really good simple baby cakes -- vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free

This is really delicious. Simple, super yummy little cakes. Pleasing. They taste like more. They go perfectly with a cup of tea. They rock an after-school snack or an after dinner treat. Breakfast? Sure!! Dessert? You betcha. This is the cake you need now.

p.s.a. : also good with chocolate chips!!:

equipment needed:

muffin/cupcake cups
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 cup millet flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

b)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp tonka bean powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

c)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut nectar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

d)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cup warm water


directions:

preheat the oven to 345 degrees
1. combine the ingredients from part d and set aside
2. in a bowl, mix the ingredients from a) and b) -- thoroughly combine
3. stir c) and d) together
4. mix the wet and dry ingredients together -- I like to use a whisk
5. scoop the batter into the silicone cupcake cups and bake at 345 for 30 to 35 minutes

*** Really Good Cake -- Simple Cake -- gluten free vegan cake

This cake is amazing. It's a wonderfully spongey, simple, tasty, moist, delicious cake. Goooooooood cake. Really good cake.

Buckwheat flour tends to have a particular and strong flavour, and I am usually loathe to use it outside of very specific applications.  However, the ingredients in this cake balance it all perfectly and there is nothing about this cake that isn't just delicious. It's just ... lovely.

Don't bother me I'm imagining it with fresh strawberries that have been sliced and stirred together with a touch of maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt, all spooned over top, releasing all their secrets ...

Sorry, what did I miss?

Anyway, this cake is just a perfect spongey lovely cake. I can't wait to make it again.

equipment needed:

square silicone cake pan
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 cup millet flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

b)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp tonka bean powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

c)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut nectar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

d)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cup warm water


directions:

preheat the oven to 345 degrees
1. combine the ingredients from part d and set aside
2. in a bowl, mix the ingredients from a) and b) -- thoroughly combine
3. stir c) and d) together
4. mix the wet and dry ingredients together -- I like to use a whisk
5. pour the batter into the silicone pan and bake at 345 for 45 minutes
(or bake as individual cupcakes for about 35 minutes)





45 minutes 345 degrees

Decadent Apple and Maple upsidedown cake

Buckwheat and maple do magical things together.  Buckwheat is one of those slightly difficult flavours -- like that person at your party that is hard to get a long with. But pair it with maple, and suddenly everyone will want to be its friend. This apple cake is toothsome and delicious, and so pretty. I know apple usually wants cinnamon -- but with buckwheat, I highly recommend against it. Cinnamon and buckwheat just don't get a long very well.

a)
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil

b)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup maple syrup -- I like to use the darkest I can find for this recipe for more maple flavour
1 tsp vanilla extract

(for a sweeter cake add 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar/ cane sugar)



c)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp tonka bean powder (or ground vanilla bean) *** leave out if unavailable
1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp ground ginger

2  cups buckwheat four

1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar (or instead of baking soda and cream of tartar, use 2 tsp baking powder)


2 apples -- one sliced into thin lovely slices, the other diced (Galas, pink ladies, or your favourite cooking apple) (you're welcome to peel them if you prefer)

1. generously coat a deep round pan with coconut oil
2. lay a round of parchment in the bottom,

3. generously layer the bottom with coconut sugar or brown sugar and lay lovely slices of apple around in a pretty pattern. (don't skimp on the sugar here)

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the hot water and coconut oil (a)
2. when the coconut oil has melted, add in the other wet ingredients (b)
3. combining  the dry ingredients  together (c)
4. using a whisk, combine the ingredients from c with the wet ingredients
5. stir in the apple chunks
5. pour the batter over the apples slices

bake at 345 for 40 minutes or until the cake is springy and bounces back when lightly pressed


when the cake has  cooled, run a knife or spatula around the sides, put a plate over the pan, and turn over. Remove the parchment.

Pudding Cake -- Hey, 1970s, you can keep your shag carpet.

Flashback to the 1970s. We ate stuff like this from a mix. I think there was a lemon, a chocolate, and maybe some kind of butterscotch flavour. Butterscotch was very big in the 70s. You'll have to take my word for it.

Somehow you mixed this up, threw it in the oven, and it turned into some cake with pudding generously oozing through it like lava through the rapacious, primordial heart of Mordor.

This one isn't quite that simple. This one requires you to dirty two  bowls, and mix two separate things. But if my husband and child are anything to go by, it is worth it.

