Raspberry Chocolate Shortcake with Creme Filling

Back in 2011 I created a Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake recipe. It is one the most popular recipes on my blog. It got me thinking of a new twist, hence I concocted this delicious combination. I can't decide which I like best, but I think the chocolate version may be coming out ahead.

The chocolate and raspberry pair together well, and make a delectable dairy and egg free vegan treat. If you are looking for a recipe to feed to the skeptical, you won't go wrong with this one.

Crazy or Wacky Cake

1.5 cups unbleached flour

1 cups sugar

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 heaping cup cocoa

1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 1/3 cup vegetable Oil

 1 cup water

Filling:
Soyatoo Whipping Topping.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Add remaining wet ingredients with dry ones and mix. Do not over mix. 
4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. 
5. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, fill cupcakes using a filling tip or cut cone shaped portions out of the top of the cupcake, add filling, and then return top.*
7. Frost with raspberry frosting.

*Note: Be careful to not overfill if using a tip, as it will cause the cupcake to split.

Raspberry Frosting

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberry powder (run through small weave metal colander to remove larger pieces)
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup shortening
2-3 tsp. soy, almond, coconut milk
1 tsp. raspberry extract

1. Cream together the margarine and shortening. 
2. Add in strawberry powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl in between mixing. 
3. Add almond milk one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between.  
4. Fluff frosting for 10 minutes. 

If you need instructions on making your own raspberry powder for the recipe, click here. The instructions are the same for raspberries as strawberries.

Raspberry Chocolate Lava Volcano Bundt Cake

My son LOVES volcanoes, so he was beyond excited about a raspberry lava volcano chocolate bundt cake. Try saying that three times fast.

It is a simple recipe, which entails using the classic wacky or crazy cake recipe, along with a raspberry drizzle icing. I made my own raspberry powder for it.

If you prepare the wacky cake recipe it will make 4 mini bundt cakes or one large one.

Raspberry Icing

1/2 cup raspberry powder
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together all ingredients, until it is creamy and smooth. It should be thin enough to pour onto the cake. About the consistency of thicker syrup.

As you can see, my kids really liked it. Maybe a little too much. I just stopped my son from licking the cake.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

When my daughter took a shine to Strawberry Shortcake, I did a little happy dance. While the modern changes to Strawberry were really not necessary, nostalgia still floods my mind when I play with her shortcake dolls. 

Each birthday I ask my children what type of cake they want, and I was beyond thrilled when my girl said Strawberry Shortcake.

The cake house was made from three stacked layers of 8 inch rounds using my Strawberry Shortcake cupcake recipe. To support to weight I used cake round flats in between each layer with cake dowels in between them.

My only modification to the recipe was using fluffy vanilla frosting instead of whipped cream between layers, as I was concerned it would only soak into the cake and cake boards between layers. I did add a squirt of vegan whipped cream on top, as it just wouldn't be strawberry shortcake without it. I bought mine at Whole Foods.

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Fluffy Whipped Vanilla Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 tsp. vanilla

4-6 Tbsp. non-dairy milk

3 1/2-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the margarine, vanilla and shortening. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and non-dairy milk, alternating between the two. Add more powdered sugar or soy milk to obtained desired texture. Once mixed well, beat for about ten minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy. 

Butterscotch Cupcakes with Pecan Butter Topping and Chocolate Chips

Butterscotch frosting has been on my list of "to do" for quite some time. Since we try to balance out the amount of vegan goodies in our house, it simmered on the back burner.

Each year on what would have been my son Oliver's birthday, we celebrate his short life spending the day as a family visiting his the park bench we donated in his honor. Along with that, we always have a cupcake or small cake to celebrate his life.

I used my "go to" chocolate cake recipe often referred to as Crazy or Wacky Cake. It's history goes back to the first World War when eggs, butter, and milk were being rationed.

Crazy or Wacky Cake

3 cups unbleached flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 heaping cup cocoa

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 3/4 cup vegetable Oil

 2 cups water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Add remaining wet ingredients with dry ones and mix. Do not over mix. 
4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. 
5. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Once cooled frost with Butterscotch frosting.
7. Next drizzle with pecan butter icing and add mini chocolate chips as sprinkles.

