A Birthday Cake Fit for a Princess!

(Cross-posted from Sexy Vegan Mama)

We're halfway through Vegan MoFo, and still going strong! Have you found something deliciously new this month?

Before I forget, please, please, pretty please go to this link and VOTE for my blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Moms blog contest! No registration required -- just a click! Remember, you can vote once EVERY 24 hours. The contest is winding down, and as a late nomination, I could use some help getting into the Top 25. Thank you!

Princess came home for her birthday weekend. I couldn't be more proud of that young lady... She's anxiously waiting to hear back on her applications to vet school, working, finishing her senior year at university with a major in Wildlife Ecology. It's a marvel to me that I had a hand in producing this amazing human being!

Anyway, for her 22nd birthday, I asked her what kind of cake she wanted. "Chocolate!" she said, which wasn't a big surprise. That girl loves her chocolate. Who doesn't?! "And," she added, "could you make that peanut butter cream frosting you did that one time?"

Ah, yes... That one time. See, it was The Dude's birthday, and our family was spending the weekend at Birch Bay. Our hotel room had a kitchen, so I'd packed everything I'd need to make a fabulous cake and frosting -- with the exception of the vegan margarine, which I didn't want to hassle with chilling during the several-hours-long drive. I figured I'd just pick some up at the local grocery when we arrived.

Except... none of the local groceries HAD vegan margarine. How was I going to make a creamy vegan frosting, with no margarine? I scanned our grocery booty, and spotted the creamy peanut butter. Hey, I thought, margarine is basically just fat, and peanut butter is full of fat. I wonder... It didn't have the exact consistency I wanted, but it worked well enough to cover the cake.

This time, I solved the consistency problem by adding a bit of margarine to make it even creamier and "buttery."

I was all prepared to mix up two layers of chocolate cake when inspiration struck. What if... What if I put peanut butter IN the cake?!

The result was a zebra-striped peanut butter and chocolate cake, and it was divine. The technique to produce zebra stripes in the cake is easy-peasy, and you can find many, many tutorials online, if my photos and description leave anything to be desired.

Happy baking!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Zebra Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

Peanut Butter Cake Ingredients:


1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar (I use Zulka)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T. vanilla
2 T. lemon juice


Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

1 2/3 c. unbleached flour
1 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar (I use Zulka)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 c. cold strong coffee or espresso or water
1/3 c. canola or olive oil
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. vanilla extract


Peanut Butter Cream Frosting


1/2 c. vegan stick margarine
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 lb. vegan powdered sugar
1/8 - 1/4 c. vanilla soy milk


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl or with your stand mixer, combine the following Peanut Butter Cake ingredients: flour, cane juice crystals, baking soda, and salt, stirring until well-combined.

Blend in cold water, peanut butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat until light, airy and creamy.

Set aside batter and begin Chocolate Cake:

In a large mixing bowl or with your stand mixer, combine the following Chocolate Cake Ingredients: flour, cane juice crystals, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, stirring until well-combined.

Blend in coffee or water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat until light, airy and creamy.

Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

Tip #1: Spray pans with non-stick cooking spray and use a paper towel to evenly disperse the spray over the pans' surfaces, then dust with flour.

Tip #2: Cut two waxed paper circles just smaller than the bottom of the pans, then insert into bottom of pans before pouring batter. Make sure to smooth out any air bubbles before filling. The waxed paper will ensure easy removal when the cakes are turned out.

Pour 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Cake batter into the center of the first pan, and 1/4 cup Chocolate Cake batter into the center of the second pan.

Pour 1/4 cup Chocolate Cake batter directly on top of Peanut Butter Cake batter in first pan, and 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Cake batter on top of Chocolate Cake batter in second pan.

Continue adding 1/4 cup of alternating batter into each pan until all batter is dispersed, and the batter has "smooshed" out to fill the edges of the pan.

On a flat surface, spin each cake pan to push the batter even farther out to the edges. The center of the cake tends to rise more than the edges, so this will help produce a more even cake top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cakes pull away from edges of pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

While cakes are cooling, make your frosting:

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together margarine and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.

Add powdered sugar, turning mixer down to low speed, and blend in. The mixture will be a bit dry and crumbly -- don't freak.

