It's OK to miss chocolate cake... with pink frosting.. and sprinkles!

Well German Chocolate in my case. I don’t have very many pre-diabetes memories, but German Chocolate for my birthday is one of the TOP 3. Every birthday, my Gran would bake me a beautiful 5 layer German Chocolate Cake from scratch. I remember walking into the house after school and smelling the warmth of chocolate filling the house. My name squiggled in pink piping with a big 7. Candles lit and blown, song was sung, presents were opened, and a gigantic slice of cake just for me… the smell of the oilcloth on the kitchen table, my little dress and tights, having to hold onto the medal sides of the kitchen chair because I would sit so far forward, my tights would make me slip off the bright yellow vinyl seat. The ball mason jar full of ice cold milk. All the adults smiling and clapping for me, my baby cousins fussing. I remember the way the elastic on the birthday hat would itch my skin, but I would keep it on anyway, because I knew that stupid pointy cone meant I was the birthday girl… and that cake was made once a year… just for me



I worked with a little girl the other day whom happened to be T1. The experience I had with her made me remember my favorite cake. The lil love is only 6, and she was having a low bg. She wanted to stay with me and I was fine with that. She didnt want to poke her own fingers today, she was a bit weepy, from the low I am sure. I took her fragile little hand and I looked at her little calloused fingers, I couldn’t believe I was actually going to poke her. To hurt those little hands! I washed those thoughts out of my mind, and hurried up and took her bg. We both waited for the reading, 50 mg/dL. I looked up into big green tired eyes, with signs of dissapointment lining her little mouth because her bg was low and she knew she couldn’t go play.



I developed a lump in my throat and a strange liquid pain in my chest that seemed to course through my body. I was glad to sit with her. She thought it was “super cool” that I had T1 too. She curled up on my lap, and her little arms were so cool and clammy, from the low. I told her I was the same way, that I get “SUPER DUPER” cold during my lows.



It made me so sad. I was so sad for her little tiny arms, and even tinier fingers, that she unflinchingly pokes. We just sat and waited for her bg to go up. I gave her some tips for playing. Stories about treehouses my brother and I would build… adventures in my Grans orchard. She told me about her cat and dog, her Hannah Montana dolls, and bratty little sister.



I felt incredibly proud of her, the way she watched her friends play without any complaint, the way she turned down candy earlier that day from a little boy whom I presume has a crush on her. The way she patiently waited for her bg to rise. At that moment I wished with all my might that I could take T1 away from her… if somehow I could have T1x2 or 10, a thousand , a million times over. I would certainly take it. I know it is futile, I know that there is no possible way I could do it, but at the moment if I could of willed it so. I certainly would have.



No lil kid should have to worry about that. It made me feel ashamed that now as an adult, I sometimes feel sorry for myself. I remember how much MORE difficult it was to be a little kid with diabetes. How scary, lonely, and dissapointing. Atleast now as an adult, I know whats going on. I know what to expect. I actually have choices.



By the time the recess bell was about to ring her bg was back up to 105, and she looked at me and told me that its her cousins birthday on Saturday. She told me there was going to be a jumper, and a petting zoo, it was going to be all pink and purple. I appropriately “Ooooohhhed and Awweedd” She then looked up at me and said “theres going to be chocolate cake… pink frosting… and sprinkles! And I miss chocolate cake!” I told her that It’s OK to miss chocolate cake… with pink frosting… and sprinkles! That there were other things that she could eat, and they would be super yummy too. She sighed, that all knowing sigh, too polite to tell me I was full of it, and agreed. She then looked at me and said" Well, chocolate cake with pink frosting and sprinkles is still my favorite, even if I dont eat it anymore."





I haven’t had one bite of German Chocolate Cake since my 7th birthday, and I still tell everyone its my favorite.

