Chocolate Layer Cake

My son told me he'd like a chocolate cake with pink icing for his upcoming birthday. As a trial run, I made this double layer chocolate cake with vegan ganache filling and raspberry frosting for our anniversary today. Delectable. The chocolate cake is delicate and moist. The chocolate ganache is sumptuous and rich. The raspberry frosting is sweet and tart and balances beautifully with the chocolate. My husband and I both loved it. My son decided he'd like chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday instead. Go figure! Happy 8th anniversary, baby.

ingredients:

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup date sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar


4 tsp egg replacer + 1 cup cool water

1 cup raw cacao

2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp stevia powder

 2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup ground chia seeds

4 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345
prepare your baking tins. I used 2 x 8" silicone square pans and just gave them a once over with coconut oil. For metal pans, use coconut oil as well as parchment.

1. combine the first 2 ingredients. Let them sit for a few minutes until the coconut oil melts.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed.
3. divide into your pans. Makes 3 small round layers, 2 eight inch square layers, or 24 small cakes
4. bake at 345 for 1 hour in the upper half of the oven
5. allow to cool at least a little before removing from the pan. Cakes will be more delicate than traditional flour cakes.

When cool, fill with vegan ganache and frost with raspberry frosting!!

Raspberry Frosting

Chocolate ganache filling

The Perfect Chocolate Muffin -- vegan, gluten free, sugar free, nut free, and AMAZING

A few little tweaks here. No flax this time. Only chia. Some people (who shall remain nameless) seem to be sensitive to flax. As in it doesn't agree with their digestive system. These are a powerhouse of superfoods and gorgeous ingredients. And remarkable for what they don't have. No dairy. No eggs. No refined sugar. No gluten. No nuts. No grains. 

These are a great snack -- full of reliable and body-friendly energy sources. Give 'em a try. You won't regret it. The are "delicious". I put the word delicious in quotations because that was a quote from one of my two main muffin tasters.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup date sugar

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup raw cacao

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp stevia powder
2 tbsp carob powder

4 tsp egg replacer + 1 cup water

1 cup shredded coconut -- ground fine
1/2 cup hemp hemp hearts, ground

1/2 cup ground chia seeds

1/2 cup ground pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds

2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

1. combine the coconut oil, and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes. 

2. add the cacao, carob, vanilla, salt, stevia, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and mix

3. add the egg replacer mixture

4. stir in the ground chia seeds, ground sunflower seeds, ground pumpkin seeds, followed finally by the coconut flour. Then add the baking soda

5. scoop into prepare muffin cups and bake at 345 for 60 minutes

makes 24 amazing muffins. Amazing.

Orange or Lemon Macaroons -- gluten free, grain free, sugar free, vegan and great!

Swoooooooooon.

I don't know what it is -- the combination of coconut nectar and orange essence? These are awesome. So simple.

ingredients:

1/2 cup water + 2 tsp egg replacer

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1 tsp lemon extract or 1 tsp orange extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

3 cups shredded coconut, lightly chopped in food processor or in your coffee grinder

directions:

1. combine the egg replacer and water, then mix in the coconut nectar

2. add the lemon or orange extract, the sea salt, vanilla bean, and ceylon cinnamon

3. mix in the ground chia seeds

4. add the shredded coconut after chopping it in the food processor

5. mix thoroughly 

6. roll into balls and flatten, place on a lined baking sheet

7. makes 24-28 cookies

8. bake at 345 for 16 minutes

9. cool thoroughly

10. store in an airtight container

Hallowe'en Chocolate and or Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies-- Vegan hallowe'en treats

Today I made cookies to give out at Hallowe'en. I don't feel good about supporting processed food manufacturers, so I like to manufacture my own processed food instead. These spelt and oatmeal cookies tread the line between junky and okay. If you made them with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, they would be more virtuous still. I made them vegan especially because I live in an area with a large South Asian population, and many of my neighbours are vegetarians. However, if you are not vegan, you can just sub in eggs for the egg replacer. Finally, they have the option of being chocolate chocolate chip or just chocolate chip. We made both!!!  Important note: I will label the wrapped cookies with my address and ingredients, so that they don't immediate get thrown in the garbage .... I hope.

