Vegan Chocolate Fudge Truffle Cake with Strawberries

 

Now that's a bit of a mouthful of a title for a cake, but I promise every single word is actually completely vital to it's description.  It's vegan, it's chocolate, it's fudgy, it's decadent like a truffle, it's a cake, and it has strawberries.  See!  I told you so. :)  (Unfortunately the front piece had more strawberries tucked inside than you could really see...I know this because I ate it right after I finished photographing!)  

I really had no reason to make this...except it is my birthday week so I figured I could use that as an excuse for this ultra rich and gratifying treat.  I actually consider the whole month of March to be a celebration for my birthday..and I'm definitely one of those people who is obnoxious about letting you know the countdown til my day comes.  (By the way, it's March 13th and I will be 21 finally!  Only 5 more days to go!)  And in case you're wondering, I hold my mother and my Grammie completely responsible for the monster/princess they created when it comes to this.  You see, my mom was always the same way as a child.  She was the only one out of of her brothers and her sister that was like that and let's just say the apple didn't fall far from the tree.  I just really love my birthday and I love telling everyone that it's my special day (whether they care or not, but that's beside the point!).   Coincidentally, it's usually in March that my pants begin to feel a liiiiittle more snug because I frequently use the excuse "But it's my birthday!" to indulge (and maybe slightly overindulge..), but hey, you only live once!  And I definitely enjoyed every second of indulging in this little slice of heaven.

I'm sure Betty Crocker didn't think I would see this cake and then decide to turn it into a vegan version, but guess what lady, I DID!  I mean, just take a second look at the title.  It says "vegan" so it must be dry, bland, and unappetizing, right?  Nice try!  I bet if I didn't include that little "v word" in the title, you would have had no idea it was.  And, if I sliced a piece and handed it to you with a big old grin on my face, I'm sure you still wouldn't know it was vegan until I gave you the recipe and you gasped and said "But where are the eggs!? The heavy cream!?  How did you...?"  And I would simply explain that vegan doesn't automatically mean flavorless, lifeless meals and desserts.  This cake is unbelievably delicious, rich, dense, and fudgy...it's simply amazing!  The addition of the strawberries make it seem like the perfect "March" kind of dessert.  You really never know what to expect from the weather this month, with the lingering winter and the (hopefully) approaching spring, which is why the chocolatey cake (which is quite comforting on the colder days) really benefits from the strawberries (which really add a great fresh and spring-like feel to the cake).  So, if you're looking for an excuse to try this out (just like I was)...just say I made you do it.  You'll be pleasantly surprised and happy you did. :) 

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
• 1 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Ganache Filling and Topping:

• 2 packages (8 oz each) semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped (Baker's semi-sweet is vegan)
• 1 1/3 cups soy milk
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
• 2 cups cut-up fresh strawberries

Garnish

• Fresh strawberries

• 1/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 pan.
2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
3. Pour into pan, smooth top.  Bake for 28-35 minutes.  (I checked mine every few minutes after 25 minutes just to make sure it didn't overcook)
4. Cool completely, about 1 hour
5. Meanwhile, in large bowl, place chopped chocolate; set aside. In 2-quart saucepan, heat soy milk and Earth Balance (or other vegan butter substitute) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until "butter" is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Pour "cream" mixture over chocolate; stir until smooth.
6. Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper round. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes. In large bowl, beat half of the cake cubes on low speed until cake is crumbly. Add remaining cake cubes and 1 3/4 cups of the ganache (reserve remaining ganache for topping). Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed until well combined (mixture will look like fudge). Fold in 2 cups cut-up strawberries. Spoon mixture into springform pan; smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze 45 minutes or until firm enough to unmold.
7. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake mixture. Place serving plate upside down on pan; turn pan and plate over. Frost side and top of cake with reserved ganache. Arrange strawberry halves on top of cake.
8. In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips and 1/2 teaspoon oil uncovered on High 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Place in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut off tiny corner of bag. Drizzle over top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake is best served the same day.

