Disclosure: I received free samples from Cumberland Packing Corp., maker of Monk Fruit In The Raw. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Cumberland Packing Corp. and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

It seems like we’re all trying to cut back on sugar. As a matter of fact, the fuss over sugar has been in the National spotlight for some time, catapulted by America’s weight problem, childhood obesity and the related health concerns.

I have blogged about sugar before and  I agree Americans are consuming too much! If you’re like most Americans, you consume 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, or 355 empty calories. Teens consume even more, 34 teaspoons or 544 empty calories.

If you think this sounds like alot, it seems even higher when you consider the American Heart Associations guidelines for sugar:

• no more than 6 teaspoons /day or 100 calories for women

• no more than 9 teaspoons /day or 150 calories for men

About now you’re probably wondering if this is going to be a party pooping post about restricting sweets. Au contraire! Look, with the holidays approaching , I want to help you keep some sweetness in your life without going over the top! I believe that a planned indulgence can help keep you on track with healthy eating. My thoughts: continue to use my guidelines for cutting back on sugar and also consider  using Monk fruit in the Raw when you want the sweet things you love, without all the sugar.

Monk Fruit in the Raw is a zero calorie sweetener that’s made from vine-ripened monk fruit native to Asia, also know as luo han guo. Monk Fruit in the Raw has a taste similar to sugar, without an aftertaste. It’s versatile and can be added to beverages (both hot and cold), cereals, smoothies and used in both cooking and baking. The monk fruit extract is 300 times sweeter than cane sugar and is blended with dextrose as a bulking agent so it can be poured, measured and used as a substitute for sugar.  This allows you to substitute Monk Fruit for sugar without the need for any conversion, i.e. one tablespoon sugar = one tablespoon Monk Fruit in the Raw. For more information and a complete description of cooking and baking ideas using Monk Fruit in the Raw click here.

This week  was my first attempt at reducing sugar in baking by replacing some of it with Monk Fruit in the Raw Bakers Bag.  I took a recipe perfect for holiday entertaining, pumpkin spice cake, and prepared it with Monk Fruit in the Raw. The original recipe called for a box of yellow cake mix, which I substituted with flour, baking powder, salt , sugar and monk fruit. I kept enough sugar to provide moisture, tenderness and give this cake a pretty color, yet still managed to reduce the sugar content from 7 teaspoons/per slice in the original recipe to 4.5 teaspoons/ per slice in the recipe using a combination of sugar and Monk Fruit in the Raw. So with a two part strategy including moderation and slimming down your favorite holiday recipes, you can have your cake and eat it too!

What treasured holiday dessert will you try with Monk Fruit in the Raw?