Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2012
VEGAN ESPRESSO & TRIPLE-GINGER CAKE FROM "WORLD VEGAN FEAST"
This ginger cake is the cosmopolitan cousin of the familiar gingerbread many of us grew up with. The cake itself is very light in texture (you would definitely not call this “bread”!) and infused with a generous amount of both fresh and ground dried ginger. Topped off with a fluffy espresso frosting and a plenty of sweet-hot organic candied ginger, this cake always gets rave reviews (and recipe requests) at potlucks and community get-togethers. Tasters are pleasantly surprised at the pairing of coffee and ginger and keep going back for more. But, really, how many times have we enjoyed a cup of coffee with a ginger cookie or a piece of gingerbread? It seemed like a match made in heaven to me and I think I was right.
BRYANNA’S
From my book “World Vegan Feast” © Bryanna Clark Grogan 2011
From my book “World Vegan Feast” © Bryanna Clark Grogan 2011
Serves 9
Wet
Mixture:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup fancy (light) molasses
1/2 cup soft brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup vegan butter (try my homemade palm oil-free Buttah) or oil
1/4 cup unsweetened smooth applesauce
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1/4 cup nondairy milk
3 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
Dry
Mixture:
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (do not use ordinary whole wheat flour or the cake will be tough)
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (do not use ordinary whole wheat flour or the cake will be tough)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Espresso
Frosting:
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules (or
2 tablespoons good-quality instant coffee granules)
2 tablespoons softened vegan butter (try my homemade palm oil-free Buttah)
2 3/4 tablespoons nondairy milk
2 cups organic powdered sugar
NOTE: If you have no instant espresso powder and you can make espresso at home, you can use 8 1/4 teaspoons cold liquid espresso as the TOTAL liquid and omit the nondairy milk.
NOTE: If you have no instant espresso powder and you can make espresso at home, you can use 8 1/4 teaspoons cold liquid espresso as the TOTAL liquid and omit the nondairy milk.
Candied
Ginger Garnish:
1 cup chopped candied (crystallized) ginger
Tip: Organic candied ginger has a stronger ginger flavor and “bite” to
it than the ordinary variety, so if you really like ginger, look for it!
Oil a 9-inch square cake pan and line the
bottom with baking parchment cut to fit. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large heatproof bowl, batter bowl or measuring pitcher, pour the boiling
water over the vegan butter (or oil) and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the
molasses, brown sugar, applesauce, milk and grated fresh ginger.
In another bowl, stir together the flours
with the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt and allspice. Add this to
the molasses mixture in two additions, stirring until smooth. Transfer the
batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a cake
tester comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool thoroughly on a
rack.
To make the Espresso Frosting, pour the
boiling water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the
espresso or coffee granules and stir to dissolve. Add the vegan butter and milk.
Whisk together well. With a hand-held electric mixer or the whip attachment to
your mixer, gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is creamy
and smooth. Spread it immediately over the top of cooled cake (not the sides)
so that icing drips over the sides but does not cover them completely. Sprinkle
the top evenly with the chopped candied ginger. Cut into 9 squares to serve.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
TRIPLE LEMON VEGAN WEDDING (OR ANY CELEBRATION) CAKE FOR THE HOME BAKER, UPDATED (plus a little confession)
This was a cake I developed for a wedding 6 years ago. I did a post on it at the time, but I removed it because, not only were the information links broken, and the recipe contained palm oil products, but I had written it in haste and it needed to be re-done. So, here its is again, re-written and sans palm oil!
I must confess that, even though I've always loved to cook, I have never thought of myself as a sweet baker, really (yeast baking, yes, however). I never imagined myself making a wedding cake! But, I have made a few since becoming a vegan, for family and for paying customers, and I'll wager that, though they might not look as slick and gorgeous as even the average supermarket bakery cake, they taste a heck of a lot better!
In any case, I hope I have provided enough information to help the novice-- if not, I'm sure you'll let me know! And I hope that the fact that I can manage this in my little kitchen, with my rather low self-confidence in this area of baking, will be reassuring.
It makes a great birthday cake, BTW. My DIL made it once for the principal of the Denman Island Elementary School where she teaches. Said principal is a vegan and one of of our Vegan Dinner Group friends, and she remembers that birthday cake fondly to this day. DIL, being the very creative person that she is, added rose water to the cake and decorated it with rose petals!