Adapted from: Betty Crocker
Source for Cupcakes: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Thin Mint Truffles

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and what says "Luck o' the Irish" better than mint chocolate desserts!?  Uhh, nothing, obviously!  And, being in the spirit of Girl Scout season and all things deliciously minty, I decided to try making these cookies even yummier than before.  Cake truffles, brownie truffles and now, thin mint truffles!  Talk about taking things to a whole other delectable level.  Basically rolling things into tiny little morsels makes them even more irresistible than their full-sized counter part.  Personally, I am partial to the pint-sized versions because I think they're just the cutest little things..plus you can dress them up to suit any occasion, even if it's just to sit on the couch popping them into your mouth one by one.  I really do love celebrating all holidays, and the fact that St. Patty's day is just after my birthday makes me like it even more.  (Especially this year because I'll just have turned 21! Woohoooo!  I digress...) 

I have always thought mint and chocolate's harmonious joining was something only a genius could come up with (thank you, whoever you are!).  And ever since the glorious day the two met, the flavor combination has become a staple to Girl Scouts, and the Irish alike.  (And as I'm sure you can tell, I have a lot of Irish in me with my red hair and the spelling of my name and all.) So, if you love a good Girl Scout cookie and have been thinking of a new way to go about enjoying it, this is definitely something to try!  They are seriously addicting.

Ingredients:

• One box Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
• 3 oz softened cream cheese
• 1/2 lb Dark mint chocolate candy melts (or regular chocolate chips/candy melts)
• 1/4 cup green candy melts (or sprinkles, shaved chocolate, anything you'd like to decorate with) 
• 1 tbs shortening (+ 1 tsp)

Directions:

• Put both sleeves of cookies into food processor, process until finely chopped crumbs are formed
• Pour crumbs into a bowl and add softened cream cheese
• Mix together with a fork (I used my hands to combine it together well)
• Roll into truffle sized balls (I was able to get 15 out of mine)
• Refrigerate for an hour (or freeze for 30 minutes)
• Melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler (a microwave works just as fine, use 30 second intervals if you go this route)
• Carefully cover each truffle in chocolate and tap off excess
• Place each truffle on wax paper on a cookie sheet (top with sprinkles or any other decorations before chocolate sets)
• Refrigerate until chocolate is firm

 To Decorate:

• Melt green candy chips & 1tsp shortening in a double boiler (again the microwave can be used as above)
• Pour chocolate into plastic bag, snip a very small piece off of the corner of the bag
• Drizzle over truffles
• Refrigerate again until chocolate is set

Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches

At 16 I embarked on the journey of getting my first job.  For years my parents owned a restaurant (named after yours truly) that I would help out at, but silly me thought I wanted to get real job not working for mom and dad.  Like I said, silly, silly me!  Against my parents wishes, I began my quest in the "working world".  I didn't believe them when they said "Once you start working, you won't ever stop," and insisted on passing in my application where I would start off by working in the lovely world of retail. (I hate to admit it, but they were completely right.)  I spent a good year folding clothes and chatting with customers, but one thing I knew was that it so was not for me.  I am a huge people person, but after a while I found that the only thing I enjoyed about it was the weekly paycheck.  Now, if you ask me, 16 is a little early to be feeling that way about a job..so I went on my merry way and found myself another one.  Not folding t-shirts and jeans all day.

