Chocolate Walnut Cake

I'm feeling creative this afternoon, and while I don't believe this introduction has any sense of direction, I've been questioning my motives in choosing "the vegan lifestyle" lately, so I'm going to go ahead and share...

I drank the Kool-Aid. I've gone from a raging college party girl with a penchant for clear alcohols, Marlboro cigarettes, and fast-food to a full-fledged kook that rambles on about topics such as the many uses of milled flax-seed. People that know me personally think I've lost my mind - they would have never imagined I would become a devoted yogi, a vegan, or a person committed to emotional, spiritual, and physical health. While I've actually found (most of) my mind in taking this path, I often feel that I must let myself stray from time to time in order to keep a sense of balance and sanity. That isn't to say that I regress into old habits - but every now and then I'll indulge in a few drinks, a cigarette, or a vegetarian meal rather than strict vegan. I suppose that's why I love sharing dessert recipes; I'm absolutely enamored by the idea that I can have the best of both worlds in these decadent desserts made vegan.

A slice of cake spurred this epiphany. That sounds insane, but it's true. The taste of rich nutty chocolate with a hint of berry flavor sent me spiraling out into thought - that if I can have a slice of THE MOST MOIST AND DELICIOUS chocolate cake I'VE EVER HAD and it's VEGAN and it was so easy I MADE IT MYSELF then why would I ever turn back?

And the answer, Ladies and Gentlemen, is that I'm not turning back - unless to get another slice of this heavenly cake. Enjoy!

 

Cake

• Canola spray 
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup canola oil 
• 1 cup maple syrup 
• 4 ounces raspberry-flavored coconut milk yogurt or vegan sour cream
• 3/4 cup water

Frosting

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup chocolate soy milk or vanilla soy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish

• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• Raspberries, Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spray an 8" x 8" baking dish or a 9" round pan with canola oil.

3. Prepare Cake: Grind walnuts in the food processor until they have a flour-like consistency. Be careful not to grind them into a paste. In a medium bowl, mix walnuts, flours, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together. Set aside.

4. In another medium mixing bowl, stand mixer, or food processor, blend the canola oil, maple syrup, and coconut milk yogurt together until creamy. Add water and mix again.

5. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until well combined, being careful not to overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread batter evenly.

6. Bake about 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched in the middle and is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven to cool.

7. Go around the sides of the cake with a knife and gently turn over onto a plate.

8. Prepare Frosting: Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender until creamy.

9. Assemble Cake: Frost the top and then the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with fresh berries.

Pumpkin Cake

Nordic Ware Pumpkin Patch Pan

The details are unclear. Driving to an appointment, listening to NPR, I heard snippets of an interview with Adam Gopnik, author of the book the Table Comes First: Family, France and the Meaning of Food.


The interview triggered memories of the table my husband and I made when we were first married. We balanced a piece of plywood over two saw horses and covered it with a table cloth. Later we replaced it with a table from the thrift store. On one end of that table he built a guitar and at the other end I made clay pots. We ate in the middle. We abused that table. One day it cried Uncle and warped, then cracked.

I thought of the oak table I bought at a garage sale 12 years ago. The man selling it told me that his family had shared a meal at that table every evening and after dinner his father would do fine sculpture work there, evidenced by the pock marks in the wood on one side. I sense that table could tell me stories and when I sit down to write at that table, I listen.

BOO
Tables are for gathering around. Offer a little food and we linger together for awhile. It's bonding in it's best form. Sharing a meal builds memories. When the forks are set down, elbows find the table. After a satisfying meal and a couple of glasses of wine, the tongue loosens and connections are made.


BOO
Tomorrow we will celebrate a birthday. The grand finale will be Pumpkin Cake made with pumpkin from my garden and baked in the Nordic Ware pumpkin cupcake pan my Mom gave me for a birthday years ago. 6 cups make the bottoms of 6 pumpkins and 6 cups make the tops of 6 pumpkins. A little frosting to wed the two and you have 6 round pumpkin cakes. One a piece. A stomach ache memory.

PUMPKIN CAKE

1 2/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup Pumpkin
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and sift together. Add remaining ingredients.
No need to grease the pan. Pour the batter into an eight inch square cake pan - or into muffin pans.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes, until a spaghetti noodle inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool.

Frost. Or sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops. Decorate

Come to the table, stay for dessert. There's no telling what will happen.

Gluten-Free

The athletes pulled into my driveway with horn honking on Saturday afternoon. Even when they are in a car they seem to be running. They had already stopped twice on the way to my house to explore Santa Barbara and then the outlet malls here in Camarillo. A straight-through drive would be unthinkable and a little to dull for them.

After hugs and hellos and introductions, the bags started coming out of the car. Oh no, not just little overnight bags - coolers, pillows, stretching equipment and water packs the likes I've never seen. Samantha and her friend Katherine made about 3 trips in and out to gather it all. They planned way ahead for the 25km and 50km runs they were doing on Sunday in the mountains above Malibu. Food and water during distance runs up 5000 feet is serious stuff. Truthfully it makes me a little dizzy thinking of the oxygen deficit at 5000 feet. I'm a sea level gal.

