Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream - dairy free/vegan/gluten free

I made my mom bread, but I made my dad cake.

I knew I wanted to make my dad a birthday cake while he was here, but I didn't want it to be a tower of sugar and frosting (I know, I know. That would have been awesome). I've had a few recipes saved for chocolate cakes that use wine to add flavor and color, so I looked through what I had, picked the best of the lot, adapted it a bit, and made it. But you pretty much need frosting on a birthday cake or it's not a birthday cake. I wanted something light and not chocolate, so I went with a vanilla whipped cream made from coconut milk. I had good luck in the past with chocolate frosting using coconut milk, so I was eager to try it's vanilla cousin.

Raspberry Coconut Bread, or is it Cake? - vegan, or not

Friends, I have a problem. I can't decide what to call this sweet, delicate, summery thing I'm eating. On the one hand, it's a quick bread, totally appropriate for toast and a pat of butter (or perhaps this new coconut spread? I sampled it, and it was delicious. And, no, not sponsored, just my own two cents). On the other hand, I'm sitting here, feeding myself with a fork between sentences. Who eats bread with a fork? Not me. sigh #firstworldproblems

Little Apricot Cakes - vegan

A friend of mine has an apricot tree in her backyard (I know, California living is hard) and this year it is just bursting with fruit. Every time I see her, she wants to give me what seems like hundreds of pounds of the sweet fruit. I've resisted thus far (though I admit to having jam thoughts) and I've only brought home a small number. In addition to his unbelievable dislike of peaches, Mr Official Taster also steers away from apricots. sigh

Grapefruit Cake - gluten free & dairy free

This is the second recipe in a row that is legitimate dessert AND breakfast food. You are welcome. 

I made this cake for my mom on Mother's Day, and it was a big hit with both her and my dad. Mr Official Taster? not so much. But, awesome wife that I am, I anticipated that and there were cookies for him. (Impressed? Don't be. I had dough stored in the freezer, so all I had to do was slice and bake.) I liked it, but I thought it needed just a touch more sweetness. A glaze on top or a sweeter variety of grapefruit to begin with would solve that issue.

Coconut Bread - vegan

I have had this recipe pinned since March. And while that's not as egregious a lapse as some, it was still too long. First off all, it comes together in a snap. Two bowls and a spoon are really all you need. Plus, obviously, a loaf pan, though you could make muffins instead. There's no rise time, yeast, or kneading, so it's not intimidating to those of you still scared of bread. (b-t-dubs, please don't be. it's not scary. Maybe start with some no-knead? or a super forgiving loaf?) Also, it doubles as a cake. I mean, it's not a fancy cake, but if you have a mid-week hankering for dessert, this fits the bill (and then, breakfast the next morning).

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting - vegan

Have you been looking for your go-to, un-fussy, everyday chocolate cake (or cupcake!) recipe? Look no further, folks, because I've got it for you. I first came across this eggless chocolate cake sometime last fall, filed it away pinned it, and rediscovered it recently. The first time I made it was disappointing, not only because I forgot the baking soda, but because it wasn't terribly chocolatey. I did some thinking, some chocolate craving, made some bread, and tried again. The results were fantastic.

Gingerbread Lite - vegan

So it turns out that sometimes having three days off in a week means that I'm not terribly productive. And by not terribly productive, I mean I caught up on the fall tv season, Netflix, Alex Delaware, & Jack Reacher. I did do about 20 loads of laundry in between, though, so that counts for something, yes?

Also, on the counting-for-something side of the scale, I did extensive (2 episodes worth) research in preparation for Mr Official Taster's birthday and produced these cupcakes. I even managed to photograph them, despite both the oversight and the help I had.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate & Vanilla Frosting - dairy free

Even though we lost an hour of sleep Saturday night, I am so glad the clocks are pushed back. It's still (somewhat) light at 7pm! To celebrate the extra daylight, Mr Official Taster and I put in some thought and heavy lifting and created a little garden on our balcony over the weekend (more on that here). Unfortunately, our ten day forecast looks like it did when we lived in Seattle. But soon, I hope, it will be both warm and dry, and we can have dinner outside and enjoy our baby garden. Eventually, we might even be able to eat from our garden. Here's hoping.

