Vegan food porn.

Over the past two weeks, I've been working on some of my vegan cupcake recipes. For the most part, I've just been making subtle tweaks- adding different kinds of flour to emphasize certain flavors, adjusting the amount of liquids to get fluffier cake, etc. but, I did end up developing one new recipe. In "A Monsterous Appetite for Cake", I included a heavenly coconut cake recipe, which is terribly delicious, but, I thought I would spruce it up a bit by adding in a couple other flavors. Below, is a picture of my newest creation- Vegan Coconut Espresso Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting.

For the longest time, I've never given a hoot about Valentine's Day. I mean, after mandatory Elementary school V-Day valentine swaps and individual packages of conversation hearts, what else is there, really?

This year, I decided to actually celebrate Valentine's Day. I bought into the idea of sending out valentines to my loved ones and buying gifts for those "special someones" in my life. What did I learn? It isn't nearly as bad as the media makes it out to be for single folks. Sure, I'm 25, I'm unmarried, I don't even have a marriage prospect but I'm pretty damn happy. Why? Because life is worth living, whether or not you have someone to fall asleep next to every evening. I know that's a pretty revolutionary idea so if you need to take a minute, I understand. I have friends, family and coworkers who all care about me and from my point of view, that makes me pretty lucky.

I decided to celebrate my Valentine's Day this year, not crying at home while watching sappy movies or trying to chat up guys at a bar, but, rather, by baking a cake. Cake is always the answer, it seems.

A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to describe myself using only one flavor of cake and frosting. It actually took me quite awhile to piece together my response. It was my response, however, that helped inspire this month's blog post. Below, is a slightly modified version of myself (in cake form)- dark chocolate cake with raspberry mousse filling, a crunchy chocolate topping and a vanilla bean infused cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Red Devil's Food Mini Cakes w/ 
Raspberry Mousse & Vanilla Bean Infused Cream Cheese Frosting

2 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate
3/4 cup Boiling water
2 tsp instant Espresso powder
1 stick room-temp Margarine
1 1/4 cup Sugar
2 room-temp Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Cake flour
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
Red Food Coloring (optional)
Kahlua

Mousse-
(Courtesy of Baking Bites)
1/2 cup Raspberry puree
2 Tbsp Water
1 1/2 tsp unflavored Gelatin
2 room-temp pasteurized Egg Whites
1/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup (whipping) Cream

Chocolate topping-
Dark Chocolate Candy Coating or
4-8 oz. Dark Chocolate

Frosting-
3 cups Powdered Sugar
4 oz. room-temp Cream Cheese
4 Tbsp room-temp Margarine
1 tsp Vanilla Bean paste

Begin by melting the chocolate squares in the boiling water. (Tip- make sure to add the chocolate to the water, not the other way around). Once dissolved, stir in the espresso powder. Let cool. Add a little water to bring the mixture to 1 cup.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add in the eggs. Beat well, about 2-3 minutes. Sift in the flour, soda and salt. Beat until combined. Add 1/2 the chocolate mixture. Beat well. Add in the last of the chocolate. If you want a more visible red tint to your cake, add 1-2 drops of red food coloring to the batter. Beat well. Pour into a greased jellyroll pan. (Tip- make sure to add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of your pan so that your cake doesn't stick.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the mousse while the cake is cooling. Start by first creating the raspberry puree. Mash fresh or frozen raspberries and press through a strainer to remove seeds. 1-1 1/2 cups of berries will yield about 1/2 cup puree.

In a small saucepan, combine water and gelatin. Let stand for 2 minutes to soften gelatin. Add raspberry puree and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve gelatin. Bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until the sauce begins to visibly thicken. Remove from heat and let cool (about 15 minutes).

Beat egg whites to soft peaks in a cold bowl. (Tip- add a couple dashes of cream of tartar to help your egg whites rise). Gradually add in the 1/4 cup of sugar, continuing to beat the egg whites until they reach stiff peaks (i.e. the peaks are able to keep shape and not tip over.) Drizzle the cooled raspberry mixture into egg whites. Fold together.

