Microwave Low-Carb German Chocolate Cake
2 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon coconut flour
4 tablespoons Splenda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the 1/4 tsp measure twice instead of getting another spoon dirty)

Directions:

1. Melt butter and oil in large coffee mug or 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup in microwave.
2. Add dry ingredients.
3. Add wet ingredients.
4. Mix well.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
6. Remove HOT container from microwave, remove plastic wrap carefully, and let stand for 1 minute.
7. Turn onto plate; cut in half and serve.

As written, each serving contains 341 calories, 32.9 g fat, 10.0 g total carbohydrate, 1.5 g dietary fiber, 4.3 g protein.

The following substitutions should still result in a similar cake, though the flavor will vary and the nutritional information, of course, will be different: Any oil, including more butter, may be substituted for the virgin coconut oil. Any flour can be substituted for the coconut flour, though I suspect you’ll need to use 1.5 or 2 tablespoons to get a similar texture. Conversely, you can also use more shredded coconut and omit the flour, but the texture will be different. Sugar or stevia can be substituted for the Splenda (though I’m not fond of stevia with chocolate). Milk, cream, or plain yogurt may be substituted for the sour cream. It is possible that coconut milk could be substituted for the coconut oil and sour cream, but I haven’t tried that, so I don’t know how much to use.

I’ll likely tackle red velvet cake next, though almond pound cake might be the next recipe to go public because I think that one will be easier to develop. I’m still having a lot of fun with these little cakes!

I’m reading what is probably the best book I’ll read this year, In the Likeness of God, by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey (though I haven’t finished the book or the year yet).

I’m beginning to think one of the best gifts God gave us (to learn with, anyway) is analogy. Earlier this year, I read Mind Of The Maker, by Dorothy Sayers and learned a lot about God as Creator by looking at human creators/artists. In The Likeness of God is about the human body and what we can learn about the One who created it and also the Body of Christ, the Church.

I’ve never felt I was particularly talented at finding/creating analogies myself, but perhaps it is something I should pursue. I seem to learn best from them. Jesus’ parables are analogies. I wonder how one goes about learning how to work with analogies?

(Actually, I have a short story I tried to write once that was an analogy, but I never finished it. I have more ideas than I have self discipline, and the light bulb that goes on over my head is sometimes a strobe light.)

In any event, I find myself wanting to quote extensively from this book, but I try not to quote too much from any one book here. Right now, I’m only on page 175 (of 552, though it’s not difficult reading), and I’ve got 3 fantastic passages I’d love to share! Since I really should just pick one, I guess I’ll go with the fun simile (i.e., analogy, if you don’t split hairs):

I can understand the complex process of keratin producing rigid fingernails and horses’ hooves. But no amount of training will lessen my astonishment as I watch a single stalk of keratin push its way out of a follicle, grow erect and proud and shockingly unfurl as a peacock feather. What was chemistry becomes beauty. It is as if a brilliant Appalachian quilt springs from a rock, as if a desert suddenly births a gang of cavorting porpoises.

These recipes are incredibly friendly to substitution. For the almond flour, you can substitute regular flour or another nut flour or, I’m told, even protein powder or flaxseed. You can substitute coconut oil or another fat for the butter. You can use real sugar or stevia instead of Splenda. You can try different flavors. (I’m working on German Chocolate Cake next.)

I’ve been playing with the basic recipes and have come up with one of my own. I’ve been a bit irritated by how many utensils I have to use to make these cakes, so I’ve streamlined that some, too.

Microwave Low-Carb Orange Cream Cake

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons almond flour
4 tablespoons Splenda
1 egg
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon orange extract

Hardware:

Cutting board (to cut butter and keep counter clean)
A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup (I am told a large coffee mug also works well)
Knife (to cut butter, aid in transferring sour cream from spoon to Pyrex, and cut the cake in half)
Fork (for mixing)
1/4 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon measuring spoons
Plastic wrap
Microwave

Directions:

1. Cut 3 tablespoons of butter from the stick of butter.
2. Melt butter in Pyrex container. The goal is to heat it enough to melt it completely but to allow it to cool some before the egg is added, so it doesn’t cook the egg on contact.
3. Add almond flour, Splenda, egg, sour cream, baking powder, and orange extract. Use the 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon twice to get enough orange extract, rather than getting another spoon dirty.
4. Mix well. If you don’t mix it well enough, you will have streaks of egg in your cake. It should look like the picture below. Only not as blurry.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove hot Pyrex container from microwave; remove plastic wrap, taking care not to steam your hand; and let cake stand for 1 minute before upending onto a plate.