Butterscotch Frosting

3 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. butterscotch chips

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or margarine, softened

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 Tbsp soy milk, almond or coconut milk

1. Beat margarine and shortening until fluffy.
2. Add vanilla extract and soy milk, then beat again until fluffy. 
3. Slowly add confectioners sugar, mixing after adding it, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. 
4. Melt butterscotch chips in the microwave, by putting it into a glass bowl and microwaving in one minute increments until fully melted. It should be thicker than melted chocolate (it won't drizzle).*
5. Add to frosting after cooling two minutes. Beat until fluffy, it should be about 10 minutes to fluff up the frosting.(add more sugar and/or soy milk if you need it, until you get the right texture). 
6. Generously pipe or spread onto completely cooled cupcakes.

*Please note the texture of the frosting may change after adding warm butterscotch chips, this means it was too warm. Continue beating, as the correct texture will develop upon cooling.

Pecan Butter Drizzle Icing

2 Tbsp. pecan butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. soy, almond, or coconut milk

1. In a small glass bowl, whip together all ingredients using a whisk.
2. Add extra powdered sugar or soy/almond/coconut milk to achieve a thicker drizzling consistency.

Chocolate Cake Donuts with Raspberry and White Chocolate Icing

Valentine's Day is almost upon us. If you are seeking a decadent dessert to make for your loved ones (or satisfy a little self-love), these donuts should do the trick.

You can dress them up by spending a little more time decorating or just add sprinkles for a little flourish. This is a veganized version of a doughnut recipe I came across in Family Circle.

Chocolate Cake Donuts
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup soy/coconut/almond/hemp milk
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted margarine (I use Earth Balance)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray donut pan with non-stick spray.
2. Measure out non-dairy milk and add vinegar. Let it sit while preparing other ingredients.
3. Combine melted margarine, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar, then mix well.
4. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add in the non-dairy milk (the vinegar makes it a vegan buttermilk).
6. On a slow speed mix until the batter is even, being careful to not over mix.
7. Fill the donut cavities 2/3 full, and bake for 12-14 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Remove and allow to cool completely before icing.

Raspberry Icing

1/3 cup raspberry powder* (click here for simple instructions on making your own)

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

5-6 Tbsp. soy/coconut/almond/hemp milk

1 tsp. raspberry extract

1. In a bowl, whisk together the raspberry powder and powdered sugar.
2. Add raspberry extract, and then a tablespoon at a time of non-dairy milk until icing slowly drips off of a spoon. If it is to runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
3. Apply to cooled donut with a basting brush or by spreading it on with a spatula. 
4. Decorate with sprinkles or add to sandwich bag with a small tip cut off to drizzle it on (this makes the little "stripes" on the donut.
5. *Follow the link to former recipe which explains making strawberry powder. The same applies to freeze dried raspberries. You may need to double sift to remove seeds. 

White Chocolate Icing

1/3 cup melted white chocolate

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. melted margarine  (I use Earth Balance)

2 Tbsp. soy/coconut/almond/hemp milk

1. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping after each minute to stir. This prevents burning the chocolate.
2. Whisk together the vanilla, melted margarine, soy milk, and powdered sugar.
3. Slowly whisk in the melted white chocolate.
4. Before icing with it, heat 10-15 seconds in the microwave. It will spread more easily.
5. Apply to cooled donut with a basting brush or by spreading it on with a spatula. 
6. Decorate with sprinkles or add to sandwich bag with a small tip cut off to drizzle it on (this makes the little "stripes" on the donut.

Edible Star Wars Cupcakes with Toppers

My hubby and I made these for my son's 6th birthday, and I must say these are my favorite ones we've done yet. Both of us are big Star Wars geeks. Happily our son appears to be following in our footsteps.

These bad boys were made out of vegan fondant. I prefer Satin Ice, as it actually tastes good. While I know it may seem daunting to work with it, really all it takes is some simple tips or video tutorials. Toppers like these were made using cookie cutters, so it is no more challenging than making/decorating sugar cookies.

Earlier in the week, I cut out the basic shapes using colored fondant and Star Wars cookie cutters. In order to minimize the amount of food dye used for the black ones, I did them in chocolate fondant. It was my first time working with chocolate fondant, and my oh my! It tastes just like a brownie. I *highly* recommend it.

Let the toppers harden uncovered while you are adding the details using frosting, edible markers and/or a silver glaze. The cookie cutters have the detailing on them, and would still look fantastic without the added embellishments.

