Superbly Chocolatey Cake

Ingredients*:

Cake:

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Frosting:

3/4 cup Earth Balance

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional topping:

1 Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark: Twilight Delight bar, shaved (using a potato peeler)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla, mixing with an electric mixer for appx. 3 minutes. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely (an additional 30mins - 1 hr). I recommend using a soft spatula to help ease the cakes out without breaking them.

For frosting, cream Earth Balance until light and fluffy. Sit in cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with coconut milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency, appx. 3 - 5 minutes.

Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally and cover the top of each layer with frosting, stacking them on a serving plate. Frost outside of cake, and serve!

*Altered version of All Recipes' Extreme Chocolate Cake.

Dairy-Free Living: Day 7

Daiya's meltability = 100% !

I made quesadillas last night using Daiya's mozzarella style shreds, and it melts! It doesn't taste bad, either. It doesn't taste like your standard mozzarella, but it does taste like cheese.

My mother went to Whole Foods last night, which, like our nutritionist, carries Daiya, Amande, Earth Balance, and the like. She also brought home SO Delicious's Coconut Milk yogurt.

I found that I don't like SO Delicious yogurt. I think it tastes too sweet, and it lacks the between-solid-and-liquid texture one expects in yogurt. I found it more like a lassi than yogurt. I would recommend using their yogurt if you are, in fact, trying to make a lassi, but for just yogurt, stick with Amande.

Too each their own, though. My brother loves SO Delicious's Coconut Milk yogurt, but then again, Seiji has always had a sweet tooth.

Happy Dairy-Free Living!

Dairy-Free Living: Day 6

Quitting dairy has honestly been a lot easier than I expected.

When the nutritionist first announced that it was time for me, like my mother and younger brother, to quit dairy, my brain went insane. What about cheese? Ice cream? Yogurt?

Luckily, baking was not an issue. My mother and brother have been dairy-free for the past couple months, so I have grown accustomed to baking without dairy. Two of my favorite milk and butter substitutes, as you may have noticed in the past few recipes, are coconut milk and Earth Balance, respectively. You can also substitute almond milk for cow's milk in recipes where you want a blander, less sweet, taste.

What brand of coconut milk you buy doesn't really matter, but make sure you buy unsweetened coconut milk to use in baking. Sweetened coconut milk will cause your cakes, brownies, etc, to be far sweeter than most can tolerate.

Many people substitute soy milk for cow's milk, but my mother and brother are also soy intolerant, and so it's coconut milk all the way. Personally, I think coconut milk tastes better anyway.

What about eating? Well, you can put coconut or almond milk in your cereal, you can bake with it, that's great. Milk problem solved. What about yogurt?

My nutritionist showed me a product called Amande, a cultured almond milk yogurt I was rather skeptical about.

Post work-out the next day, I had a staring match with my cherry amande. It looked like yogurt. It smelled like yogurt. But would it taste like yogurt?

"Okay, almond milk yogurt," I said. "You and I better get along real well." Mom looked up from her book, and smiled bemusedly. I took a small bite of the yogurt. "Wow. I actually like it better than regular yogurt," I told Mom, who nodded but refused to taste.

Amande comes in a variety of flavors, and so far, all of them have been yogurt-y and tasteful. I strongly recommend it.

Another dairy-free substitute my nutritionist pointed out was Daiya, a vegan, soy-free cheese that theoretically melts. I haven't tried it yet, but the nutritionist assured me that it tastes like cheese. We'll see.

So I conclude my first Dairy-Free Living blog post. I'll be back - I can't leave you hanging on the meltability (I know that's not a word, but it should be) of Daiya cheese.

Happy Dairy-Free Living!

Dairy-Free Basic Butter Frosting

That's right - dairy-free basic BUTTER frosting!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Earth Balance

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups (1 pound) sifted confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk, to make smooth

Directions:

Blend together Earth Balance, salt, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract. Add appx. 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk, or until smooth.

Spread on your desired desert and enjoy!

Carrot Cake

Ingredients*:

4 eggs

1 1/14 cups vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds

Frosting:

The traditional frosting for carrot cake is cream cheese frosting. However, in the interest of being dairy-free, follow my version of Dairy-free Basic Butter Frosting.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into pan.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

*Altered version of All Recipe's Carrot Cake III Recipe.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (vegan)

Ingredients*:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 tablespoons coconut milk

5 medium stalks rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons tapioca

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Directions:

To make crust**: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Place the 1/2 cup oil in a 1 cup sized measuring cup and top with the 6 tablespoons of coconut milk. DO NOT MIX! Pour oil and coconut milk over flour and blend with a fork or by hand until it forms a ball of dough. Divide dough into 2 balls and place one ball on a sheet of waxed paper. Top with another sheet of waxed paper and roll out to fit your pie plate. Repeat with remaining ball of dough. Peel top paper off of one crust and flip fought into pie plate. Peel off paper and press dough in. Save remaining dough for top crust.