This time, I was a little more successful in my choice.  There's a local chain of Marylou's coffee shops in the South Shore that have really picked up in popularity over the past few years, and I spent a good three years there slinging delicious coffee for some great customers there.  Now, when I say "delicious," I mean that you were basically being served dessert in a cup.  You think of a sweet treat, there was probably a coffee flavor to match.  Tiramisu, Twix, Girl Scout Cookie, Banana Cream Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, Butterfinger..the list really goes on and on.  It's definitely a stop worth making if you're in the South Shore sometime and happen drive by one of their hot pink signs.  I really loved this job, but one thing I didn't love so much were the ungodly hours I would have to drag my butt out of bed.  Sure, it was nice to be out of work at noon, but once I moved to a new town, that meant I had a half hour drive on my hands, which really stinks when you need to be at work by 4:15 AM.  I'm sure you can only imagine the ridiculous amount of coffee I would drink everyday to function.  Caffeine overload up the wazoo!  Working there in the morning not only meant tons of coffee slinging, but it also meant tons of breakfast sandwiches were being ordered.  Now, for the typical person, that's no sweat...but to a vegetarian, that's a whole other playing field!  I wasn't exactly fond of assembling those things with all that icky bacon and sausage, but it did make part of me miss the convenience of just stopping somewhere and grabbing a good old breakfast sammich.  It never really dawned on me to try making my own to suit my diet's needs...that was until I saw this recipe in VeganYumYum. 

I had been eyeing this since I got the book and finally got down to the grind and made it.  It's not exactly as easy as ordering at a drive-thru but it's worth investing a little time in.  I opted to make the homemade biscuits too and if you have the time, I highly suggest them..much better than any store bought English Muffin in my opinion!  The sandwich is comprised of scrambled tofu eggs, maple soy tofu, and homemade biscuits...and all three really come together in vegan breakfast sandwich harmony!  Be forewarned, if you don't like the flavor of nooch (nutritional yeast), I suggest reducing the amount in the scrambled tofu, because it is very rich in this recipe.  The maple syrup and soy sauce (I subbed Braggs Amino Acids for a healther spin) act as a great replacement for the smoky flavor of the meat in your traditional sammy.  This recipe shows off tofu's great versatility and makes up a really great breakfast for (vegan) champs!  Oh, and if you're anything like me..you'll finally be thankful for having a big mouth when trying to devour one of these! 

Ingredients:

Scrambled Tofu 'Eggs':

• 1 package firm tofu

• 5 Tablespoons soy milk

• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon Bragg amino acid

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

• Extra olive oil for cooking

Maple Soy Tofu:

• 1 block firm pressed tofu

• 4 Tablespoons Bragg amino acid (or soy sauce)

• 4 Tablespoons maple syrup

Biscuits:

• 1 cup plain soy milk

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 Tablespoons Earth Balance (or any other vegan butter)

• 2 Tablespoons vegan shortening

Directions: (The order is different than in the book, but this helps to make the process smoother)

• Press both tofu blocks (1 for 'eggs' and 1 for maple soy tofu). To press, remove tofu from package and drain all excess water. Wrap each block individually first in a paper towel then wrap that into a dish cloth. Put a heavy pan, like a dutch oven on top and let sit for about 20 minutes. 

Prep Maple Soy Tofu:

• Cut one block of tofu in half then cut each half into about 1/4 inch thick pieces. You should have 8 pieces.   
  

Prep Scrambled Tofu:

• Combine tofu, soy milk, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, tahini, mustard, cornstarch and baking powder in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Note: it will be very thick.

Cook Maple Soy Tofu:

• In an ungreased skillet, cook each strip (working in batches if you need) until browned.
• Add the syrup and sauce after tofu has been lightly browned. Be sure not to burn the soy maple glaze while cooking.

Cook Biscuits:

• Preheat oven at 475 degrees.

• In a small bowl, combine soy milk and vinegar then set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Cut in Earth Balance and vegan shortening using a fork or pastry cutter, to create a crumbly mixture. 
• Add the soy/vinegar mixture to your dry mix and stir until just combined.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press carefully until about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, circle cookie cutter, or improvise by using a drinking glass, cut dough into circles and place on a baking sheet so the biscuits touch each other. 
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown, then remove. 

• While your biscuits are baking, cook your 'eggs'.