Helpful tip: let them harden or wait until closer to party time to put them on the cupcakes. The frosting softens them up and they will begin to curl downward.

Vegan Valetine Round-Up

Today is the day I pick back up the blog, brush it off, and get busy blogging. To start out, I'm compiling a list of Valentine's Day Treats.

If you are looking for a list of places that offer vegan Valentine chocolate's, check out this list. Trust me, the hardest part will be deciding which to order!

If you've got the time, a homemade treat made with love is the way to go. Below are some ideas to get you started.

The Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie or Tiger Chocolate Peanut Butter Brittle are perfect options for a simple quick recipe. While the others take more time, it will be well worth it. Wishing you a Very Vegan Valentine's Day!

Strawberry Iced Sugar Cookies

Strawberry Powdered/Iced Cake Donuts

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Fresh Raspberries

Tiger Chocolate Peanut Butter Brittle

Kitty Cat Halloween Cupcakes

My latest creation for our Vegkins Annual Halloween Party. I wanted to do something simple, but festive. The head of the cat was made using a 1M frosting tip, but you could replicate it by using a large sandwich bag and cutting a large hole in the corner utilizing a 'homemade'  frosting bag.

To make the eyes, I used vegan "M & Ms," but Skittles would work well too. The pupils were drawn on using an edible ink marker (Wilton makes these). The nose is simply lightly dyed pink vanilla frosting. The ears are chocolate wafer disks cut into quarters*. These were from Trader Joe's. Lastly, the whiskers and nose were made using vanilla frosting.

*Tip: In glass measuring cup boil water in the microwave. Put the knife in it for a few seconds before quartering the chocolate.

Chocolate Wacky Cake Recipe

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups cool water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix in wet ingredients, being careful to scrape the sides of the bowl. Only mix until well combined. Fill lined muffin/cupcake pan with liners and fill them 1/2 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely until frosting.

Makes 3 dozen cupcakes

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
4-6 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the margarine, vanilla and shortening. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, cocoa powder and non-dairy milk, alternating between the two. Once mixed well, beat for about ten minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar or soy milk to obtained desired texture.

Vegan Wolf Pupcakes with Pecan Butter Frosting

Wolf pupcakes are what I made for my sister's baby shower. Why wolf pups you say? Her baby was nicknamed "Little Wolf," because both parents have a lot of hair. The theory was their baby would too. It turns out they were right, and my adorable little nephew Oscar was born with a full head of dark hair.

My sister really loves the pecan butter frosting recipe I created, as well as veganized "butter" cupcakes. There were also chocolate flavored cupcakes, utilizing the infamous chocolate crazy cake recipe.

The inspiration for the pupcakes came from ones I saw fashioned like dogs. I had to made a few adjustments to made it more like a wolf, such as a longer nose. It was not too complicated to put together, but it did take time. The bottom cupcake was frosted like a sunburst, starting at the middle. Then a mini-cupcake was attached sideways onto the large one using a toothpick.

The nose and ears are made from Dandy Marshmallows cut into noses and ears, which were also attached with toothpicks. I made the eyes from vegan white chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips attached together with a small bit of frosting. The nose was also a small chocolate chip attached with a bit of frosting.

To make the face, first attach the ears and nose with toothpicks. Then frost around ears and on the face. Lastly, attach the eyes and nose chocolate chips. Viola, you've got yourself a wolf pupcake. Enjoy!

Mystery Machine Birthday Cake

My kids have become smitten with old school Scooby Doo cartoons. While I'm not a huge fan of television, it is one kid's show I don't mind watching, conjuring forth nostalgic glimpses of my childhood.

For my son's birthday he requested a Mystery Machine cake. The party was only a couple days after my birthday, so it worked out nicely. The less cake I've got around here, the better.

The cake was made using the marble cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I doubled it. In cake form, it made a dense cake perfect for stacking. I love putting the new mixer I won in a VegNews contest to good use!

Decorating the cake consisted of a layer of dairy-free butter cream frosting with fondant detailing. The vegan fondant I used was Satin Ice, which says right on the front page: 0g trans fats, 0mg cholesterol. Allergen information: Gluten free, dairy free, nut free. Contains no animal derived products (vegan). Certified kosher pareve. 

