As we’re getting closer to Thanksgiving, we are evaluating what we can do with his mom. We usually have Thanksgiving over at my brother’s place, but it’s not possible this year. I should say, it is possible, but Tony would have to miss out. That’s not ideal. We are thinking we may host this year, but we are not sure how his mom will handle dinner with us. One of the things I noticed is she sometimes has the mind of a toddler. Not that she reverts back to acting like a two year old, but she does somethings like that. For example, last week she loved her outfit for dancing. This week she hates the same outfit. I ironed her shirt to wear and she found an errant wrinkle and complained that the shirt was ruined. Stuff like that. It gets frustrating. However, that’s how dementia works. I’ve seen people further along, shun food like a little kid. So far she doesn’t do that. We keep learning as we go.

In terms of dinners, I am forgoing the creativity for her and doing simple things. Beef stew, chili, etc. Desserts, I can still be creative for because we do not do that for her. If I made dessert for her, she would literally eat the entire pan. We don’t want her to do that.

This week I thought I would do a apple doughnut inspired cake. I found a recipe from the Food Network for Mini Apple Cider Doughnut Cakes and thought I would give it a try. They do mini loaves, but that may be too big of a serving. We’ll see. I haven’t had an apple cider doughnut in years. I’m looking forward to these.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the sugars with their sweetener equivalents to reduce the sugar.
• I lowered the level of added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the all purpose flour with almond and coconut flours to reduce the carbs.
• I deleted the frosting since it added calories and according to the recipe, it’s more like dip.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Mini Apple Cider Doughnut Cakes

Makes 12 Cakes

For the crumb topping

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sweetener
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

For the cake

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sweetener
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sweetener
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup plant-based sour cream
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 medium apple, shredded and squeezed dry (about 1 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the crumb topping: Combine the almond flour, brown sweetener, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use a fork or clean hands to incorporate until combined with pea-size pieces. Set aside.
3. For the cake: Whisk the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. Add the granulated sweetener, butter and brown sweetener to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Whisk together the sour cream and apple cider in a small bowl until smooth, then add to the mixer and beat until just combined. Fold in the apple.
5. Add 1/4 cup of the batter to 8 cavities of a twelve cup nonstick muffin pan. Firmly tap the pan on the countertop a few times to even out the batter. Cover the batter in each cavity with the streusel topping.
6. Bake until the streusel is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour.
7. Remove the cakes from the pan and serve.