Desserts Archives - Page 2 of 6

Avocado Cupcakes

December 5, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Yes, that’s right. Avocado Cupcakes. I love incorporating avocado into recipes when I can, especially when I can use it to replace the oil in baked goods. The Glazed Chocolate-Avocado Cupcakes proved that avocados belong in cupcakes, so I decided to try making them without the cocoa and made some other minor adjustments. They came out perfect! Soft, moist and green! It’s good to be green.

INGREDIENTS:
Cupcakes:
1-1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 C Florida Crystals sugar
3/4 C almond milk
1/3 C vanilla soy yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
Frosting:
1/2 C vegan margarine
2-3 C confectioner’s sugar
Almond milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin with liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the food processor, puree the avocado. Add the almond milk, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla; blend until smooth and creamy.

Combine the avocado mixture with the flour mixture by using a whisk.

Evenly fill the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Let them cool completely before frosting them. To make the frosting, cream the margarine and add some almond milk, then some sugar. I didn’t measure these out, I just added a little at a time to reach a thick consistency. Using a pastry bag, I frosted the tops. You can also spread it on with a knife. I got fancy; as fancy as I can get in the time I had. 🙂

Avocado Cupcakes

Yes, that's right. Avocado Cupcakes. I love incorporating avocado into recipes when I can, especially when I can use it to replace the oil in baked goods. The Glazed Chocolate-Avocado Cupcakes proved that avocados belong in cupcakes, so I decided to try making them without the cocoa and made some other minor adjustments. They came out perfect! Soft, moist and green! It's good to be green.

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1-1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
½ C Florida Crystals sugar
¾ C almond milk
⅓ C vanilla soy yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
Frosting:
½ C vegan margarine
2-3 C confectioner's sugar
Almond milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin with liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the food processor, puree the avocado. Add the almond milk, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla; blend until smooth and creamy.
Combine the avocado mixture with the flour mixture by using a whisk.
Evenly fill the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Let them cool completely before frosting them. To make the frosting, cream the margarine and add some almond milk, then some sugar. I didn't measure these out, I just added a little at a time to reach a thick consistency. Using a pastry bag, I frosted the tops. You can also spread it on with a knife. I got fancy; as fancy as I can get in the time I had. 🙂

Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

December 2, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I officially have a teenager. The Seventh Grader turned thirteen yesterday! How did that happen so fast?! Born 6 weeks early, my little guy quickly became a big guy:

10 months

Hard to believe that chubby babe is now five feet tall and 13!!

He wanted a chocolate layer cake for the big day, so I ventured out on Google to find one. Savvy Vegetarian had one that looked pretty good and I liked that it didn’t have any oil. When it comes to cakes, I often find that with the frosting, they are way too sweet, so I messed with the sugar content of this cake a bit. Because frosting is typically pretty sweet, I reduced the amount of sugar in the cake. It came out perfect! It was slightly dense and very moist. Everyone agreed it was fabulous!

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C unsweetened baking cocoa
2 Tbs arrowroot
1 C vegan margarine
1 C (I reduced it from 1- 2/3 C) granulated sugar (I used Florida Crystals)
1-1/3 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C almond milk
2 Tbs lemon juice
Frosting:
2 C (1 bag) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C vegan margarine
2 Tbs almond milk

Florida Crystals

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter two 9″ cake pans, then dust with flour; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and arrowroot. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and lemon juice. Using a mixer, cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the milk mixture, water, and vanilla. Slowly, add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, combine well. Pour evenly into the two cake pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of each cake—if it comes out clean, they’re done. Let them cool completely.

Using a sharp knife, go around the edges of the cooled cake. Place a rack or plate over the top of the cake and turn upside down. If they don’t fall out right away, lightly tap the bottom of the pan. It’s always so suspenseful hoping the cake comes out without sticking to the bottom of the pan . . . luckily, it worked out beautifully for me.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate chips over low heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat and let cool until slightly warm. In the meantime, beat the margarine with a mixer. (What I like about this frosting, is that there is no added sugar in it!) Add the chocolate to the butter mixture and combine well. You’ll need to add up to two tablespoons of almond milk to thin it out a little. It will resemble mud.

Transfer one of the cake layers to a large plate and frost the entire thing.

Place the other layer on top. Came out a bit lopsided . . .