Add 1/8 cup soy milk and blend in. If you want your frosting softer and lighter, blend in soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Return to cooled cakes. Remove wax paper (if used) from bottoms of cakes and flip one onto a serving plate or covered cake circle. Using a serrated knife, carefully level the cake.

Fill a decorator's bag with frosting and pipe a thick border around the top of the leveled cake. I use a Wilton #21 star tip for this.

Spoon out a generous amount of frosting into center of cake and spread a thick layer to the piped border. This will be your cake "filling."

Flip the second cake and place directly on top of first cake. Using your serrated knife, level off the second cake.

Cover the entire cake with a crumb coat and chill for 30-45 minutes.



To cover the cake, I used my Wilton #21 star tip and a decorator's bag to pipe random scrolls onto the top and sides of the cake.

Note: I actually ended up using one-and-a-half batches of Peanut Butter Cream frosting.

Princess picked out her own candles. I must say, I agree with her selection, as she's certainly a STAR!

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Deadline, Schmedline. I’m Making Pie. RECIPE: Vegan Raspberry Lemonade Glacé Pie

Determined, I pushed my cart through the aisles of the grocery store, on a mission. Two tubs of vegan cream cheese, a bag of vegan sugar and some raspberries stood in the way of my night of baking.

What did you just ask? Sugar isn’t vegan?

Most of the white stuff that passes for sugar isn’t vegan. Most granulated white cane sugar in the United States is refined with bone char, a granular material made—appropriately enough—by charring animal bones.

Much like me, my sweetener is unrefined. I use evaporated cane juice crystals in place of white sugar and brown sugar (most of which is actually white sugar, with molasses added back in), and I don’t adjust the measure. I simply substitute teaspoon for teaspoon, cup for cup.

I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the grocery. I’d had a busy, exhausting day which began with a dramatic scene, starring Curlytop and Snugglebug, with spotlights on dueling tantrums over which would get the last elephant-shaped vitamin, and which would be left with the stupid tiger. As is our schedule this summer, I herded them onto the patio so they could be in the pool before 8:30 a.m. and splashing my netbook as I work on the cookbook I’m co-authoring with international bestselling author William Maltese.

Did I mention I’m way behind schedule on my part of the book?

Shortly after I signed the glowing, heralded publishing contract, I took on yet another job — as a sexual health consultant and distributor of “bedroom accessories.” I don’t mean knickknacks to put on your nightstand; more like things to knock your knickers off.

Kids, cookbook, column, adult toy sales... This is every mother’s to-do list, right?

In addition to forming a new business, I lost over a month of kitchen time when we moved, mostly because my brain turned to gelatin (also not vegan) as a feeble defense mechanism in response to the stress involved in moving a household of nine people, three dogs, a cat, and a hundred-gallon fish tank with an unknown number of fish.

A mama can’t cook a decent meal, let alone create new recipes, with a brain of gelatin.

I’d spent the hours before my grocery run obsessing over my looming cookbook deadline, typing up proven recipes, playing lifeguard to the water-babies, and obsessing over my looming cookbook deadline.

Did I mention I was obsessing?

Not until I was away from my keyboard, children, husband and kitchen—and into the crowded grocery—did I realize I’d missed another, more immediate, deadline: the one for my Gonzo Mama column.

I hadn’t missed it by much. Not really. Well, maybe a bit more than usual. Okay, I was over nine hours late when I texted Mr. Editor, explaining my presence at the grocery store, and my preoccupation with what I imagined would be the greatest thing to ever come out of my oven. Or maybe the greatest since last week’s cheesecake.

Somehow, I don’t think he was impressed.

Mr. Editor either isn’t allowed to eat pie, or he has steel-plated willpower, because I never see him eat anything sweet. Dear readers, you may be impressed, however. Here’s the recipe:

Vegan Raspberry Lemonade Glacé Pie



You’ll need:
1 pre-formed 9-inch pie crust (not pre-baked) (Or use my perfect pie crust recipe.)

Filling:
2 – 8oz. tubs vegan cream cheese, like Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 cup evaporated cane juice crystals or raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping:
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice crystals or raw sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup whole fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine filling ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pour into pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes, or until top just begins to take on a golden hue, and the crust begins to brown.