To top it off, we added figurines of the whole gang standing next to the Mystery Machine. I picked them up at Toys R' Us.

My husband helped with the detailing for the cake, and printed out versions of the mystery machine from all angles. Then he cut out and used them as a template for the rolled fondant.

1. The cake was made using two 9 x 13 inch cakes. They were cut first length wise and the on the end to get the correct size. 
2. I crumb coated the bottom layer of the first large piece of cake on it's own, making sure to cut out cake board slightly smaller than the cake. (we stacked it on a sturdy construction paper wrapped book to align the wheels properly).
3. Add another onto the bottom one by piecing together the cut parts from the rest of the first cake.
4. Next I put in dowel supports to hold up the two layers on the bottom.
5. Cut the second cake and put it on its own cake board, cut to match its exact size.
6. Add crumb coat and then last layer from the leftover pieces again, add crumb coat to it too.
7. Stack the second cake on top of the first one. 
8. I pushed a dowel through all layers, to hold both layers steady.
9. Put the cake in the freezer for an hour.
10. Remove and ice with blue colored frosting.
11. Print off copies of the Mystery Machine to scale to create detailing. 
12. Using a toothpick to trace the patterns on rolled out fondant.
13. To attach fondant detailing onto the Mystery Machine, lightly wet the back of the fondant with water.
14. The wheels we made using Oreos, piped frosting, and fondant flowers. 

That is the basic jist of making it. If you are interested and have questions, feel free to leave a comment or email about it.

My son thoroughly enjoyed his cake, as you can see below. Vegans can have their fancy cakes and eat them too!

Iced Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

My inspiration for this recipe initially came from Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joes. I.cannot.stop.eating.them.

Chocolate, pepermint, and candy canes are a combination made for each other. I adapted my sugar cookie recipe from my Grandma that I veganized awhile back.

Chocolate cut-out sugar cookies are where it's at you have my word. I can always gauge a new recipe by how much dough my hubby continues to steal and gobble down. There was a lot of that going on this time.

Iced Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Candy Cane Topping

3 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
3 tsp baking powder
2 "eggs" using Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 Tbsp. coconut beverage (soy, almond, hemp, or rice work too)
2 tsp. vanilla

Peppermint Icing

1 ½ cups Powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. coconut beverage milk (or other milk alternative)
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Candy Cane Topping

6 Small sized or 2 large candy canes crushed

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugar and margarine (I recommend using a non-hydrogenated one). Mix together the Ener-G egg replacer with a whisk until creamy. Add it to the mixture, along with vanilla, baking powder, coconut milk and mix well.

Combine with the flour to make dough. Separate into 3 sections, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or if you are in a rush about a half hour in the freezer. Roll out dough to 1/3 " thick and cut out shapes. Bake in oven 9-12 minutes or until edges are set. Transfer from pan to cooling rack until completely cooled.

Icing:
In the meantime, mix together the icing. Whisk together peppermint extract, powdered sugar and coconut milk, alternately adding coconut milk and powdered sugar. Once desired consistency is reached you are ready to decorate your cookies. I shoot for a maple syrup type thickness when you pout the icing.

Decorating:
I recommend using a pastry brush to "paint" the icing onto the cookies. You can also add sprinkles or crushed candy cane pieces onto the cookies after icing, but need to do it immediately after icing a cookie before it starts to dry.

 
Crushed Candy Cane Topping:
The simplest way to do this is in a food processor/blender, but you can crush them with a rolling pin.

Pumpkin and Cat Halloween Cake Pops

Recently I heard a rumor about preparing "accidentally" vegan cake mixes using pumpkin puree in lieu of oil and eggs. Since it sounded interesting, I gave it a whirl. It worked pretty well, and I decided to make Halloween cake pops using the cake.

It was an extremely moist cake and the result is rather tasty and fun to decorate. Next time I would probably make the crazy cake recipe for cake pops and save the pumpkin recipe for cake or cupcakes. My sister came over and we came up with a couple design ideas and below is the result.

Pretty cute huh?

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake Pops

1 package of vegan chocolate cake mix
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
amount of water called for in recipe
 3/4 to 1 1/4 cup chocolate frosting (see below for recipe) or use vegan Duncan Hines Chocolate Frosting

Preheat oven to recommended temperature on box. I used the Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix. Combine water and can of pumpkin puree to cake mix. Follow instructions on box for preparation.

