Scraps and Snippets ~ Strawberry Cheesecake Dyno-Mites ~Vegan MoFo #11

Shoot. These are pretty tasty. 

I do not recommend carrying several small glass jars filled with deliciousness over to a corner with good lighting if you have a clumsy gene like I have. 

However, bright side. Even though one dessert (and cute little glass container) was destroyed...I did get to do a thorough cleaning of the entire counter, cabinet trim and shelves. That was on my too do list but now it's crossed off. Win. Win.

Anyhoo. Here's the recipe. 


Strawberry Cheesecake Dyno-Mites

This will make 12-16 individual servings depending on the size of container you use.

I used clear glass candle holders as cups.

Pretzel Crust:

3 Cups pretzels
3 TBSP powdered sugar
4 TBSP coconut oil

In food processor, grind pretzels into crumbs. Add sugar, whir. Add coconut oil and combine. Press crust into individual serving jars, cups or glasses and refrigerate.

Slice one strawberry per cup onto the crust.

Cream Cheese Layer:

1/3 Cup (slightly mounded) of non-dairy cream cheese
1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 Pkge firm silken tofu
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Blend thoroughly.

Spoon approx 1 and 1/2 TBSP into each serving dish over the strawberries and crust.

Strawberry Layer:

There will be remaining cream. To this add 12 strawberries and 2 TBSP maple syrup. Blend thoroughly and layer this over the white cream layer.

Strawberry Syrup:

Process 1 cup frozen strawberries and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Pour this over the strawberry layer.

Whipped Topping:

1 can of full fat coconut milk (pre-chilled)
2 TBSP powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

(Plan ahead on this. One can of full fat coconut milk which needs to be placed in the refrigerator and left for at least 48 hours. I've always got one can in mine, if not two.) When the can is chilled, you open it, and skim off the thick layer of coconut cream (this is not coconut oil, it's about the texture of sour cream or whipped butter and there is a wetter milky layer underneath that you don't want. You want just the thick solid stuff. You can keep the milky stuff for smoothies etc. put in a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer if you don't want to use it right away.) Now, use a mixer, or whisk to whip the coconut cream into a whipped cream texture. Add the pineapple and maple syrup and mix well. Dollop or spread over strawberry layer.

Garnish with strawberry slices.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Strawberry Cream Cake ~ Vegan MoFo #10

This is a very tasty dessert and was perfect for a grown up birthday cake. As far as cake density goes it's moderate, I could definitely tell the flour I used was whole wheat pastry and the egg replacer was flax (I'll try it with Ener-G or ground chia to see if they lighten it up a bit.) The texture was nice and it packed great taste and didn't fall apart while I worked with it. I did chill the layers overnight because of time issues and so that may have helped with stability. Moist but not mushy, it sliced like a dream. However, if you want the mouth feel of angel food cake, this isn't it.

Strawberry Cream Cake

Cake

1 Cup sugar
1 3/4 Cup coconut or almond milk
2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP egg replacer, ground flax or ground chia
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 Cup coconut oil
2 Cups flour

Mix milk with vinegar and let curdle (three minutes or so) add egg replacer powder/flax/chia) while this gels a bit mix oil and sugar add baking powder, soda, mix well. Add the coconut milk mixture and vanilla. Finally add flour and mix until completely incorporated.

Pour batter equally into two greased, floured cake pans. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. Cake will bounce back when touched. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/3 Cup vegan cream cheese
4 Cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Cup coconut cream frosting

Mix this together.


Coconut Cream Frosting

2 Cans coconut cream (thick coconut cream scraped off, liquid used for another purpose. The can of full fat coconut milk needs to be chilled for at least two days before it can be used for this recipe)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup powdered sugar

Mix the coconut cream, vanilla and powdered sugar together until whipped and the consistency to whipped cream. Scoop out a cup for the cream cheese frosting and put the rest in the fridge until you are ready to put the cake together.


A dozen or so thinly sliced strawberries.

Putting it all together.

When the cakes are cool, remove one layer from the pan. Cover that layer with the cream cheese frosting. Add sliced strawberries. Place second layer. Cover the whole cake with cream cheese icing. Then with a ziploc bag pipe the coconut cream frosting onto the top of the cake and around the base. Add the sliced strawberries and serve.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Recipe Trial ~ Winner/Loser Find Out Tomorrow ~ Vegan MoFo# 9

No recipe today. Just the promise of a really good cake...fingers crossed...tomorrow.

My daughter's, known here as &, birthday is today. Happy Birthday, Kid &! She asked for a layer cake. A special one with sweet coconut whip frosting.

And since she made me a delicious chocolate peanut butter cake for my birthday I needed to come through big time. 

There is a local restaurant that puts out this amazing strawberry cream-covered concoction of deliciousness. And in my usual Martha Stewart wannabe (without the Martha gene) enthusiasm this is the cake I've decided to try to make for her. How else to celebrate a birthday - either grand success or an epic fail. Both are memorable. Right? 

