No Added Sugar Cardamom Raspberry Cake
This no added sugar cake is a moist, flavorful treat that combines warm cardamom spice with the bright tartness of freeze-dried raspberries. Made without any real sugar, it uses alternative sweeteners and sour cream to keep the crumb tender and delicious. Whether you’re cutting back on sugar or simply looking for a tasty, guilt-free dessert, this cake is easy to make and perfect for any occasion.
The cake is made with white spelt flour, which offers a light, tender crumb. If you don’t have spelt flour on hand, you can easily substitute regular all-purpose (plain) flour with great results. However, if you are new to spelt flour and would like to learn more, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Spelt Flour.
No added sugar cardamom raspberry cake
This easy, one-layer 7-inch cake is made with white spelt flour and sweetened using alternative sweeteners. It features warm cardamom spice and delicate freeze-dried raspberries, with sour cream adding moistness and a tender crumb. It’s the perfect cake for using sugar substitutes, delivering great flavour and moistness without relying on traditional sugar.
Sugar substitutes in baking
This cake contains a product called Use Like Sugar, made by the Swedish brand Nick’s. Nick’s is well known for its range of low-calorie, sugar-free products designed for those who want to reduce sugar without losing flavour. They offer everything from sweeteners to tasty snack bars, which I personally love (especially their peanut crunch).
Use Like Sugar is a blend of erythritol, stevia, xylitol and polydextrose, designed as a 1:1 replacement for regular sugar. While Nick’s products are mainly available in Sweden, you can find them in select European stores and online retailers such as Amazon UK and Ubuy.
If you can’t get hold of Nick’s, alternatives like Swerve or Lakanto offer similar erythritol-stevia blends that work well for baking. Keep in mind that sugar substitutes don’t caramelise or brown like regular sugar during baking. This means the cake may be paler in colour and have a slightly different texture. Without caramelisation, some of the rich flavour notes and slight crispness on the edges may be missing. To help with moistness and tenderness despite these differences, this recipe uses sour cream, which also contributes to a soft crumb.
The benefits of using sugar substitutes
I’m fairly new to sugar substitutes, and I probably wouldn’t have tried Use Like Sugar if I hadn’t been a fan of Nick’s bars. Currently on a no-sugar diet, I wanted a cake that still tasted like a cake.
Using sugar substitutes offer several advantages. They usually have fewer calories than regular sugar, which can help with weight management and reducing overall calorie intake.
Sugar substitutes also have a much lower impact on blood sugar levels, making them a smart choice for people managing diabetes or those wanting to avoid sugar spikes and crashes. They let you enjoy sweet flavours without the guilt or health concerns tied to traditional sugar.
Additionally, many sugar substitutes are tooth-friendly and don’t contribute to tooth decay like sugar can, making them a better option for oral health.
While they don’t brown or caramelise, many dissolve well in batters and doughs, making them convenient for baking and providing the sweetness that makes cakes enjoyable. I have to say that as my first cake made with a sugar substitute, I was more than a little impressed. It certainly won’t be the last time I use it, that’s for sure.
About gräddfil: Swedish sour cream
Gräddfil is a popular dairy product in Sweden, similar to sour cream but milder and creamier. It usually has a fat content around 12%. In Swedish cooking, gräddfil is commonly used as a topping for potatoes, in sauces, or mixed into baked goods to add moisture and a subtle tang.
Outside Sweden, gräddfil can be tricky to find but may be available in Scandinavian or Nordic specialty stores. Sour cream is a natural substitution, but you can also use 10% Greek yoghurt, which offers a similar tangy creaminess. If you want something closer to gräddfil, try crème fraîche or mix sour cream with a bit of double cream. If none of those are appealing, buttermilk can easily be used in place of gräddfil or simply adding a little extra milk can help keep the cake moist, though you might miss some of the tang that gräddfil provides.