Once baked, allow to cool and flip cake into a mixing bowl. Break apart cake into crumbs, and add chocolate frosting (see recipe below). Mix until it looks like the picture below. Start with less frosting first since you can't go back once it is added.

Roll it into balls, and add paper sticks. Place in freezer for 3-4 hours. Start to prepare the chocolate coating (see instructions below), add the ears onto the cake pop by dabbing a bit of melted chocolate onto a chocolate chip to make the ears stick. Put them back into the freezer until you are ready to coat them.

It is important to lay out your decorating materials before starting the coating, because the chocolate will dry pretty quickly. Once ready, roll pop in melted chocolate, decorate, and stick into a Styrofoam base to allow it to harden.

Chocolate Coating 


1 package of E. Guittard semi-sweet wafers
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance
1 Tbsp. Coconut oil

Melting the chocolate, margarine, and coconut oil in a double broiler. You could experiment and probably eliminate the margarine by adjusting the amount of coconut oil.

Here is the chocolate I used, which I found at Williams Sonoma:

Chocolate Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 - 1/3 cup coconut milk beverage
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup powdered cocoa

First cream together the shortening and margarine, and then add in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Next add the powdered sugar and coconut milk by alternating between the two and mixing in between additions. Do this until it is all added.

Then beat the frosting for 10 minutes, it will give it the light fluffiness. Don't skimp on the time, trust me on this one. If it doesn't seem creamy enough after everything is added, you can put in a little extra coconut milk beverage.

Happy Halloween!

In the meantime, don't forget to go enter the giveaway this week for a chance to win vegan butterscotch chips or a copy of The 30 Day Vegan Challenge.

Purple Hello Kitty Birthday Cake

Think you can't have a fancy vegan birthday cake? Think again. If you have the time to create a non-vegan one, it will take no longer to do a vegan one.

My daughter LOVES hello kitty, and was thrilled to have that theme for her party. Since purple and pink are her favorite colors (in that order), the castle cake's primary colors were chosen for me.

The cake is covered with fondant. Vegan fondant does exist, and is readily available. The kind which I prefer is Satin Ice. I like that it says directly on their web page "Fondant contains no animal derived ingredients." I've also heard the Wilton version is vegan as well, but that it doesn't taste as good.

If you are still coming up short, I found a recipe over at "Live.Learn.Love.Eat" for vegan marshmallow fondant which sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it!

Don't forget to enter the Vegan Mofo contest this week for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Vegan Essentials!

Pecan Butter Frosting on "Butter" Cupcake

As I've shared before, I hark from Georgia. The fresh pecans from down there just can't be beat. I am lucky enough to have family who ship them to us sometimes.

The pecan frosting for this recipe was from scratch, and the cake was from a box. We had recently had my aunt and cousins up to visit, so I made these for dessert one night.

Veganizing box cake recipes is actually relatively simple. For this one, I substituted the eggs in the recipe with apple sauce, used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for the butter. Lastly, I added a tablespoon of vinegar to help the cake rise.

Here is the break down for a vegan version of Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake. 

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup applesauce

1 Tsbp. vinegar

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

Other than the couple of changes to the ingredients, follow the directions on the box for cooking times, etc. See below for the pecan butter frosting recipe.

Pecan Butter Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

3/4 cup pecan butter (follow link to previous recipe)

3-4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla or maple flavoring

2-3 Tbsp. soy or almond milk

Cream together the margarine and pecan butter. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and almond milk, alternating between the two. Once mixed well, beat for about five minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar or soy milk to obtained desired texture.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chip Recipe

These were so easy to make, I really wish I'd thought of trying it sooner. They taste like Reese's Pieces without the coating. Yum! 

Vegan Peanut Butter Chips

10 oz. White Chocolate

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Put the white chocolate into a microwavable bowl and heat in for 30 seconds, stopping to stir, then repeating until it is fully melted. 

Next thoroughly mix in peanut butter, and spread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to 1/8' thickness. Place it into the freezer until solid.

To make the chips, slice with a sharp knife one direction.

Then slice the other direction. Voila, you've got vegan peanut butter chips!