Cook your Scrambled Tofu:

• Heat a nonstick skillet (use non stick otherwise it will be an even bigger mess) to medium heat with a bit of olive oil. Pour about 1/3 cup of your 'egg' mixture  into the pan.
• Carefully spread the mixture over the pan like a thin pancake. It's very sticky and kind of tough to work with. Let the mixture cook on one side until brown and rather firm. (It does take a little bit). Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on med/low heat making sure they do not burn. 
• Flip 'eggs' to cook the other side. When done, it is time to prepare your sandwiches.

Serve:

• Cut biscuits in half lengthwise. Top bottom biscuit with a portion of your 'eggs'. On top of that place 2 pieces of the maple soy tofu.

And after all of that effort, you can finally sit down and enjoy!

Source: VeganYumYum, LaPureMama

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Happy March!  I have to say at almost 2 months into food blogging, starting this blog is one of the best decisions I have made.  I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn't know if anyone would actually read the thing, but it has opened up tons of doors and really helped solidify my love for cooking and baking, and sharing that passion with other people! 

A little background...when I was younger, I dreamed of going to school for photography.  There's just something I loved about being able to capture a moment that you would later look back upon and be flooded with memories of.  It's so true that a picture is worth a thousand words! I can't even tell you how many boxes I have that are filled with photos that I just cannot part with.  I'm very guilty of being nostalgic!

Then, in high school, I discovered my love for writing.  Confession: I am a total grammar nerd and constantly correct people (mostly in my head so I'm not known as an insufferable know-it-all) and cringe when I see spelling errors.  I'm human so I make mistakes too, but come on, we all know it's could "have" not could "of" and for the love of God (whichever one you believe in), please just be sure to use they're/their/there correctly!  ...Okay, I am going to stop this little tirade of mine before it spins out of control because I don't want to bore you with all of my grammatical pet peeves (I hope someone out there (note: not their or they're!) can relate to me!).  Anywho, in high school I was the editor for the school paper for the "Life & Style" column, and I really enjoyed expressing myself through writing.  Unfortunately, all everyone keeps hearing about is the struggle of college grads (especially in Communications majors) finding work after finishing their degree, and it really worried me to fall into that category.  So, I decided to try taking a different route.  I am happy to say I just received my Associate's Degree in a Liberal Arts Science Transfer program and now plan to double major in Business and Culinary Nutrition, because, well, I love food and would love to own my own bakery/cafe someday!   

So, I rambled a bit about my love for photography and my love for writing..now where does the love for food come in, you ask?  Well, I didn't want to completely throw away my other passions in life, but I always had a lingering thought of how much I used to love helping my mom in the kitchen.  I didn't really begin exploring all of my culinary and baking options until I began living on my own, which then turned into me experimenting in the kitchen quite frequently.  I started off by bringing desserts to birthday parties and any special occasion I could, and I realized how much I enjoyed creating things with my own hands and seeing the joy it brought to people.  I would bring some cupcakes here, some cake balls there...I became hooked to creating!  Then, after going back and forth for months, I finally decided to begin documenting it using this little blog of mine.  And boy am I glad that I got over my worries and finally made it!  I never would have imagined that I could combine all of my passions into one thing; a little page about baking and cooking with GillyCakes. 

(I swear, all of this information is relevant!)  You see, I don't want my whole blog to be a sugar-coated version of myself (no pun intended), so here and there I will let you in on some different "things about me." Whether it's an update of my day or a story that relates to my post,  in time you will learn more about me (whether you want to or not!).  I am sarcastic, I have a big heart, I (have a tendency to) have a truck-driver mouth, I'm sensitive, I love to laugh, I'm a hopeless romantic, I love animals, I'm corny, I'm a food blog addict, and so on and so forth.  But most importantly, I love what I do when it comes to creating, writing, photographing, and sharing my stories and food with you.

