Keto Pound Cake French Toast: Two Recipes In One!

Calling all Keto lovers, this one's for you. First, I've created a keto take on pound cake. THEN I've turned it into french toast, making it a keto pound cake french toast! Of course, then I ate it all up, and will be working it off at the gym for the next few weeks. But, damn! It was good!  Ever since I discovered vanilla butter nut extract I have been playing with it in oatmeal pancakes, cupcakes, protein shakes, pretty much everything, really. It provides that extra cake batter feel that vanilla extract on its own just can't do. It's also a powerful little extract. A little bit goes a long way. When I set out to make this recipe, I was not intending to create any pound cake-like creation.  And this is really only a play on it. I didn't use nearly as much butter or egg that a real pound cake has. That being said, it definitely resembles the flavor.  

Actually, my original intention for this recipe was a cupcake.

 Very different, I know.  Over the course of the last few days I have adjusted and readjusted these cupcakes, and the frosting to boot. While I believe I've got the cupcake down, the frosting still needs some work. That is why my little keto cupcake is not the recipe being posted today. However, during the course of my cupcake creation, I went through a few phases that led me to create the keto pound cake french toast. The first batch was a bit too dry. Because this is a high-fat recipe, I added some more butter to compensate. This fixed that issue, but I still didn't love the texture of the batter. 

As I was attempting to fix this with a third batch, something happened.

I don't know what made me do it. Perhaps, it was because I knew the frosting just wasn't going to be ready this weekend, and I didn't want to lose all this time with nothing to show for it. But as I was remaking the third batch and loading up the butter, I thought to myself that I should just add a whole other stick. And while I was at it, why not throw in an additional yolk? Of course, then it clicked in my head as to what I had started making. 

A pound cake! 

 I've definitely played with pound cakes in the past, but back then I was trying to make a low-fat pound cake (I am still working on that by the way). This time, I was working with fats. That meant I could load up all the butter and eggs that I wanted. Although, I do tend to stick to the reserved side of things when it comes to fats - I hate eating my daily allotted calories in one sitting.   Anyway, I went ahead and finished up creating the batter, and then threw it into a bread pan instead of a muffin tin.  Needless to say, this pound cake was so thick, it didn't cook through. It was also too greasy, because while I had added additional butter, I didn't add any flour or powder to compensate for the added fat. 

But then, inspiration struck again!

 Quick side note... This is not the only thing I was baking this weekend, so when the inspiration to create keto pound cake french toast struck, it may have been because the sugar free maple syrup I had used in a different recipe was sitting out on the counter, calling my name. But it did strike! I realized, that if this batter were thinner, like slices of bread, then perhaps there could be something there. So, off I went to remake the batter, with a few modifications. Pouring it into a big tray this time, it went right back into oven! 

It came out beautiful! 

 With its nice crisp, browned edges and a solid yellow center, I had this pound cake-like bread in front of me. And it was ready to be sliced up, dipped in some egg and milk, and fried to a beautiful golden brown, french toast perfection. Here comes the pour...  Yum! Now, this isn't like the french toast you may be familiar with. Keep in mind that you are using a very different type of bread, so definitely expect a much richer and more cake-like taste. However, don't expect anything too rich. This is not an exact replica of a pound cake either. I didn't load it up with massive amounts of butter or egg yolk, nor did I add tons of sugar, so it won't be nearly as dense or sweet. But still… butter, cake, syrup…. Where can you go wrong? If syrup isn't your thing, try it out with some confectioners swerve or sugar substitute, it is amazing! Or, get a little crazier, and place that batter right onto a waffle iron! Oh man, now I'm kicking myself for not thinking of that before I baked it up. Guess that just means I will have to make it again. One more pour...  Oh, one more thing. If the intention is to make the keto pound cake FRENCH TOAST,  you will need to display some will power and not have nibbled up all of the pound cake before getting it onto the frying pan... Good luck and enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Additional Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

Pound Cake

• 1 Cup Almond Flour

• 1 tsp Double Acting Baking Powder

• 2 Large Eggs

• 1 Large Egg Yolk

• 2 tsp Vanilla Butter Nut Extract

• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1/4 C Coconut Flour

• 1/2 C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

• 1/2 C (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter

• 1/4 tsp Salt

• 2 fl oz fresh squeezed orange juice

• 45g Unflavored Protein Powder

• Splenda, Zero, Liquid Sweetener

• 6 Splenda Packets

French Toast

• 2 Eggs

• 1/2 C Unsweetened Almond Milk or Cream

• Butter/Oil for Frying

Instructions

Pound Cake

1. Add All ingredients except for baking powder to a bowl and mix well (see note on Splenda zero sweetener)

2. Add Baking powder, and mix once more until combined. Do not over mix

3. Pour batter into a large backing tray, approximately 10inches x 15 inches.

4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. It is done when the edges are a golden brown and the center is slightly firm to touch.

5. Remove from oven and let cool

6. Slice into 8 even pieces

French Toast

1. Combine eggs and your choice of milk or cream

2. Dip bread into mixture, and place on buttered or oiled pan

3. Cook until golden brown.

4. Flip

5. Cook until other side is golden brown

Notes

• For Splenda Zero, squeeze for a 15 second count. These are a quick 15 seconds. There are no "Mississippi's" or "One-Thousands" in the count.

• The nutritional information is for the pound cake only, as quantities and choices of liquid can change for the french toast.

• If you would prefer a lower calorie meal, cut the pieces into 16 instead of 8.

• For the orange juice, buy 1 or 2 oranges and squeeze the juice fresh. This keeps the sugars natural, and avoids any added sugars or processing.