The picture is of the cake layers as they cooled. I found four recipes for cake and ran them through my filters...always scary. Once I figured out the ratios and details to make the cake I Veganized the ingredients. Good sign, so far, that the layers are puffy and intact and the crumbs taste pretty fine. The frosting is whipped and waiting. What could go wrong?  

And if they do, well, she also asked me to come up with a Maple Pumpkin Monkey Bread sometime. Today is that day, or actually last night. It is currently baking and smells divine. 

Tomorrow, if all goes well, you will have a Strawberry Cream Cake recipe.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Peppermint Fudge Mousse Pie ~ Vegan MoFo #8

Village Inn makes a peppermint pie around Christmas that I became addicted to pre-Vegan. Seriously addicted. It was creamy pepperminty goodness with chocolate. My youngest daughter worked there for a short time and she brought some home every once in awhile...until I begged her to stop (not really). And then we went Vegan. 

And that pie is one thing I've missed. A hankering to find a replacement jumps on my back now and again and demands I find a Vegan replacement. I've shaken it off and stomped on it forcing it back into submission but during this little project I let myself dream. And dream. And this is what happened. And it scratches my itch. Sigh. 

 4 medium or 2 large vegan candy canes or several peppermint candies,  crushed. Approx 1/2 a cup. If you are less of a mint lover you may want to use less.


Oreo crust:
24 oreos (or other Vegan chocolate sandwich cookies)
1 TBSP coconut oil (Cut to 1/2 TBSP if using Jo-Jo's)
Toss cookies in food processor, with filling intact, powder. Add the coconut oil. Press into a large pie pan. Place in refrigerator. (This will make two tart pans as well which is how I made it, but the filling is shallower and I recommend using a normal sized pie plate. Still tasty as can be, but...)

Filling:

1 - 12.3 ounce MoriNu firm silken tofu.
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 TBSP vanilla.
2 TBSP arrowroot

Place tofu, arrowroot and vanilla in food processor and blend. Add powdered sugar. Blend until completely incorporated. Add approx 1/3 cup of crushed candy cane pieces to the filling (save a dusting of candy for the top of the pie).

Pour filling into the crust and return to refrigerator.

Ganache:

1/2 cup on non-dairy milk
1 Cup vegan chocolate chips

Heat milk in double boiler. When warm, add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature.

When cooled, pour over pie filling. Refrigerate until set.

Whipped Cream:  (Plan ahead on this. One can of full fat coconut milk which needs to be placed in the refrigerator and left for at least 48 hours. I've always got one can in mine, if not two.) When the can is chilled, you open it, and skim off the thick layer of coconut cream (this is not coconut oil, it's about the texture of thick sour cream or whipped butter and there is a wetter milky layer underneath that you don't want. You want just the thick solid stuff. You can keep the milky stuff for smoothies etc. put in a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer if you don't want to use it right away.) Now, use a mixer, or whisk to whip the coconut cream into a whipped cream texture. Add powdered sugar to taste, I used 3 TBSP. Place the cream into a pastry bag or large zipper bag. Put in fridge if not ready for it. When ready, and when the chocolate ganache is set cut the tip off the plastic bag and dot dollops around the pie or pipe a large ring around the pie, or fill the pie top with dollops of cream. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy over the cream. (You will get more cream than is pictured. I went skimpy in my experimentation, you will probably not want to do that.) (If you want chocolate whip, add 2 TBSP cocoa to the cream).

Return to the refrigerator and let the pie set up for an hour or more before serving. The longer it sets up the creamier it gets.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Toasted Coconut Caramel Carrot Cake ~ Vegan MoFo # 7

A tasty cake that got raves from coconut lovers. Coconut haters avoided it at the family gathering where I brought it. Most of the eaters were of the omnivore variety and were fans. Those who shunned it don't count. 

I did double the recipe and try a version layer cake style. Complete fail. It was too dry for layers. I think I will try it again and add applesauce to the batter to see if that helps. 

Toasted Coconut Caramel Carrot Cake

Toasted Coconut:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Layer 1 cup coconut shreds on a baking pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes stirring once and watching the coconut as it begins to get golden. Don't let it brown. Set aside.

Cake:

9 x 13  pan lightly greased and floured.

1/2 Coconut Oil
1 1/3 Cup brown sugar
2 Flax eggs (2 TBSP ground flax mixed with 6 TBSP water and set aside)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon (Vietnamese)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Cup grated carrots (two mediumish)
2 1/2 Cup flour

Mix ingredients in the way you normally make a cake. The batter is more muffiny in texture. Pour it in the the pan and bake it for 28-30 Minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven. Poke a dozen or so holes in the cake.

While it's cooling make a caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 Cup brown sugar
6 TBSP coconut oil
1/4 Cup non-dairy milk
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

In saucepan mix sugar, oil, milk and maple syrup together. Bring to a boil, stir and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Add 1 cup of toasted coconut. Pour this over the top of the cake. Place in fridge and let it cool.