As soon as I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it, and Mr OT welcomes any excuse to finish off a bottle of beer. Since this recipe only uses a little, I waited until the weekend so he would be around to drink chivalrously help. As wonderful as chocolate cakes are, I didn't have a party to bring one to, and cupcakes are, well, easier and cuter, so they won. But if you have something or someone to celebrate, go forth and make the cake. It will be both impressive and delicious.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate & Vanilla Frosting - dairy free

inspired by Bon Appetit

Especially with the chocolate frosting, these cupcakes are for serious chocolate lovers. The frosting is super intense, and I think I actually like the cupcakes with vanilla frosting better. Using milk chocolate rather than dark would make it sweeter.

The recipe works with the same quantities of real salted butter and milk. Instead of cupcakes, you can make a cake! Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and then grease and flour over the parchment. Baking time is approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Double the frosting recipe.

Cupcakes (yields 24)

I used Rogue Brewery's Chocolate Stout, but several other breweries also make versions. Guinness is probably the next best thing. 

3 large eggs, separated
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) vegan butter, room temperature
1 1/4 C plus 3 Tbsp sugar
3/4 C chocolate stout, regular stout, or porter
2/3 C freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with cupcake papers. 

Separate the eggs- the whites should go in a medium bowl and the yolks can just go into a small bowl or measuring cup. Separate them when you first take them out of the fridge, and they can come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Place chopped chocolate in small metal or glass bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and set aside.

Meanwhile, cream butter and 1 1/4 C sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add lukewarm chocolate and combine. Then add stout and coffee. Beat in flour mixture in two additions until just incorporated.

With clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 3 Tbsp sugar in a medium bowl until stiff but not dry (I interpreted that as stiff and still shiny) - approximately 8 minutes. Fold egg whites into chocolate batter in three parts.

Spoon into cupcake papers. Fill each mold 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcake tops spring back after pressing lightly with your fingertip (or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Chocolate Frosting (covers about 12 cupcakes)
1/2 pound bittersweet or dark chocolate (54% to 60% cacao), chopped
1 C nondairy milk (I used almond)
1-2 tsp vanilla

Combine chocolate, milk, and vanilla in a glass or metal bowl (you can reuse the one from the batter. one less to wash!) and set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Chill chocolate frosting until slightly thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. If you're impatient like me, place frosting in freezer until thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting over about half the cupcakes. 

*This is too thick to pipe, but if you want to be able to make those pretty piped tops, try adding some butter at the beginning so it's more of a buttercream. Maybe 1/4-1/2 stick??*

Vanilla Frosting (covers about 12 cupcakes)

1/4 C (1/2 stick) vegan butter at room temperature
1 C (~100g) confectioners' sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract
non dairy milk (I used almond)

Cream the butter and mix in vanilla. Add sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If frosting is too stiff, add milk 1 tsp at a time and beat until well combined. Spread or pipe frosting over the remaining cupcakes.

Classic White Birthday Cake & Mocha Frosting - dairy free & vegan

 As you may know, my birthday was Friday. (hey. take the survey.) Friday itself wasn't super exciting (though I did have a lovely dinner out) since I spent the day looking at apartments. I visited six(!) as part of my vetting process. My reward was watching tv and opening presents (with help). Now that was good times. My big birthday present and surprise was a visit from two of my favorite people, coordinated by Mr Official Taster. E and W flew down from Seattle to spend the weekend with me! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he definitely deserves a round of applause for that one.  awesomesauce.

We had a great time. (and Birthday Champagne doesn't hurt) Predictably, food occupied a lot of our time and energy, but we four also went to check out the best of the apartments I looked at on Friday. Everyone ok'ed it, and Mr OT and I decided it was to be our new home. Phew. I am so glad the search is over and that we have a permanent place. 