Pudding Cake

equipment:

prepared silicone muffin cups
baking sheet
mixing bowl and spoons
oven


ingredients:


pudding ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut butter (aka coconut manna)
1 cup water or vegan milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp date sugar

4 tbsp cacao
1 tbsp tapioca starch

1 tsp vanilla extract

a generous pinch of sea salt -- 1/8 tsp


pudding directions:

1. combine in a small saucepan, and whisk until thickened over a low heat
or
whisk to combine and  gradually heat in a microwave safe bowl, stopping to whisk a few times

2. set aside until after cake batter is made


cake batter ingredients:

2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut oil or avocado oil (if you use coconut oil, melt it before using by heating one of the cups of water and combining the oil with that 1 cup of water)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup date sugar
6 tbsp raw cacao

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup tapioca
1 1/2 cups kamut flour
1 tsp baking soda


cake batter directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed, mixing thoroughly after each addition
2. once all ingredients have been combined, you are ready for the third part of this endeavour


pudding cake directions:

1. preheat oven to 345
2.  scoop a little cake batter into the bottom a muffin cup
3. add a small portion of pudding on top of the bottom layer of batter
4. place a small scoop of cake batter on top of the pudding layer
5. repeat until all the cake batter and pudding is used up.
6. if you run out of pudding, but still have cake batter left, bake a few cakes with nothing in them, or throw a few chocolate chips into the remaining batter and make chocolate chip cakes
7. if you run out of cake batter and still pudding left, put it into a dish and put it in the fridge for later or eat it quickly before anyone else does.

8. bake the pudding cakes at 345 for 30 minutes

Maple Vanilla Baby Cakes

Sometimes people ask me for recipes and then I realize that the only thing I have that's remotely like what they are looking for is way too complicated and esoteric. Ugh. So, when an awesome neighbour (who usually bakes with very traditional ingredients) asked me for a cupcake recipe that was sweetened with maple syrup, I could have sent her a recipe that involved 12 different types of flour. But I thought that would be mean. So instead I came up with this one, that uses kamut flour and tapioca starch. Simpler. Few ingredients. Quick to mix up. Super tasty. Taste Testers: The Kid and The Husband (who by the way never leaves his socks lying around) snarfed 3 of them before I could ask them how they were. In my husbands words: "They were so terrible I had to have another just to make sure. And then another. Terrible."

They are this perfect mix of plain and delicious.

equipment:

1. kettle
2. mixing bowl
3. mixing spoon
4. whisk
5. measuring cups
6. measuring spoons
7. cupcake or muffin cups -- I use the silicone ones on a baking sheet, but you can use a muffin pan lined with papers if you prefer!
8. oven


ingredients:

a)
1 1/2 cups of water (warmed up a little but not hot)
2 tbsp coconut oil (the warm water will melt it)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

b)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups kamut flour

c)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional but awesome)
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
(you can use 2 tsp baking powder instead of cream of tartar and baking soda)



directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345!
2. in a mixing bowl, combine the warm water and coconut oil and let the coconut oil melt
3. add the rest of the ingredients from part a)
4. using a whisk, mix in the ingredients from part b)
5. still whisking, mix in the ingredients from part c)
6. scoop the batter into muffin cups, leaving room for them to rise
7. bake at 345 for 25-30 minutes, or until the top springs back when gently pressed

made 20 quite small cakes

Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container!

Chocolate Ganache Decadence -- raw, vegan, and gluten free

This ... cake ... pie? ... cake! ... happened. Why? I don't know, but I'm sure glad it did. It is ... ridiculous. That's the only word I can think of.  It's so incredibly delicious, so smooth, so silky, so creamy, so mind-numbingly filled with flavour and awesomeness that all we could do was stare at each other with this incredible taste in our mouths as we ate it, expressions bordering that fine line between bafflement and pain. That "how the ... what the ... omg ... this ... this ... this ..." expression. You'd know it if you saw it. Trust me.

It's an indulgence. It's a special occasion kind of treat. It's so tasty. It's also incredibly easy to make.

I made it a couple of hours before I needed it. In a spring form pan. Lined with foil and then baking parchment and oiled with coconut oil. Made removal easy! Might have been over kill. Any pie plate would also work. Parchment is your frieeeeeeeeeend. Next time I will make it at least 1 day ahead, if not two. The texture and flavour of the crust improved by day 2, although it was fine on day one, and chilling over night allowed the cake/pie/decadence to firm up just a wee bit more. So. Good. So flipping good. Gah.

note: you'll need to let the dates soak and the oil and cocoa butter melt, so if you get those started and then move on to your crust, that would work well.


equipment needed:
pie plate or spring form pan
grinder for chia seeds and sunflower seeds (If you use sunflower seeds instead of raw almond meal for your crust)
parchment
foil (if using a spring form pan. Not essential. But you know, um, helpful.)
immersion blender (or blender)


ganache ingredients:

A
1 cup pitted dates (I use parnoosh sayer dates but you can use your own preference) (pick through them carefully to make sure there are indeed no pits or shards there of.)
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw cacao butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

B
1 cup raw cacao
1 cup coconut sugar (you can start with less and taste if you want it to be less sweet)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup organic coconut milk powder


ganache directions:

