Lemon Cake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Happy Birthday to me! : D

Well actually my birthday was four days ago but I finally got around to posting this very yummy cake recipe. I am sorry I didn't take step by step pictures but I made this cake on the day of and was busy running around, trying to make sure I wasn't late for dinner.

I originally planned to serve this with some homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit but the recipe I tried to veganize did not work out as planned. Anyone have any good suggestions for a heavy cream substitute? Sadly, silken tofu did not do the trick. So as a last resort, I made a strawberry sauce, which worked out perfectly.

I'll be attempting to make a wedding cake this August, so get ready to see lots of cake recipes here as I play around with different flavors to find the perfect one : ]

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Ingredients

Makes 2 Eight Inch Round Layer Cake

* 1 cup vegan margarine, at room temperature

* 3 cups sifted all-purpose or cake flour

* 1 Tb baking powder

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 2 cups sugar

* Egg replacer, equivalent of 4 eggs ( I used Ener-G Egg Replacer )

* 1 1/4 cup vegan buttermilk ( 1 cup soy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, mixed and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle )

* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* Zest of 2 lemon

Lemon Curd

* 1 cup soy milk

* 1/4 cup water

* 2 Tb cornstarch

* 3/4 cup sugar

* 3/4 cup lemon juice

* 2 tsp lemon zest

* 1/2 cup vegan margarine

* pinch of salt

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

* 16 ounces fresh strawberries

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1/4 cup water

* 1 tsp lemon zest

Directions

First prepare the Lemon Curd

1. In a small saucepan, dissolve the cold soy milk, water and cornstarch.

2. Turn heat to medium high and continuously keep stirring the mixture. Add the butter, lemon juice and sugar and continue to stir until it is brought to a boil and starts to thicken.

3. Reduce to low heat and beat with a hand held beater for 2 minutes.

4. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use. ( Can be made 2 days in advance )

Next make the strawberry sauce

5. Combine the strawberries, sugar, water and lemon zest and cook until the berries are soft and the liquid is thick, about 10 minutes. Mash the strawberries slightly, if desired.

6. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Lastly make your cake

7. Preheat oven to 350 F. If not using a springform pan, butter two 8 by 2 inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Dust bottoms and sides with flour; tap out excess.

8. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

9. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

10. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed until lightened, about 3-4 minutes; scrape down sides once or twice.

11. Drizzle in egg replacer, one at a time, beating after each addition until batter is no longer slick; stop once or twice to scrape the sides.

12. On low speed, alternatively add flour mixture and buttermilk, a little at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

13. Beat in vanilla extract and lemon zest.

14. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes and then rotate the pans in the oven for even browning. Continue baking until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 10 to 20 minutes more. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool, 15 minutes. Turn cakes out, set on racks, tops up, until cooled completely.

15. Remove the parchment paper from each cake. Using a serrated knife, slice each layer in half horizontally. Set aside the pretties layer for the top of the cake.

16. Place another dome layer, dome sized down, on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup lemon curd over surface and 1/2 inch away from edges. Place second cake layer, over the first, and spread another 1 cup lemon curd over top. Repeat with third cake layer and remaining cup of curd. Transfer partially assembled cake to the refrigerator.

17. Just before serving, place reserved dome on top of cake.

To Serve - Slice into 10 servings and top with strawberry sauce.

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

So as you may already know, yesterday was my boyfriend's birthday. I've been waiting for this day because this was the first time I've ever baked a cake. Well something more elaborate than a simple one layer cake.

He told me he wanted a chocolate cake, so I did some searching online and found this recipe. This cake stood out to me but the only problem was that it is vanilla. So I went ahead and used the chocolate cupcake recipe from my Halloween spiders and just increased each ingredient needed and replaced the oil with butter.

If you want a simpler cake, try making only one layer of the cake and divide the frosting recipe in half. Perfect if you have a small family or a little gathering to attend to.