And somehow in some odd way, all of this led up to me making hummus for the first time.  I already divulged that I love me some hummus, but I had never tried making it on my own.  I knew it wasn't hard to do, I just never got around to doing it.  Until now that is.  Now that I have my blog, I have an excuse to stop making excuses!  My mental list of "Things to Bake/Cook" is endless, but I really wanted to try doing this and decided it was time to stop procrastinating!  And now, I will only be making it myself.  Homemade is so much better!  Roasted red pepper has always been my favorite flavor, so I thought it would be only fair for that to be the first one I attempt.  Let me tell you how delicious this is compared to the store-bought version.  Really, really freakin' delish!  It's creamy, spicy, and totally yummy!  If you have <15 minutes, you should without a doubt try it out!  And now, for what you really care about...the recipe!


Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• In an electric blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas, red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy. Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.)

• Sprinkle the hummus with the chopped parsley before serving.

Source: All Recipes

Spiced Chickpea Tomato Soup

What another lovely snowy day it was today.  (Okay, so that was a completely sarcastic statement.)  Living in lovely Massachusetts means you never know exactly what to expect from the weather around here.  So that means the "rain or snow" that we were supposed to get today inevitably ended up being, snow.  Wahhhhhhh!  (Yes, that is supposed to be said using the Snooki voice)  This winter has been an exceptionally rough one for us here and quite frankly, I. am. so. freakin'. sick. of. it!  But, apparently mother nature doesn't really care what I think..so she brought on more snow than we expected, again.  Lucky for me this is the best kind of day to spend cooking (plus I was also off from work today), so after finishing up at the gym, I had a long day in the kitchen planned.  I had quite a few things in mind, but I ended up scrapping a couple ideas for now and decided to add this soup to today's line-up instead.  It seemed like the perfect thing to make to accompany a day like today.

After spending a few hours of cooking and cleaning, I decided to take a little break so Dave and I could take Tucker to a local park to run around in the snow.  It's a good thing at least one of us likes this weather!  As much as I whine about the snow (which is just about every single day), it was a nice way to try to enjoy what we have to deal with.  Plus, it was nice to watch Tucker run around and enjoy himself since he's been cooped up inside a lot this winter.  After letting him get some energy out and becoming slightly frozen ourselves, we headed back home and I was more than in the mood to dig into this soup.  Once we got in, I made some grilled "cheese", heated up the soup, and can say I actually enjoyed this crazy New England weather for once.

Now, a little about the soup.  The flavors in this are very warming and comforting, which truly makes this a perfect winter meal.  The red pepper and spices really transform this into an aromatic dish that packs a lot of punch to it.  Don't be fooled though, this really isn't your typical "light" soup.  It's extremely hearty and rich from the pureed chickpeas, which add a lot of body to it.  Basically, it's damn good and you should give it a go!

 

Tucker and me in a little tunnel at the park. 

(Don't mind my appearance, I was unshowered post-gym. TMI?  Oh well!)

We had found a little broken sled while we were out.  Needless to say, despite all of Tucker's muscle mass, I don't quite see him having a future with the Iditarod.  And he sure loves wearing his backpack!

Spiced Chickpea Tomato Soup
Serves 4; makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 dried hot red chiles, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed
• 3 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought vegetable stock
• (Vegan) Sour cream, for serving
• Parsley sprigs, for garnish

 

Directions:

1. Using a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon, crush garlic, chiles, coriander, salt, and caraway to form a paste.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic mixture, and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
4. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Rewarm if necessary. Divide among bowls, and top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley.
 

Note:  To do the "swirl", water down 2 tablespoons (vegan) sour cream with one tablespoon water.  Put mixture into a plastic bag, snip the bottom corner and carefully swirl, make a heart, or whatever shapes you please!  And, I absolutely adore my little porcelain soup containers in this picture.  In case you may be wondering, I got them at Crate & Barrel.  Reasonably priced and super cute!  You should probably go get some.

Source: Martha Stewart