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The Daring Bakers challenge deadline snuck up on me, again. It’s been a rough month. My talented friend Lisa was this month’s challenge host and her choice was truly inspired: Cannoli. I had grand ideas for this challenge from the moment it was revealed and, though I didn’t devote the time I wanted to, I didn’t want to let the opportunity to tackle it slip away unaddressed. So I present my challenge 2 days late, with apologies.
The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.
Since I would be making a vegan version of this challenge, I would need an alternative recipe – and I knew exactly which one I’d be using. Last February’s issue of The Vegan Culinary Experience was Italian inspired and it included a perfect-looking recipe for cannoli. I followed the recipe for the cannoli shells and was quite pleased with how they turned out. You can download your free (pdf) copy of the very same issue of The Vegan Culinary Experience (including the cannoli recipe and many, many more recipes) here. And while you’re at it, sign up to be notified when new issues of VCE become available – they’re free and they’re awesome.
For the filling, I knew I wanted to use something that was nut-based and creamy. I had made this delicious almond ricotta before, for (unbelievably delicious) stuffed pasta shells. I used the same recipe as my guide for soaking and preparing the almonds (but left out all the additional savoury ingredients). I processed the almonds until they were completely smooth, added a pinch of sea salt, and added organic maple syrup to taste.
I piped the sweet creamy filling into my cannoli shells, drizzled more organic maple syrup over top and finished it all off with confectioner’s sugar.
Be sure to visit The Daring Kitchen and check out what the other Daring Bakers are up to.
What is it about sweet potato and cake in the same sentence that promises awesome? When I saw this recipe posted at the fabulous VegNews site, I knew I was in trouble.
Five days. That’s how long I lasted between spotting the recipe and making it materialize in front of me.
This cake is delicious – I think it might just make another appearance over the Holidays. Sweet, fragrant and spicy, this dense and super moist delight is like gingerbread in a cake.
I followed the recipe for the cake exactly, except that I used two round 9-inch pans (instead of the recommended 8-inch pans). You could definitely make this cake in a bundt pan or muffin tin – gingerbread cupcakes! I baked for an extra 5 minutes (for a total of 40 minutes), so definitely use a toothpick to determine done-ness. I also made my own sweet potato puree (rather than the called for can), by steaming sweet potato and weighing it to get the required amount. In a pinch, you could probably substitute pumpkin puree – but have you ever noticed how much sweeter sweet potato is? Mmm, sweet potato.
After comparing the icing portion of the recipe to some of my favourites, I decided to reduce the amount of confectioner’s sugar called for, using 3 cups (instead of 4 cups) – which is plenty sweet and has a really nice texture.
I love, love, love the addition of toasted coconut and pecans sandwiched between the two cake layers – so don’t leave that part out!
What to make next? Have you seen the VegNews Holiday Cookie Collection? Yeah, baby.
Happy World Vegan Day! It is also time to reveal the most recent Daring Bakers’ challenge: Macarons. Well, truth be told, it was actually time to reveal the Daring Bakers challenge last Wednesday. Better late than never I say. There was no way I was going to miss out on trying my hand at making vegan macarons, and what better way to celebrate World Vegan Day, the kick off to World Vegan Month.
The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
Macarons were made famous in France, although they may have originally been brought there from Italy. According to Serious Eats, ‘the English word macaroon is derived from the French macaron, which in turn comes from the Italian maccherone, or “fine dough.”‘ These delicate cookies are traditionally made with almond flour (finely ground almonds), confectioners’ sugar, and egg whites. To veganise them, I would have to replace five egg whites. After following the early feedback of my fellow vegan Daring Bakers, I decided to use Ener-G egg replacer to do this. For those unfamiliar with this product, Ener-G is basically a mix of starches and chemical leavening to which water is added – it is particularly well suited to cookies.
I have to say, I was a bit trepidatious upon embarking on this culinary adventure. Whenever the replacement of a mountain of egg whites is in order, things can get dicey fast. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with the results. I achieved a delicate thin crust and a deliciously chewy centre. I had some difficulty piping the dough initially – mine was far too stiff to yield the desired shape. I somewhat rectified this by adding four teaspoons of water to thin the dough a bit. Still, the visual result is not the perfectly smooth dome you might have seen in the pages of Gourmet or the window of a Parisian patisserie – or indeed, the heights of biscuit beauty achieved by many of my fellow Daring Bakers. Nonetheless, I was fairly pleased, considering.