BRYANNA’S
TRIPLE LEMON VEGAN WEDDING CAKE FOR THE HOME BAKER
(about 50
servings)
A light and delectable wedding cake made with my basic moist vegan lemon cake, lemon curd filling and a lemon-scented “buttercream”
frosting--all vegan. Since I am not a skilled cake decorator, I use fresh
flowers.
For a 3-tiered cake to feed about 50 people, I made 3 x the recipe below. I made square cake layers, 4”, 6” and 8”, 2 layers of each. (Each tier was made of two cake layers, with lemon curd [recipe below] sandwiched between them. Since I only had one set of square pans, I made 1 1/2 times the recipe at a time and made the three graduating sizes cake layers, then I repeated that procedure once again. Ingredient lists for x 1 1/2 and x 3 are below the recipe.)
Resources:
Resources:
Baking times for layers, plus other baking data you might need to make different sizes and pan shapes: (I used 1 1/2 cups batter per layer for the 4” tier and baked.) Baking times for various sized pans: (No time is given for the 4” pans, so start checking after 15 minutes or so.)
Some useful info about assembling and decorating wedding cakes: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/how-to-make-a-wedding-cake.htm
THE COMPONENTS (recipes below):
Moist Vegan Lemon Cake
Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Vegan Lemon Curd (or, if you prefer, use the vegetable-based vegan lemon curd recipe here , but double the recipe just to be sure you have enough)
Two extra cakes I made for the wedding party:
Printable Recipe
Two extra cakes I made for the wedding party:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S MOIST VEGAN LEMON CAKE
Makes two 9" round or 8” square layers (5 c. batter)
(For the wedding cake, make 3 times this recipe for the cake I made, which made 15 cups, enough for 2 layers each of 4”, 6”, and 8” tiers. See below recipe for ingredient list x 3)
Make all the components (recipes below) well ahead of assembling time and cool them thoroughly.
Make all the components (recipes below) well ahead of assembling time and cool them thoroughly.
NOTE: To measure the flour, stir the flour in the bag or container, then spoon it out into the cup measure and level off with a knife. Do not sift or pack down.
2 1/2 c. plus 2 T. white pastry or cake flour
1 1/2 c. granulated organic light sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. + 2 T. vegan butter, such as my Palm-Oil-Free Vegan “Buttah”
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. water
grated zest of 1 large organic lemon
3/4 c. non-dairy milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
NOTE: Use shiny pans so that the layers don't brown excessively..
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the pans by greasing with “Cake release”/Pan Coating (see below for recipe), and lining with baking parchment cut to fit the bottoms of the pans.
Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Add the vegan butter, water, and the juice and beat with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and beat one more minute. (NOTE: the batter is runnier than the average cake batter-- don't worry!) Divide the batter equally between the cake pans.
NOTE: To bake even layers, wrap the outside of the cake pans with Magic-Cake Strips . These insulate the cake pans and allow the cake batter to bake evenly. Strips of wet kitchen towelling pinned together also work.
Bake 25 minutes, or until cakes test done. (See resources for baking times for wedding cake layers above, but use a cake tester until it comes out clean for best results.)
Cool on racks for 10 minutes, then loosen cakes and remove from pans to finish cooling, otherwise it might crack and fall apart from being too warm. To remove from pans, first, run a thin knife to loosen the edge of the cake layer from the pan. Then, place a wire mesh rack over the top of it and with a hand on each side of the baking pan and rack, quickly invert. Gently shake or tap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon handle to help remove the cake layer. Carefully peel off the parchment liner and turn cake layer right-side-up to cool on a wire cake rack.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
Have your layers cooled and trimmed. Have cardboard cake separators ready, bought or homemade. For this relatively small tiered cake, I use plastic drinking straws cut to fit each double-layer tier (instead of dowels), to support the layers so that they don’t sink under the weight of the layers above (see photo just below). Sandwich each of two matching layers together with a generous layer of the Lemon Curd. (Make sure to carefully wipe off any lemon curd that oozes out between the layers.) Assemble the cake as instructed below.
 |
| Inserting straws |
 |
| The straws in place and cut level with cake |
Spread a thin layer of the Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting evenly over the top and side surfaces of all of the doubled cake layers. Allow them to dry (uncovered) in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. That is the “crumb coat”.