photo by zephyr (4 years old)

photo by zephyr

ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup water

2 tsp egg replacer + 1/2 cup of water mixed together (or 2 eggs beaten up)

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

4 cups large flake oats

1/2 cup raw cacao (optional)

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups organic spelt flour

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

directions:

1. put the oats  in a bowl and set aside 

2. combine butter and sugar in a second bowl

3. mix in the eggs or egg replacer to the butter and sugar

4. add the vanilla extract and vanilla

5. add the ceylon cinnamon and the sea salt, add the water

6. combine the oat mixture with the egg/butter/sugar/water mixture, and add the cacao if using

7. let the combined mixtures sit for  1 minute.

8. add the baking soda and stir

9. add the flour, and mix well

11. add the chocolate chips, and stir well.

12. drop by spoonful onto a lined baking sheet. Flatten and shape with a damp fork.

13. bake in a preheated oven at 345 for about 14 minutes

makes 5 dozen  cookies

Shape Cookies -- Really Delicious Rolled Cookies -- gluten free! Vegan! Sugar Free!

This is not my first bake sale. That is to say, this is not my first rodeo. What I mean, is I've made shape cookies before. However, this is really delicious. There is a sweet crunchiness to them, a pleasing intensity, and an overall harmonic synthesis of flavours that elevates the taste beyond the sum of its parts. There is alchemy afoot here.


My son (three!) and I decided to make some shape cookies today, and these are what we came up with. Chock full of goodies such as chia, flax, almond, and pecan, these cookies offer a sweet treat that won't monkey with your blood sugar, and will fuel your body. The sweetener is coconut sugar, which you may recall is very low on the glycemic index. Unlike some sweeteners, it doesn't give me headaches or a racing heart, so I love it. Plus it has a rich dark taste that works beautifully with the carob powder in these cookies. I chose carob for a few reasons. I wasn't trying to get an imitation chocolate thang going on. I love using raw cacao when going for chocolate. However, carob is a nutritional wonder of protein, minerals, vitamins etc. Additionally, it is naturally sweet, unlike cacao which requires more sweeteners to balance its dark and dirty flavour (yum). Carob goes beautifully with the spices, pecan meal, and coconut sugar flavours in this recipe, and I would recommend against substituting cacao for carob without trying the carob first.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 tsp egg replacer + 1/2 cup water, combined

2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup ground chia seed
1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup carob powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup pecan meal
1/2 cup almond flour

3 tbsp coconut flour


directions:

1. lightly warm the coconut oil to melt, and mix in the coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar
2. make sure oil is not warm, and mix in the egg replacer and water
3. add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt
4. mix in the chia and flax
5. add the carob
6. mix in the baking soda
7. mix in the pecan meal and almond meal
8. finally add the coconut flour, and mix well
9. preheat the oven to 345
10. roll out the dough in 2 or 3 pieces between two sheets of parchment
11. cut using your favourite cookie cutters
12. place on a lined baking sheet, and bake for 17 or 18 minutes at 345

makes about 1 1/2 or 2 trays of cookies, quantity depends on size of cookie cutters

variation: I wanted to have a bit more of a dark and dirty flavour this go around, so in addition to the 1/2 cup of carob powder, I added 2 tbsp of raw cacao. I also added one tsp of regular cinnamon to the 2 tsp of ceylon cinnamon. To make up for the difference of dry ingredients, I reduced the coconut flour from 3 tbsp to 2 tbsp. The verdict? The three year old says: MMMMMMMM!

New Bagels -- vegan this time, and full of seeds

I have a slightly new bagel recipe, and a slightly new bagel procedure. The bagels are soft and chewy on the inside, with a nice texture and a thin, crisp and chewy outside. Do you remember those chocolate chip cookies that came out in the 80s called 'Crispy Chewy'? I'm scared to think of what vast quantities of sugar went into them to achieve that texture. These bagels are nothing like those cookies, however. And I strongly advise against adding chocolate chips. I think the boiling process would be their downfall.


ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp unpasteurized honey
1 tbsp bread yeast

1 tsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup water

1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup spelt flakes
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

big pot
water
baking soda (approx 2 tbsp)


directions:

1. mix the honey into the warm water, and stir in the yeast (the water should be about bath temperature). Set aside
2. mix the egg replace with the 1/4 cup water and set aside
3. in your mixing bowl add the sea salt, spelt flakes, flax meal, chia seeds, whole wheat pastry (soft) flour, and apple cider vinegar
4. add the egg replacer mixture, and the proofed yeast/water, and mix it into dough
5. knead the dough for about 15 minutes (thank you Obsidian Betelgeuse)
6. divide the dough into 24 equal balls, and make those balls into bagel shapes
7. rise the bagels uncovered for about 1 hour
8. preheat the oven to 345. Heat a big pot of boiling water, and boil the bagels for 2 minutes per side (you can probably do between 4 and 6 at a time, depending on the size of your pot)
9. drain the boiled bagels on a cooling rack before placing them on a baking sheet (lined with parchment or silicone is best)
10. bake for 25-30 minutes at 345, switching the positions of the trays halfway through


Now an important thing to mention is this:
The top side of the bagels will be dry and firm, while the underside will be soft and malleable after rising. For this reason, I like to pick the bagels up one by one, and put them top side down onto a slotted metal spatula to deposit into the water. This way the bagel won't get squished and compressed before boiling. I also like to make sure the original top side is up when baking the bagels after boiling, and if I put the top side down for the first side of boiling, the top side is naturally up after the 2nd side of boiling.


Also, it is possible to coat the bagel in seeds or sprinkles of some kind after boiling, when the seeds will stick to them because they are wet. You absolutely don't want to add these before boiling. ;)


I hope that made sense.

Raisin, Flax, and Chia Muffins -- Vegan, Sugar-free, dairy-free, egg-free

I was in the mood for some freshly baked muffins this morning. I didn't want anything sweet. I wanted something that would sit well in the tummy, and taste great with a cup of tea. These muffins fit the bill perfects. The raisins give a little sweetness, but the muffin itself has a yummy nutty and seedy taste to it. the texture is pleasing and moist, and the nutritional content is sky high. So far they've been given the thumbs up by a 1 year old, a 3 year old, and three adults.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp egg replacer + 1/2 cup water, combined

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

2 tsp ground vanilla

a touch of black pepper

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup whole chia seed

2 cups almond flour (JK gourmet)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kamut flour (finely ground kamut pastry flour for texture)

1/2 - 3/4 cup organic thompson raisins

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. pour the warm water over the coconut oil, allowing it to melt

2. add in the apple cider vinegar, sea sal,t and spices

3. when the water and coconut oil mixture has cooled down, stir in the egg replacer and water

4. add the flax seed and chia seed

5. stir in the almond flour

6. add the baking soda and stir well

7. fold in the kamut flour gently, stirring until just combined

8. add the raisins and fold in gently

9. scoop the thick batter into 24 prepared muffin cups

10. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

Vegan Raisin Muffins -- Tuesday Morning Muffins with Friends

I had some friends coming for tea this morning -- someone I've know since kindergarten, along with her two daughters, as well as her mother. Three generations of fabulous females. :)

I put on a pot of decaf vanilla tea to steep -- a favourite of all ages around here -- and decided the occasion called for fresh muffins. I wanted to make a vegan recipe, because it's nice to mix it up. I came up with these lightly sweet, very healthy, and thoroughly delicious little tea cakes. My friend's 3 year old ate three of them. I think the other kids only ate two each. But still, you get the picture. Needless to say, we went through a baker's dozen of these little cuties with our vanilla tea.


ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup agave

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup flax meal

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kamut flour

1 cup organic raisins (jumbo Thompson) -- pick through to make sure there are no stems attached ...




directions:


preheat the oven to 345


1. lightly warm the water to melt the coconut oil, add the agave
2. mix the egg replacer and 1/4 cup water well in a separate bowl, then add mixture to water, oil, and agave
3. add the apple cider vinegar
4. add the flax meal, almond flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, and mix well
5. add the baking soda and mix
6. add the kamut flour and mix lightly and gently until just combine
7. add the raisins and stir very gently to combine
8. scoop the batter into 24 prepared muffin cups
9. bake at 345 for 33 minutes in the upper half of the oven