My friend Samantha is one of the founders of the Central Coast Triathlon Club. We have been friends since the late 80s and have had many adventures, some we will keep to ourselves. Her adventure into running and triathlons I do not share. I'm a hiker and beginning runner. Her go-getter attitude is wonderful to be around.

One adventure we share is a gluten-free diet. I've got something for you, she said, and handed me the April/May issue of Living Without, a magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities. While she ran around getting settled, I had my nose in the magazine. It's a gold mine of information and recipes. I knew I'd be making the carrot cake for today's blog.

Before you can make the carrot cake you need to mix up a batch of

Betsy's Gluten-Free Baking Mix:

makes 7 1/2 cups

3 3/4 cups garbanzo bean flour

2 1/4 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1 1/2 cups tapioca starch or flour

Measure the flours into a large container with an airtight lid. Stir very well with a wire whisk until evenly incorporated and no white spots remain. Then seal the container and shake it vigorously for 1 minute

Store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Easy enough. I admit that I didn't do the shaking. Stirring thoroughly seemed sufficient to me. And I had only 3 cups of garbanzo bean flour so I added 3/4 cup almond flour to the mix. Maybe it's why my muffins sank in the centers. They are still delicious.

Moist Carrot Cake
serves 8-10
I made muffins - 2 dozen - you could say I served 24.
very rich without the frosting they suggest - forget the frosting

2 cups Betsy's Baking Mix

1 Tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1//3 cup canola oil ( I used safflower oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrots

1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 8 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Then lightly grease the parchment paper

OR put paper liners in 2 - one-dozen cupcake pans.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the baking mix, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the water and flaxseed meal and allow to thicken for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and oil. Add in the vanilla and then the flaxseed mixture and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the dry ingredients and then fold in the shredded carrots and the raisins.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (or cupcake papers), smooth the tops with a knife and bake for 30 minutes or until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

6. Let the cakes cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack. This is where I head out the door for my one hour power walk. I am not one who waits. Turn the cakes out of the pans and remove the parchment paper. Now you frost it. No thanks, it makes my big toe hurt to think of all that sugar.

Yet Another Fruit Cake

I missed last Tuesday as I was up to my armpits in work and not feeling very much like writing or cooking. I do however cook almost every day in the interest of eating well and not busting the budget. It is ironic that when I am working the hardest that my diet suffers. Grabbing a bite on the run is not a great way to eat healthy at a time when you need good nutrition the most. I have discovered that eating vegan one day a week does not require as much forethought that I originally thought it would. I often find myself eating vegan without planning or knowing. By eating vegetarian it requires only small modifications to eat vegan.

I was listening to a local high school radio station the other day and the announcer was giving tips about eating at the holidays, more specifically not over eating. The way she tells it, is that the holidays are about so many more things than food. What a crock. The holidays are all about food. While we may not want to binge and bulge, food plays an integral part in holiday celebrations, fond memories and comfort once again. It does seem to me that we Americans have a lot of hang ups about food and that they do not serve us well. The anti carb craze, the grapefruit/high protein/liquid/pomegranate/white wine with a cracker and one grape diets give us a skewed view of what food is and should be. Remember the Fit for Life diet that wouldn't let you eat fruit with dairy? The high protein diet where you loose five pounds and your gall bladder too? We are afraid of food.

I'll admit to a few food hangups myself but I really believe that the holidays are a time you should relax a bit and enjoy family, friends and food. It is a bit problematic for me as I am a florist and am usually in a catatonic state by the time Christmas arrives. I do however resolve this year to stop and smell the roses a bit and enjoy some wonderful food. I am about to embark on a life changing change of venue and I need to relearn how to value some of life's simple pleasures. I need to relearn how to relax. It will be a challenge. I give my all to a job I love and stepping back is a concept I have a hard time with. All or nothing is my motto! Perhaps this blog and the resultant good food will help me to change my obsessive ways.

My last blog was about fruit cake and I encourage everyone and anyone to try the recipe. While I am fighting to limit bulge, the other half is on a twelve meal a day diet. So the thirty two servings were gone within three days. For the rest of the month I am going to experiment with holiday desserts, making them vegan and eating every one of them. Screw the fat and calories. Today, Pan Forte, an Italian Fruit Cake. It is more of a candy than a cake and is really quite healthy eating.Full of fiber and protein and WAY better than those protein bars that are all the rage. On Tuesday we substitute agave nectar for the honey (which I am still not sure why we are not eating). Next week we make Pannetone vegan and then I will try to make those thumbprint cookies that my mother was so great at baking. Talk about fond memories!