"Crumb Coat" almost done, with lemon curd filling showing between layers
Place the second tier layers where you want them on top of the bottom layer. Do the same with the third tier, inserting 2 long drinking straws in through the top, smallest tier all the way down through the 2nd and1st tiers, to hold it all together and keep it from possibly slipping. Cut the any bit of the straws peeking out level with the cake, using scissors .
Frost the assembled cake again with the final, thicker layer of frosting and decorate as desired.
Ingredient amounts for 3 x recipe:
7 3/4 c. plus 2 T. white pastry or cake flour
2 T. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. + 2 T. vegan butter, such as my Palm-Oil-Free Vegan “Buttah”
6 T. lemon juice
3 c. water
grated zest of 3 large organic lemons
2 1/4 c. non-dairy milk
1 1/2 T. vanilla
1 T. pure lemon extract
Ingredient amounts for 1 1/2 x recipe
(in case you have only 1 each of the graduated sized pans and need to bake the layers in two batches):
3 3/4 c. plus 3 T. white pastry or cake flour
2 1/4 c. granulated organic light sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. + 1 T. vegan butter, such as Palm-Oil-Free Vegan “Buttah”
3 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. water
grated zest of 2-3 medium organic lemons
1 3/4 c. non-dairy milk
2 1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
Mix equal parts:
aroma-free coconut oil (such as Omega Nutrition brand)
vegetable oil
unbleached flour
(For a large amount, use 1 cup each.)
Use a hand immersion blender or electric mixer (a stand mixer if you are making a large amount) and mix until fluffy. Use a pastry brush to apply the coating on the inside of your pan--no need to flour after applying. Store the mix in a covered container in the refrigerator.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
This is a creamy vegan “buttercream” with a lower percentage of fat than most “buttercreams”. This recipe makes a large amount for a big cake—you can cut in half or even by 4 for smaller cakes. It is plenty for the small 3-tiered cake pictured above. Chill until it’s time to ice the cake.
2 c. vegan butter, such as my Palm-Oil-Free Vegan “Buttah” (this works very well in frosting, BTW)
3 lbs. organic powdered sugar (such as Hains, Wholesome Foods or Florida Crystals), sifted (have a bit more on hand in case the icing needs thickening-up)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. PLUS 3 T. water
2 T. grated organic lemon zest
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. pure lemon extract
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the vegan butter until smooth. Add 4 c. of the sugar, the water and lemon juice, the zest, lemon extract and vanilla. Beat until creamy. It may look curdled—don’t worry! Add the remaining sugar, a little at a time, as you beat it, until it holds it shape well and you can see “trails” in it from the beaters. Refrigerate, covered, until it’s time to ice the cake.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN LEMON CURD
(Or, if you prefer, use the vegetable-based vegan lemon curd recipe here, but double the recipe just to be sure you have enough.)
This is the vegetable-based lemon curd mentioned above
Makes 2 c. (enough to fill between the layers for the cake above)
This makes a lovely cake filling—not too sweet, so it contrasts with the icing. It’s important to use freshly-squeezed juice in this recipe. (Use leftovers on scones or as a tart filling.)
1 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. granulated light organic sugar
4 T. cornstarch (you can get organic cornstarch)
1/8 tsp. salt
grated zest of 2 organic lemons
6 T. full fat soymilk, nut milk, or organic non-dairy creamer
2 T. vegan butter, such as my Palm-Oil-Free Vegan “Buttah”
In a blender, whiz together the juice, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into a heavy saucepan with the zest. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil. Boil 1 minute, not stirring. (OR microwave in a heat-proof bowl 2 minutes, whisk, then 2 minutes more.) It should be thickened and turning clear. Remove from heat. Add soymilk or alternate and vegan butter. Blend well with the whisk. Cool the curd, then refrigerate in a covered container. It thickens as it cools.
Enjoy!
Friday, April 6, 2012
VEGAN "BUTTERFINGER" CAKE
I have to admit that I did not come up with the idea for this recipe all on my own-- I got the idea from the March 05 of Bon Appétit magazine in an article by Emily Luchetti, pastry chef at the Farallon restaurant in San Francisco (my old stomping grounds). Since chocolate and peanut butter are two of my favorite things (especially together), I just had to veganize it for my now-defunct newsletter... which meant pretty much starting from scratch.
