Desserts and festive moments

Celebrations, especially birthdays, and festive occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s day and Halloween are associated with sweet things.

Every now and then it’s nice to enjoy a special treat after dinner or for afternoon tea, but sweet and sugar is not a must on these occasions. I will admit, however, that there aren’t many LCHF sweets around that don’t contain sugar or artificial sweetener.

I don’t have any miracle solutions to this, as a low-carb cake without the sweet taste is not the same as the sweet version. If I do choose to make a dessert I always do it the LCHF way, without the sweetness, and I often serve some good cheese after a meal.

If I do bake or prepare a dessert, I use vanilla seeds, coconut or berries. For children I opt for homemade rather than bought sweets and cakes, and find that honey is a better choice of sweetener than sugar. I do, however, have a favourite that even my children enjoy, and that’s my chocolate mousse.

Choose what suits you and your family. The level of sweetness will be determined by your needs and tolerance levels.

Monique’s real chocolate mousse

200 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, but preferably above 80%)

1 egg yolk

Pinch of salt

5 ml grated orange zest (optional)

50 ml organic coconut oil

500 ml fresh cream

• Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl suspended over simmering water.
• Mix the egg, salt and orange zest together in a bowl. If the coconut oil is solid, melt it so that it is in liquid form. Slowly add the coconut oil to the egg mixture, stirring all the time. Whip the cream lightly, not too stiff.
• Add the oil and egg mixture to the melted chocolate and stir together. Carefully fold the chocolate into the whipped cream.
• Pour the mousse into a large bowl or individual glasses or bowls. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes prior to serving.
• Decorate with cream and berries if you like.

6 servings

TIPS

• If you are making the mousse for children, they will probably prefer the 70% cocoa chocolate.
• For those who are sensitive to sweet tastes, use the highest percentage cocoa chocolate that you can find. I use both 100% cocoa chocolate mixed with 85% or 90%.
• You can also make a berry purée to serve with the chocolate mousse.

Low-carb cheesecake

Crust

100 g butter

250 ml chopped mixed raw nuts

10 ml ground cinnamon

Seeds from ¹⁄₂ vanilla pod

200 ml desiccated coconut

• Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Mix all the remaining crust ingredients together and add the melted butter. Press the crust into a pie dish and bake for 5–10 minutes.

Filling

300 g Philadelphia^® cream cheese

2 eggs

Seeds from ¹⁄₂ vanilla pod

100 ml desiccated coconut

• Using an electric beater, whip the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and coconut together. Pour the filling onto the pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Refrigerate until serving. (This is as far as you can prepare ahead of time.)

Topping

200 ml crème fraîche

Berries

• Whip the crème fraîche with an electric beater and spread over the top of the baked cheesecake. Add the berries on top, in a heap.

Makes 1 cake (12 servings)

TIP

Make sure you use unsweetened vanilla if you choose to use vanilla essence as a substitute for vanilla pods.

Raspberry (or other berry) mousse

5 ml powder or 2 sheets gelatine

400 ml raspberries (or other berries)

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

400 ml fresh cream

• Prepare the gelatine according to the package instructions.
• Place the berries in a saucepan and cook over medium to low heat for around 10 minutes. Blend until smooth using an electric hand mixer or food processor. Stir in the gelatine and vanilla while the berries are still warm. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Whip the cream and then fold it into the cooled berry purée. Pour the mixture into small serving bowls, glasses or one large serving dish. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Serve as is or with a spoon of whipped cream on top. You can also decorate with a small piece of dark chocolate.

4 servings

TIP

Blackcurrants make a great variation of this dessert.

Panna cotta

500 ml fresh cream

15 ml organic coconut oil

200 ml desiccated coconut

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

5 ml powder or 2 sheets gelatine

Berries and/or coconut flakes for decorating

• Pour the cream and coconut oil into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the desiccated coconut and the vanilla. Stir and remove from the heat.
• Prepare the gelatine according to the package instructions. Add the gelatine to the mixture, stirring continuously.
• Pour the panna cotta into small glasses or a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until it’s time to serve. Decorate with berries and/or coconut flakes.

VARIATION

To make chocolate panna cotta, grate 6 squares of dark (85% cocoa) chocolate and add it to the cream just before you pour the panna cotta into serving glasses. You can also melt the chocolate in the boiling cream for a smoother chocolate panna cotta.

6 servings

TIP

Melt dark chocolate and get the kids to help make decorations for the dessert. Make sure you use greaseproof paper so that the chocolate does not stick to the work surface.