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Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake ( I did this twice. Once for the top layer and again for the bottom )

* 1 cup soy milk

* 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

* 1/2 cup vegan margarine, at room temperature, plus more for pan

* 1 cup vegan cane sugar

* 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

* 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

* 1/2 cup cocoa powder

* 3/4 tsp baking soda

* 1/2 tsp baking powder

* 1/4 tsp salt

Frosting

* 16 oz vegan cream cheese ( such as Tofutti )

* 3 cups organic powdered sugar

* 1 cup vegan margarine

* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Toppings

* 1 lb strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 8 or 9" round cake pan.

2. Mix in the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl or cup and set aside to curdle, about 10 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.

5. Alternatively, beat in flour mixture and soy milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Too much mixing and your cake will turn out dense.

6. Spread batter in prepared pan.

7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan and invert onto a wired rack to cool completely.

8. To make the frosting, add all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix well with an electric mixer until smooth.

9. Place bottom half on a serving plate.Arrange half the strawberries over bottom cake layer, top with half of frosting, leaving a one inch boarder.

10. Cover with top half of cake, cut side down. Top cake with remaining frosting, leaving a one inch boarder. Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least one hour or up to one day. Just before serving, spoon strawberries over cake.

Carrot Cake with Candied Walnuts

Mmm carrot cake! What's a better way to celebrate the carrot season than to bake your very own carrot cake! I remember buying carrot cake at my local market and reading the ingredients to find the list to include nearly a hundred ingredients and I'd say that 80% of them were unrecognizable to me. This cake is filled with nothing but organic and real ingredients.

Only one small change I would make and that is to use flax seed instead of the egg replacer powder. I really wanted to but I forgot to buy some. If you happen to have flax seed at home, combine 1 Tb of ground flaxseed with 3 Tb of water and mix well. That will give you enough replacer for one egg.

Okay I am not going to lie, this cake was amazingly good..so good that my boyfriend's little niece could not tell the difference between this and regular non-vegan carrot cake. But of course you know what makes this cake so good? Its all the added sugar! So much of it in the frosting, cake and candied walnuts. So if you do make this, please share, as I will. You can always cut back and not add the candied walnuts or the frosting. It would make a nice carrot bread type of dessert.

One last thing I wanted to share with all of you. One of my favorite vegan fashion bloggers, Chic Vegan, has released an eBook that talks all about nutritional needs, vegan fashion, vegan cosmetics and what ingredients to look out for. So informative and best of all, she's allowing everyone to download it for free! Download it here.

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Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

Cake

* 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar

* 1 cup vegetable oil

* Egg replacer, equivalent of 3 eggs

* 2 cups pastry flour ( either both white flour, or 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat )

* 2 tsp cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp baking soda

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 1 tsp vanilla

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp nutmeg

* 3 cups shredded carrots ( about 5 medium sized carrots )

* 1 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting

* 1 ( 8 oz ) package of vegan cream cheese ( Such as Tofutti )

* 1 1/2 cups of organic powdered sugar

* 1/2 tsp vanilla

Candied Walnuts

* 1/2 cup walnuts

* 1 Tb vegan butter ( such as Earth Balance )

* 2 Tb vegan sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F and lightly grease a 13x9x2" baking pan or a 9" cake pan.

2. In a large bowl add the oil, sugar and egg replacer and beat for 1 minute with an electric mixer or by hand.

3. Sift in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt and add the vanilla extract. Beat for another minute.

4. Fold in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts.

5. Pour in the glass or cake pan and smooth the top.

6. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean when inserted in the center. Place on a cool rack and allow to cool before adding the frosting.

7. To Make the cream cheese frosting, add all the ingredients and mix well until smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cake.

8. To make the candied walnuts : In a small frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the walnuts, sprinkle the sugar, and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the nuts are toasted and caramel coated. Set aside to cool. When it has cooled enough, sprinkle on top of the frosted cake.

I used the recipe from here but added baking powder and changed the frosting recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I've always loved pumpkin and now that its the right time of year, I've been baking a lot of pumpkin desserts. I saw this recipe for pumpkin cheesecake from a Williams Sonoma cookbook and figured it was pretty simple to transform the originally recipe to vegan.