It turned out to be everything I imagined, but it's very rich-- much richer than the cakes I normally make, so cut small slices and save for very special occasions, like Easter. (Or eat it on a day when you only have low-fat soup and salad.) I think it's worth every luscious calorie! BTW, I can't find vegan peanut butter chips anywhere, but it's easy to make your own for this recipe-- recipe below.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S
VEGAN "BUTTERFINGER" CAKE
(Peanut Butter and Chocolate)
Servings: 16
(Peanut Butter and Chocolate)
Servings: 16
For some reason, the cake benefits from being made a day ahead of time. The first day the cake layers seem a bit dry, but they moisten up
after a night in the refrigerator.
NOTE: Stir the whole wheat pastry flour well before
measuring and use the "scoop and level" method. You can sift the
unbleached flour before measuring.
CAKE
1/2 cup
peanut butter, smooth natural
1/2 cup
vegan butter (try my homemade palm oil-free vegan buttery spread)
1 cup
brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup light organic unbleached granulated sugar
1/2 cup
medium-firm tofu, mashed
1 Tbs.
egg replacer powder (Ener-G or Orgran)
1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs.
baking powder
1/2 tsp.
salt
1 cup
nondairy milk
1 recipe
Vegan Chocolate Ganache
(minus 1/4 cup for topping) (see recipe below)
1/4 cup
peanut butter, smooth natural
3 Tbs.
brown sugar
1 recipe
Bryanna's Fluffy White Vegan
Frosting (use vanilla only) (see recipe below)
1 recipe
Bryanna's Homemade Vegan Peanut
Butter Chunks (see recipe below)
1/2 cup
roasted peanuts
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease
and flour three 8" round cake pans and line them with baking parchment cut
to fit.
2 TO MAKE THE CAKE LAYERS: Cream together
the 1/2 cup peanut butter and margarine, using an electric hand mixer, a stand mixer or a food processor.
When smooth, add the 1 cup brown sugar and light organic unbleached sugar and beat well again. Add the tofu, egg replacer and
vanilla and beat again until very smooth.
3 If using a food processor, scoop the
mixture into a mixing bowl.
4 Mix the flours, baking powder and salt
well with a whisk in a smaller mixing bowl.
5 Add the flour mixture to the creamed
mixture alternately with the soy milk, starting and ending with the flour
mixture, and beating just enough so that you don't see the flour or milk
anymore between additions.
6 Pour the batter evenly between the
prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on racks for 10
minutes, then remove from pans to racks, removing the cooking parchment. Cool
thoroughly before icing. Wrap well in plastic wrap and ice the next day.
7 THE MORNING OF THE DAY YOU ARE TO SERVE
THE CAKE, make the Chocolate Ganache. Set
aside 1/4 of a cup to drizzle on top of the cake. Beat the 1/4 c. of peanut
butter and 3 T. brown sugar into the remaining ganache. Refrigerate until firm.
8 Make the basic Fluffy White Frosting and refrigerate for several hours before icing the cake.
9 WHEN READY TO ICE THE CAKE, spread half
of the peanut butter-ganache over one layer (top side down). Top with another
cake layer (top side down) and spread with the remaining peanut-butter ganache.
Top with the last cake layer (top side up). Frost the cake with the Fluffy
White Icing.
10 Crumble the Peanut Butter Chunks over
the top of the cake and sprinkle with the peanuts. Heat up the 1/4 c. of
ganache that you held back (I do it in the microwave at 50 percent power for
about 30 seconds). Drizzle it from a spoon over the topping. Refrigerate the cake until
ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts per serving (1/16th cake)
Nutrition Facts per serving (1/16th cake)
Calories 542.22; Calories From Fat
230.70; Total Fat 26.73g; Saturated Fat 8.43g; Cholesterol
0.00mg; Sodium 225.10mg; Potassium 401.72mg; Carbohydrates
69.35g; Dietary Fiber 4.01g; Sugar 40.69g;Sugar Alcohols 0.00g; Net
Carbohydrates 65.34g; Protein 11.49g; MyPoints 13.9
BRYANNA'S
VEGAN CHOCOLATE-SOY GANACHE
Yield: 1 1/2 cups Recipe from my book Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause.