Frost the top layer. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

He wanted a chocolate layer cake for the big day, so I ventured out on Google to find one. Savvy Vegetarian had one that looked pretty good and I liked that it didn't have any oil. When it comes to cakes, I often find that with the frosting, they are way too sweet, so I messed with the sugar content of this cake a bit. Because frosting is typically pretty sweet, I reduced the amount of sugar in the cake. It came out perfect! It was slightly dense and very moist. Everyone agreed it was fabulous!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

Cake:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 C unsweetened baking cocoa
2 Tbs arrowroot
1 C vegan margarine
1 C (I reduced it from 1- ⅔ C) granulated sugar (I used Florida Crystals)
1-1/3 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ C almond milk
2 Tbs lemon juice
Frosting:
2 C (1 bag) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C vegan margarine
2 Tbs almond milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter two 9" cake pans, then dust with flour; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and arrowroot. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and lemon juice. Using a mixer, cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the milk mixture, water, and vanilla. Slowly, add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, combine well. Pour evenly into the two cake pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of each cake---if it comes out clean, they're done. Let them cool completely.
Using a sharp knife, go around the edges of the cooled cake. Place a rack or plate over the top of the cake and turn upside down. If they don't fall out right away, lightly tap the bottom of the pan. It's always so suspenseful hoping the cake comes out without sticking to the bottom of the pan . . . luckily, it worked out beautifully for me.
Transfer one of the cake layers to a large plate and frost the entire thing.
Place the other layer on top.
Frost the top layer. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!

Plum and Pear Cobbler

October 18, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Admittedly, I’m not great about eating fruit. Very rarely, I’ll bite into an apple, but give me a luscious bunch of kale and I’m all over it. So I always feel bad when I have to toss squishy apples and pears away because no one has eaten them. But baked fruit, I can do. I’ll take apple pie or a fruit tart over chocolate cake any day, and add some nondairy ice cream and I’m a happy camper. I wasn’t about to let these pears and plums whither away on my counter, so the Seventh Grader and I made this wonderful cobbler!

INGREDIENTS:
4 pears, sliced (leave the skins on)
4-5 plums, slice (with skins)
1/2 C brown sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C vegan margarine, cut into chunks
1 C oats
1/4 C almond milk (or other nondairy milk)
Nondairy ice cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Combine the fruit in a baking dish–an 8×8 would be fine.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, margarine, oats, and milk. Use a fork or pastry blender to combine everything; making sure the butter turns to small pea-sized pieces. It will be a wet mixture. Top the fruit with the oat mixture.

Bake covered for 20-25 minutes. (It will smell sooooo good baking . . . 🙂 ) Top with some nondairy ice cream and thoroughly enjoy!

Plum and Pear Cobbler

Admittedly, I'm not great about eating fruit. Very rarely, I'll bite into an apple, but give me a luscious bunch of kale and I'm all over it. So I always feel bad when I have to toss squishy apples and pears away because no one has eaten them. But baked fruit, I can do. I'll take apple pie or a fruit tart over chocolate cake any day, and add some nondairy ice cream and I'm a happy camper. I wasn't about to let these pears and plums whither away on my counter, so the Seventh Grader and I made this wonderful cobbler!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

4 pears, sliced (leave the skins on)
4-5 plums, slice (with skins)
½ C brown sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ C vegan margarine, cut into chunks
1 C oats
¼ C almond milk (or other nondairy milk)
Nondairy ice cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the fruit in a baking dish--an 8x8 would be fine.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, margarine, oats, and milk. Use a fork or pastry blender to combine everything; making sure the butter turns to small pea-sized pieces. It will be a wet mixture. Top the fruit with the oat mixture.
Bake covered for 20-25 minutes. (It will smell sooooo good baking . . . 🙂 ) Top with some nondairy ice cream and thoroughly enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakes

August 16, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I was in a baking mood today, but I couldn’t decide between these, chocolate chip scones, or lemon madeleine cookies. Obviously, I went with these cupcakes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s The Joy of Vegan Baking. If you love to bake, vegan or not, this is a fabulous cookbook to own. Not only is it filled with easy and delicious recipes, it also is filled with lots of valuable baking tips, especially if you are new to the world of vegan baking. I found that these cupcakes are really more like muffins, but if Ms. Colleen says they’re cupcakes, then I’ll go with it. Cupcakes, muffins, whatevs—you’ll love them!