6. Cut in half and serve.

As written, each serving contains 307 calories, 29.1 g fat, 7 g total carbohydrate, 1.5 g dietary fiber, 6.0 g protein.

I plan to try this cake with stevia soon, as I prefer it to Splenda. As I said before, I’m working on a German chocolate version, with red velvet on the distant horizon (though I’ll likely leave out the “red”). If you try this or a similar recipe, I’d love to know about your experience!

Oh, look not so reproachful, Love,
  From tender eyes and true;
I hold not Duty’s voice above
  The call of heart, of home, of you.
                    Remember, Love.
To me you’ll ever be the same,
  And nearest when I’m far;
For Duty’s but your other name
  Amid the smoke of war.
Thus Love and Duty cry to me,
And all mankind they tie to me;
Nor faith in God can die to me.
                    Remember, Love.

If you should ever call me, Love,
  Across the distant blue;
If you should ever call, and I
  Should fail to answer you,
                    Remember, Love.
I am the star that glows for you
  Beyond the realm of night.
I’m the flag I waved for you,
And with my life-blood laved for you.
I’m all things Duty saved for you.
                    Remember, Love.

—Ernest Neal
from Yonah and Other Poems

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, else I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

-Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778)

Lord, of course it is wisdom that I seek.
Of course I seek to grow.
I want my heart to grow more meek.
– But I always end up eating crow.

I want to conform to Your will,
but that row is tough to hoe.
I always end up eating my fill
Of that awful black bird, crow.

I’ve had it boiled and chicken fried;
I’ve had crow fricassee;
I’ve had my crow in black crow pie;
I’ve had roasted crow with brie.

Lord, if you would be so kind,
give me a new crow recipe;
my tongue is faster than my mind,
faster than my eyes can see.

I’ve had it at the church potluck
I’ve had it at family dinners, too.
Oh, Lord, for once could I please have duck
and avoid my tongue-fashioned stew?

My fingers also fly too fast
Immortalizing my flaws in cyberspace
Canned crow, frozen — it’s preserved to last.
– I’ll be eating it all my earthly days.

Only You can save me from my fate,
my life as an avivore.
Purge my wrongness, my pride and my hate,
let me show it is You I adore.

I’ve had my crow boiled and chicken fried;
I’ve had it with a side of greed;
I’ve had my crow in black crow pie.
I’m stuffed to bursting with need.

Only You can save me from my fate,
Only You, the One I adore.
Purge my wrongness, my pride and my hate,
Make me holy evermore.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008

“Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there.”

“Shwooop. Hehe. You have to make those little noises, or it just doesn’t work.”

“That’s a crooked tree. We’ll send him to Washington.”

“The only thing worse than yellow snow is green snow.”

“Water’s like me. It’s laaazy… Boy, it always looks for the easiest way to do things.”

“We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.”

“We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news.”

This painting is based on this photograph by the very talented Dawne Olson, who graciously gave her permission for me to use her image as a reference.

In other news, Nick and Lark was featured in the Impressionist Art group at Redbubble. It happened a few days ago, and I was slow to report it, but it should still be on the front page of that group for a few more days.

There’s still free shipping (through October 30) going on at RedBubble for a few more days, so if you like this painting, now would be a good time to buy a print!

When I, each time anew,
shed tears as bread and wine are blessed.
Am I sad for You
or for my gnawing emptiness?

Do I cry because You suffer
You perfect Lamb, unblemished life,
or do I cry from self importance,
too self aware and full of strife?

I thirst!
I hunger for Your love.
I am too well versed in my need.

I cry for my lonely destitution
– I also cry because you bleed.

Inseparable, my joy and grief,
my love embedded in my need.
O Lord, please make whole my belief,
purify thought, word, and deed.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008

Must it all be to your glory?
Is there not one part of this story
I can call my own
if I’m to claim my wretchedness
and confess
your glory?

Can’t I have but one bright spot,
supply one tiny beam of my own,
a flashlight to illumine the sun?

Ah,
I see.

But I still am not content
to be some silver serving tray
reflecting that which quenches.

I am afraid of that which wrenches
self from self, me from mine
. . . that which refines.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008