A ganache is a rich, fudgey chocolate icing
that firms up when cooled. It is usually made with heavy cream, but rich,
full-fat soymilk blended with silken tofu makes a wonderful substitute. A firm
ganache is also the basis for making chocolate truffles-- if you would like to
try this, reduce the amount of milk to 1/3 to 1/4 cup.
6 oz dairy-free semi-sweet eating chocolate or chocolate chips (1 c.)
NOTE: Remember that the quality of your
ganache depends upon the quality of the chocolate you use.
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/3 cup
extra-firm SILKEN tofu
1 tsp
vanilla
1 Break the chocolate up and process it
finely in a dry food processor. Leave the chocolate in the processor.
2 Whip the milk and silken tofu together
in the blender or with an immersion blender until VERY smooth. This makes a soy “crème” Heat it in the top of a double boiler over
simmering water until almost to the boiling point, or microwave it in a
microwave-safe bowl for about 1 minute at 50 percent power, or until very hot,
but not boiling. (If the mixture seems to curdle at all, blend it again until
smooth.)
3 With the motor running, pour the hot soy crème
in through the food processor feed tube. Process until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until firm.
BRYANNA'S
FLUFFY VEGAN WHITE FROSTING
Enough for a 2 layer/ 8" cake or a
9x13" sheet cake.
I like this icing because it's not too sweet.
1 cup
nondairy milk
6 Tbs
white unbleached all-purpose flour
6 Tbs
vegan butter (try my homemade palm oil-free vegan buttery spread)
1 cup light organic unbleached granulated sugar
1 tsp
pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp
salt
1
Whisk the milk into flour in small saucepan until smooth. Heat and stir until
it boils and thickens. Cool thoroughly (place in a small bowl inside of a
larger bowl of cold water).
2 With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer beat the butter,
sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy-- several minutes. Beat in the
cooled flour paste and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Chill thoroughly before frosting. Frost the cooled cake. Keep the
frosted cake refrigerated until serving time.
BRYANNA'S
HOMEMADE VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER BAKING CHUNKS
Yield:
12 oz.
Easy and quick to make, and firm enough to
cut into tiny squares and use in baking. They hold their shape during baking.
Taste yummy, too!
NOTE: If you use the creamed coconut option, the
easiest way to melt it without burning is to microwave at 30% power for 30-60
seconds.
A.)
2/3 cup light organic unbleached granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
B.)
1/3 cup melted solid cocoa butter OR
solid block creamed coconut (see notes below)
(See this page on my blog for sources of cocoa butter if you health food store does not carry it.)
1/3 cup soymilk powder or rice milk powder OR soy protein powder
7 Tbs. natural smooth natural peanut butter
(See this page on my blog for sources of cocoa butter if you health food store does not carry it.)
1/3 cup soymilk powder or rice milk powder OR soy protein powder
7 Tbs. natural smooth natural peanut butter
Mix A ingredients with a whisk in the top
of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Off
the heat, stir in the melted cocoa butter, then the milk or protein powder and, finally, the peanut butter. Mix until smooth.
Pat out onto a 7 x11" baking pan lined with baking parchment cut to fit.. Refrigerate. When firm, remove from pan and cut into tiny squares. Keep refrigerated in a covered container (or freeze) until you use them.
Pat out onto a 7 x11" baking pan lined with baking parchment cut to fit.. Refrigerate. When firm, remove from pan and cut into tiny squares. Keep refrigerated in a covered container (or freeze) until you use them.
**CREAMED COCONUT-- WHAT IS IT?
"CREAMED COCONUT" is NOT the same
thing as "coconut cream/crème", which is like a heavy cream in a can
or asceptic box (often sweetened). The "creamed coconut" I'm talking
about comes in a small cardboard box (6 or 7 ounces) and the product is a block of
white semi-dehydrated coconut milk wrapped in waxed paper that
you can break into chunks-- it's NOT a liquid. Let's Do Organic Creamed Coconut, in
7-ounce boxes, is sold in many health food stores and on amazon.com
You can buy other brands of this
product in Asian, Thai, Caribbean (Grace brand), and Indian markets and in the
Asian section of some large supermarkets. There are different brands, but they
all look similar and are of similar size. Sometimes it is refrigerated,
sometimes not; sometimes it is even frozen, though it does not need to be. It
keeps just fine un-refrigerated. It can be stirred directly into sauces to
thicken them or mixed with hot water to make coconut milk or cream. It will
thicken up whipped toppings and icings, too.