I flavoured the dough with vanilla bean and cocoa and whipped up a batch of the delightful Chocolate Mousse from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, to use as my filling. If you would like vanilla macarons, omit the cocoa. I thought Matcha green tea powder would make a great alternative addition.
This is my veganised version of Fleming’s original recipe.
Vegan Macarons
- 2 ¼ cups Confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups Almond flour
- 2 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
- 6 Tbsp water + 1 tsp
- 1 Tbsp Cocoa powder (omit for vanilla macarons or try Matcha powder instead)
- 1 Vanilla bean (seeds only)
- Filling of your choice, prepared.
1. Preheat the oven to 200F. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the Ener-G and water with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) until it holds soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the Ener-G mixture and stir gently to combine. Add vanilla bean seeds, and Cocoa (or Matcha) if using. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Don’t overmix.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off. It’s easy to fill your bag if you stand it up in a glass and fold the tops of the bag down over the edges before filling with batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized mounds of batter onto parchment lined baking sheets.
6. Bake the macaron for 5 minutes at 200F. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375F. Once the oven has reached this temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly colored.
7. Cool on a rack before filling. I think any soft filling would work nicely – the cookies are delicate so you don’t want to be pressing them together too roughly. I chose to use the Chocolate Mousse recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for my filling. You could also try your favourite ganache recipe.
Enjoy.
Let there be vegan macarons a plenty.
It’s Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food, Day 30.
Will you look at the crumb of that cookie?
Chocolate chip cookies are a very personal thing I find. Some like them crispy, others like them soft. Some like them huge, others prefer them to be more dainty. Some like them loaded up with chocolate, others prefer restraint in that area. You get the picture. Truth be told, I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like. I’m a cookie monster and I’m not afraid to admit it.
What is it about chocolate-chip cookies that brings out the perfectionist in bakers? I’ll admit, I’ve made my fair share of them in an attempt to attain that elusive perfect cookie. I’ve never been completely satisfied with what I’ve made so far. There was always something not quite perfect – the texture, the sweetness, the crumb.
So when I whipped up these delicious cookie specimens from Hello Veggie blog a while back, I knew I was close – oh so close. In fact, those cookies are amazing, and it was quite by accident that I altered the recipe.
I was low on all-purpose flour and so I lessened that and increased the whole wheat pastry flour component. I also used golden sugar in place of dark brown, and reduced the amount. I did not have almond butter on hand (as with my previous attempt) but I did have almonds, so I processed a cup in the food processor until they stuck together when pressed. The almond definitely did not turn into butter but rather a very fine, moist powder. As I discovered later (when I re-made the cookies using almond butter) this makes a significant difference to the crumb of the finished cookie. It adds a lightness that I love and a truly perfect crumb.
This cookie is heavenly.
While the almond paste appears to be the magic ingredient in achieving the awesome texture of this cookie, it does not impart an almond taste – so, to keep the flavour neutral I ran with that idea and made another change: I omitted the almond extract that the original recipe calls for. I chose unsweetened almond milk as my non-dairy milk of choice.
Best Chocolate-Chip Cookies
(recipe adapted from Hello Veggie)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached organic
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached organic
- 1 cup almonds (whole raw, with skin on)
- 1/4 cup non-dairy margarine
- 3 Tbsp almond milk , unsweetened (or soy or oat milk)
- 1/2 cup golden sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375ºF
Add almonds to food processor and process to a very fine grind – stop just short of allowing the almonds to turn into butter. You should get a very fine paste that sticks together when pressed but that will still crumble apart if disturbed. It might take upwards of 5-10 minutes depending on your processor. Be sure to stop the processor occasionally to stir the paste up from the bottom and get the drier top bits down there.
In a medium bowl, cream together almond paste, almond milk, vanilla, and non-dairy margarine until smooth.
In a larger bowl, add both flours, baking powder and salt. Whisk lightly to ensure dry ingredients are combined – do not over beat.
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. Once dough is combined, fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon dough onto ungreased baking sheets. I used a modest-sized ice-cream scoop to measure the dough (I got 22 cookies one time and 24 the next).
Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should just slightly turn golden at some edges or rough corners that might be poking up, otherwise they should stay fairly white. Do not over bake.
Allow cookies to remain on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.
Makes 22 to 24 cookies depending on how big you make them.
Try not to eat them all in one go. It’s not easy.
