Chocolate Sugar Free Birthday Cake and HomeMade Vanilla

I've always had a hard time finding a sugar free cake recipe..they always come out flat and tasteless..until now....this cake, although it didn't raise much (and this is two layers, believe it or not) is absolutely delicious and luscious....I used a boxed sugar free frosting but will include the frosting recipe.....its so good in fact, there is only a small portion of the cake left today...the kids all found it too good to pass up...that's saying something in this house...they usually look at sugar free things with suspicion.

Sugar free Chocolate Cake

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil (I didn't have any oil, so melted a stick and 2 T. butter)
2 t. vanilla
2 1/4 cup Splenda
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. boiling water
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, shaved (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round bake pans or one 13" by 9" oblong baking pan. Combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. (I used our Kitchen Aid mixer). Combine dry ingredients (Splenda through baking soda) in a large bowl and then add to mixture. Beat at medium speed for two minutes or until well mixed. Stir in slowly the boiling water and mix throughly. Add shaved chocolate. Pour into pans. Place in oven and baking for 30-35 minutes or until it tests clean with a toothpick. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to completely cool..frost with No Fuss Sugar Free frosting..to save some calories, eat plain or drizzle with melted sugar free chocolate or top with sugar free Cool Whip.

No Fuss Sugar Free Icing
3/4 c. solid vegetable shortening
7/8 c. Splenda
1 t. vanilla
3 T. cornstarch
1 c. milk
Cook the milk and cornstarch until thickened. let cool. With a electric mixer beat the Splenda, shortening and vanilla until thickened and beat well. Makes enough icing to frost either size cake.

 We put together homemade vanilla about 2 months ago...here is the finished product...all you do is get some good quality vodka..pour this into your bottles. Then get find some fresh vanilla beans...these can be found at specialty kitchen markets and also online..cut the beans in half,split the beans and scrape loose the vanilla beans inside, keeping everything...put both the scrapings and the split beans. into the bottles with the vodka and let sit for 1  to 2 months. absolutely delicious for your baking needs. I also had a split bean left which I put into some sugar  to sit for a few weeks..wonderful vanilla sugar...I never realized how versatile vanilla beans are..when the vanilla is finished, you just add more vodka and let it sit again...

Here is a preview of the new tags/bookmarks..I am planning on getting some interesting ribbon or fibers for the ties, haven't found exactly what I want yet... will be threading the vintage buttons through the ties....Alan likes these and says we are the two old crows...LOL