Beat the cream to stiff peaks. Finish by folding the cream into the raspberry mixture. Chill before using.

Once the cake is completely cooled, use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 10 circles. Transfer to a piece of wax paper. Use a knife to level and cut off the tops, you want the circles to be under an inch tall. Prick the circles with a toothpick and then lightly drizzle the tops with Kahlua. Use a pastry brush to coat any parts of the cake not covered.

Prepare the chocolate topping by melting either several ounces of dark chocolate candy coating or just some good dark chocolate. Dab all of the cake tops with the dark chocolate. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the chocolate. Let dry.

Pipe half of the circles with the chilled mousse. Stack the other half of the cakes on top of the mousse.

Prepare the frosting by combining the cream cheese, margarine and vanilla bean paste. Beat well. Add in the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Continue to beat until the frosting begins to turn lighter and lighter. It should be snow white. Use a piping bag to dot the tops of the cakes with some of the frosting.  Garnish with chunks of chocolate. Other possible garnishes: chocolate-covered espresso beans, fresh raspberries, truffles (made from leftover topping), a light chocolate drizzle.

Makes 5 mini cakes. These are best fresh. If you do plan on making these a day in advance, cover them. Make sure to refrigerate them but let them sit out a bit before you eat them so the cake/frosting/mousse can soften.

Good Morning, readers! Already we're 3 weeks into the new year. Where does the time go? I've promised myself that this will be a year for great change and growth, oh, and, of course, tons of new recipes.

A friend and coworker of mine recently mentioned that his significant other is putting together a Richmond-based vegan and non-vegan cookbook. How could I pass up the opportunity to submit something? I've been meaning to work on a new vegan cake filling for a while now. When I was compiling recipes for my zine, I didn't get a chance to experiment with tofu that much. The world of soy-based products is extensive. There are about a dozen different varieties of tofu alone. It can be quite intimidating if you don't know even where to start. As always, I suggest you take things slow and make sure to do a little research before buying anything, after all, there's nothing worse than wanting to make a tofu scramble only to find out you bought the wrong type of firmness.

Below is my recipe for vegan Dark Chocolate cupcakes, taken from "A Monsterous Appetite for Cake", my Pomegranate Orange Mousse filling and my Killer Dark Chocolate frosting, tweaked, but also from AMAC. When I was trying to think of a seasonally appropriate dish, my mind gravitated towards pomegranates. Pomegranates really are a winter fruit. They're typically in season between September and February. The ruby-colored seeds of the pomegranate make it particularly festive, especially around Christmas. Pom juice is exceptionally high in antioxidants, so, do yourself a favor this year- start eating right by first baking yourself a cake.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Pomegranate Orange Custard & Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup Molasses

1/3 cup unsweet. Applesauce

3/4 cup + 1/2 tsp Sugar

4 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar

1 cup hot Water

1 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 cup unsweet. Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

Custard-

1 pkg (12.3 oz) Silken Tofu (Extra Firm)

1 Tbsp Grand Marnier

3 Tbsp Pomegranate Concentrate

1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
4 1/2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Natural Red Food dye

Orange Zest

Begin by melting the chocolate either in a double boiler or the microwave. Make sure to stir constantly to avoiding clumping and burning.

Combine the molasses, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add in the melted chocolate. Mix again. Add the vinegar. Mix a third time. Add the water. Mix once more. Sift together the flour, soda, cocoa and salt. Stir until just combined. 

Divide the batter evenly among the cups. (Tip- use an ice cream scoop to ensure uniform cupcake size). This recipe makes 14-15 cupcakes. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you core them.