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It’s Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food, Day 29.
I have been sharing a whole lot of sweets lately. And eating them. We must have balance. Enter, kale.
Kittee taught me how to make kale chips – thanks Kittee!
She generously provided this very clever suggestion for seasoning the kale, and it’s as lip-smacking delicious as it is simple. When you have a hankering for something savoury or salty, this fabulously healthy snack is it. So super easy to make. Who needs potato chips?
Kale Chips
- 1 bunch kale
- olive oil
- soy sauce or bragg’s
- nutritional yeast
Preheat oven to 175F.
Wash kale and remove stems. Cut into manageable pieces. Place in salad spinner to remove water, or pat dry.
Place kale in very large bowl or pot (or season in batches) and season with olive oil, soy sauce and nutritional yeast – to taste. Amounts will depend on how much kale you have and what you like. Be careful with how much soy sauce or bragg’s you add as it might get too salty.
Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and arrange kale in a single layer.
Slide baking sheets into oven. Allow to bake (really it’s drying out, not baking) for 30 minutes – you might want to check it after 20 minutes. The kale will need to be turned over. If it’s still super soggy, leave it in for a bit more before turning. If it has lightened up significantly, turn it over and let it bake for another 20-30 minutes.
If you’re in a rush – you can up the oven temperature to 200F which will cut the baking time in half. Be careful not to let them scorch, which will happen quickly. Monitor them closely.
What you’re looking for is for the kale to become completely dry and crisp – no moisture or chewiness. They will be light as air and feel as though they are made of paper. Delicious nutritious paper.
So much better than chips. Enjoy.
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It is Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food, day 29.
My husband was looking for something sweet and went about going through all the cookbooks in the kitchen, in search of something with the right stuff. Let it be chocolate. He picked up Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s The Joy of Vegan Baking, and soon settled on the Hearty Spiced Cocoa Muffins. I’d never made them before and was all for trying something new.
When I think of muffins I think of something hearty, substantial, something with a little weight – these are light as air. Super light. I’d call them cupcakes. They’ve been infused with a hint of cloves and cinnamon, just enough to compliment the chocolate nicely. They’re like Mexican hot chocolate in cupcake form.
We whipped up some dairy-free cream and made our own spicy hostess cupcakes.
And they taste as good as they look.
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It is Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food. Day 27.
This is Apple Pie Coffee Cake from VeganYumYum blog, where you will find this delicious and simple recipe, and many more.
I thought this idea was genius, personally. You take a simple coffee cake and make it awesome by adding canned apple pie filling. Pick up an organic one and you’re sorted. You could make your own filling, of course – but this is the sort of recipe you turn to when time is of the essence. It whips together in a flash and it tastes amazing. The cake has a beautiful soft texture, with just the right amount of sweetness.
I recently found myself in need of a dessert to bring to a dinner on short notice and this was just the ticket. It was a smash success.
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It is Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food. Day 26.
Chocolate muffins for breakfast? I’m in.
Jae posted the recipe for these scrumptious chocolaty things recently on the front page of her blog, Domestic Affair. Made with yummy spelt flour, they’re super good.
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It is Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food, day 25.
I picked up a fair few pumpkins at the Farmers’ Market this month. I pureed them. And I have begun to bake with the resultant sweet pumpkin gold.
I was leafing through Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s excellent The Joy of Vegan Baking recently and came across several recipes making use of pumpkin, one of which was this Baked Pumpkin Pudding. I felt compelled to make it. Must use that pumpkin puree after all.
This baked pudding is like pumpkin pie in a little cup. Mmmm, spicy. Fragrant. Comforting. It’s simple, quick, and entirely delicious. And the perfect use of any pumpkin puree you might have on hand.
If you don’t have a copy of The Joy of Vegan Baking, why not use your favourite pumpkin pie recipe? Divide the pie filling into single serving ramekins and omit the crust. Easy. And if you don’t have a pumpkin pie recipe, this recipe looks promising.
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It is Vegan MoFo III, the Vegan Month of Food. Day 24.
This is Pumpkin Bread from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s The Joy of Vegan Baking.
Colleen has infused this bread with all the spices you’d expect to find in a pumpkin pie. The result is a spicy, mildly sweet, very pumpkin-y, super moist cake. Very, very moist. Think banana bread, except with pumpkin. My mum, who loves all things pumpkin, could not get enough this cake. We enjoyed it with coffee, and then again the next day for breakfast. Hearty.
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