Pear and raspberry pie with a dash of lime cream

30 ml butter

300 ml desiccated coconut

45 ml psyllium husk (available from health stores)

5 medium pears

200 ml chopped mixed raw nuts

100 ml sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

200 ml fresh cream

200 ml crème fraîche

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

5 ml ground cardamom

100 ml raspberries

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a pie dish with the butter.
• Sprinkle coconut onto the bottom of the prepared dish and sprinkle over the psyllium husk. Cut the pears into wedges or slices and place in the dish, covering the coconut. Sprinkle over the nuts and seeds.
• Bring the cream, crème fraîche, vanilla and cardamom to the boil in a saucepan. Pour the cream mixture over the fruit in the pie dish and bake for 20–30 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the raspberries over the top of the pie. Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 7 minutes.

8 servings

Lime cream

300–500 ml fresh cream

Grated zest of ¹⁄₂ lime

• Whip the cream and add most of the lime zest. Save a pinch to sprinkle on top of the cream as garnish.
• Serve the pie warm or cold with the lime cream.

TIP

I have a large pear tree at home, so I usually make this pie in the autumn when I have pears in the garden. You can use apples instead of pears and then add a touch of cinnamon, which is lovely with the apples.

Chocolate lollipops

200 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, but preferably 90% cocoa)

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

15 ml organic coconut oil

• Set aside an ice cube tray.
• Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl suspended over a pot of simmering water. Add the chilli and coconut oil to the melted chocolate.
• Spoon the chocolate into each ice cube compartment. Place the tray in the fridge for a while until the chocolate starts to harden. Insert ice-cream or lollipop sticks before the chocolate hardens completely. Keep an eye on the chocolate so that the sticks don’t fall over.

Makes 6

TIPS

• You can add whatever you like to the chocolate. Instead of chilli, try finely chopped nuts, desiccated coconut, vanilla seeds or goji berries.
• The chocolate lollipop is lovely to dip in a mug of hot coffee (for adults) or warm milk (for kids).
• The coconut oil may colour the chocolate white in places because the coconut oil turns white when cold.
• There are many different ice trays in various shapes that can be quite fun to use.

Cream cake

Base

300 ml chopped almonds or mixed nuts

200 ml desiccated coconut

4 egg whites

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

• Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Draw three circles on baking paper, 18 cm in diameter. Place the baking paper on a baking tray.
• Grind the nuts (fine or coarse) and mix with the coconut. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in the nut and coconut mixture and vanilla.
• Spread the cake mixture within the circles on the baking paper and bake for 15 minutes. As soon as they are ready, loosen them from the paper. If they cool first, they will stick to the paper.

Filling

500 ml fresh cream

Berries, fruit or spice

• Whip the cream until stiff. Choose one or two of the following fillings: clementine segments, mashed strawberries, pomegranate seeds, coarsely grated chocolate or cocoa powder, or cinnamon. (Or leave the cream plain.)
• Place the first part of the cake base on a serving plate. Cover with whipped cream and whatever filling you decide to use. Place the next cake base on top of that and do the same with the cream and filling. Place the last cake layer on top and add cream. Decorate as you wish with grated dark chocolate or a few berries.

Makes 1 cake

TIPS

• This cake works well for birthdays or afternoon tea.
• If you melt some dark chocolate in a bowl suspended over simmering water, you can blend that into the cream to make a chocolate cake. For kids, use a chocolate with a smaller percentage of cocoa if they don’t like the darker chocolate.

Low-carb cold drink/‘juice’ concentrate

700 ml water

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

Juice from 1 orange

300 ml mulberries (blackberries or strawberries can also be used)

300 ml raspberries

100 ml blueberries

• Pour the water into a saucepan and add the cinnamon, the seeds from the vanilla pod and the orange juice. Add all the berries. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. If it is very thick, add a little water. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to draw for 3 hours or overnight.
• Strain the cold drink through a clean cloth or tea towel and pour into a bottle. Refrigerate. Add water to taste.

Makes 1 litre

TIPS

• Use berries that are in season.
• To get a fizzy drink, you can mix the cold drink with sparkling water when serving.

Creamy pomegranate with pecan nuts

500 ml fresh cream

1 pomegranate

200 ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped

2 squares dark chocolate, grated

Mint leaves for decorating

• Whip the cream until quite stiff. Halve the pomegranate and hit the back with a big wooden spoon (or other large spoon) so that the seeds fall out. Mix the pomegranate seeds and nuts into the cream. Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top and decorate with a mint leaf.

4 servings

TIPS

• This dessert is very festive and perfect at Christmas time.
• You can exchange the pomegranate for clementine pieces or raspberries. You can even add vanilla seeds to get a slightly sweeter taste.

Low-carb ice cream

Vanilla ice cream –basic recipe

300 ml fresh cream

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

3 eggs, separated

250 g mascarpone cheese

• Pour the cream into a bowl, add the seeds from the vanilla pod and whip the cream until thick. Whisk the egg yolks and add to the cream.
• Stir the mascarpone until soft and add to the cream and egg mixture.
• Whisk the egg whites until very stiff. Fold the egg whites gently into the cream mixture.
• Pour the mixture into small cups or containers or a springform cake pan. If you use a springform pan, then line it with plastic wrap first so that you can easily remove the ice cream from the pan.
• Freeze the ice cream for a minimum of 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Leave at room temperature for 10–20 minutes before serving.