Place baked pie on a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Prepare topping by combining cane juice crystals or sugar with cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water and chopped raspberries and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Bring to a boil and boil for one full minute while continuing to stir constantly to prevent burning. Remove from heat.

Place whole raspberries evenly over top of pie (it's okay if a few break), then pour raspberry sauce over entire top of pie, spreading evenly.

Refrigerate pie for four hours before serving—if you can wait that long—and enjoy!

I did mention the cookbook is not intended as a weight-loss guide, right?


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Sexy Vegan Mama: Kahlua Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies are a childhood favorite of mine, and I hadn't had them in years so I set out to create a vegan recipe I could make and share with my friends. And, you know, a little booze couldn't hurt in dealing with those childhood memories, right? The result? Kahlua Crinkle Cookies! They have just a touch of coffee flavor, and they're delicious!





Kahlua Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar (I use Zulka, found in many supermarkets in the baking or Hispanic foods aisle)
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. canola or olive oil
2 T. Ener-G egg replacer, prepared with 6 T. warm water
2 t. Kahlua

2 c. unbleached flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

4 T. water

1 c. confectioner’s sugar, set aside

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, sugars and oil, mashing out any lumps and ensuring oil is evenly distributed.

Prepare egg substitute with Ener-G and water. Set aside.

Put cocoa mixture in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another minute and stir thoroughly. Add egg substitute and Kahlua, then whip with a wire whisk or beater.

In a separate large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.

Add cocoa mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well mixed. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, and blend in to moisten dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap or put in a large zipper bag, then chill in refrigerator for four hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a rounded teaspoon to scoop dough, then roll into balls, about 1 1/4" in diameter. Coat balls completely in confectioner’s sugar , then place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, flattening gently with the heel of your hand.

Great job for little ones
(who may not have had as much Kahlua during the waiting/chilling period as Mom)!

Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool for five minutes before removing from baking sheet.

Makes about 65 dainty cookies.

Sexy Vegan Mama: Frangelico Shortbread Cookies

Last Christmas, I gave you my hearts...

As the mother of seven kids, I tend to adopt the philosophy that just about anything can be helped or made better by a shot or two of booze. That's why I created this veganized, booze-ified shortbread alternative.

I've been terrified of shortbread ever since that unfortunate communion experience, but I'd gladly accept these as stand-in sacraments!

Sexy Vegan Mama's Frangelico Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

3 sticks vegan margarine (I use Nucoa)
1 cup evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar (I use Zulka, found in many markets in the baking or Hispanic foods section)
1 t. Frangelico
3 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 c. slivered almonds, coarsely chopped.

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together margarine and sugar. Add Frangelico and mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and almonds, then add to margarine mixture, stirring and stirring until all the flour is blended in. If the dough is too dry, you can add a teaspoon or two of water.

Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a thick circle, and cover with plastic wrap or put into a large plastic zipper bag. Put in refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to 1/2” thickness. Cut into shapes and bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 10 to 13 minutes.

Watch the cookies carefully and remove them from the oven when they first start to slightly brown around the edges. Timing is everything with these! If they stay in too long, the liqueur will scorch and then you will cry.

Let the cookies cool on the sheet for about five minutes (they’ll bake a little bit more on the sheet) before transferring to a cooling rack.

These cookies are crisp and crunchy and hold their shape well. I also think they'd be delightful with Gran Marnier or amaretto instead of Frangelico!

Sexy Vegan Mama: Amaretto Sugar Cookies

For all Mr. Wright's crazy mad skills, one thing he is not is a baker. Perhaps that's why, when he used the last of my vanilla extract making pancakes Sunday morning, he didn't put "Run to store immediately to buy more vanilla before Mama tries to bake something and turns into a vegan Betty Crocker in a homicidal rage" at the top of his list of priorities.

No matter... I'm used to improvising. Remember, I have seven kids. The art of making life work, even without the necessary ingredients, is a study I've (nearly) mastered. Cookies are slightly more important than life, but I decided to try the same technique.