Preheat oven to 425 F (22o C).

To make filling: Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, salt, and nutmeg until the fruit is well-coated. Pour filling into the crust and dot with butter. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut three 1-inch slits in top of crust.

Bake pie at 425 F (220 C) for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 F (190 C) and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven when crust is cooked through, with a golden glint. Allow pie to cool before cutting.

*Altered version of All Recipe's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

**I recommend multiplying crust ingredients by 1.5 to truly have enough for a crust.

Simple Matcha (Green Tea) Chiffon Cake

Ingredients*:

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp

baking powder

2/3 tsp salt

4 tsp matcha

1 cup caster sugar (or finely ground white sugar)

6 egg yolks

8 Tbls vegetable oil

2/3 cups orange juice (or water)

8 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 170 C (or 340 F).

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and matcha.

Add 1/2 cup of the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until the mixture turns pale in color. Add oil and orange juice and mix.

Gradually add the sifted flour to the mixture and lightly mix.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and slowly add remaining sugar. Continue beating until peaks form.

Mix 1/3 off the egg whites into the batter.

Fold the rest of the egg whites in, stirring carefully.

Pour batter into an angle cake tin (or bundt cake, if you don't have an angel cake tin).

Bake for 35 - 40minutes.

Place pan upside down and let cool completely.

Frosting:

You have two options when it comes to frosting:

1) Mix whipped cream with 1/3 package of koshi an (azuki pack), which you can buy at Japanese supermarkets such as Mitsuwa, or make it yourself.

2) Stir in 1 package of tsubu an with Basic Frosting. For a dairy-free option, substitute coconut milk for cow's milk and Earth Balance, "a naturally buttery spread", for butter.**

*Altered version of Group Recipe's Green Tea Chiffon Cake.
**This frosting option is also vegan.

Note: This is what the Koshi an package from Mitsuwa looks like.

Allergy-free Brownies (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, AND vegan.

Recipe*:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

1 cup potato starch

1 cup rice flour (brown or white)

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix potato starch, rice flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in large bowl. Blend bananas, oil, and water in a separate bowl. Stir the dry mixture into the banana mixture until blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares.

*Altered version of All Recipe's "Brownies-Allergy Free!"

Basic Sugar Cookies

Recipe*:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (or Earth Balance)

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1.2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 large eggs

1 1.2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer (or use a Kitchen Aid) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (appx. 30 seconds). Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and continue beating until dough comes together, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide dough in half, pat into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).

Generously flour a clean work surface. Gently roll chilled dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters, working as quickly as possible so that the dough remains chilled. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate on a lined baking sheet until firm again (appx. 30 mins).

Transfer cut cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet, leaving appx. 1 inch between cookies. Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes. (Excess dough can be pressed into a disk, chilled, and rerolled.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden, appx. 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to rack. Cool completely on rack. Cover with Basic Frosting as seen in the Lemon-Raspberry Cake or Cupcakes recipe (I recommend not adding any of the optional additions seen in the recipe, but rather sticking to just the frosting) or Dairy-Free Basic Butter Frosting.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

*This recipe is from Food Network.

Lemon-Raspberry Cake or Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients*:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sour cream (dairy-free substitute: Amande almond yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking powder)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (appx. 2 lemons)**

2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces (dairy-free substitute: Earth Balance)

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest**

5 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For cake, lightly brush 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening, butter, or Earth Balance. Line bottoms with buttered parchment paper and dust with flour. For cupcakes, simply put cupcake tins into the cupcake pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine evenly. Stir sour cream (or substitute), lemon juice, and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup, and set aside.

Beat the butter (or substitute) in a standing mixer, preferably with the paddle attachment, on high until light and creamy (appx. 2 minutes). Stop and scrape butter off the sides of the bowl. Continue beating while gradually adding sugar; it should take a couple minutes to add all the sugar. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, appx. 3 - 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

At a low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

For cake, divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the top with a knife.

For cupcakes, fill in cupcakes. Makes appx. 36 cupcakes.

