It was a busy, busy week, followed by a busy, busy weekend. Somewhere in the chaos, I'd forgotten I'd signed up to make treats for the elementary school carnival. Yikes!
Now, the Sexy Vegan Mama family has two cars, and three drivers currently arm wrestling over who gets to drive them. Y'all might find it hard to believe, but arm wrestling is not my gift. That's how, when I realized I was out of both almond extract and cocoa powder, I was forced to improvise due to a lack of transportation to the grocery store.
The result - through a tremendous stroke of luck and a prayer - was fabulously Fall-ish, and completely scrumptious.
Pumpkin Spice Mini Cupcakes
1 2/3 c. unbleached flour
1 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. canola or olive oil
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. canned pumpkin pie filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cane juice crystals, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Add water, oil and apple cider vinegar, mixing well by hand or with a stand mixer.
Beat in pumpkin pie filling and continue beating for two minutes or so; until batter is light and creamy.
Line mini cupcake tins with paper liners. Tip: Spray inside of papers with a small blast of non-stick spray before filling for easy cupcake removal after baking!
Fill cups about 2/3 full with batter.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.
Makes 48 mini cupcakes.
Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. vegan stick margarine, firm (I use Nucoa)
4 oz. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (half of an 8 oz. tub)
1 t. maple extract
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
About 4 c. vegan powdered sugar
In a large bowl, cream together margarine and cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer.
Add maple extract and blend well.
Beat in cinnamon.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
Decorating Notes:
I used a Wilton #21 star tip to pipe icing onto my Pumpkin Spice Mini Cupcakes.
Hope you find these as frightfully fun as my family did (I had to make another batch for the carnival after most of the originals mysteriously disappeared. I suspect GHOSTS... EEEEEEK!)!
Happy Vegan MoFo! We're on the downhill side of the Vegan Month of Food, but that doesn't mean we're coasting... I'm still whipping up easy, family-friendly recipes!
Speaking of families -- and we were, right? -- my blog is a contender for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom Blogs, and as we move into the last 24 hours of voting, I'd appreciate your vote! No registration is required -- just a click on the VOTE button here. That's it! So easy! Thank you in advance for your support!
Call me a freak, but I have a great appreciation for the "weird" vegetables so many people say they don't like. I suppose it all comes down to preparation, but I'm shocked when I hear folks say they don't care for squash, eggplant, beets, and other wonderful plant foods... Like jicama.
Jicama is entirely underrated, if you ask me. (And you did, right?) It's high in B vitamins and calcium. If you ask me, we should all be gorging on jicama. It's typically eaten raw, and finds itself on veggie platters or sprinkled with lime juice and dusted with chili powder.
It was raining, but I wanted the natural light for these photos!
I'm quite accustomed to seeing jicama of the one- to two-pound size, but my last visit to the produce section offered Goliath-sized vegetables (three and a quarter pounds!) -- more than I could possibly cut up for school lunches with any hope of consumption before going bad.
So, I whipped out my mandoline (the phrase "whipped out my mandoline" makes me feel gangsta) and created a salad. A yummy one.
Jicama Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
4 c. shredded jicama (I used my mandoline; you can use a vegetable grater, if desired)
2 large carrots, grated
2 medium to large avocados, pitted, peeled and cubed
12 - 14 fresh ripe strawberries, rinsed with tops removed
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive or canola oil
1/8 t. ground ginger
2 - 4 T. cane juice crystals or natural sugar (adjust to sweetness of berries and taste)
1 T. black sesame or poppy seeds
Baby spinach leaves
In a large bowl, combine shredded jicama and grated carrot, tossing to mix.
Add cubed avocado. Don't mix, yet. The avocado is more fragile, so we'll only mix it once, after pouring on the dressing.
In a blender, combine strawberries, balsamic vinegar, oil, ginger and cane juice crystals and puree until cane juice crystals dissolve.
Immediately pour strawberry vinaigrette over jicama, carrots and avocado.
Sprinkle with seeds, then gently toss all ingredients together, being careful not to "smoosh" the avocados.
Serve on a bed of baby spinach leaves, and top with cut strawberries.
We're halfway through Vegan MoFo, and still going strong! Have you found something deliciously new this month?