The new kitchen is insanely tiny - definitely the smallest I've ever had - but that seems to be consistent in this area. Apparently apartment builders have learned that renters prefer their square footage in their bedrooms, living rooms, and even bathrooms. Or do they just assume that people don't really cook? I know that we're told that people cook less than they used to, and I'm sure that's true, but it would be pretty sad if some people never cooked. For my new kitchen, creative organization will be required.

Anyway, back to birthdays. This so-called furnished kitchen is less than actually really furnished, so I aimed for a simple recipe with as few ingredients, pans, and messy steps as possible. 1-2-3-4 Cake is an old classic, and the name comes from the ingredients: 1 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs. The finished product, however, was decadent, and the one I made this weekend was not for the faint of heart. 3 layers of cake, raspberry jam, and mocha buttercream. It was a happy birthday indeed.

Classic 1-2-3-4 Cake - dairy free

makes 3 9-inch layers. I halved the recipe and made 3 6-inch layers. You can also make cupcakes (24?)
1 C (2 sticks) vegan butter, at room temperature
2 C sugar
4 eggs
3 C sifted self-rising flour*
1 C non-dairy milk of choice (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven 350°F. Grease your pans, place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of each, and grease the paper.

With an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy in a large bowl. Add sugar and continue to beat for another 5-7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each one. Alternately add the flour and milk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix in until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Level batter with a spatula or by dropping the pans onto the counter from a height of 2-3 inches a few times. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If you're making cupcakes, start testing at 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

* Self-rising flour has both salt and baking powder in it, but you can make your own at home with the following formula: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour, minus 2 teaspoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mocha Frosting - Vegan

I made one full batch for my 6-inch cake and had some left over, but I think if I had used frosting between the layers instead of raspberry jam, the amount would have been perfect.

1 stick vegan butter at room temperature
3 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee or espresso at room temperature (ish. NOT an exact measurement)

Cream the butter and then add the sugar and cocoa a little bit at a time. Add the coffee slowly, until you've reached the desired consistency. It should take 10 minutes or so to combine everything and beat it enough to give it some volume.

Assemble the Layers!
Stack the layers in whatever order you'd like, and frost just like you would any other cake. I used raspberry jam between each layer, rather than frosting, and it was decadent and delicious. I highly recommend it! This and this are good tutorials if you need instructions or a refresher.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake & Chocolate Orange Glaze - Dairy Free

I hope you had a good holiday weekend! Mr. Official Taster and I stayed very busy and spent a lot of time visiting friends (both in and out-of-towners), which was great. However, by Monday afternoon I was ready to lay in bed with a good book and read. alone. It was fabulous. (more on the book later this week)

Anyway, on Saturday this couple had a housewarming/anniversary bash, so bringing a cake seemed fitting. Plus I like cake.

This cake has lots of great qualities. It's light, sweet, and moist. It can be baked and served from the same container, which just makes things easier. It can handle lots of different frosting varieties, or none at all. It can also be made with fresh ingredients in winter or summer.

I chose a super simple glaze and decoration. If I had more time or inclination, I would have loved to have tried these candied orange slices or homemade gumdrops.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Citrus Olive Oil Cake - Dairy Free
adapted from How to Cook Everything
cooking spray for pan
4 eggs, separated and room temperature
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 + 3/4 C sugar
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C orange juice
zest of one lemon or orange

Separate your eggs when you first take them out of the refrigerator because it's easier when they are cold. Then allow them to come to room temperature for 30 min or so.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 (or thereabouts) pan with cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites in a small bowl until they foam. Then sprinkle in 1/4 C sugar while still beating the whites. Continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks.

In a large bowl, add the olive oil and 3/4 C sugar and mix together. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy (5-7 minutes). Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, mix in the orange juice and zest. The mixture will be very thick and/or crumbly. If it's crumbly, add in a splash more of juice. Don't despair.

Add the beaten egg whites to this thick mixture. As gently as possible, thoroughly mix together the batter and egg whites. You may think they will never combine, but they will.

Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan, frost it if you'd like, and serve it directly from there.