INGREDIENTS:
1-3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 C granulated sugar (I used about 3/4 C)
1/2 C canola oil
1 Tbs white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz frozen or fresh strawberries, crushed or pureed (I used fresh)
For the frosting, I didn’t go with her Butter Cream Frosting. I used confectioners’ sugar mixed with almond milk.
Strawberries to garnish the tops

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease or line a muffin pan with muffin cups. I only had 9 muffin cups, so I greased the last three. Both methods worked fine.I pureed the strawberries in the food processor.

Mix the flour, baking soda, and sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in the strawberries. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.

Stir to combine, but don’t over-stir. You’ll be left with a light and fluffy batter:

Evenly fill the muffins cups with the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cool.

Let them cool completely before icing them. I just mixed a few cups of confectioners’ sugar with just 1-1/2 to 2 tsp of almond milk to reach a very thick consistency. If you’d like, you can add a dash of extract flavoring to it. Drizzle the tops of the cupcakes with the icing and top with a few strawberry slices. Enjoy! Makes 12.

Strawberry Cupcakes

I was in a baking mood today, but I couldn't decide between these, chocolate chip scones, or lemon madeleine cookies. Obviously, I went with these cupcakes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking. If you love to bake, vegan or not, this is a fabulous cookbook to own. Not only is it filled with easy and delicious recipes, it also is filled with lots of valuable baking tips, especially if you are new to the world of vegan baking. I found that these cupcakes are really more like muffins, but if Ms. Colleen says they're cupcakes, then I'll go with it. Cupcakes, muffins, whatevs---you'll love them!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 12

Ingredients

1-3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 C granulated sugar (I used about ¾ C)
½ C canola oil
1 Tbs white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz frozen or fresh strawberries, crushed or pureed (I used fresh)
For the frosting, I didn't go with her Butter Cream Frosting. I used confectioners' sugar mixed with almond milk.
Strawberries to garnish the tops

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease or line a muffin pan with muffin cups. I only had 9 muffin cups, so I greased the last three. Both methods worked fine.I pureed the strawberries in the food processor.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in the strawberries. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
Stir to combine, but don't over-stir. You'll be left with a light and fluffy batter.
Evenly fill the muffins cups with the batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cool.
Let them cool completely before icing them. I just mixed a few cups of confectioners' sugar with just 1-1/2 to 2 tsp of almond milk to reach a very thick consistency. If you'd like, you can add a dash of extract flavoring to it. Drizzle the tops of the cupcakes with the icing and top with a few strawberry slices. Enjoy! Makes 12.

A Look Back

July 29, 2011 by epicureanvegan

When it’s time to plan meals for the week, I sometimes rely on some old favorites of mine. When looking back on my recipes, I always come across yummy ones I’ve forgotten about. I thought I’d bring these oldies, but goodies to you.

Appetizers

Party Cheese Ball
Stuffed Mushrooms
Mustard Greens and Cheeze Filo Pie
Avocado Bruschetta

Breads

Pesto Potato Bread
Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
Home-made Pita Bread
Chive-Flecked Spud Muffins

Side Dishes

Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts & Parsley
Easy, Creamy Pasta Salad
Baked Fries with Sea Salt & Truffle Oil
Easy Cole Slaw

Soups

Eggplant Parmagiano Stew
Vegetable-Barley Soup
Vegetable-Barley Chili

Lunch

Smoky-Miso Tofu Sandwiches
Garden Wrap
BLTA with Tempeh Bacon
Green Tea Rice with Lemon, Snowpeas & Tofu

Breakfast

Quinoa-Couscous Cereal with Dried Fruit
Colorful Kale and Potato Casserole
Hash Brown Casserole
Home-made Granola

Dinner

Sweet Chili-Lime Tofu
Breaded Zucchini with Lentils and Rainbow Chard
Angel Hair Pasta with Mushrooms & Ricotta
Spinach & Tofu Calzones
Spinach & Pesto Lasagna
Fresh & Healthy Soft Tacos/Burritos
Pecan-Crusted Seitan
Field Roast with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

Desserts

Glazed Chocolate-Avocado Cupcakes
Chai-Spiced Berry-Oatmeal Cookies
Cheeze Danishes
Sunflower-Cherry Oatmeal Bars