Before I forget, please, please, pretty please go to this link and VOTE for my blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Moms blog contest! No registration required -- just a click! Remember, you can vote once EVERY 24 hours. The contest is winding down, and as a late nomination, I could use some help getting into the Top 25. Thank you!
Princess came home for her birthday weekend. I couldn't be more proud of that young lady... She's anxiously waiting to hear back on her applications to vet school, working, finishing her senior year at university with a major in Wildlife Ecology. It's a marvel to me that I had a hand in producing this amazing human being!
Anyway, for her 22nd birthday, I asked her what kind of cake she wanted. "Chocolate!" she said, which wasn't a big surprise. That girl loves her chocolate. Who doesn't?! "And," she added, "could you make that peanut butter cream frosting you did that one time?"
Ah, yes... That one time. See, it was The Dude's birthday, and our family was spending the weekend at Birch Bay. Our hotel room had a kitchen, so I'd packed everything I'd need to make a fabulous cake and frosting -- with the exception of the vegan margarine, which I didn't want to hassle with chilling during the several-hours-long drive. I figured I'd just pick some up at the local grocery when we arrived.
Except... none of the local groceries HAD vegan margarine. How was I going to make a creamy vegan frosting, with no margarine? I scanned our grocery booty, and spotted the creamy peanut butter. Hey, I thought, margarine is basically just fat, and peanut butter is full of fat. I wonder... It didn't have the exact consistency I wanted, but it worked well enough to cover the cake.
This time, I solved the consistency problem by adding a bit of margarine to make it even creamier and "buttery."
I was all prepared to mix up two layers of chocolate cake when inspiration struck. What if... What if I put peanut butter IN the cake?!
The result was a zebra-striped peanut butter and chocolate cake, and it was divine. The technique to produce zebra stripes in the cake is easy-peasy, and you can find many, many tutorials online, if my photos and description leave anything to be desired.
Happy baking!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Zebra Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting
Peanut Butter Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar (I use Zulka)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T. vanilla
2 T. lemon juice
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
1 2/3 c. unbleached flour
1 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar (I use Zulka)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 c. cold strong coffee or espresso or water
1/3 c. canola or olive oil
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Cream Frosting
1/2 c. vegan stick margarine
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 lb. vegan powdered sugar
1/8 - 1/4 c. vanilla soy milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl or with your stand mixer, combine the following Peanut Butter Cake ingredients: flour, cane juice crystals, baking soda, and salt, stirring until well-combined.
Blend in cold water, peanut butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat until light, airy and creamy.
Set aside batter and begin Chocolate Cake:
In a large mixing bowl or with your stand mixer, combine the following Chocolate Cake Ingredients: flour, cane juice crystals, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, stirring until well-combined.
Blend in coffee or water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat until light, airy and creamy.
Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
Tip #1: Spray pans with non-stick cooking spray and use a paper towel to evenly disperse the spray over the pans' surfaces, then dust with flour.
Tip #2: Cut two waxed paper circles just smaller than the bottom of the pans, then insert into bottom of pans before pouring batter. Make sure to smooth out any air bubbles before filling. The waxed paper will ensure easy removal when the cakes are turned out.
Pour 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Cake batter into the center of the first pan, and 1/4 cup Chocolate Cake batter into the center of the second pan.
Pour 1/4 cup Chocolate Cake batter directly on top of Peanut Butter Cake batter in first pan, and 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Cake batter on top of Chocolate Cake batter in second pan.
Continue adding 1/4 cup of alternating batter into each pan until all batter is dispersed, and the batter has "smooshed" out to fill the edges of the pan.
On a flat surface, spin each cake pan to push the batter even farther out to the edges. The center of the cake tends to rise more than the edges, so this will help produce a more even cake top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cakes pull away from edges of pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
While cakes are cooling, make your frosting:
With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together margarine and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.
Add powdered sugar, turning mixer down to low speed, and blend in. The mixture will be a bit dry and crumbly -- don't freak.
Add 1/8 cup soy milk and blend in. If you want your frosting softer and lighter, blend in soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
Return to cooled cakes. Remove wax paper (if used) from bottoms of cakes and flip one onto a serving plate or covered cake circle. Using a serrated knife, carefully level the cake.
Fill a decorator's bag with frosting and pipe a thick border around the top of the leveled cake. I use a Wilton #21 star tip for this.