Strawberry ice cream

1 quantity vanilla ice cream

200 ml strawberries or other berries of your choice

• Prepare the basic ice-cream recipe according to directions. Blend the berries with an electric hand blender or food processor and stir the berry purée into the vanilla ice cream. Freeze as instructed.

Chocolate ice cream

1 quantity vanilla ice cream

150 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

• Prepare the basic ice-cream recipe according to directions. Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a short while. Fold the chocolate into the vanilla ice cream. Freeze as instructed.

Lemon ice cream

1 quantity vanilla ice cream

2 lemons

• Prepare the basic ice-cream recipe according to directions. Halve the lemons and squeeze out the juice. Clean out the lemons so that all the lemon flesh has been removed from the lemon halves. Mix the lemon juice with the vanilla ice cream and freeze as instructed.
• To serve, cut off a small piece of the base of each lemon half so that they stand upright. Fill the lemon halves with the ice cream.

4–8 servings

TIPS

• Garnish the vanilla ice cream with berries, grated dark chocolate, grated lime or lemon zest, ground cinnamon or cocoa powder.
• You can also make ice lollies using ice-cream lolly moulds.

Ice-cream cake

1 quantity vanilla ice cream (see page 171)

300 ml fresh cream

500 ml strawberries or raspberries (save a few for decorating)

• Line a springform cake pan with plastic wrap. Pour the ice-cream mixture into the pan and freeze for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Remove from the freezer and place the ice cream on a large serving platter. Do this 15 minutes before covering and decorating the cake with the cream.
• Whip the cream and purée the berries. Cover the cake with the berry purée and then cover the whole cake with whipped cream. Decorate with a few of the reserved berries. Serve immediately.

8 servings

TIP

You can also freeze the ice cream in a bowl. Before serving, remove the bowl from the freezer and leave out for 10–15 minutes to allow it to soften slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out chunks of ice cream and place in individual bowls. Whip the cream and pipe it on top of the bowl of ice cream. Halve the berries and arrange them on top. This is perfect for children’s birthday parties.

Low-carb treats

100 ml blueberries

200 g dark chocolate (85–90% cocoa)

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

5 ml grated orange zest

30 ml pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

30 ml cashew nuts, coarsely chopped

15 ml peanuts, coarsely chopped

30 ml pine nuts, coarsely chopped

15 ml desiccated coconut

30–45 ml macadamia nut butter (or unsweetened peanut butter)

1 dried apricot, finely chopped (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Place the blueberries on a baking tray lined with baking paper and ‘dry’ them in the oven for 45 minutes.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over simmering water. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and orange zest.
• Pour the chocolate onto greaseproof paper and sprinkle with the nuts and coconut. Using a teaspoon, distribute the nut butter evenly all over the chocolate and nuts, in small heaps. Distribute the berries over the top.
• Sprinkle the apricot pieces on top. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens. Break into smaller pieces before serving and place in a serving bowl or on a plate.

TIPS

• This is a wonderful treat at Christmas time or for parties.
• Have a piece with a cup of coffee after dinner, just not too often!
• Make sure you use unsweetened vanilla if you choose to use vanilla essence as a substitute for vanilla pods.

Lemon coconut tops

50 g butter

200 g desiccated coconut

2 eggs

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Grated zest and juice of ¹⁄₂ lemon

100 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, but preferably 90%) (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the coconut. Remove from the heat and stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix well.
• Shape the mixture, using your hands, into small tops and place on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 15–20 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip the bottom of each coconut top in the chocolate and place on greaseproof paper until the chocolate hardens. Place each coconut top in a mini cupcake cup.

Makes 15–20

TIP

You can also use this recipe for a cake base. Draw circles on baking paper and spread the coconut mixture in the circle. Bake in the oven until golden in colour. Add whipped cream and/or berries on top.

Chocolate balls

100 ml coconut cream

75 g butter

75 g organic coconut oil

100 ml raw mixed nuts, finely chopped (optional)

100 ml desiccated coconut

2 egg yolks

30 ml cocoa powder

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

extra chopped nuts or desiccated coconut for coating

• Separate the thick creamy part of the coconut cream from the liquid (it’s usually in a lump). Only use the thick cream. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls, any size you like.
• Roll the balls in some chopped nuts or desiccated coconut.

TIPS

• Coconut oil becomes liquid at 24 °C, so if the oil is in the fridge or in a cool cupboard you may need to warm it slightly in order to make it more manageable.
• If the chocolate mixture is too runny, refrigerate it for a while to harden slightly and make it easier to roll into balls.