Pan Forte

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup almonds toasted, whole or slivered

1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted, whole

1/3 cup figs, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup prunes, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup agave nectar(or honey)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

confectioner's sugar for dusting

vegetable oil spray

Combine nuts, fruit and spices. Mix in flour.

Bring sugar and nectar or honey to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two minutes after the sugar is dissolved. Stir into flour/fruit mixture quickly with a wooden spoon and then quickly spread into an 8" cake pan that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and lined on the bottom with parchment. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for thirty minutes and then cool on a rack in the pan for two hours or overnight. Take out of the pan, dust with sugar, slice and enjoy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.


Observations:
I considered making this with maple syrup as I had some grade a that I got as a gift. I think it would have been lovely and is probably easier to get in some parts of the country than agave nectar. I do not have and 8" pie pan so I used a 9" pan and I baked it five minutes less. It turned out thinner but still tasted great. Some recipes I found include chocolate. I think it would be a great addition. Who does not love chocolate? Don't expect it to taste like an English fruit cake, it does not. It tastes much better!

Let There Be Cake

Let’s not mess around today. Let’s get right to the reward, CAKE. Make it first thing in the morning and it will be ready to frost your productive day.

My first attempt at this cake was tested by the resident tasters and deemed a cross between a bran muffin and a chocolate cake. “A hippie cake,” I heard someone say. So for my second attempt I ground the flax seed in my coffee grinder and now it is Chocolate Cake, with none of the disturbing adjectives.

Maybe you have experienced flax seed. If you leave it in water a little while it gets slimy. The Elder told me his sisters used it as a gel when they set their hair in the 30s. I suspect it works as a binder in this cake recipe, since the egg is missing.

Easy Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a friend of a friend’s recipe
Featuring the absence of Gluten, Egg, Soy and Dairy

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch x 13 inch cake pan.

In a bowl, stir together, then set aside:
1 cup Brown Rice Flour
½ cup White Rice Flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flax seed, ground in coffee grinder
½ cup Organics semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup cold rice milk
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup vegetable oil

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Add 2 tablespoons white vinegar and quickly stir until combined. Pour into baking pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

When I first read to add the white vinegar and quickly stir, I thought of the science experiments of my elementary school days. Would this be a volcano erupting? I must learn a little more food science. My suspicion is that the white vinegar reacts with the soda and helps give the cake some lift. It isn’t a big lift, but the texture is light. The chocolate chips weight it down some, but I wouldn’t leave them out. You could, they weren’t in the original recipe.

I didn’t frost my cake. Too much sugar for me. With a scoop of Purely Decadent Coconut Vanilla Ice cream, it was dessert enough.

Back to the beginning.
Breakfast. Fruit – fresh pineapple, fresh orange and fresh plum – a little of each.
Leftover green salad from last night’s dinner – red leaf lettuce, avocado, garden fresh tomatoes, red and yellow, oil and vinegar dressing. Who said breakfast had to be cereal?

Snack: I was reading a healthy snack article in a Real Simple Magazine at the library and there it was, Humus and Crudités. Doesn’t that sound fancy? Raw vegetables become so sophisticated if you call them Crudités. So, put your pinkie finger up and enjoy a snack with the upper crust. Raw carrots, celery, Jicama, broccoli, cauliflower, whatever, dipped in humus to add a little protein and you are energized for another 2 hours.

Lunch: The plan was to make Tomato – Cucumber Gazpacho Soup from an old August, 2006 Sunset Magazine. Alas, no tomatoes in the pantry. Great excuse to take a trip to Lassen’s Health Food Store in Ventura. The Artist had told me that they have a deli that I’d want to check out. I called her to see if she was available for a little field trip. She needed no encouragement and she had plenty of fresh tomatoes from her garden that I could use in the soup. Since I no longer needed the tomatoes, the focus of our food adventure became The Deli. The Gazpacho Soup was postponed to the Dinner hour. Lunch would be found at Lassen’s Health Food Store Deli.

Let me insert a comment here. Retailers beware, every shopper is a critic. Service at Lassen’s was lacking. I call them Slackers, The Distracteds, The Saunters. The Artist thought maybe it was the time of day, but I think Service can’t have a time of day. The food market and the deli were superb. In spite of the service issue I have to say, “Trader Joe’s Look Out, you have stiff competition."

For lunch I chose Dolmas (Dolmathes, Dolmades), grape leaves stuffed with brown rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, cilantro, red pepper. I could buy them at the deli counter or already pre-packaged, 4 in a package. Then I found a vanilla mousse made with coconut milk, dates and vanilla. With a cup of coffee, I had an odd lunch combination. Next time I will know what to expect and not be quite so compulsive in my shopping.

My next trip to Lassen's will be a little more relaxed. There is much to learn there. It is definitely a vegan's solution to convenient meal planning.

Dinner. Tomato-Cucumber Gazpacho soup. Green Salad – spinach, red leaf lettuce, avocado, garbanzo beans, sliced red onion. Oil/vinegar dressing.
And CAKE.