Spoon out a generous amount of frosting into center of cake and spread a thick layer to the piped border. This will be your cake "filling."
Flip the second cake and place directly on top of first cake. Using your serrated knife, level off the second cake.
Cover the entire cake with a crumb coat and chill for 30-45 minutes.
To cover the cake, I used my Wilton #21 star tip and a decorator's bag to pipe random scrolls onto the top and sides of the cake. Note: I actually ended up using one-and-a-half batches of Peanut Butter Cream frosting.
Princess picked out her own candles. I must say, I agree with her selection, as she's certainly a STAR!
Let's make one thing clear... I'm NOT one of those crafty moms who scrapbooks, decorates my house for every season, turns vintage suitcases into shabby chic conversation pieces, or makes masterpieces of boxed lunches.
I'm just not.
What I AM is a mama who's always looking for fun, easy ways to get food into my kids' bodies, while acknowledging our entire family's hodgepodge of food restrictions:
I'm vegan, Pepper has digestive issues (we're still working on identifying those -- she's heading toward a referral to a GI specialist), Curlytop and Snugglebug are allergic to Red Dye 40, and poor little Snugglebug can't have fruit if it's juiced or dried due to the change in sugar concentration.
(Oh, by the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
I also don't have a ton of time on my hands, so when I see those crafty moms cranking out cute-as-a-button bentos, I'm absolutely floored that anyone, anyone would spend so much time creating a meal that's going to roll around in a backpack for a few hours before its precious owner gets around to eating it.
Still, there's something to be said for a cute lunch when you're a pigtailed princess in kindergarten or the first grade... So I made a quickie little bento that's so simple, even a caveman mom of seven can do it.
About the bento boxes -- I picked them up in a Tokyo hotel gift shop, and I'm sure I paid too many Yen for them, but they're adorable, and they've held up well over the past couple years, with just a bit of scratching to the adornment on the top lid. I haven't found the exact same ones online yet, but these are similar in design, except they include a spoon, rather than chopsticks. Plus, they're less than ten bucks. Woohoo!
They have a shallow tray on the bottom with a lid that fits snugly inside the edges, then a deeper tray on top, with removable partitions and a snug-fitting lid. On top of all of it is a clear, shallow, hard plastic top which creates a storage area for small plastic chopsticks (included in the set) or other tiny utensils. (I'm fond of keeping and reusing for lunches the diminutive plastic forks which come in Simply Asia's Sesame Teriyaki noodle bowls (they're vegan!), which I pack when I'm traveling to places where I'll be cooped up in a hotel room or where vegan options are hopeful, at best.)
Anyway, to make this bento, I:
Cut vegan whole wheat bread slices with a bear-shaped cookie cutter (that link goes to the exact one I use)
Made a sandwich with PB & J (no "J" for Snugglebug, as she can't digest the sugar, and if your kid's school has a "no nuts" policy, you can use tahini, or make whatever sort of sandwich your progeny will eat)
Used a wooden skewer to pierce the bread where the eyes, nose and bow tie would be to help the "decorations" stay put better
Placed a dried currant in each of the holes for the eyes and nose (I had to take Snugglebug's currants out before sending her off to school... She said, "Mom! Are you trying to make me sick? You know I can't have RAISINS!" I tried to argue, "They're currants, Honey, and they're just for the pictures," but... Cue dramatic meltdown.)
Placed two dairy-free chocolate chips, point-to-point, at the bear's neckline for his bow tie
Tucked cut broccoli florets around the bear
Used an inexpensive cupcake paper to line the small compartment, then filled it with slivered almonds and dairy-free chocolate chips (I know they make fancy, colorful bento liners, but I'm cheap, and I always fail to plan ahead. Cupcake papers work fine.)
Filled the bottom tray with baby carrots, garbanzo beans and fresh peas
That's it! Is that the simplest bento ever, or what?!
Did I mention I need to get serious about getting to the grocery store to do some major shopping? Maybe I mentioned it here? In any event, my crazy work schedule and lack of time haven't help me get to the store.
Oh! Before I forget... Please vote for this blog in Circle of Moms's Top 25 Food Allergy Moms blog contest! I'm a late nomination, so I need lots of help. You can vote once per day here, and no registration is required. Thank you!