Chocolate Orange Glaze - Vegan and Gluten Free
This is barely a recipe. I've mentioned before that I don't really measure for glazes. Here's a previous recipe.  For this one, I mixed together some confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and orange juice until I had a good amount and the right consistency to just pour it on.

Notes:
I actually used lemon zest and Orange Peach Mango juice from Trader Joe's. It's delicious.

The decorations are also from TJ's. They are Citrus Gumdrops and the best gumdrops I've ever tasted.

Peach Cake - vegan

I heart peaches.

Today's recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, and it's a winner (as usual). It is an unusual way of baking a cake, and the reviews on Epicurious reflect that. A common question asks if it's really a cake, or is it a pie. Maybe a tart?

It does take just about forever to bake, so it definitely requires some planning. I made this one yesterday and first tasted it for breakfast today (what? it's got fruit). The cake itself isn't very sweet, which is perfect, really, because the peaches make up for it.

Peach Cake 
adapted from Gourmet via

For the pastry:
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp Ener-g egg replacer (equivalent of 1 egg)
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick vegan butter, cubed
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 lb ripe peaches (I used about 7), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Make the pastry:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, egg replacer, and baking powder to combine. Add the butter, and pulse just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There should still be lumps. Add the water and vanilla and pulse again, this time until the dough starts to come together.

Turn the dough into your greased pie plate or 9-in springform cake pan. Use your fingers to evenly spread the dough along the bottom and sides of your pan. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the sugar, flour, and tapioca in a large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

Spoon the filling into the pastry, loosely cover with foil, and bake for 90 minutes (yes, really). Remove the foil and bake for another 15-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. It'll firm up while cooling, so don't worry if it's still a bit liquidy)

Notes:
Gourmet's original recipe instructed, "Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar." That's probably not a bad idea, but I don't have a coffee or spice grinder. If you plan ahead, you might be able to use the food processor for that step before you make the pastry in it. Or you could make the pastry, wash and dry the food processor, and then try, but, really, do you want to? It worked just fine without grinding the tapioca, but it definitely would look prettier (no tapioca lumps) if I had.

Do a better job of greasing your pan than I did. The picture above is post some scraping/eating of bits left behind.

Dairy Free Lemon Layer Cake with Vegan Mocha Frosting

I hope that you have some fun weekend plans, and I think a layer cake can sweeten whatever they are! I have a pretty exciting weekend planned, actually. On Friday night Official Taster and I are celebrating our upcoming nuptials with some of our friends here, and then we'll catch a late screening of Harry Potter. I'm both excited and a little sad that it's the last movie. I also have some highly anticipated girl time scheduled. What about you? Big plans or just enjoying some sunshine? If you have any to spare, Seattle could use some.

If you made a Rainbow Cake, you may have some egg yolks in your refrigerator just crying out to be used. I know I did. So I dug through my books and ended up adapting a recipe for gold layer cake from the classic Joy of Cooking.

It was a significantly simpler process (2 layers instead of 6 makes quite a difference) that yielded delicious results. I'm not sure how long egg yolks stay ok in the fridge, but I used mine within 24 hours. If you choose to use real butter, you'll also need to add 1/4 tsp salt.

Lemon Layer Cake
2 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C vegan butter at room temperature
1/2 C sugar
3 egg yolks at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla or grated lemon rind*
3/4 C almond milk, or other non-dairy milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and line your 9" cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift the cake flour and baking powder (and salt if using real butter) together into a bowl and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the egg yolks and then vanilla or lemon rind. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. 

Divide the batter evenly between two 9" cake pans and bake for about 18 minutes. When the layers are done, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. 

Mocha Frosting - Vegan
1 stick vegan butter at room temperature
3 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee at room temperature (ish. NOT an exact measurement)

Cream the butter and then add the sugar and cocoa a little bit at a time. Add the coffee slowly, until you've reached the desired consistency. It should take 10 minutes or so to combine everything and beat it enough to give it some volume.