1. combine the items from A in a bowl and let sit until the cacao butter and coconut oil have melted. This will also give the dates time to soften beautifully.
2. while your oil is melting and your dates are softening, make the crust
3. once the oil has melted, use your immersion blender to puree the dates/oil/water from section A. When you think it is smooth enough, puree some more. And then a little longer. You want this ganache to be so creamy and silky and smooth that dead poets would come back from the grave to write an ode to it.
4. add the ingredient from part B and puree again until even silkier and more perfect
5. If you are being parsimonious with your coconut sugar, this would be a good time to dip a scrupulously clean spoon into the mix and taste. I personally thought it was perfect with the whole cup of coconut sugar to balance the whole cup of cacao. That's the golden ratio for cacao and sweetness. However, your dates may be sweeter than mine, or your cacao less dark and sinister. Don't be afraid to trust yourself!
6. When you know your ganache tastes just right, let it cool to room temperature.





crust ingredients:
1 cup raw almond meal or raw sunflower seed meal
1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar, depends on your tongue
1/4 cup raw cacao
1/4 cup ground chia
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp water

crust directions:
1. combine the almond or sunflower seed meal in a bowl with the coconut sugar, cacao, chia, sea salt, vanilla bean
2. add the coconut oil and use a fork to crush it into the dry mixture to the best of your abilities
3. add the water, and distribute beautifully
4. press the mixture into the bottom of your lined/greased springform pan or pie plate

5. see above
6. do a little dance

7. When  your ganache has cooled enough, pour it into the prepared crust in the prepared pan, and pop it in the fridge.
8. When it has chilled enough, you can remove it from the pan (springform) or serve it from the pan if it's a pie plate.

Prepare to be amazed!!!!

** Apple and (Honey) Cake -- Apple Upside Down Cake -- gluten free, grain free

So, this cake was dubbed 'not bad' and also 'yummy'. As in: "Give me some more of that yummy." It's  a perfect holiday dinner cake -- we've used it for Rosh ha Shannah as well as for Thanksgiving. I know it's not vegan, and I think it would work beautifully with maple syrup.  For the love of all that is sacred and delicious though, please don't use corn syrup. I use royal gala apples because those are the little cuties we have on hand. If you've never made cake batter using chickpea flour and tapioca starch, it is a beautiful thing.

a)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 finely ground chia seed
1 cup finely ground sunflower seed flour


b)
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda

c)
1 cup hot water
1 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil


d)
3 small apples --cut into chunks


e)
 3 small apples, sliced
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt


1. grease a springform pan well with coconut oil and line the bottom with parchment
2. put 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and 1/4 tsp sea salt into the bottom, and distribute evenly
3. cover the bottom of the pan with the apple slices in a beautiful pattern (circles)
3. preheat the oven to 345
4. combine the dry ingredients and set aside (a and b)
5. combine the wet ingredients and set aside (c)
6. cut an apple or two into chunks to make around 2 cups
7. mix part a and b
8. add in part c until well combine
9. fold in part d
10. gently fill the springform pan
11. bake for 60-65 minutes or until 'firm'
12. let cool
13. slide a knife around the edge before removing sides, and allow to cool completely
14. cover with a plate and invert
15. remove the bottom of the pan
16. remove the parchment

simple cake -- nut free, sugar free, grain free, gluten free, simple vegan plain cake

Did you know you can fancy up a cake by sprinkling a little sugar on top? I like to use coconut sugar for this. It takes any plain cake an elevates it to kind of wonderful. Amazing!!

3 cups of water
1 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (I went heaping this time)
1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 cup white chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp hearts

3 cups sunflower seed flour
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut flour

a little coconut sugar to sprinkle on the top






directions:

preheat the oven to 345!

1.  combine the ingredients in the order listed.
2. divide into 2 square silicone pans, push it down with a rubber scrapper and smooth the top.
3. sprinkle with a  little coconut sugar
4. bake at 345 for 90 minutes
5. cool fully before removing from the pan

(I cut it into squares with a blunt stainless steel spatula so as not to score the silicone, and then lifted them out. Lovely!)

Gluten Free Vegan Brownies Rock the World

Gluten free vegan brownies. Grain free, sugar free, deeply, richly delectably chocolatey. These are like an homage to the best thing about brownies. The dense, chewy, moist, chocolate richness. Oh yessssssssss ..... The taste is pure decadence. Amazingly, they are not bad for you. A guilt free brownie? Apparently I am a genius ...

ingredients:

1 1/2  cup pitted honey dates

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil 

1 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp ground vanilla 

2 tbsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup ground hemp hearts -- should practically be a paste

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top -- use plenty, it's awesome that way.

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. pour the hot water over dates in a bowl, and let sit for about 10 minutes to soften, along with the coconut oil, so it can  melt

2. add the coconut sugar, then puree the whole thing with a hand blender (immersion blender)

3. add in the apple cider vinegar, the ground chia seeds, arrowroot powder and the cacao, and mix very well

4. add in the vanilla, and sea salt, and mix well

5. add the ground hemp seeds

6. add the almond flour

7. add the coconut flour and the baking soda

8. mix well and thoroughly and rapidly

9. 

10. divide the mixture into 2 square silicone baking pans

11. sprinkle the top with a little coconut sugar (or a lot)

12. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

13. allow to cool in the pan before removing