Anyway, I did have a few cans o' stuff hiding in the pantry, so I threw 'em together to make a slightly sweet, slightly citrus, totally noshable dinner. Beans for protein, water chestnuts for a little crunch and texture, orange marmalade for zest and flavor, and coconut milk for creaminess.
Here's how it goes:
Angel Hair Pasta with Coconut Orange Sauce
1 - 15-ounce can kidney beans
1 - 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 - 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 a 22-ounce package angel hair pasta
2 T. vegan stick margarine (I use Nucoa)
2 T. unbleached or whole wheat flour
2 T. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
1 - 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 c. orange marmalade
dash ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg
shredded or flaked coconut for garnish
Open cans of kidney and garbanzo beans and rinse in a large colander. Add chopped water chestnuts and frozen peas to colander.
Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions. Dump into colander to drain. (The hot water and noodles will thaw and warm frozen peas and beans!)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together margarine and flour to make a pasty roux.
Add cane juice crystals, coconut milk, marmalade, cinnamon and sugar, stirring over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and marmalade is mixed well into the sauce.
Continue to cook over medium heat to a boil, then boil for three minutes, stirring constantly. Sauce should thicken and become shiny.
Return colander contents to large pot and pour heated sauce over the top. Gently stir in to coat noodles. If necessary, simmer the contents over low temperature to heat throughout.
I always thought these lacy little wafers would be hard to veganize and bake. In fact, when William Maltese, my co-author in GET-REAL VEGAN DESSERTS: Vegan Recipes for the Rest of Us (coming soon from Wildside/Borgo), and I were discussing recipes we'd like to recreate in vegan form for the cookbook, I found a recipe card of my grandmother's... and almost tossed it in the "way too difficult" pile.
I'm glad I didn't, because these Florentines are a dream, and very simple to make.
Now, the directions say to drizzle the wafers with melted chocolate in a lacy pattern, but as William and I note in the cookbook, food-as-art is not everyone's gift (and certainly not mine). These delicately crispy cookies will taste great whether your chocolate is drizzled in a manner to rival Michelangelo or -- like me -- Jackson Pollock.
In fact, Pollock is credited with the following quote:
It doesn't matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said.
I'm saying, "COCONUT, and CHOCOLATE." Which, incidentally, I feel is enough.
I hope you enjoy making these little treasures as much as William and I did. Oh, and... Happy Vegan MoFo!
(By the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
Coconut Florentines
From GET-REAL VEGAN DESSERTS: Vegan Recipes for the Rest of Us
1/2 c. unbleached flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1/4 c. vegan stick margarine
1/3 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
2 T. light corn syrup
1/2 T. egg replacer powder, beaten with 2 T. water (we use Ener-G)
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. non-dairy chocolate chips
1 T. vegan stick margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir flour with baking soda and salt.
Cream in margarine.
Gradually cream in cane juice crystals or natural sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add corn syrup and egg replacer, blending well.
Stir coconut and vanilla into flour mixture.
Drop by half-teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, about three inches apart. The wafers will bake "out" a lot, and spread.
Bake about 8 to 10 minutes. The edges of the wafers will be golden brown.
Remove baking sheets from oven and cool one minute, then quickly remove wafers from sheets. If wafers harden on pan, return to oven for about one minute to soften.
Melt chocolate and 1 tablespoon margarine in saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle in a lacy pattern over the wafers. Let stand until chocolate is firm.
Oh, HAI... Is it still Vegan MoFo? Because, you know, I feel like I've already done a month's worth of frantically trying to keep the chaos down to a livable level. Still October, is it? Not even halfway through the month? *sigh* Okay.
So, here's the thing... Mr. Wright works lots of hours and has a lot of extracurricular activities that make my work schedule a bit... um... unworkable at times. (Did I tell y'all he's a rock star in his spare time? Well, he is. He's a drummer, and his band gigs all over North Central Washington. I'm not gonna lie... I think it's HAWT.)
So, I have to work when I "can," and that sometimes means he makes dinner while I do that crazy work thang. (And I work hard for my money, yo.)
Anyway, this is what omnivorous Mr. Wright threw together for the kids the other night. It was completely edible, and he made sure it contained protein and was vegan for the mama. HE EVEN TOOK PHOTOS FOR MY BLOG.