When the cakes have cooled and the frosting is ready, layer the cake and frost! Raspberry jam would also make a great filling flavor.


*I actually used a 1/4 tsp Fiori di Sicilia (a little goes a long way. it's quite potent) and 3/4 tsp vanilla

Rainbow Birthday Cake with Mocha Frosting! {dairy free & vegan}

I got my first sunburn of the summer this weekend while spending the day at the beach. Granted, I was wearing a sweater, and it took several hours to get a little bit of pink on my nose and forehead, but still. 

Beach. Sunburn. Birthday cake. Good times. 

Now, it was no ordinary birthday cake, but, then again, it was no ordinary birthday girl. E and I have been friends since high school, and she has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders, whether I want the attention or not. I hope you all each have someone (or a few someones) like that in your life.

Rainbow Birthday Cake 
This cake is not as complicated as it looks, but you do need to have several hours to devote to it. I baked my layers on Friday afternoon and put the whole thing together on Sunday morning. If you do them in separate steps, wait for the layers to cool completely, then wrap them each tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you're ready to layer and frost the cake.

I made mine dairy free, but the recipe works with the same quantities of real butter and milk. Please add 1/2 tsp salt to the cake batter.

I like this frosting because it is egg free, and avoiding raw eggs at a picnic seemed like a good idea.

White Rainbow Cake - Dairy Free via Whisk Kid
2 sticks vegan butter at room temperature
2 1/3 C sugar
5 egg whites at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
3 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C almond milk at room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring. liquid food coloring will make pastel layers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and line your 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Unless you have 6, you'll need to reuse them.

Sift together the flour and baking powder (and salt, if using real butter).

Weigh a large mixing bowl. Either note it's weight or tare the scale. Use that bowl to cream the butter and sugar, and then add your egg whites a little at a time (it's easier to separate them while they are still cold, so do that when you first take them out). Add the vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Then, alternating between the flour mixture and milk, add each in two parts (flour, milk, flour milk).

Now weigh your bowl + batter and determine the weight of the batter. Divide that weight by 6, and then separate 6 roughly equal amounts of batter into separate bowls. Add a good amount of food coloring to each bowl and whisk to incorporate.

Pour into cake pans and bake each layer for 15 minutes. When you remove each pan, allow the cake to cool in it for about 10 minutes, then flip onto your cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Mocha Frosting - Vegan
I used 2.5 batches of this on my cake, but unless you have a stand mixer (I think?), I would recommend making it at least the two separate times. If I had made it all at once, I'm pretty sure my hand mixer would have started to smell burny.

1 stick vegan butter at room temperature
3 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee at room temperature (ish. NOT an exact measurement)

Cream the butter and then add the sugar and cocoa a little bit at a time. Add the coffee slowly, until you've reached the desired consistency. It should take 10 minutes or so to combine everything and beat it enough to give it some volume.

Assemble the Layers!
Stack the layers in whatever order you'd like, and frost just like you would any other cake. This and this are good tutorials if you need instructions or a refresher.

It should be fine at room temperature, but my frosting definitely showed signs of slipping when it was outside for a while, so refrigerate it before you do that and keep it out of the sun.

DIY Wedding Cakes

Martha Stewart Weddings claims these beauties are DIYable for your (or someone else's) wedding. I think that might be true if you're already artsy, crafty, bakey, etc. However, as one of the recently engaged, I'm not so sure, even though I am already artsy, crafty, bakey, and kind of an overachiever. What do you think? Is it crazy for a bride to take on her own wedding cake?

I Love Birthdays!

I really do! And so, in celebration of my own, I direct you to this collection from Martha Stewart. I would be happy to accept any of these (both pretty pictures and recipes abound). Also, because I heart Gourmet, I want to direct your attention to the Mile-High Chocolate Cake. What's not to love?

Bejeweled Cakes

This collection of jewelry inspired wedding cakes from Martha Stewart Weddings seemed like a nice bit of pizazz for a wintry Monday morning. Enjoy!

And please take the 10-second survey if you haven't!

Is it cake? Is it pie?