It is high in fat, but a little goes a long
way in terms of flavor and I think it has a fresher taste than canned coconut
milk.
Have a Happy Easter!
Have a Happy Easter!
Monday, October 31, 2011
"DECADENT" CARAMEL-CRANBERRY-PECAN CAKE
Today's Cranberry Fact: "Cranberries are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants which protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. The proanthocyanidins and other compounds inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol while cranberry powder has been observed to decrease the LDL cholesterol levels of animals with elevated blood cholesterol levels. The proanthocyanidins in cranberry and lowbush blueberry are known to inhibit tumor growth." http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/cranberry.php
Well, we've had our cranberry-laced breakfast, cranberry-studded dinner, and now dessert! This is one of my favorite cakes. Not only is it delicious and easy to make, but it gives you the feeling of being decadent when, really, it's pretty low-fat and it's made from whole wheat pastry flour. How good can it get?
I had a bite or two of a similar cake at a local restaurant a few years ago and the memory lingered. It took me a while to get around to making a vegan version that came "up to scratch" with what I remembered, but I'm happy with this recipe. That particular restaurant still has the cake on its menu, but they've omitted what I would consider the essential caramel sauce and instead drown it in a pile of whipped cream! You can "gild the lily" with a small dollop of vegan whipped topping or non-dairy ice cream if you like, but don't leave out the caramel sauce!
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S “DECADENT” CARAMEL-CRANBERRY-PECAN CAKE
Serves 8
This cake actually isn't that decadent, but it really seems so! This is a great choice when you want something rich, not too sweet, and special, but not chocolate. It can be made either with fresh cranberries or dried cranberries.
THE CAKE:
Dry Mix:
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped lightly-toasted pecans
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (or 2/3 cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water and drained well)
Wet Mix:
1 cup water
3 Tbs oil
3 Tbs smooth unsweetened applesauce (TIP: Freeze canned or homemade applesauce for baking in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons!)
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
CARAMEL SAUCE:
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs vegan butter (such as my homemade palm oil-free vegan Buttah)
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup organic vegan creamer (these are made for use in hot coffee, so less likely to curdle in hot liquid)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil an 8" square pan and line the bottom with cooking parchment cut to fit.
Whisk all of the Dry Mix ingredients, except for the pecans and cranberries, together in a medium bowl. Add the pecans and cranberries and mix briefly.
Whisk together the Wet Mix ingredients in another bowl. Pour into the Dry Mix ingredients and stir briefly, just until mixed. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool the cake on a rack.
To make the sauce:
Bring the syrup, brown sugar, Earth Balance and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan and boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the consistency of heavy syrup.
Remove from heat and cool a bit. Heat the creamer just until warm. Whisk into the syrup along with vanilla.
The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, but the sauce should be hot. Cut the cake into 8 triangular servings and drizzle each serving generously with some of the hot sauce. You can also serve this with a scoop of your favorite vanilla non-dairy ice cream, or a little of your favorite non-dairy whipped topping.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 485.6 calories; 33% calories from fat; 18.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 163.5mg sodium; 368.6mg potassium; 80.5g carbohydrates; 4.9g fiber; 54.1g sugar; 5.4g protein; 10.5 points.
Enjoy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
APPLE PECAN CRUMB CAKE WITH GIANDUIA (CHOCOLATE/HAZELNUT) DRIZZLE
I haven't blogged dessert for some time, but last night we had an old friend visiting from Vancouver, which I thought was as good an excuse as any to make a dessert! But I didn't want it to be too rich, and I wanted it to be quick and easy, and made with whole grain flour(s). I decided that apples and pecans would be nice, and I also wanted to add just a little chocolate. I turned to the recipe in my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook
" for Rustic Rhubarb Cake and tweaked it once again. It was really moist and delicious, and a little more elegant than the original. Just a nice little touch of chocolate. (I think it would work with a gluten-free flour mix
, too.) Our friend Brenda, not a vegan, just loved it and took some home with her. She had no idea that it was made from whole grain flour.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA’S APPLE/PECAN CRUMB CAKE WITH GIANDUIA DRIZZLE
makes 1/ 9x13" cake / 12 servings
This cake is just fine served a little warm, and it 's even good for breakfast! The cake itself is quite low in fat, and you can cut down the pecans to 1/4 cup, if you like.