While you're waiting, start preparing the filling. Pour the first six ingredients into a blender. Pulse thoroughly. You want the filling to be satiny smooth- think yogurt consistency. Scoop the mousse into a small bowl and manually stir in the last two ingredients. Let the filling firm up a bit- refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To fill the cupcakes, simply load a zip-loc baggy with some of the mousse and cut off one of the tips. Pipe until the mousse reaches just the top of the cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

4 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate
3 Tbsp Vegetable-based Shortening
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup unsweet. Cocoa Powder
Warm non-dairy milk
Pinch of orange Zest

Begin by melting the chocolate either in a double-boiler or the microwave. Stir constantly to avoid clumping and burning. Add the shortening (it should melt completely). Beat in the powdered sugar and cocoa.

Heat up the non-dairy milk. Add milk to desired taste and consistency. Beat until smooth. You want the frosting to be stiff but spreadable. Finish by adding in some orange zest. You want just a hint, to pick up the zest in the filling.

Pipe your cupcakes and enjoy! You can garnish your cupcakes in a variety of different ways, here are just a few ideas: dot the tops with fresh or chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds, drizzle with a pomegranate red wine reduction, candy or dehydrate orange slices or create caramelized sugar decorations.

If you would like to create your own sugar decorations, this is a simple recipe I picked up from Fine Cooking. I switched out the lemon juice for orange juice but, next time, I'll probably also add 1/2 tsp Orange extract. 

Happy New Year! Today is the first official day of 2012! I'm sure most of you are still recuperating from last night's festivities.

It's amazing just how many parties get squeezed into that three week period surrounding Christmas. People are intent to celebrate, catch up with old friends and blow off a little steam. No doubt you had your fair share of yuletide merry-making this past year. I know I did.

Instead of attending yet another party last night, I decided to end my 2011 on a sweeter note, by baking cream puffs. It seems like most people are accustomed to cupcakes or cheesecakes on New Year's Eve. Cream puffs, or profiteroles as they are also called, are tiny balls of dough, stuffed with a luxurious creme filling. They may be bite-size, but, they're incredibly sophisticated. A single batch can yield dozens but they're quite easy to put together. They make for the ideal party dessert.

Below, is a recipe that's been in my family for years. It was given to my grandmother by one of her closest friends, Gloria Nelson, who was a Home-Ec teacher. To put my own spin on this old classic, I decided to swap out the traditional pastry-creme filling for an almond mascarpone filling. It certainly requires less effort but it's still wonderfully creamy and the almond paste gives it such a lovely nutty flavor. If you have another New Year's party today or an office party later this week, it wouldn't hurt to keep this recipe in mind. I'm sure you'll impress more than just one or two co-workers. Who knows- you just might get that raise this year.

Gloria's Cream Puffs
(Courtesy of my Nana's friend & neighbor, Gloria Nelson)

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Margarine
1/8 tsp Salt
1 cup Flour
4 room-temp Eggs

Optional filling-
16 oz. room-temp Mascarpone Cheese
3 tsp Vanilla
4 Tbsp Honey
5 oz. Almond paste

Before starting, make sure that all of your ingredients are room-temperature. The "warmer" your eggs are, the better your dough will rise.

Begin by melting the margarine in a large pot with the salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour in all of the flour. Stir vigorously. It should come together into a ball and not stick to the sides of the pan or spoon.

Add one egg at a time into the mixture. Beat well after each. Once all the eggs have been incorporated, the mixture should be smooth and shiny.

Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, dollop each mound onto a greased cookie sheet. It should make about 20.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, before reducing to 375 degrees. Continue to bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow the shells to cool completely before filling.

(Tip- You should fill your cream puffs no more than an hour before they're eaten, otherwise the shells will get soggy.)

To make the filling, begin by cutting up the almond paste. It's best if you break it apart with your fingers. Almond paste is VERY thick so to avoid having huge clumps in your filling, cut it up as little as you can.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a fairly large food processor, mix together the cheese, honey, paste and vanilla. Beat it until smooth; the more you beat it, the lighter it will become. Cover it and let it harden a bit in the fridge, about 30 minutes.