That's how I ended up with Amaretto Sugar Cookies. (It should come as no surprise that - although her pantry may not be well-stocked - the Gonzo Mama's liquor cabinet is meticulously attended to and replenished.) Here's the jolly recipe:

Sexy Vegan Mama's Amaretto Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 c. vegan stick margarine, chilled/firm (I use Nucoa)
1 c. evaporated cane juice crystals (I use Zulka, found in the Hispanic foods section at many stores or in the baking aisle) or vegan sugar

1 T. Ener-G Egg Replacer, prepared with 4 T. warm water and mixed well (or another equivalent of 2 eggs)
1 t. amaretto

2 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. sea salt

Topping:

1/3 - 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon

(Optional: You may omit the cinnamon and use candy sprinkles, or make your own colored vegan sugar sprinkles, if you're really ambitious. Mix organic coarse sugar with food coloring. Spread out on waxed paper and dry well. Wear gloves.)

First off, your arm will get very tired creaming and stirring and stirring, so I recommend taking a couple swigs of the amaretto right off the bat, before you begin mixing. However, it's a good idea to get all your ingredients out on the counter, so your amaretto-impaired self won't forget to put something in.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and cane juice crystals or sugar. Make sure there are no lumps of margarine hiding in there!

Add prepared egg replacer "eggs" and amaretto and mix thoroughly.

Add in flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until well-blended.

Gather dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap or a large zipper bag, then put it in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or two.

Remove dough and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll dough out to about 1/4" thick with a rolling pin, then use cookie cutters to shape. Carefully transfer cut cookies onto a lightly-oiled baking sheet, sprinkle with topping, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edge just begin to brown slightly.

I find the cookies are less likely to break when removing from the cookie sheet if I let them sit on the sheet after removing them from the oven for about ten minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

These are also really good frosted with almond frosting. To make, blend confectioner's sugar with vegan margarine, vanilla soy milk and almond extract (to taste) until desired consistency.

Sexy Vegan Mama: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

My family loves cinnamon rolls, but I think they're sort of... *yawn.* When I was shopping for ingredients for my pumpkin pie, I picked up a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling instead of a 15-ounce can, like the recipe called for, because it was cheaper. I figured I'd think of something to do with the other 15 ounces.

What I ended up with is nothing short of a miraculous revamping of the same-old cinnamon rolls.



Sexy Vegan Mama’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 1/8 c. warm water (“baby bath water” warm - not too hot, or you'll kill the yeast)
1 1/2 T. dry yeast
2 T. oil
1 – 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling

6 to 7 c. unbleached white flour
1 T. salt
2 T. evaporated cane sugar crystals or vegan sugar

2 to 4 T. vegan stick margarine, softened

1/4 c. evaporated cane sugar crystals or vegan sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon

Glaze:

Blend until smooth or desired consistency:

2 to 3 c. powdered sugar
2 to 3 T. vanilla soy milk
Add more powdered sugar or soy milk if necessary.

Directions for rolls:


Preheat oven to 375 degress.

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and allow to dissolve. Add oil and pumpkin, mix thoroughly.

In a large bowl, combine and mix flour, salt and sugar. Make a “well” in the middle of the dry mixture, then add liquid mixture. (See photos of this well/liquid thing if you don't get what I'm saying, here.) Stir liquid into flour until it’s too stiff to stir with a spoon, then oil your hands and knead the dough.

Add a little more flour or water if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Dough should be slightly sticky, but not totally clinging to hands or bowl. When dough forms easily into a ball, remove from bowl, put about a teaspoon of oil into the bottom of the bowl, and roll the ball of dough in the oil to coat it.

Allow to rise until doubled in size – about an hour.

Punch the dough down, divide in half and roll out on a floured board into two large rectangles – about 15” x 9”. Spread a layer of softened margarine over each rectangle.

Mix sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over buttered rectangles.

Starting at the wide end, roll the dough tightly into a long roll.

Slice, using a serrated knife, into 12 rolls. Place the rolls into oiled muffin tins and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake until golden brown on top, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Top with glaze while warm.

