I’m posting this photo as a tease to entice you to return for more good things to come. Once the recipe and story are published in “The Big White Cake” edition of my vegan column, “The Veggie Table,” this coming Wednesday, December 16, in The Virginian-Pilot, I will post it all for you. (If you are local, please support the newspaper and check it out in the “Flavor” section.) Until then, may visions of sugarplums dance in your head!
Yield: 12 servings
My annual Christmas Curry & Cakes all-girls party–an almost 10-year tradition dubbed by one of the husbands as “CC&C”–was this past Wednesday evening. Though everyone is encouraged not to bring gifts, they always do. My lovely friend Susan Kaplan presented me with the “sugarplum” in the photograph. I thought she had purchased it, not because she’s not a talented cook with great decorating taste, but because it was packaged so professionally. However, inside the card was the recipe which, of course, I couldn’t wait to share with you. Enjoy!
1 3/4 cups freshly brewed coffee
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
Preheat over to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8- or 10-inch bundt pan. Heat the coffee in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Turn heat down and whisk in the cocoa powder until it has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to bring to room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, oil, applesauce, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve, about 2 minutes. Mix in the extracts. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled a bit, stir that in as well. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the batter is relatively smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for about 20 minutes. Then invert the pan onto a serving plate to remove the cake, and cool completely. Once the cake is cool, sift the confectioners’ sugar over the top and serve.
Source: Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero as published in Yoga Magazine via Susan Kaplan
Yield: 1-9 x 13″ pan or 24 bars
Our administrative team at school loved these bars that I brought in as an almost-Thanksgiving treat so much that they requested the recipe, which I was happy to share. But first I had to tease them by saying that the key ingredient was tofu (though there is no tofu in the recipe).
This dessert or sweet snack couldn’t be easier or the results tastier. I found the recipe at www.eaglebrand.com/recipes and simply substituted my discovery of Cream of Coconut for the sweetened condensed milk. Once again, it worked beautifully. You might want to visit the site, as there are lots of scrumptious sounding recipes that are all within the vegan’s grasp knowing that Cream of Coconut is a perfect one-to-one substitute for sweetened condensed milk.
1 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance), softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
1-15 ounce can Cream of Coconut
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups (or so) sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl until fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Press with floured hands evenly into prepared pan. (I like to flour the bottom of a glass and use it for even pressing.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven to wire rack.
Melt chocolate chips with Cream of Coconut in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in almond extract. Spread evenly over shortbread. Garnish with almonds, pressing them down gently, but firmly with the palm of your hand into the chocolate. Cover and chill 3 hours or over night until firm. Cut into bars.
Source: Adapted from www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details (I simply substituted Cream of Coconut for the sweetened condensed milk)
Yield: one 9 x 13″ pan
Okay, these are hardly “lite,” but my tofu-based peanut butter cheesecake lightens them up just a smidge so that you don’t go into overload quite as early in the experience of swooning over these three-layered beauties as you might otherwise.
My go-to vegan brownies provide the base for a thick layer of vegan peanut butter cheesecake which is capped with a rich peanut butter-fudge frosting. A garnish of peanuts, whole or halved, provides the perfect crunchy contrast to all of that chewy-creamy goodness.
Vegan Brownies:
Scant (or stingy) 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water or coffee
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: approximately 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13″ baking pan. (A light coat of canola oil seems superior to vegetable shortening.) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add water or coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla; mix with a wooden spoon until well blended, approximately 100 strokes. (For some reason, the results seem superior when the liquid and oil are added about one-quarter cup each at a time.) Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake:
1 box of Silken firm tofu
1 cup of smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate or chocolate lite soy milk
1/2 cup chocolate soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary to combine all ingredients. After brownies have baked for 15 minutes, quickly remove them from the oven, spread evenly with the peanut butter cheesecake filling and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is slightly puffed and set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting and garnish with chopped or whole peanuts.
Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/4 smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (you may use vegetable oil instead but, if you do, mix it with cocoa powder before adding)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar
approximately 1/4 cup chocolate or chocolate lite soy milk
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together first three ingredients on high speed. Add cocoa powder with mixer turned off and then slowly bring the speed up to high to completely incorporate it. Do the same with the powdered sugar and chocolate soy milk, adding approximately 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. If too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add more chocolate soy milk.
