Triple Berry Mascarpone Parfait

Want to know something that never fails to make me nervous? Going to a dinner party and knowing they are going to have some amazing delicious food there that might be totally off plan and possibly way too irresistible for me to pass on. It’s nerve wrecking! A weak point for me, and possibly you as well, is a decadent dessert. Oh boy does that rattle my keto cage and make me want to step off plan for the night. Want to know the best way to keep yourself on plan? Bring your own dessert, or better yet, make it for the whole crowd and make keto-believers out of all of them.

My God-mother decided to host a dinner party on a friday night not too long ago and asked my husband and I to come over with my parents. It was to be a kid-free night (very much needed) and my mother even set up a baby sitter for me. We asked my God-mother if there was anything we could bring and of course all the side dishes were taken already, so I offered to bring dessert. My God-mother on the sly said to my mother “Can you ask her to make a normal dessert and not keto? Most of the people aren’t doing keto.” Well my mother said “Don’t worry, we will bring a dessert that everyone can enjoy.”

My gorgeous mother and I at the dinner party drinking a delicious, way too expensive Cabernet Sauvignon by Daou Wineries

Now I took this as a challenge, not only did I have to make a dessert that someone eating a keto lifestyle would enjoy but also for the people who are eating their full-carb lives to the fullest. Well there was a recipe that I had been wanting to try for a while and I decided this was the time to do it! When my daughter turned two I decided to make her a Berry Mascarpone Layered Cake for her birthday (Full-fat, full-carb, a definite no-no now). Well it was of course delicious and I remember thinking that I could easily turn this recipe into a keto one, except for I wanted the cake to be lighter because I thought that it was too dense.

Now I’m going to be honest, I’m not a stellar baker. I’m what they call slightly above average which would be about a “B” in grade school. Cooking has always been my forte because it allows more play in the recipe. Baking on the other hand has rules, lots of them, and they better be followed or your recipe will come out looking like it got ran over (or maybe that’s just mine?). My mother recently purchased this fabulous book called “The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking: Master All the Best Tricks for Low-Carb Baking Success” By: Carolyn Ketchum and it is a baking masterpiece. If you are a huge baker and want to be able to still incorporate baking into your new Keto lifestyle, this is the book to get. She has a ton of guides, advice, tips, everything that you would need to become a Keto baking master. So when I decided to re-imagine this into a parfait, I immediately thought of using one of her delicious cake recipes. The recipe I originally made was actually her Chiffon Cake and it was to die for! It was light, tasty, and possibly slightly over cooked but hey I told you I wasn’t a good baker. Now for this recipe if you didn’t want to purchase her book, I recommend trying her Angel Food Cake because it is available online in her blog. It’s a little lighter and has a different texture but will still taste delicious. I will be honest though, her book is worth every penny.

Chiffon Cake made using Carolyn Ketchum’s recipe from her book “The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking: Master All the Best Tricks for Low-Carb Baking Success”. Definitely delicious, definitely a winner.

The dinner party was a major success and there was a ton of delicious food and most were easily within my keto lifestyle which is always a bonus. To say that I was overly satisfied after eating everything is an understatement! My God-mother had prepared a smoked bacon wrapped beef tenderloin that was cooked to a medium rare perfection, a keto approved Gorgonzola cheese sauce (made by yours truly), fresh asparagus, twice baked potatoes for the non-keto eaters (my husband informed me that I was missing out but I had extra beef so who is the true winner?), also not pictured was sauteed mushrooms and a HUGE chopped salad. Drink of choice was a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Daou Wineries that my sister had shipped from California in a gigantic double magnum bottle which happily served the entire dinner party. Everyone was in a delightful food and wine coma but let’s be honest, the night wasn’t complete until after dessert.

Decadent food on the left, amazing family on the right! My godmother, sister and mother all enjoying the awesome Daou wine.

This dessert was the perfect ending to the night and everyone was in love with the flavor and the texture of the dish while being equally shocked that it was Keto approved. It was the perfect type of dessert after having such a heavy meal and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t believe that it was keto (Told ya so!). My only downside was when I plated my long anticipated dessert, I was less than thrilled on the presentation. Did it taste amazing, light, and totally perfect after such a filling meal? Of course! Did it look the prettiest? ehhhh… It was fine. Flavor was key at this point and I started to think that with the left over dessert I would construct it differently once I got home.

The next day was Fourth of July and we had some of the leftover dessert and I decided that I needed a better presentation to show off this light and decadent treat. My mother had some lovely parfait glasses that I then layered the cream, berries and cake in and the result was much prettier than before. Also it was a lot easier to eat and the berries, cream, and cake were more incorporated together giving you a tasty bite of all three with every bite.

This dessert is the perfect addition to any event, whether its a casual family get together or a elevated dinner party. I hope that you enjoy my take on a classic dessert and that it is as big of a hit for you as it was for me. As always, please share your beautiful creations with me @exhaustedketomomma on Instagram and use my hashtag #exhaustedketomomma. I also have my Facebook Support Group and Page available if you want to be more one-on-one with me as well. Happy cooking everyone and stay Keto Strong!