Using gräddfil, or similar alternatives, in baking helps keep cakes moist and tender, balancing the slight dryness that sometimes occurs when using sugar substitutes. The natural acidity also helps activate baking powder for a better rise and a light texture.
Cardamom: the beloved spice of the Swedes
To keep things Swedish, I’ve also added cardamom to the cake. Cardamom is a firm favourite in Swedish baking, and is known for its warm, slightly citrusy and floral flavour. I love it. I’ve used it in everything from cream cakes, braided sweet bread and of course, Sweden’s favourite, semlor. It is a staple in many traditional Swedish treats adding a cozy, fragrant note that complements sweet flavours beautifully.
In this cake, cardamom enhances the raspberry’s tartness and adds depth to the overall flavour, making every bite more aromatic and comforting. However, if you are not a fan of ground cardamom or do not have any on hand, you can simply omit it without ruining the cake. Alternatively, mild spices like cinnamon or nutmeg can work as substitutes, though they will give a different flavour profile, more autumnal and warm rather than floral and citrusy.
Freeze-dried raspberries: what they are and why they’re great
Freeze-dried raspberries are whole raspberries that have been gently dried at very low temperatures, removing all moisture while preserving their vibrant flavour and nutrients. This process gives them a light, crunchy texture and a concentrated raspberry taste without added sugar or preservatives.
The ones I used were whole but very easy to crush into smaller pieces, which helped distribute the flavour evenly throughout the cake. You can also use them whole if you prefer little bursts of raspberry in each bite. I folded the crushed raspberries in just before baking to keep their texture and flavour intact.
In this cake, freeze-dried raspberries add intense raspberry flavour without adding moisture, which helps maintain the cake’s structure and crumb. Their natural tartness balances the sweetness from the sugar substitute, making every bite sublime.
If you don’t have freeze-dried raspberries, fresh raspberries work well too. They add juiciness and softness but may make the cake a little more moist and delicate. I’ve also got a fairly similar cake made with fresh raspberries you might like.
Portions and freezing
This cake serves about 8 to 10 good-sized slices, perfect for a small gathering or a few days of treats.
Since I’m the only one in my house who likes fruit in cakes, I usually slice it up, wrap each slice individually in clingfilm and place all the wrapped slices in a freezer bag. Spelt cakes freeze really well, and this method makes it easy to find the slices and take out one at a time whenever I want.
To thaw, just leave a slice at room temperature for a short while until ready to eat.
No Added Sugar Cardamom Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- 50g (3½ tbsp) butter
- 1 large egg (around 60g in shell)
- 100g (½ cup) granulated 1-1 sugar substitute (see note 1)
- 60g (4 tbsp) gräddfil (see note 2)
- 100ml (7 tbsp) milk
- 165g (1⅓ cups) spelt flour (see note 3)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- 10g (½ cup) freeze dried raspberries (see note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175℃ (350℉). Grease and/or line an 18cm (7") springform pan.
- Heat the butter, just until most of it has melted. Set aside.
- In a bowl (I used my stand mixer), add the egg and sugar substitute, and whisk until light and pale in colour.
- Add in the butter, gräddfil, and milk and whisk just until everything pulls together.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients (but not the dried raspberries), and gradually add to the wet ingredients, mixing only until everything is combined, and taking care not to overmix.
- Crush the freeze dried raspberries and fold into the batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for around 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove the outer edge of the springform.
- While the cake is still warm, mix a little more of the substitute sugar and crumbled dried raspberries together and sprinkle over the top.
- When completely cool, slice and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use any granulated sugar substitute designed for 1:1 replacement. You can also use the same amount of regular sugar.
- If you don’t have gräddfil or a similar substitute, replace both the gräddfil and milk with 150ml (⅔ cup) of milk.
- You can use all-purpose (plain) flour instead of spelt flour. Use the same measurements as specified.
- I used 10g of whole freeze-dried raspberries, which measured roughly ½ cup before crushing.