Your are the Sweetest Angel:) you took her life and made a living memory for her:)
What a heart warming story:)

By the way, Pillsbury has cake mixes with Splenda in them, and the icing,.I saw them the other day. I was asked if I wanted it, and I said nope, wait til my Birthday and you can make me one:)

Well you made my day sweeter:) and its the safe kind:)

You gave her a very special memory. Now she know’s that she isn’t the only one out there with diabetes. and she is NOT the only child who had to do that. You either I had to too. Your name of your blog got my mouth to watering for that special MISSISSIPPI Mud cake my mom made for me many years ago on my birthday but after I turned 10 no more. I took Type 1 at 10 and I SO remember that cake til this day and now I’m 47. MEMORIES…

What a beautiful blog, and with a positive outcome. Thanks. For what it’s worth, I eat some good stuff with appropriate amounts of insulin and at the right time of day. I have a cut-off time; no or very few carbs after 4:00 PM. I’ve also found that muffins instead of cake works well; the limit is one! You can also make them look pretty…

With the memory of yours, you make one for her!! This is a great story. I love the detail and your feelings throughout it. Wow!! I hope for all of us with the big D, we someday do not have to worry about eating the chocolate cake… with sprinkles and even this big bad biker will have some of the pink frosting!! Thank You for sharing!

A special friend who understands is better than chocolate cake. Beautiful blog from a beautiful heart.

Oh, she has such a good friend in you, a friend who really and truly understands. Gerri is right – that’s more precious than any cake – even a favorite cake can’t come close.

But it’s also OK to eat a small amount of chocolate cake (with frosting in any colour or none), provided it has been bolused for. And particularly if it has been made with love by someone who loves you. And most especially if that someone knew you were carb-counting and calculated the carb count of the cake. (Someone did that for me once which I thought was incredibly thoughtful.)

I figure cake is like 30G of carbs or so, I don’t eat huge pieces but I still eat it.

What a beautiful story, thanks so much for sharing it with us. I think your lil friend will remember the time spent with you long after the “chocolate cake party” is over.

Thank you all for sharing my memory and experience! Makes it that much more special. xoxo

I have a very low carb delicious chocolate cake recipe, if you want to make your friend her own special cake (or cupcakes)… Uses almond flour. So low carb that she can have real pink sprinkles:)

Hey Gerri - I looked at the price of almond flour at the supermarket and the cheapskate in me was a bit shocked. So I got a pack of soy flour instead. Do you have any soy flour recipes you can recommend? Thanks!

PS I do have a pack of almonds in the cupboard, could I grind those up to use as almond flour?

Soy flour tastes awful & needs to be combined with another type of flour. Nut flours are moist & rich from all the healthy oils. I don’t use soy because I’m hypothyroid. Yep, you can easily grind whole almonds in a blender or food processor. Just pulse it or you’ll end up with almond butter:) You need almonds that are roasted, but not salted, stale or flavored. Almonds are pretty inexpensive in bulk. With the skins on, it’s almond meal, With blanched almonds, skins removed, it’s almond flour. They’re interchangable in recipes. Almond flour is lighter in color.

Haha, no wonder the soy flour was so cheap then! I will experiment with almonds. Last month I did a lower-carb shortbread using ground-up Brazil nuts to replace some of the wheat flour. Wow, they were good!

Yum. Hazelnuts are great also. Of course, a combo of nut flours is delish, too. Soy flour–bleech! Coconut flour is another great low carb substitute because it has a light texture, but it’s expensive. If you bake with coconut flour, more liquid is needed because coconut flour soaks up water like a sponge.

I would love to know the recipe!

So easy & fabulous with homemade whipped cream. Makes great chocolate cupcakes also. You can also add some strong coffee for mocha flavor. Sometimes I make it with a sweetened cream cheese frosting or chocolate ganache–low carb. The carb count is using zero carb, zero calorie liquid Splenda. Carbs will be higher using a granular sweetener. I order Fiberfit from netrition.com. Looks expensive, but a little goes a long way. Very concentrated. Eyrht is great. It really does taste like sugar & is about 70% as sweet as sugar. I also order it from netrition. The combo of Splenda & gives a real sugar flavor without that awful artificial after taste.

CHOCOLATE CAKE–8 slices, 4 carbs each (8.7 carbs minus 4.7 grams fiber)

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup erythritol
Artificial sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water (or decaf coffee)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 8" or 9" pan.

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix together liquid ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to dry & blend well.

Pour into pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Gerri! You are a culinary Goddess! I cant wait to try this out! I will be sure to give this recipe to my lil friends parents! ( My mouth is seriously watering) I have not had cake in 21 years! You just made my year! :slight_smile:

Hismouse! You are a Love! I will certainly look for those splenda mixes! Never thought I would be so excited over CAKE!