I baked mine for 40 minutes, which left the top hard but still jiggly. When I inserted a knife, it did not come out clean. I didn't know what to do because the top was already beginning to burn, so I figured I should allow it to cool in the refrigerator and see what happens. I let it cool for a little over and hour and then went back to check on it. The filling did harden and it wasn't as watery as it was straight from the oven.

This was my first time baking a cheesecake and I don't know if it was the Tofutti brand cream cheese or if something was missing but the cheesecake had a slight sour taste. Nothing drastic, just a hint of sour. I know it won't taste exactly like how I remember dairy cheesecakes to taste but I think next time I might add only 1 package of Tofutti and replace the other with a medium firm tofu. ( Update : After allowing it to sit in the refrigerator a few more hours, the sourness I originally tasted went away..phew! ) But either way, this was really fun to make and I did learn a couple things in the process.

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Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

Crust
* 1 3/4 cups graham crackers crumbs
* 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 4 Tb melted vegan butter

Filling
* 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ground allspice
* 1/4 tsp ground ginger
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves
* 1 pound vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
* egg replacer, equivalent of 3 eggs
* 1 cup pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )

Toppings
* 1/2 cup pecan halves
* 1 Tb vegan butter
* 2 Tb sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan.

2. To make the crust - In medium bowl, combine crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter.


3. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.


4. To make the filling - In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl.


5. Gradually add the brown sugar mixture, beating until smooth.


6. Add the pumpkin puree, beating until smooth. Using the rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the chilled crust and smooth on top.


7. Bake the cheesecake until set or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

8. To make the toppings, set aside 10 pecan halves and coarsely chop the rest. In a small frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add all the pecans, sprinkle with the granulated sugar, and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the nuts are toasted and caramel coated.


9. Transfer the nut mixture to a plate and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Just before serving, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cheesecake and arrange the halves evenly around the cheesecake.


The weather has been cooling down and Taffy has found his way back to his little bed. Took these shots this morning of him and his matching bed.

Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake

I haven't had pound cake, in I don't know how long. I snatched this recipe from Veganomicon but I did make a couple of changes. I added Almond Milk because I didn't happen to have any Soy milk on hand. I also used tapioca flour instead of arrowroot powder. To me, they both do the same thing and I substitute one for the other constantly.

You can easily change this recipe to a Lemon Pound cake by reducing the vanilla extract to 1 tsp, doubling the lemon extra to 1 tsp and changing the vanilla yogurt to lemon yogurt.

Serve this alone or with freshly sliced fruit for an oh so good dessert!


baking...


It's Done!

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Makes 1 loaf
Serves 8-10
Time : About 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
* 1/2 cup blended silken tofu ( blend the tofu first, then measure it out )
* 3/4 cup vanilla or plain soy milk
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp lemon extract, or 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
* 1/2 tsp orange extract, or 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 Tb arrowroot powder
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. A metal pan with a dark finish is the best choice for this cake.

2. In a large bowl, combine the soy yogurt, blended silken tofu, soy milk, sugar, oil, and extracts. Use an electric mixture to beat until everything is smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Sift in the flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine, then beat with electric beaters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until a very thick batter forms. Don't overmix.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use the rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter out of the bowl and smooth the top of the loaf. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick or thin sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean ( a little moisture is okay ). Don't open the oven to peek for at least the first 45 minutes of baking!

Tips :
This cake has a very thick batter and requires a well-preheated oven at just the right temp to rise properly. Allow the oven to heat for at least 20 minutes and, as always, use an oven thermometer.

For best results, use a pan that's no bigger than 9x5 inches. Using a 8x4 inch pan also works great.

Nutritional Info :
Per Slice ( 8 slices in a loaf ) : 275 calories, 1g protein, 1.22g carbohydrates, 17.9g fat, 299mg sodium, 30g sugar