture becomes pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
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Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then return the yolk/cream mixture back to the saucepan and cook until thick and glossy, about 1½ minutes, whisking continuously. It thickens up suddenly and quickly, so watch carefully!
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Remove from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla and stevia. Transfer to a small bowl and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours.
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*If you don’t want to use arrowroot starch, you can whisk in 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum at the end to help thicken the pastry cream. This should be your last step before chilling.
Meringue Layers:
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Preheat oven to 350F. On a large piece of parchment, trace three (3) 5×10 inch rectangles. Place parchment on a large baking sheet.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour and powdered sweetener.
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In a large, clean bowl, beat egg whites with granulated sweetener, vanilla extract, cream of tartar and salt until they just begin to hold stiff peaks.
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Gently fold in almond flour mixture until fully combined.
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Spread meringue mixture evenly onto each of the 3 traced rectangles. Bake 15 minutes, then turn off oven and prop open door with a wooden spoon. Leave inside until cool.
Chocolate Ganache:
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In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together, stirring until smooth.
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Stir in powdered sweetener and vanilla extract.
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Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened but still pourable.
To Assemble:
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Peel one meringue layer carefully off parchment and lay on serving platter.
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Spread with half of the pastry cream. Top with another layer of meringue and spread with remaining half of pastry cream. Top with final layer of meringue.
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Pour ganache over top of cake and let drip down the sides.
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Let set 1 hour before serving (you can refrigerate, but let it sit out 10 minutes before trying to cut, to soften ganache).
Recipe Notes:
Serves 10. Each serving has 5 g of carbs and 2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3 g.
Per serving: 281 Calories; 28g Fat (85.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 126mg Cholesterol; 145mg Sodium.