Coconut Cream Frosting:

1 Can full fat coconut milk (chilled for several days. If you are a novice with this, click here for new details.)
1 tsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp of cinnamon (Vietnamese is the best)

Smear the coconut cream frosting over the cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Fudge Mousse Dyno-Mites Vegan MoFo #6 ~

Applebee's Shooters. A decadent little dessert. However, not so Veg ya know. 

Here's my version of the Fudge Mousse Shooter





Fudge Mousse Dyno-Mites.

This will make anywhere from 8 to 16 servings depending on how big you make em. The glasses (tea light cups) were the 16 count version. 

Fudge Filling

1 and 2/3 cups of melted chocolate chips (use double boiler I bring water to boil in lower pot first, turn off and then pour the chips in the top, dry pan to sit over the hot water. Stirring as needed)
1 Pkge Mori-Nu silken tofu (firm)
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 TBSP agave nectar

In food processor blend tofu, cocoa powder, agave and salt together until fully incorporated. Add melted chocolate and whip it into it's delicious state.

Ganache

1 1/4 Cup chocolate chips
1 Cup non-dairy milk (for fun, I used chocolate)

Heat milk over low. Add chocolate when milk is warm. Remove from heat and stir until all the chocolate melts.  

Chocolate Coconut Cream

1 Can full fat coconut milk (gotta plan ahead and have this in the fridge for a few days...the longer the better) (I've got at least two in mine all the time now. Trader Joe's sells one that is terrific :  ) Get the full fat not light.) 
1 1/2 TBSP agave nectar
1 TBSP cocoa

Scrape the thick, creamy coconut into your mixer. (Not the water, I freeze the water for Thai dishes or smoothies etc.) Begin whipping it. Add the agave and cocoa and whip until creamy and incorporated and looking a lot like whipped cream. 

Putting it all together.

Place dollops of the filling into your serving bowls (Silicone cupcake liners would probably work very well, as would ramekins. The candle holders are perfect, too.) 

Pour ganache over the filling.

Place big blobs of chocolate coconut cream over the ganache. And finally drizzle more ganache over the top. 

Refrigerate for an hour or so. These are so good. No one is going to guess the secret ingredient of tofu, and the coconut is very low key. So good.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Oreo Pie ~ Vegan MoFo #5

This little recipe makes one larger pie or two small or tart sized pans. 

I made it twice. With the classic Oreo and Trader Joe's Jo-Jos. Taste wise equally good. But there is a crust adjustment depending on which cookie you use. Not sure about Newman-O's.

Oreo or Jo-Jo Pie.

Cookie Crust:
 
24 Oreos (or other Vegan chocolate sandwich cookies) (additional 8-10 cookies for filling and to crumble over the pie. Crumble these and set aside)
1 TBSP coconut oil (if using Oreos. If you use Jo-Jo's skip this, the filling is softer in Jo-Jo's.
Toss whole cookies in food processor (filling intact) and powder them. Add the coconut oil if needed. Press into a large pie pan, 9 x 11 bar pan or two small/tart pans. Place in refrigerator.

Filling:

1 - 12.3 ounce MoriNu firm silken tofu.
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar (You can make your own from granulated Vegan, organic Turbindo etc. You just put the amount of sugar you need in a Vitamix (replace two teaspoons per cup of sugar with corn starch or arrowroot and whip it good until it is powder. Thanks CCK. )
2 TBSP arrowroot
1/2 TBSP vanilla.

Place tofu, arrowroot and vanilla in food processor and blend. Add powdered sugar. Blend into completely incorporated. Add most of the crushed cookie pieces to the filling (don't process these with the blade, just stir them in and save some for the top of the pie).

Pour filling into the crust and return to refrigerator.

Ganache:

1/2 cup on non-dairy milk
1 Cup vegan chocolate chips

Heat milk in double boiler. When warm, add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature.

When cooled, pour over pie filling. Refrigerate until set.

Whipped Cream:  

(Plan ahead on this. One can of full fat (not lite) coconut milk which needs to be placed in the refrigerator and left for at least 48 hours. I've always got one can in my fridge, if not two. And Trader Joe's now has full fat coconut milk in the can and it's fabulous.) When the can is chilled, you open it, and skim off the thick layer of coconut cream (this is not coconut oil, it's about the texture of sour cream if not chilled through and whipped butter if it is and there is a wetter milky layer underneath that you don't want. You want just the thick solid stuff. You can keep the milky stuff for smoothies etc. put in a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer if you don't want to use it right away.) Now, use a mixer, or whisk to whip the coconut cream into a whipped cream texture. Add powdered sugar to taste, I used 2 TBSP. Place the cream into a pastry bag or large zipper bag. Put in fridge if not ready for it. When ready, and when the chocolate ganache is set cut the tip off the plastic bag and dot dollops around the pie or pipe a large ring around the pie, or fill the pie top with dollops of cream. Sprinkle the remaining crushed cookies over the cream.

Return to the refrigerator and let set  up for an hour before serving.