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

July 12, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I used the same recipe for these, as the red velvet cake I made a couple of months ago. I wasn’t sure how making the batter into cupcakes would work out, but in the end, they were delicious!! To begin with, it’s never easy to figure out how full to fill the muffin cups. I went with about 2/3 to 3/4 full, and I got 23 cupcakes. They puffed up a bit, so I recommend filling them halfway which will probably yield more than 24. These are certainly sinful and not something I recommend making on a weekly basis, but rather to enjoy as an occasional treat!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy’s Baking Mix (recipe below)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 C palm oil shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1-oz red food coloring
1/4 C + 3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1 recipe butter cream frosting (below)
Betsy’s Making Mix: this makes 7-1/2 cups–remember, use just 2-1/2 cups of it.
3-3/4 C garbanzo bean flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
Buttercream Frosting:
1 C Earth Balance margarine
4 to 4-1/2 C confectioner’s sugar
Vanilla rice milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Make your baking mix first: Combine all the flours in a large zip-lock bag. Using a whisk, blend them well. Then seal tightly and shake it vigorously for 1 minute. This mix will stay good for up to 3 months. Place muffin liners into muffin pan and set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the rice milk and cider vinegar to create “buttermilk” and set aside. In a small bowl, use a spoon to combine the cocoa powder and food coloring. (Keep in mind that 1 ounce is a full-sized bottle of food coloring). It will form a paste:

In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of the baking mix, salt, and xanthan gum. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and palm oil shortening. Add the applesauce and vanilla and cream everything together until mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa paste and mix well.

Alternately, add the dry ingredients and the “buttermilk” mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it. Immediately pour the fizzing combo into the cake batter and thoroughly mix it in.

Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter. I find that it’s easiest to hold the muffin cup in my hand and use a small spoon to drop filling in the cup. I then place it into the muffin pan. Works great and you can avoid getting batter on the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting cream the vegan margarine until smooth. Little by little, add the confectioner’s sugar. Add the vanilla rice milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a thick consistency. I beat this for several minutes to not only cream all the margarine, but to make it good and fluffy.

Layer the tops of the cupcakes with some frosting and enjoy!

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

I used the same recipe for these, as the red velvet cake I made a couple of months ago. I wasn't sure how making the batter into cupcakes would work out, but in the end, they were delicious!! To begin with, it's never easy to figure out how full to fill the muffin cups. I went with about ⅔ to ¾ full, and I got 23 cupcakes. They puffed up a bit, so I recommend filling them halfway which will probably yield more than 24. These are certainly sinful and not something I recommend making on a weekly basis, but rather to enjoy as an occasional treat!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy’s Baking Mix (recipe below)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 cups sugar
½ C palm oil shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1-oz red food coloring
¼ C + 3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1 recipe butter cream frosting (below)
Betsy’s Making Mix: this makes 7-1/2 cups–remember, use just 2-1/2 cups of it.
3-3/4 C garbanzo bean flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
Buttercream Frosting:
1 C vegan margarine
4 to 4-1/2 C confectioner’s sugar
Vanilla rice milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
Make your baking mix first: Combine all the flours in a large zip-lock bag. Using a whisk, blend them well. Then seal tightly and shake it vigorously for 1 minute. This mix will stay good for up to 3 months. Place muffin liners into muffin pan and set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the rice milk and cider vinegar to create “buttermilk” and set aside. In a small bowl, use a spoon to combine the cocoa powder and food coloring. (Keep in mind that 1 ounce is a full-sized bottle of food coloring). It will form a paste.
In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of the baking mix, salt, and xanthan gum. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and palm oil shortening. Add the applesauce and vanilla and cream everything together until mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa paste and mix well.
Alternately, add the dry ingredients and the “buttermilk” mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it. Immediately pour the fizzing combo into the cake batter and thoroughly mix it in.
Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter. I find that it's easiest to hold the muffin cup in my hand and use a small spoon to drop filling in the cup. I then place it into the muffin pan. Works great and you can avoid getting batter on the pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting cream the vegan margarine until smooth. Little by little, add the confectioner’s sugar. Add the vanilla rice milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a thick consistency. I beat this for several minutes to not only cream all the margarine, but to make it good and fluffy.
Layer the tops of the cupcakes with some frosting and enjoy!

Fruit ‘n’ Phyllo Pie

June 24, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Ok, it may look a little boring, but there’s nothing boring about the taste! This is also great with some non-dairy ice cream on top. I took a cue from the Mustard Greens & Filo (Phyllo) Pie recipe and used a mixture of different berries. A great summertime dessert!

INGREDIENTS:
16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
6 large fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 C fresh raspberries
1/2 C fresh blueberries
4-oz Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
4 Tbs Earth Balance margarine

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Melt the Earth Balance in a small saucepan and keep it warm on the stove. Using a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice. In a medium bowl, combine the mixture with the fruit.

Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of an 8×8 (I used a 6×9, I think) baking dish. You’ll want to work quickly with the phyllo dough, but at least you don’t have to worry about making it look pretty–it won’t matter. Layer a phyllo sheet on the bottom of the pan and then brush the top with butter. Repeat this step with 7 more phyllo sheets. Pour the fruit mixture on top and spread it out evenly.

Do the same process with the remaining 8 sheets of phyllo dough on top, brushing butter onto each layer as you go.

I forgot to do this, but I recommend slicing this before you bake it—the phyllo doesn’t cut very clean after it’s been baked. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown.

Enjoy!

By the way . . . I’m off to Boulder for the weekend and will bring you reviews of at least two veg-friendly restaurants—both of which I’ve never been to. Looking forward to it! Have a great weekend!

Beautiful Boulder

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

May 16, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Some of you may recall when I made this cake about a year ago, I put in way, way too much of the flour mixture and a friend, who I had served it to, joked that I made him eat a brick. The cake was a disaster and apparently, it took me a year to get over it, but here it is. Wow, what a difference correctly following the recipe makes! 😉 This cake is outstanding! You’d never know it was gluten-free AND vegan! The cake was soft, moist, and not too sweet. (The icing will sure make up for that!) This is now going to be the family birthday cake for a while—it’s that good! Plus, I’ve completely redeemed myself and my friend told me he can no longer tease me about serving him a brick!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy’s Baking Mix (recipe below)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 C palm oil shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring
1/4 C + 3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1 recipe butter cream frosting (below)
Betsy’s Making Mix: this makes 7-1/2 cups–remember, use just 2-1/2 cups of it.
3-3/4 C garbanzo bean flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
Buttercream Frosting:
1 C vegan margarine
4 to 4-1/2 C confectioner’s sugar
Vanilla rice milk

Grease 2 9″ cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the rice milk and cider vinegar to create “buttermilk” and set aside. In a small bowl, use a spoon to combine the cocoa powder and food coloring. (Keep in mind that 1 ounce is a full-sized bottle of food coloring). It will form a paste:

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a rack before turning them out of the pans.

Once cooled, turn over the pans and remove the parchment paper. Take a large plate and place it upside down on the bottom of one of the cakes (that will be upside down on the rack). Flip over so the cake is face up on the plate.

To make the frosting cream the margarine until smooth. Little by little, add the confectioner’s sugar. Add the vanilla rice milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a thick consistency.

Frost the top and sides of the cake that is on the plate. Lay it pretty thick, especially on the top. Carefully place the 2nd cake on top and frost that one.

Slice and enjoy! Cover the leftovers and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe source (cake only): Living Without

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

This cake from Living Without is outstanding! You'd never know it was gluten-free AND vegan! The cake was soft, moist, and not too sweet. (The icing will sure make up for that!) This is now going to be the family birthday cake for a while---it's that good!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy's Baking Mix (recipe below)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 cups sugar
½ C palm oil shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring
¼ C + 3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1 recipe butter cream frosting (below)
Betsy's Making Mix: this makes 7-1/2 cups--remember, use just 2-1/2 cups of it.
3-3/4 C garbanzo bean flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
Buttercream Frosting:
1 C vegan margarine
4 to 4-1/2 C confectioner's sugar
Vanilla rice milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Make your baking mix first: Combine all the flours in a large zip-lock bag. Using a whisk, blend them well. Then seal tightly and shake it vigorously for 1 minute. This mix will stay good for up to 3 months.
Grease 2 9" cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the rice milk and cider vinegar to create "buttermilk" and set aside. In a small bowl, use a spoon to combine the cocoa powder and food coloring. (Keep in mind that 1 ounce is a full-sized bottle of food coloring). It will form a paste.
In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of the baking mix, salt, and xanthan gum. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and palm oil shortening. Add the applesauce and vanilla and cream everything together until mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa paste and mix well.
Alternately, add the dry ingredients and the "buttermilk" mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it. Immediately pour the fizzing combo into the cake batter and thoroughly mix it in. Evenly divide the batter into the two cake pans
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a rack before turning them out of the pans.
Once cooled, turn over the pans and remove the parchment paper. Take a large plate and place it upside down on the bottom of one of the cakes (that will be upside down on the rack). Flip over so the cake is face up on the plate.
To make the frosting cream the margarine until smooth. Little by little, add the confectioner's sugar. Add the vanilla rice milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a thick consistency.
Frost the top and sides of the cake that is on the plate. Lay it pretty thick, especially on the top. Carefully place the 2nd cake on top and frost that one.
Slice and enjoy! Cover the leftovers and store in the refrigerator.