Garnish:
Approximately 1/2 cup chopped or whole peanuts
Yield: approximately 36 cookies
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a baking sheet(s) or line with Silpat. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips together. Remove from heat and stir in Cream of Coconut until well combined. Cool mixture for a few minutes and then stir in remaining ingredients in the order listed, adding any optional mix-ins with, or in place of, the nuts. The dough should be somewhat stiff and usually requires the larger amount of flour. Using a small scoop, deposit equal-sized mounds of dough about two inches apart in offset rows. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they have achieved the degree of “done-ness” you prefer. If using two baking sheets, rotate halfway through baking time. Cool for a few minutes on sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: 1-9×13″ cake or 24 cupcakes
This was a quickie I whipped up for the October pumpkin-painting meeting of the National Art Honor Society, fondly known as “Nozze,” which I sponsor at my school.
Though you wouldn’t necessarily know it from this photo, I actually have cake decorating experience. 🙂 But last Sunday night, before the meeting on Monday afternoon, I needed something sweet, vegan, black and orange, and ultra quick.
I simply adapted and doubled Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s and Terry Hope Romero’s recipe for Your Basic Chocolate Cupcakes, baked the batter in a sheet pan–even quicker than cupcakes, though cupcakes would be fine–and topped the cake with my go-to creamy vegan frosting dyed orange. A few brown-black sprinkles made for a festive presentation without a bit of fuss.
It must have been a hit, as there was scarcely a crumb left.
Happy Hallows Eve!
Batter:
2 cups chocolate or chocolate lite soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13″ cake pan. In a small, non-reactive bowl, whisk together chocolate soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. In a large bowl, combine next four ingredients. Whisk or stir in oil, vanilla and almond extract until completely incorporated. Then stir or whisk in chocolate soy milk mixture just until it is also completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, but check at 25. When a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool completely on a wire rack. Frost as desired. For a vegan Halloween cake, frost the cake as described below.
Frosting:
3 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Powdered sugar (start with approximately 3 cups)
Unsweetened soy milk (plain, vanilla or vanilla lite would be fine too) or soy creamer (start with approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 drops red food coloring
several drops yellow food coloring
Garnish: brown-black colored sprinkles
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together vegan butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar until a creamy-stiff mixture forms. Add soy milk a tablespoon at a time until a creamy consistency that holds soft peaks is reached (or until you achieve whatever consistency you prefer). Beat in food coloring until completely incorporated. Frost cake and garnish with a dusting of sprinkles.
Source: Slightly adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Yield: 8-12 bars
This recipe has been a favorite since my graduate school roommate, Melinda (Harvey) Shallcross, shared it with me in the early 80s. (I went to graduate school right out of high school–not!) When I became vegan a few years ago, after being vegetarian for a long, long, time, I thought I’d eaten my last Oatmeal Fudge Bar, not so much because the dough had an egg in it–that’s easy to veganize–but because the filling contained condensed milk. However, you may recall that, not too long ago, I experimented with “old-school” 7-Layer Bars by substituting Cream of Coconut for the condensed milk and they were perfect.
In the mood to bake today and with a can of Cream of Coconut in the pantry, I started reviewing my mental recipe files for other favorites formerly made with condensed milk. When I got to these creamy-chewy wonders, I knew they were what I would whip up. Again, the Cream of Coconut was the answer; the bars were as good as I remembered. I promise you, they will be a big hit with whomever you choose to serve them to, including kids. They’re school lunchbox sensations.
Oatmeal Layer
1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (you may use part whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (not necessary if your vegan butter is salted)
2 cups oats
Fudge Layer
6 ounces vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (normally, I prefer dark chocolate, but semi-sweet seems to provide a better balance in this recipe)
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/3 cup Cream of Coconut (not coconut milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (not necessary if your vegan butter is salted)
Oil a 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make oatmeal layer: Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high. Beat in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, if using. Beat on low speed, just until combined. Stir in oats until well distributed. Remove one cup and set aside. Pat remainder into an even layer in prepared pan.
Make fudge layer: place all ingredients in small microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 20 seconds or until chocolate is melted and whisk until smooth. (You may heat the mixture in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat if you prefer.) Pour over oatmeal layer and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with reserved oatmeal mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until surface is golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store leftovers tightly covered. You may refrigerate if you like.
Source: I veganized this recipe from Beth Young via Melinda Harvey Shallcross.