DRY MIX:
1 and 3/4 cups wholewheat pastry flour
PLUS 1/4 c. oat bran
OR 2 cups wholewheat pastry flour
Tip: I think this recipe would work with a reliable gluten-free flour mix
, too.1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups chopped apples (I don't peel them if they are organic)
WET MIX:
1/3 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs. oil
1 cup unbleached organic granulated sugar
7/8 cup nondairy milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
TOPPING:1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
FINISH:
about 1/2 cup Gianduia (chocolate/hazelnut spread) for drizzling (UPDATE: If you can't find a vegan and palm oil-free brand of this spread, there's an easy vegan recipe for this spread on my blog here and it's also on p. 65 of my book "World Vegan Feast".)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.
Whisk together the Dry Mix ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the apples. In a blender or with hand/immersion blender, blend the Wet Mix ingredients until smooth. Mix the Wet Mix into Dry Mix, stirring as briefly as possible. Spread into prepared pan. Mix the Topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the Topping evenly over the cake.
Bake 35 minutes. Test for doneness. Cool on a rack.
Scoop the Gianduia (Chocolate/Hazelnut Spread) into a small heat-proof bowl.
Place the bowl in a larger bowl and add very hot water to the outer bowl. Let it sit until the spread is a bit runny. Scrape the spread into a small food-safe squeeze bottle. Squeeze a thin line of chocolate spread in whatever way you like it, but not too much!
Serve right out of the pan, cut into squares.
Nutrition Facts Nutrition (per serving): 384.0 calories; 39% calories from fat; 16.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 13.8mg sodium; 182.0mg potassium; 56.0g carbohydrates; 4.8g fiber; 39.0g sugar; 51.2g net carbs; 3.9g protein; 8.3 points.
Enjoy!
Monday, August 23, 2010
UPDATED 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE-- VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, WHOLE GRAIN, W/ GLUTEN-FREE & LOW-GLYCEMIC VARIATIONS
Thanks so much, Gail Davis, for posting this on your "Hungry Vegan" blog! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
RECIPE UPDATED OCTOBER 27, 2018.
UPDATE, Aug. 26, 2010: Well, last night I tried steaming the mugs as an alternative to using a microwave-- it was a flop, I'm afraid! For one thing, it ended up taking 18 minutes steaming time, which kind of defeats the whole exercise of a 5-minute cake! But, perhaps more importantly, it didn't rise and get fluffy like the original. It was, as the British say, "stodge"-- yuck! Sorry, no solution there.
I thought about pressure cooking, but it might be more trouble than it's worth, with the getting up to pressure, cooling down, etc.
(BTW, for anyone who is wary of microwave ovens, I have compiled some info in a Google doc: Read here.)
***********************************************My youngest daughter, Justine, gave me a challenge yesterday. Devise a Weight Watcher-friendly, preferably vegan, 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake. I vaguely remembered hearing about this cake before, but hadn't looked into it. So, I set about meeting her challenge. I looked up various recipes and comments on the recipes, first of all. Then I set to work. I wanted it to be vegan, of course, no-fat (except for a very few chocolate chips), and whole grain, but also nicely chocolate-y and slightly gooey.
We tried 2 of my versions last night-- one was too dry, so we didn't eat it! I was pretty happy with the other version, though. I ultimately made it in smaller servings than the original cake-- the larger size was too big for a healthy snack. To refine the recipe, I made the ultimate sacrifice and had the final version for breakfast this morning! I must say, I'm happy with it! I hope you like it, too!
NOTE: The updated 2018 version below has a an easy GF AND low-glycemic option.
(Worried about using a microwave oven? Read here.)