That, my friends, is LOVE. (Speaking of LOVE, did you notice the plate? It says, "Love is..." and lists all seven of our kids' names. In the center, which you can't see, it says "DAD." It's his special plate, hand-painted by yours truly, and he uses it all the time. Don't ever let him tell you he isn't sentimental.)
He calls it:
The Accidental Vegan's Pasta Sauce
1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 a medium green bell pepper, diced
1 T. olive oil
1 T. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
a couple tablespoons nutritional yeast
black pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
dried basil to taste
dried oregano to taste
1 - 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 - 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 a 15-ounce can whole kernel corn
1/2 a 15-ounce can kidney beans
In a large skillet or wide saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
Add onions and cane juice crystals or sugar, sauteing and allowing onions to "carmelize."
Add celery and green bell pepper and saute until slightly tender.
Add nutritional yeast, black pepper, garlic, basil and oregano, and stir well.
Dump in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, corn and kidney beans and simmer until well heated.
Pair with cooked pasta of your choice. Mr. Wright used a mix of small and large elbow macaronis.
He even did the dishes! <3
(Oh, by the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
"Making grub out of nothing at all" should be my theme for the month, because I'm not sure when things will slow down enough (or I'll get desperate enough) to make my way to the grocery store. Any Air Supply fans out there?
"Out of nothing at aaaallll..." Oh, were you watching me play air piano?! Moving on, now...
A rummage through the refrigerator revealed a pitiful lack of produce, with the exception of one bell pepper, one onion and a couple wilting stalks of celery. Meh... The pantry had a few cans o' stuff, including a huge can of vegetable cocktail juice. Okay, that I can work with. (Though my natural inclination is to mix it with vodka and Tapatio, with a little vegan Worcestershire for a quickie Bloody Mary...)
Anyway, I was reminded of a recipe I created a long time ago, which incorporated five different varieties of beans, along with dairy-free chocolate, to make a delicious chocolate chili. The beauty of it was it could be tossed into the crock pot, where the beans would cook while simmering all day.
I didn't have all day. I had about 40 minutes to get dinner on the table. So, I improvised. That's what sexy beasts desperately harried mothers do.
(Oh, by the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
Sexy Vegan Mama's Quick Chocolate Chili
1 - 15-oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 - 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 - 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained
1 - 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1 - 15.25-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 - 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 - 14.5-oz. can petite diced tomatoes, juice included
1 - 46-oz. can vegetable cocktail juice
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes
1 T. garlic powder
1/2 T. dried sweet basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. hot chili powder
1/2 c. dairy-free chocolate chips
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
Dump all that stuff into a big stock pot, and heat over medium-high heat until everything is heated through, and the chocolate is all melty and blended in.
Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream, if desired. I like Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream.
(Oh, by the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
Cake decorating has come a long, long way since my mama (that's Sexy Vegan Grandma to you) started her little side special occasion cake biz -- which later turned into a ten-year stint as a bakery owner. It seems today, it's all about the fondant. Gotta have the fondant. I, for one, am not a fan of the waxy, mostly tasteless commercial fondants on the market, and the simple make-your-own recipes I've run across are largely not vegan. (Hello, gelatin-laden marshmallow ingredients...)
So, I made my own make-your-own recipe. LIKE A BOSS.
It tastes better than most, and will fulfill your vegan cake needs. Disclaimer: I do not fancy myself a professional cake decorator, by any stretch of the imagination, so my cake photos don't do the recipe justice, but... just bear with me.
Anywho, I'm sure your cakes will look better than mine with this simple recipe:
Sexy Vegan Mama's Vegan Fondant
1 c. (2 sticks) vegan stick margarine (I use Nucoa)
1 c. light corn syrup
1 t. almond extract
1 T. cream of tartar
2 lbs. vegan powdered sugar
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. additional vegan powdered sugar
In a stand mixer, combine margarine, corn syrup, almond extract, cream of tarter, two pound powder sugar and sea sale until well-mixed and smooth.
Dust your clean work surface with a bit of powdered sugar and dump mixed fondant onto surface, then knead in an additional pound to pound-and-a-half powdered sugar to create desired consistency.
Finished fondant should roll out easily between sheets of waxed paper to a thickness of 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch before being placed on cake.
