Chocoloate Bliss? Low Carb Cake Mix Review

When I heard from Jackie of Sweets4U2 asking if I'd like a sample to review of her new low carb cake mix, I had mixed feelings. Not that I don't like cake, Lord knows! But as most low carb vets can tell you, specialty foods can be problematic. So problematic, in fact, that we've nicknamed them "Frankenfoods" around here. Junk food is still junk food, regardless of whether or not it bears a "Low Carb" sticker the label.

However, I also know that talented low carb cooks can create some amazing creations with the right ingredients and some imagination, so I stated my flavor preference ("Chocolate Bliss," duh!)  and kept an open mind waiting for the mix to arrive. I didn't have to wait long.

The first thing I did, of course, was check out the ingredients and nutritionals.The primary sweetener appears to by Erythritol, which I was happy to see. That's one of the few sugar alcohols that, for most people, doesn't cause gastrointestinal issues. Xylitol was the other sugar alcohol used and does not share this distinction, although, interestingly enough, is said to have potential medical applications. Mental note: Pay attention to portion size.

Carb count according to Nutritionals - 12 servings per mix, 22 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, and 13 grams sugar alcohol. So it would be 6 net carbs per serving if you subtract all the sugar alcohols from the carb count, or more if you only subtract part of the sugar alcohols as many do. Not a "free" food by any means, but in an acceptable range for me on a dessert item.

The mix arrived with a handout providing several tips for successful baking and a few recipes. It's supposed to make one 9" or two 8" round cakes. There were some definite differences in the instructions regarding these mixes and traditional mixes.

• Mixes should be refrigerated
• Room temperate eggs are recommended
• Use a pan of water under the cake pan to produce steam for a moister cake
• Be aware of liquid amounts and measure carefully
• Dry ingredients should be blended before using
• Light colored mixes need a tinfoil tent during the first part of baking

The Chocolate Bliss cake mix also requires some slightly unusual-for-cake ingredients, including sour cream and hot coffee. The flyer warns the batter (but not finished cake) tastes heavily of soy, so of course I had to verify this. Eyew! Consider said fact verified.

Sweets4U2 did say that the cake mix can be frozen, but after about 6 months, the leavening agents can break down, so usage within 90 days is recommended.

I followed the directions as closely as possible, although I couldn't find any vegetable oil in my cabinet, so I used Olive Oil instead. (Hoping I haven't just given any of you chef-types chest pains with that admission!) Pulled the cake out at the appointed time, but it wasn't quite done so turned off the oven and let it set in there for a while. When it was finished, I topped it with some homemade sugarfree whipped cream/cream cheese concoction frosting stuff while it was still warm.

And Hubby and I took a taste. It was...fair. Chocolaty, yes. Great, no. Not bad enough to toss, though, so we had our pieces of cake and I covered the pan with tinfoil and popped the rest in the fridge, somewhat disappointed.

For the taste-testing, I employed myself, my husband, my (carb-loving) daughter, and my friend who does Weight Watchers. With the chilled cake, the unanimous verdict among my four tasters was that it would be difficult to differentiate between the Sweets4u2 cake mixes and "real" cake. Especially coming from my daughter, that was high praise indeed!

So the cake overall was a winner, provided you 1. followed directions, and 2. chilled the finished cake before eating. And it occurred to me this would be a great reduced-carb standin for traditional cake for birthdays and other celebrations. I would feel comfortable serving it to non-LCers, as long as portion sizes were small enough not to provoke any sugar-alcohol-tummy distress from the Xylitol.

What did I not like? Well, firstly, at $8.95 a mix, it's pricey. I gathered that Sweets4U2 is a very small operation, and imagine that contributes to the cost, along with using good quality ingredients. The serving size was smallish for me (pictured below is a single serving, whereas my normal serving size would have been about one and a half times as large). The Xylitol could be a concern for those sensitive to sugar alcohols, although neither I nor any of my taste-testers experienced issues with it specifically.

I liked it well enough that I ordered a few more mixes, happily sitting in my freezer awaiting the next cake occasion. I also tried out the Cream Cheese Frosting Starter, just to see if I liked it better than my homemade version of Cream Cheese frosting. I didn't, and think I'll be topping any future cakes with plain 'ol homemade whipped cream.

:star::star::star::star: I'd give it 4 of 5 stars.

Jackie was kind enough to provide nutritional information on the mixes, included as PDF documents below. If you end up ordering some, tell Jackie you heard about it at LCE.

Happy Low Carb baking! :)