So, Tuesday was Official Taster's birthday. I love birthdays! For some reason though, he doesn't have the same attitude about his that I do about mine. I make it a month long celebration. I don't want to vacuum? It's my birthday. I want extra dessert? Birthday. (for those of you keeping track at home, January is the magic month) So for those nearest and dearest, I always try to make at least the actual day special. Obviously, if I can overdo it in the dessert department, I'm well on my way.

So last week, OT came home from work all excited. "Did you know there's this dessert where they bake..." I knew the rest: a pie into a cake. Yes, folks, he just let on that a) he missed a blog post and b) I actually knew something trendy before he did. I had already been contemplating attempting this Cherpumple feat, but that decided me.

On Tuesday, I made a two layer pie-cake extravaganza. The bottom layer is a spice cake surrounding an apple pie, and the top layer is chocolate cake surrounding a mixed berry pie. I frosted everything with just a basic vanilla buttercream, since it seemed there were enough flavors. I didn't do the most beautiful frosting job, but we wanted to eat!

So if, after reading about and watching the video, you were curious how it turned out, here's your answer. Awesome! No, really. Awe inspiring. Rich, moist, sweet, a sometimes strange mingling of flavors. Definitely worth a try!


Such an unassuming cake from the outside!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake - Vegan and (easily) Gluten Free

Happy Fall! Even if it doesn't feel like fall where you live, it's officially autumn, and, for me, that means candy corn, pumpkins, apples, and the crisp feel of the air. It means I can start adding cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice to everything. It's a good season.

This cake is super easy, both in the making and in the cleaning up, like the Blood-Orange Olive Oil Cake I showed you earlier this year. It's also super easy to eat for breakfast. It's very moist and quite rich. I made a simple glaze, mostly because Official Taster has an issue with frosting-less cakes. It doesn't need it, but it works. You could also just dust on some powdered sugar to jazz it up if you'd like.

I happened to find a can of pumpkin pie mix in the pantry, which is what I used in this cake. It's just regular canned pumpkin with pumpkin pie spices already mixed in. When you make this, you can just use regular pumpkin with or without spices or this pre-mixed stuff. Depends on how sweet you want your cake and how pie flavored you want it.

For all you gluten free folks out there, I believe this cake would lend itself very well to substituting either an all-purpose gluten free flour or the sorghum blend I told you about for my patriotic cupcakes.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
cooking spray
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
2 C all purpose flour
1 C water
1 C sugar
1 C pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan, and either flour it or use cocoa instead (no white splotches on the finished cake that way)
2. Combine water, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Sift baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and flour into the mixture and beat until very smooth.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake and let cool in the pan at least 5 minutes. Remove cake from pan and finish cooling on a rack.
4. Frosting is optional. For a chocolate pumpkin glaze, combine some confectioners sugar, cocoa, and pumpkin until smooth and your desired thickness. Drizzle or spread on cake. Another option is to dust with confectioners sugar.

Lovely Wedding Cakes

One of my best friends in the world is getting married today! I am so happy for her and her lucky groom. In honor of her wedding, I'm linking you over to Real Simple for their collection of 12 Great Wedding Cakes. Photos by Tara Donne.

Enjoy!

A Little Bit of Awesome

I know I haven't posted all week, but you may have picked up on the fact that I moved, so I'm laying the blame on the packing, moving, cleaning, working, moving some more, cleaning, thrift store runs, more moving...you get the idea. Unfortunately, I didn't get any welcome baskets, but instead several "hellos" and even an offer of help (though that came after the really heavy stuff).

However, I think that many of you will forgive my dereliction of duty when you watch this video from Charles Phoenix. It's pretty phenomenal. Not only is he surrounded by cute vintage ovens, but he surrounds pie with cake. Three times, in fact.

He's named his creation the Cherpumple. A three layer cake with a pie baked into each layer. You have to see it to believe it!

Charles Phoenix is pretty entertaining throughout. My favorite quote? "You don't want to be stingy with the frosting, ever, on any cake." Words to live by.