Yield: 24-36 squares
The only trouble is that the “glue” that holds the whole thing together is condensed milk. I’ve researched vegan substitutions, but none appeal. I’m not sure why it hit me, but I had almost a whole can of Cream of Coconut left over after using a tiny amount in another recipe and I wondered if it could be substituted for the condensed milk in this recipe since coconut is part of the flavor profile. Plus the consistency and sweetness are very similar, at least as I recall. So, I made the original recipe, substituting the Cream of Coconut, and I’m pleased to share the habit-forming results here. For better or worse (if you lack self-control!), this old standby is now certified vegan. If this is old news to you vegans out there, my apologies, as it was a break-through for me!
One note of caution about graham crackers: Honey Grahams, as the name implies, contain honey. But I was surprised to learn that the cheaper “store” brands of even the regular graham crackers contain dairy such as buttermilk. The plain name-brand graham crackers, though, are vegan.
1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1 1/2 cup vegan graham cracker crumbs
1 cup pecan pieces or coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1-3.5 ounce can shredded coconut
1 1/4 cups Cream of Coconut (about 14 ounces)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter into a 9 x 13 inch pan and slide into the oven for a few minutes during the preheat to melt. Remove from oven and sprinkle crumbs over the butter in an even layer. Do the same with the pecans, followed by the chips and then the coconut. Pour the Cream of Coconut over the entire concoction; there should be enough to completely cover. Bake for 25 minutes and cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Store any leftovers tightly covered.
Yield 16-18 Cookies
I call these my “$30 Cookies.” My mom, who lives in another state with my dad and sister, subscribes to Cook’s Illustrated magazine. We met in New Orleans last Christmas and, of course, we all brought along our favorite magazines for our hotel rooms. I found this recipe, cut it out, and promptly lost it, which is not like me, especially when it comes to food.
So, back home, I searched for it online. However, I could only access the Cook’s Illustrated site if I subscribed to their online publication for thirty bucks. I was so determined to obtain the recipe that I joined on the spot. I love the scientific method, but conversational tone, of Cook’s Illustrated. It’s like Alton Brown but without all the quirkiness (which I also like, albeit in limited doses). But I’ve not consulted the site for a single other recipe.
I made the cookies first by simply omitting the egg white, which is my typical approach to veganizing baked goods. The cookies are shaped into balls before baking and, in the magazine photo, they spread out to the perfect thickness in the oven. However, mine spread not at all. Hence, they were too thick in the center and required additional baking time, which dried them out. So, I decided that they needed about 1/4 cup more moisture, or slightly more than one egg white. But I didn’t want to use soy milk, as I definitely didn’t want them to turn out cakey. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should substitute ¼ cup of the butter with a fat that is liquid at room temperature—namely, canola oil—to encourage them to spread the ideal amount.
The consistency of the dough was definitely softer, even after chilling for the specified half hour, a very good sign. However, after about 4 minutes of baking, they still retained too much of their ball shape. Using my fingers (I have asbestos hands, but I recommend a spatula), I quickly opened the oven door and pressed gently on the top of each cookie to flatten them into about a ½-3/4” thick disk. After they had finished baking and cooling, I tried one and loved the results. I hope you will too. The sugar coating gives them a delightfully crunchy-crisp exterior, but they have a delectably soft interior.
8 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth Balance)
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup natural sugar plus ½ cup for coating
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (you may substitute natural sugar for a total of 2/3 cup)
½ cup cane syrup, or dark corn syrup if you dare
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (owr white whole wheat flour; one of my favorites)
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
4-4 1/2 ounces vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chocolate cut into 1/2” pieces
Line two cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place butter, oil, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Reserve remaining ½ cup sugar. At medium to medium-high speed, cream mixture until well-combined and fluffy. Add corn syrup and vanilla and beat just a few more seconds to combine, scraping bowl, as needed. Mixture may look slightly curdled, but don’t worry. Add remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, and beat on low speed, scraping bowl as needed, just until combined. Add chips and beat on low just a few seconds to distribute. Cover dough well and chill for half an hour, but no longer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a small scoop with a release lever, scoop out balls of dough about 1 ½” in diameter. Roll in reserved ½ cup of sugar and place a generous 2” apart on baking sheets. Place sheets in the oven on two racks as close to the center as possible. Bake for 4 minutes, open oven door and, using a spatula, flatten each cookie slightly to ½-3/4” thick. Close the oven door and continue baking for 2 more minutes. Reverse the positions of the baking sheets and cook for an additional 5 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cookies should be ever-so-slightly cracked, look a little moist and soft in the center, and be more set around the edges. Cool on baking sheets set on wire racks for 5 minutes. Then, using a spatula, transfer cookies to the racks and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
Source: Inspired by a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, published January 1, 2009