Vegan Chocolate Maple Owl Birthday Cake

Somehow I forgot to share the birthday cake I made for my daughter's first birthday. It was a lot of fun, and was easy to decorate. The only challenge was piping on a the Happy Birthday message vertically. Alas, it wasn't my greatest work, but I don't think my daughter cared.

I found this idea at Parenting, and added my personal touches to it. My daughter loved the cake, and still asks to see pictures of it. Elliott immediately announced that he wanted one for his birthday. Since he has requested construction cakes the past two years, I am not so sure he will stick with his request. Either way, it was a compliment considering his preferences.

If you are interested in the details: the beak and feet are made from runts, the eyes are Oreos with miniature Oreos for the pupils, the bow is marzipan with food coloring worked in, mini pretzels made up the nest, and the ear tufts are Oreos split in half.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes for Your Vegan Valentine

Every Valentine's Day I always bake up some goodies. I like to try out new things, so this year I came up with strawberry shortcake cupcakes, which have a vegan whipped creme filling. The kids were really excited to find the surprise filling.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Filling:
Soyatoo Whipping Topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add vinegar to almond or soy milk and set aside. Sift together all dry ingredients (cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar). Soften margarine in microwave (do not melt it completely), and add to dry ingredients.

Add remaining wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Be careful to not over mix. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled. Fill cupcakes using a filling tip or cut cone shaped portions out of the top of the cupcake, add filling, and then return top. Be careful to not overfill if using a tip, as it will cause the cupcake to split.

Strawberry Frosting

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup strawberry powder (run through small weave metal colander to remove larger pieces)
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup shortening
2-3 tsp. almond or soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream together the margarine and shortening. Add in strawberry powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl in between mixing. Add almond milk one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between.

If you need instructions on making your own strawberry powder for the recipe, click here.

I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Vegan Blogs.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

If you've read my previous blog entries, you're aware of my not-so-secret love affair with chocolate and peanut butter. Last week, I was thinking about what to make for my son's birthday and suddenly it popped into my head, vegan chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes.

As in chocolate peanut butter cups baked right into the cupcake. It took longer than your average cupcake to make, but it was well worth it. The vegan peanut butter cups were homemade, but you could buy them already made by Sjaak's or Allison's Gourmet if it suits your fancy.

The peanut butter cups were made using this recipe from a friend's vegan family blog. I used a peanut butter cup mold and filled it with the absolutely delicious filling.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

1 jar natural peanut butter

1 package of graham crackers (there are usually 3 packages per box, the Keebler original are vegan)

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 stick of softened Earth Balance Buttery Sticks margarine (not melted)

1 1/2 Boxes of Baker's Semi-Sweet chocolate

Start by melting three-quarters of the chocolate on the stove using a double broiler. I heat a small amount of water in a larger sauce pan, and melt the chocolate in a smaller pan nested in the larger one. DO NOT let water get into your chocolate, as it will seize up the chocolate. Once it is melted well, take it off of the burner and add the remaining chocolate. This tempers the chocolate, so it dries with a nice shiny finish. 

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs in a food processor or in between two pieces of wax paper, rolled over with a rolling pin. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, softened margarine, and powdered sugar. Depending on the thickness, you may need to kneed it with your hands. 

Using a peanut butter cup mold, coat the mold to create the cup for the filling. Put it into the freezer a couple minutes. take it out once it is hardened, and fill with the peanut butter filling. Coat the top of the coat with a layer of chocolate then put in freezer a couple minutes again. Remove when it is completely hard and shake out of mold. 

Lately I've been using the crazy cake recipe that originates back to WWI, and I did for these as well. It made just over a couple dozen cupcakes. As always, I altered the recipe, but only a couple minor changes.

Crazy Cake

3 cups unbleached flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 heaping cup cocoa

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 3/4 cup vegetable Oil

 2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add remaining wet ingredients with dry ones and mix. Do not over mix. Fill cupcake liners halfway full and add peanut butter cup to the center of the cupcake batter. Bake in oven for 11-14 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to not stab the peanut butter cup when checking with a toothpick, it should be done on the side of it. Once cooled frost with peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

1/4 plus 1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

2/3 cup peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2-3 Tbsp. soy or almond milk

Cream together the margarine, shortening, and peanut butter. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and soy milk, alternating between the two. Once mixed well, beat for about five minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar or soy milk to obtained desired texture.

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