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
(WITH GLUTEN-FREE AND LOW-GLYCEMIC VARIATIONS)
(WITH GLUTEN-FREE AND LOW-GLYCEMIC VARIATIONS)
Yield: 1 or 2 servings
UPDATED on October 27, 2018
UPDATED on October 27, 2018
Quick, 3 WW points, gooey and satisfying! The ultimate quick chocolate hit (well, maybe second to Drinking Chocolate!). The chocolate chips may sink to the bottom, but no worries-- that makes an “icing” on the bottom that you can scoop up with each bite of cake! (BTW, I tried removing the cake from the mug to a plate, but it doesn’t look very attractive and dirties another dish, so better to eat it right out of the mug!) See Variations below for Gluten-Free version.
NOTE: One of my readers suggested quadrupling the dry ingredients and the brown sugar to make a quick mix-- great idea! (You could even multiply it further, I would think.) Measure out equal servings of the mix and bag them in little sandwich baggies. Maybe print out labels with the wet ingredients and stick them on the baggies.
NOTE: One of my readers suggested quadrupling the dry ingredients and the brown sugar to make a quick mix-- great idea! (You could even multiply it further, I would think.) Measure out equal servings of the mix and bag them in little sandwich baggies. Maybe print out labels with the wet ingredients and stick them on the baggies.
FOR 2 SERVINGS (see Variations below for 1 serving)
Wet Mix:
2 1/2 Tbs water or strong coffee
2 Tbs thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs packed brown sugar OR coconut palm sugar (both brown sugars deepen the chocolate taste)
1/2 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dry Mix:
3 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs oat flour
(or barley flour)
1 Tbs oat flour
(or barley flour)
(OR, for a gluten-free AND low-glycemic mix, use 3 Tbs oat flour [you can blend oat flakes or quick oats in a dry blender to a fine flour] + 1 Tbs chickpea or white bean flour.)
2 Tbs organic dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbs organic dark unsweetened cocoa powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon (more like 1/5 teaspoon!) baking soda
1 pinch salt
Additional:
1 tablespoon organic, vegan, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Lightly spray two 1-cup mugs (such as cappuccino mugs), or 1-cup ramekin
s, with oil from a pump sprayer.
Lightly spray two 1-cup mugs (such as cappuccino mugs), or 1-cup ramekin
s, with oil from a pump sprayer.
In a small bowl mix together the Wet Mix ingredients well with a whisk.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together (with a dry whisk) the Dry Mix
ingredients.
ingredients.
The ramekins in this picture are the right size to use for microwaving the cakes if you have no suitable mugs, BTW.
Pour the Dry Mix into the Wet Mix and whisk together well. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared mugs. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips over the batter.
Microwave at High power for 1 minute, 10 seconds. (Note: My microwave is 1200 watts—if yours is less, you may need a few seconds more.)
Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes. Eat right out of the mug or ramekin!
TIPS:
1.) If you have no leftover coffee, you can add 1 /2 teaspoon coffee or espresso powder to the water, or just use water.
2.) Freeze unsweetened canned or homemade applesauce in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons! You can thaw them quickly in the microwave.
3.) For oat flour, just whiz rolled oats or quick oats in a DRY blender to a fine flour.
2.) Freeze unsweetened canned or homemade applesauce in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons! You can thaw them quickly in the microwave.
3.) For oat flour, just whiz rolled oats or quick oats in a DRY blender to a fine flour.
FOR 1 SERVING ONLY:
1 1/4 Tbs water or strong coffee
1 Tbs thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 Tbs packed brown sugar (both brown sugars deepens the chocolate taste)
1/4 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dry Mix:
1 1/2 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 Tbs barley flour or oat flour
(OR, for a gluten-free AND low-glycemic mix, use 1 1/2 Tbs oat flour [you can blend oat flakes or quick oats in a dry blender to a fine flour] + 1/2 Tbs chickpea or white bean flour.)
1 Tbs organic unsweetened cocoa powder
scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 small pinch salt
Additional:
1/2 tablespoon organic, vegan, semisweet chocolate chips
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories 190.56, Calories From Fat 26.92, Total Fat 3.22g, Saturated Fat 1.53g, Cholesterol 0.00mg, Sodium 314.72mg, Potassium 240.07mg, Carbohydrates 41.25g, Dietary Fiber 4.15g, Sugar 20.07g, Sugar Alcohols 0.00g, Net Carbohydrates 37.10g, Protein 3.95g
Enjoy!
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