Sexy Vegan Mama: No-Tofu Pumpkin Pie

Around October of each year, I begin developing a strong, intense craving for pumpkin pie, and it doesn't subside until I break down and actually buy silken tofu (which I rarely use) sometime in November and find a recipe for pumpkin pie. This year, I was determined to find a recipe that didn't call for the slimy, squishy soy stuff. I found this one at Vegweb.com, but I wasn't crazy about the flax seed and wheat germ crust, so I used my tried-and-true Sexy Vegan Mama's Perfect Pie Crust. Also, I used spiced pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, and made a few other modifications.

Here's the recipe as I modified it:

Sexy Vegan Mama's No-Tofu Pumpkin Pie

You’ll need:

1 – 9” pie pan
1 pie crust (I used my recipe)

Ingredients:

1 t. lemon juice
1 c. vanilla soy milk

1/4 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 c. oil
3/4 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 – 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
1 t. molasses

Directions:

Preheat oven 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and soy milk. Allow to curdle.

While waiting for the liquid to curdle, mix flour and oil into a paste, then mix in sugar and salt, blending thoroughly. Stir in pumpkin pie filling and molasses.

Add curdled soy milk and stir until smooth.

Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes longer. The pie filling may be bubbling… be careful taking it out of the oven.

Let the pie cool thoroughly before serving. It’s even better if you put it in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Sexy Vegan Mama: Deep-Dish French Apple Pie

Ah... Apple pie. Whether you make it with a traditional full-top crust, a lattice-top crust, or a French top, it's a perfect, tasty way to pack a few cubic feet of cellulite on your butt. My family likes a French topping, so that's the recipe I'll share with you.

First, if you haven't already, head on over to learn how to make my Sexy Vegan Mama's Perfect Pie Crust.




Sexy Vegan Mama's Deep-Dish French Apple Pie

You'll need:

A 9.5" deep-dish pie pan
A single pie crust (See my recipe)

Ingredients:

5 to 7 large (or 10 to 12 medium) Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (you'll need about 12 cups after slicing)

1 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
1 stick vegan margarine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon, then stir into apple slices. Transfer sliced apples into prepared pie crust (the apples should form a small mountain - they cook down a lot when baking!).

You can add a few dollops of vegan margarine if you like it extra-buttery.

Prepare topping by combining flour and sugar, then cutting in margarine until crumbly.

Spread topping evenly over apples in pie shell. Bake 35 minutes, then cover entire top with foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes.

This pie rocks served warm! The experts say so:

Sexy Vegan Mama: Perfect Pie Crust

It's a learned skill, making the perfect pie crust, but it's really the key to making perfect pie. I learned the basics by watching my mom in her kitchen, and developed my vegan baking skills later as a young adult, working in her bakery. It's not as hard as you might think to turn out a flaky, tasty crust without using butter. Check it out:






Sexy Vegan Mama’s Perfect Pie Crust
(makes two 10-inch pie crusts)

Ingredients:

1 cup vegan stick margarine (I use Nucoa)
2 2/3 c. unbleached white flour
1 t. salt
7 to 8 T. cold water

In a large mixing bowl, combine four and salt. Cut margarine into flour mixture using a fork or pastry blender. Knobby little pieces will form, and you want them about the size of petite peas.

Add water, one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all the dough is moistened and sticks to itself more than it does the bowl. It may take more or less water than the recipe calls for.

Roll the dough into a ball and remove it from the bowl. Divide the ball in half, forming two balls, then flatten on a flour-covered cutting board. Use a floured rolling pin on each flattened round to spread the dough into a 12” circle (13-14” for deep-dish pans).

To transfer the crust into the pie pan, fold it carefully in fourths, place it in the bottom of the pan, then gently unfold it. Using a knife or scissors, trim the crust to about a half-inch around the edge of the pan.

 Use your fingers to tuck the excess edges under.

Using your thumb and forefingers, gently pinch the thick edge of the crust all the way around the rim of the pan, creating a fluted edge.

Use a fork to prick the bottom and sides of the crust to prevent puffing while it’s baking.

If you are pre-baking your crust: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 475 degrees.

If you are only making one pie: Seal the unused, unbaked crust in plastic wrap or a large zipper bag and put it in the freezer. It will keep up to three months if well-sealed. Let it thaw completely before baking.