If you're looking for a pretty presentation, you can either pipe the filling or use your cookie scoop to fill the cream puffs. Make sure to coat the shell tops with either melted chocolate or powdered sugar.

Every year I find myself spending hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts. I love my friends and family, but, even I can't argue that sometimes it's smarter to save a little money for a rainy day.

This year, instead of flocking to the nearest big-box conglomerate, I've decided to take a much more personal approach to the gifts I'm giving out, by making everything homemade. Just because your gift is homemade doesn't mean that it can't taste delicious or look just as professional as something you could buy in a store.

Below, is my recipe for Peppermint Truffles. I was trying to think of the perfect gift to give to one of my friends this weekend and this dreamy treat popped into my mind. Not only does the peppermint make this gift seasonally appropriate, but, it's inexpensive and not too difficult to replicate. If you're short on cash but willing to get a little creative, consider trying something a bit daring this year- make your own gifts!

Peppermint Truffles

1 lb Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Evaporated milk
2 Tbsp room-temp Margarine
2 tsp Peppermint extract
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Candy-coating chocolate

In a large bowl, whip together the margarine and powdered sugar. Slowly pour in the milk and beat until smooth. Add both extracts. Freeze for 1 hour.

Use a melon baller to scoop the mixture into tiny, uniform balls. Use your hands to further shape the balls. Place on top of a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Melt your chocolate either in a double-boiler or the microwave- make sure to watch it carefully otherwise it will burn. Place one ball at a time into the chocolate. Use a spoon to completely coat it (if your truffle cracks or has holes, the filling will seep out.) Scoop up the truffle using the melon baller and tap out some of the chocolate (the hole in the melon baller will help facilitate that but you will need to clean the baller routinely). Flip the truffle onto another sheet of parchment paper. Use your index finger to swirl the chocolate on top. If during this process your filling becomes too difficult to dip, i.e. it sticks to the baller, put the tray back into the freezer for a couple minutes. If your chocolate starts to become lumpy and harden, pop it back in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or until it becomes smooth again.

Within 5 minutes, the truffles should be firm and ready to eat! They do not need to be refrigerated because the chocolate you're using will not melt at room-temperature. This recipe makes 20-25.

Good Morning, readers. I hope this chilly Tuesday morning finds you well.

Christmas is just a mere 18 days away. No doubt, most of you are busy planning out your social calendars or scrambling to finish up the last of your holiday shopping. These days, I find myself focusing more on what I will be baking this holiday, rather than what I will be wearing and buying. Who cares about presents when you have an awesome cake to eat Christmas morning? My thoughts exactly.

Over the next 3 weeks, I'll be posting updates about my baking adventures as well as sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes. Got family visiting? Need a cheap gift to give to your friends? Got the annual office Xmas party coming up? Never fear, I'll have all the recipes you need to get through the holidays.

This week, I'm tackling breakfast. What do you eat Christmas morning when you have your entire family coming over to open presents? Something fast, sweet and filling. I'm a huge proponent of breakfast breads and coffee cakes but I thought, this year, I would try something new- crumb cake. Crumb cake is a delicious hybrid of a cake and coffee cake. It's a moist, fluffy and buttery cake with a crunchy crumb topping, often sprinkled with powdered sugar or drizzled with frosting. Below, is a recipe I've modified from Ina Garten. I've switched out the blueberries for raspberries, added some vanilla yogurt and included a frosting that can be drizzled liberally over the top of your cake. Make this the day before and all you'll have to worry about Christmas morning is finding a large enough spatula to shovel out your family's slices.

Raspberry Crumb Cake
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Streusel-

• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup packed Brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose Flour
• 
  
• Cake-

• 6 Tbsp room-temp unsalted Butter
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 room-temp Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/3 cup Sour cream

• 1/3 cup Vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup fresh Raspberries

Drizzle-

1 cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp room-temp Butter

Coconut Milk

Grease and flour a 9" cake pan. I suggest using a spring-form pan.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

• 
  
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream and yogurt. 
• 
  
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the raspberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.