Apple Coffee Cake for Monet

March 30, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I want to dedicate this cake to Monet, of Apples and Anecdotes. She is one of those people everyone should know. I’ve never actually met her face-to-face, but I feel as though we could easily just sit down with mugs of tea, eat this delicious cake and never stop talking. Monet always has a kind word (or several, actually) for fellow food bloggers; always making others feel special, despite the hardships she herself faces. Last year, she nearly lost a nephew, Ryan, to drowning and who continues to suffer from the effects the accident caused. Now, she is faced with the possibly of losing her sister and brother-in-law injured in a car crash that killed another nephew of hers. Please visit Monet with your thoughts and kind words, as I know she’ll appreciates them and hopefully, have a brighter day in the wake of this tragedy.

Apple Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 C flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C walnuts, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1/2 C Earth Balance
1 C sugar
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 Tbs water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C vanilla almond milk

Crumb topping
1/4 C sugar
1/8 C flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs Earth Balance

Icing, optional
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla almond milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and walnuts.

In another bowl, beat the margarine, sugar, vanilla, and egg-replacer mixture until smooth. Pour the margarine mixture into the dry ingredients and combine well with a spoon. Stir in the apples and almond milk. Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan. To make the crumb topping, combine all the ingredients with a fork and sprinkle on top of the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. Mix together the powdered sugar and almond milk to form icing and drizzle over the top. You can wait until it completely cools, or when it’s still warm. Have a seat with someone you love and cherish, and enjoy this cake together.

Chai-Spiced Berry-Oatmeal Cookies = Redemption

March 23, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I am so relieved and happy that these cookies turned out. I found myself in a funk today. And apparently, it’s catching ’cause Moe looks to have it:

He probably smelled these amazing cookies and knew he couldn’t have any. Sorry, Moe. Anyway, missed my workout this morning and struggled some more with an essay I’ve been trying to write for the last four years. Yes, that’s four years. Then, to add insult to injury, dinner turned out to be a disaster. Awful. By far the worst results of anything I’ve attempted since the ill-fated red velvet cake nearly a year ago. I could have easily called it a night, but instead, I picked myself up by my bra straps and dusted my vegan-self off because I’ll be damned to go nighty-night after today. These are my Redemption Cookies. I swaggered into the kitchen and started pulling stuff out of the pantry, grabbed a bowl and got to work. One bite and not only did I feel the fog lift, I felt redeemed after that horrendous dinner. Talk about cookies for the soul.

INGREDIENTS:
1 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C Earth Balance margarine
Egg Replacer (and water) for one egg
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 Tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C dried cherries, chopped (I think I’ll call them “cheeries” for this recipe)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg-replacer/water mix, agave, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Little by little, add to the butter/sugar mixture. Fold in the blueberries and cherries.

Drop onto a baking sheet lined with foil. (For the first batch, I lightly sprayed the foil with cooking spray since I wasn’t sure if they’d stick, but just go with the foil.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Let them cool a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack, then thoroughly enjoy. And feel better. And redeem yourself from any minor infractions you committed during the day. They are guarantee to turn things around for you. 🙂 Makes 32-34 soul-good cookies.

Chai-Spiced Berry-Oatmeal Cookies = Redemption

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

1 C flour
½ tsp baking soda
1-1/2 C rolled oats
½ C Earth Balance margarine
Egg Replacer (and water) for one egg
½ C sugar
½ C brown sugar
2 Tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
½ C fresh blueberries
½ C dried cherries, chopped (I think I'll call them "cheeries" for this recipe)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
½ tsp fennel seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg-replacer/water mix, agave, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Little by little, add to the butter/sugar mixture. Fold in the blueberries and cherries.
Drop onto a baking sheet lined with foil. (For the first batch, I lightly sprayed the foil with cooking spray since I wasn't sure if they'd stick, but just go with the foil.)
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Let them cool a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack, then thoroughly enjoy.

Avocado Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

Plum and Pear Cobbler

Strawberry Cupcakes

A Look Back

Appetizers

Breads

Side Dishes

Soups

Lunch

Breakfast

Dinner

Desserts

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

Fruit ‘n’ Phyllo Pie

Vegan and Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

Apple Coffee Cake for Monet

Chai-Spiced Berry-Oatmeal Cookies = Redemption

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