Maple Cake - Sugar Free - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Cake
3/4 cup walnut halves
1/3 cup walnut halves
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups Splenda granular (low calorie sweetener)
5/8 cup non-fat powdered milk
Maple Cream Frosting and Drizzle
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup log cabin sugar-free maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup low-fat whipping cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325\u00b0F
Toast nuts until fragrant, approximately 4-6 minutes. Let cool Combine nuts, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a food processor or blender. Process until nuts are finely ground. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl beat eggs, egg whites, SPLENDA and non-fat dry milk with an electric mixer on high speed, until mixture is thick and pale, approximately 3-5 minutes. Fold a portion of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Then fold a portion of the wet ingredients into the egg mixture. Continue process until both the dry and wet ingredients are combined with the egg mixture. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Bake in a greased and floured 2x9\" pan for 25 minutes.
Frosting Directions.
In a small bowl, combine water and vanilla. Sprinkle with gelatin and let.
soften for 1 minute. In a double boiler bring about 1\" of water to a slight simmer. In a heatproof mixing bowl combine egg whites, sugar free Maple Syrup, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl over simmering water and beat with an electric mixer on low speed moving beaters constantly, until and instant thermometer reads 140oF. This should take approximately 3-5 minutes. Increase mixer speed to high and continue beating for 3 1/2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Add gelatin mixture and continue to beat until cooled to room temperature, approximately 4-5 minutes. In a chilled bowl, beat cream with electric mixer until firm peaks form. Fold into meringue with rubber spatula. Cake Assembling and Decorating (optional).
Place 1 cake layer, top-side down, on a cake plate. Spread 1 cup frosting on cake. Top with second cake layer top-side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours No more than 1 hour before serving, place a large shallow bowl of water beside stove. Pour a 1/2 cup of sugar free Log Cabin Syrup into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and boil gently, without stirring, until a drop of syrup immersed in cold water forms a thread between fingers, approximately 5-10 minutes. Immediately dip base of saucepan in water to stop cooking and cool syrup quickly. When syrup has cooled and thickened slightly, use a spoon to drizzle syrup over cake. If syrup has hardened re-warm over low heat. Chop 1/3 cup nuts. Using a flat metal spatula or pastry scraper, press nuts around bottom half of cake.