Don't forget to prepare your cake with a crumb coat before applying fondant.
I recommend my Coconut Almond Cream Cheese Frosting. You may also use a spritzer bottle filled with water to mist the cake before and after applying fondant to 1) help it stick and 2) smooth the fondant without cracking and 3) add a sweet shine.
Notes:
Color your fondant by cutting off an appropriate-sized chunk, then squeezing a few drops of food coloring on it and kneading thoroughly, until evenly mixed. I recommend wearing gloves, unless you're fond of blue hands (or whatever color you're using).
Keep your remaining fondant covered with a damp tea towel while you're working, so it stays moist.
If you find your fondant is drying out while applying to the cake, spritz it with water.
Additional notes on creating the cakes pictured above: For Pockets's birthday cake last year, I made a bass guitar. I used Crows candy for the knobs, blocks of vegan chocolate for the plate thingies under the strings, sour licorice "floss" for the strings and bars between the fret mark thingies, and vegan chocolate chips for the fret marks. I don't play guitar... Can you tell?
Anyway, for the wood grain on the neck, I GENTLY kneaded some cocoa powder into the fondant (not thoroughly kneaded, mind you) before rolling out. The uneven distribution of the cocoa powder, when rolled, produced a lovely wood grain effect:
For his graduation last year, I made a set of books with a mortarboard on top. Omigosh, I can't even begin to tell you the panic I was experiencing as guests began to arrive for his party, and the cake wasn't finished. I sort of threw it together, so pardon the little cracks and waterlogged appearance of the "book cover." Anyway, to make the "pages," I applied a white fondant to the side of the cake, then used a knife to score it to represent the pages:
For the mortarboard top, I covered a square of thin cardboard in fondant, and used red licorice floss and strings of white frosting to make the tassel, and secured with a fondant "button." Again, please ignore the little cracks and finger marks I didn't have time to smooth before photos. Ha!
Each "book" is resting on a cardboard base, hidden by the fondant, and cut wooden dowels were pushed through each layer to support the weight of the layer above. There are dowels in the top book to support the mortarboard.
WARNING: This "buttery" recipe will NOT help you lose weight. However, it will cure a sweet tooth, and make you look like a dynamo with just a few simple ingredients. And, as always, it's cholesterol-free, so your arteries will approve, as well as your tummy!
Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt... Measure, measure, measure... Who has time for all that, when there's a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey waiting on the nightstand? (Or, insert your current distraction.)
Let's simplify, shall we? Check it out:
Cheater's Apple Coffee Cake
2 c. Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix (did ya know it's vegan?!)
1/4 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
1/2 T. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. + 2 T. vanilla soy milk
1 medium tart apple, diced (Granny Smiths are superior. This is not a debate.)
1/2 c. vegan stick margarine (I use Nucoa)
1/4 c. cane juice crystals or natural sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir together Bisquick, 1/4 cup cane juice crystals, and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon.
Add vanilla soy milk and mix well.
Add diced apple and stir in.
Melt margarine in microwave or on stovetop.
Using a large spoon, drop spoonfuls of apple batter into melted margarine, coating each before arranging evenly in an 8-inch round ungreased cake pan. If you have left over melted margarine, just pour it over the batter. Mmmmmm... margarine...
Combine final 1/4 cup cane juice crystals and teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl, stirring well, then sprinkle over top of batter in cake pan.
Loosely cover pan with foil (the cake will rise a lot while baking, so don't secure edges of foil) and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven, let stand for five minutes, then use a knife to gently loosen edges of cake before turning out. Place one plate on top of cake in pan, then turn pan upside down, liberating the cake. Immediately place another plate on top of exposed bottom (*gasp* How embarrassing!) of cake. Gently holding both plates, flip the plates over and remove the plate from the top of the cake, resulting in the cake being right-side-up on the second plate.
This... This is not my prettiest serving plate. But it was the closest!
Allow to cool a few minutes before slicing with a serrated bread knife.
I can't emphasize enough the importance of enjoying this cake while it's still warm... Trust me!
(Oh, by the way, please go VOTE for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Food Allergy Mom blog contest! Sexy Vegan Mama was a late nomination, and there are only a few days left of the contest, so I have a lot of catching up to do! You can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you!)
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