Bake the cakes/cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (35 - 40 minutes for cake, 30 minutes for cupcakes). Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn cakes/cupcakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Frosting***:

1/3 cup butter (or Earth Balance)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 lb (3 1/2 cups) sifted powdered sugar

3 - 4 teaspoons coconut milk

Optional: 1 - 2 containers fresh raspberries

For cupcakes, frost and serve!****

Filling (for cake):

1 1/4 cups sugar

5 large egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice**

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces (or Earth Balance)

1/2 cup red raspberry jam

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a mixer's bowl above the water. Whisk the sugar, egg whites, lemon juice, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, appx. 1 - 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the whites at medium-high speed until they almost hold a stiff peak and are cool (appx. 10 minutes). Beat in the butter, a little at a time, until the icing is smooth and spreadable. (If the icing separates, just keep beating and it will come back together.)

Assembling the cake:

Slice each cake in half horizontally. Place one layer on bottom and top with 1/3 of the filling mixture. Place a second layer on top and repeat. Do the same for the third layer, then add the final layer and top it with the frosting.

Serve immediately or set aside at room temperature for up to 2 hours before serving. If refrigerating the cake, bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

*This recipe is from Food Network.

**Do this before beginning the recipe.

***From Southern Food's Basic Butter Frosting Recipe.

****Make sure to refrigerate.

Easy Chocolate Mousse Cake* (CONTAINS DAIRY)

Recipe:

1 chocolate cake (either from-the-box cake mix or the chocolate birthday cake)

14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 1oz squares (2oz) of unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 cup cold water

1 package Jello instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup heavy cream, stiffly whipped**

In a large bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate until well blended.

Gradually beat in water and pudding mix until smooth.

Chill in refrigerator for 30mins.

While mousse is chilling, prepare and bake cake mixes as directed. Use two round dishes, each 9inches in diameter.

Remove mousse from fridge. Beat until smooth, and fold in whipped cream.

Chill at least 1 hour.

Place one layer of the cake on a serving plate; top with half of the mousse mixture. Place second layer of cake on top.

Frost top and sides of the entire cake with the remaining mousse mixture.

*This recipe comes from Eagle Brand.

**I altered the amount of heavy cream. The Eagle Brand recipe says to use 1 cup, but I've found that, for a sturdier mousse, 1/2 cup is the right amount. However, if you want a runny mousse, 1 cup is perfect.

Chocolate Birthday Cake (family recipe)

Cake:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1/2 cup sour cream (dairy-free substitute: 1 cup plain Amande almond yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking powder)

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups cake flour

2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup hot water

Frosting:

3oz pkg cream cheese (Tofutti for you non-dairy people)

2 Tbs coconut milk

2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 square unsweetened chocolate

2 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 325. Beat together white sugar, brown sugar, Earth Balance, sour cream (or substitute), vanilla, cake flour and melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, mix baking soda with water and add to above. Pour into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Frosting:

Once cake has cooled, make frosting to add.

Blend cream cheese (or Tofutti) and coconut milk.

Add powdered sugar gradually, blending well.

Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt.

Add food coloring if desired, and apply to cake.

Easy Homemade Brownies

Recipe:

1/2 cup Earth Balance (melted)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup flour

A pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9-inch square pan and dust with flour. (Optional: cover pan with parchment paper. This makes removing the brownies - and doing the dishes! - far easier.)

Microwave Earth Balance for appx. 1 minute, or until melted. Mix in the sugar (this can be done simply, with a spoon). Break eggs in large bowl and add appx. 1/3 of the Earth Balance-sugar mixture. Mix well. Add the remaining Earth Balance-sugar mixture and blend.

Add vanilla, cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder, making sure to mix after each addition. Pour brownie batter into pan.

Bake for 25 - 25mins, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let sit about 20mins before cutting.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you wish.

Optional additions:

As you can tell from my photo, I added a couple extra touches. To achieve my exact brownies, you will need:

1 box of Jello chocolate pudding mix

Strawberries

The strawberries are simple; just wash them, cut off the tops, and chop the strawberries into quarters. As for the pudding, follow the instructions on the box. According to the box, the pudding has to sit for a mere 5mins before solidifying. I disagree; I think it takes about 1hr of refrigeration for the pudding to reach its prime.

Then just lop a couple spoonfuls of pudding on the brownies, and pile a few strawberry quarters on top of that. And voila! It'll be just like in the above photo.

Other common additions include nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

Never a Flat Cake

The first time I stuck a cake in the oven, my mother cautioned: Don't expect it to rise. Cakes fall flat all the time. Don't be disappointed.

It rose.

And every consecutive cake has risen as well. I've never had a flat cake. Or brownies. If it's supposed to rise, it has.

Enjoy the recipes.