Yesterday I showed you my Birthday Dinner. You may have wondered, “But what about the cake!”
Well, of course. There was cake. Wanna see?
Dr. Tae Yun Kim, when she grew up, never had any birthday cakes. In fact, her parents were so ashamed to have a girl as their firstborn child, that they never even celebrated her birthday – until she was 50 years old!
To Dr. Tae Yun Kim a birthday cake is not about indulging in sweets for the sake of it, but it is a symbol of all the sweetness in life for the coming year! So of course we want a good cake!
Now, since we are all focused on healthy foods, we try to make healthy birthday cakes as well. Especially diabetes friendly ones, since some Jung Suwon warriors have diabetes. Did you know that there is no such thing as a “Diabetes Diet?” One doctor pointed out that what diabetics should eat is what everyone should eat – it’s simply a healthy and balanced diet!
Now, how can you have a healthy cake? Isn’t that a contradiction right there? Not necessarily. There are a few requirements of course to make it healthy. For this blog, it has to be gluten free. It also needs to be low in carbs and reasonable in fat content.
My go-to cake, ever since I went gluten free 4 years ago, has been “Shirley cake.” You can find this genious recipe here, right on Shirley’s Blog “Gluten free easily.” It’s pure genious because no matter what I have ever added to this cake recipe, it always, and I mean always, has come out perfect!
It’s of course gluten free, so that’s covered. But what about carbohydrate content? On first look I was worried. I mean, after all, it’s a pound cake. But after I found this nifty little tool on the internet, a recipe calculator, I found out that one slice only has 12 grams of carbohydrates per slice, and only 134 calories. (Now to be honest, who can ever stick to that serving size….. that wouldn’t be me….) Also, I have very successfully substituted half of the gluten free flour with almond flour, and that would lower the carb load considerably.
Still, you get the point. So, yes, Shirley cake is practically a health food! 🙂
Since Dr. Tae Yun Kim‘s birthday was February 2nd, and since she was out of town for this, we’ll celebrate upon her return, and guess what cake I’ll be making!
Awww, thanks for the love, Angela! So happy that you made a birthday cake that you and everyone else could enjoy. It hurt to read that your dear friend never had a birthday cake growing up. I know you will continue to help her make up for lost time. I love the symbolism for the sweet life ahead and I love how you sort of reinvent this cake every time you make it, Angela! Plus, I never get tired of seeing your versions adorned with your gorgeous roses either!
It’s true on there being no diabetic diet. Real and sensible food is the best. There are parallels between the way some folks approach their diets for diabetes and those that go gluten free. So often, substitutes are sought out for everything. With diabetes, it’s all those packaged sugar-free substitutes. With gluten-free living, it’s all the packaged gluten-free subs. Neither work well. Real food–with lots of nutrients and good fats–is always the best.
Wishing the very sweetest life ahead, Angela! xoxo,
Shirley