Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

After only a few years pause, here's my first post returning to the blogging world. Haha, yaaaay!:)

This vegan cake recipe was one of those - educated guess experiments - that turned out really good. I wanted to make a really moist serious chocolate cake, but I was missing a couple of go to ingredients, so I substituted with whatever I had at hand. The pumpkin puree is the secret moisture ingredient in this cake, and the best part is - you can't taste it - it just makes the chocolate flavor taste more deeply velvety in your mouth. 

As my dear Kunti said, it is quite healthy as far as cakes go, although it tastes decadently chocolatey...it is really more-ish, but not very sweet, so if you like your cakes on the sweeter side you will need to up the sugar content, or drizzle in chocolate fudge sauce and ice cream (which would be yummy), or whatever tickles your fancy! 

Ingredients:

Mix:

2 cups Arrowhead Mills sprouted pancake and waffle mix

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 TBSP baking powder

3/4 TBSP baking soda

1.5 TBSP allspice

2 TBSP cinnamon powder

Whisk together:

1.5 cup Costa Rican cocoa powder (THE BEST EVER)

1/2 cup oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

1.5 cup maple syrup

2 TSP Mexican Vanilla extract (OMG, awesome flavor, wish I'd brought more back!)

3 cups hot water

Combine both mixtures adding approx 2 more cups of room temperature water - enough to get a fairly thick batter.

Pour into a lightly oiled and floured baking dish - I used a rectangular glass baking flan.

Sprinkle generously with semi sweet choc chips (I pushed them in a little so they stick when its done), a sachet of crystallized ginger, a little cinnamon and brown sugar. 

Bake at 365 degrees Fahrenheit for approx 45 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool. Delicious served as is, or with vanilla ice cream, or as you like. Have fun! :)

Chocolate Cake Donuts

Hi folks!

Its been a loooong time, my life got too busy to blog, but finally some new recipes are going up. :-)

My new kitchen toy has been donut trays which I chanced upon in Michaels, and so, as you can probably guess, one of my latest experiment crazes has been making baked donuts. Its been a lot of fun playing around with recipes and ideas.

Today I made chocolate donuts with a strawberry rose icing. They came out lovely, moist and chocolaty ..mmmmm!! This recipe is still an evolving one, but I like it enough to share it with you! :-)

BTW, I really like using rosewater in my sweets, but if you aren't a fan, just leave it out.

Amounts of ingredients are all approximate since I eyeballed everything. Makes 15 donuts or so..

Ingredients:
2 cups organic sprouted pancake and waffle mix (Arrowhead Mills)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 heaped cups of unsweetened organic cocoa powder ( I used Rapunzel)
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

Mix the above evenly.

1/2 cup safflower oil
1 1/2 TBSP double cream
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/ 2 TBSP pure vanilla extract
Water - enough to make a thick batter.

Add the above to the dry ingredients. Mix well and spoon into an oiled donut pan. I fill the cavities approx 3/4 full otherwise they turn into little cakes instead of donuts.

Bake in a preheated oven at 415 degrees Fahrenheit for approx 10-12 mins - its done when the surface of the donut springs back up when gently pressed with a fingertip. If you bake them longer it they will become rather hard - I gave a batch of burnt ones to the squirrels - squirrelnuts, haha!

Remove from pan after it has cooled off for a few minutes. The donuts should just fall out easily when you give the up-ended pan a tap on the counter.

Dip in icing and arrange on a plate. I double dipped mine after the first coat had soaked in abit. And then, since I had extra icing I drizzled more on top..so there you can see them drenched in 3 coats of strawberry icing. :-) You can also garnish them with sprinkles, toasted nuts, strawberry pieces or whatever you like.

Offer with love and honor with joy! :-)

Icing:
1 1/2 cup organic big juicy strawberries, washed and beheaded
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
1 TBSP pure rosewater
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Blend everything til smooth.

Lunch today! :-)

Serious Chocolate Raspberry Bars

Alright! Here's a decadent chocolate bar I created for lunch dessert today. If you are in the mood for serious chocolate, this is for you! 
:-) 

Makes 9 generous chunky squares. 

Ingredients

No bake base:

Approx 2 cups ground almond meal

Approx 1 cup pure cocoa powder

Approx 3 TBSP honey

1 TBSP vanilla extract

A pinch of sea salt

Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix into a firm but pliable smooth ball. Press and flatten onto a flat baking sheet covered in grease proof paper. Create into a even square shape and form a ridge on the edges to secure the filling.

* You can also create a pretty contrast by making a double layer base using a white almond mixture something like the above replacing the cocoa powder with almond meal instead and less honey. Experiment and learn - don't be afraid of your ingredients!! :-)

Filling:

Approx 1 1/2 cups firm fresh organic raspberries, rinsed and drained or patted dry with a paper towel

Arrange in even rows on the base, filling the whole surface. Set aside.

*If you have time and inspiration, you can fill the raspberries with something yummy and non runny before arranging them on the base. E.g. my choc avocado mousse.

Topping 1:

1 bar of 75%  unsweetened dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Add water to a pot, place a double boiler on top and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low once boiled. Add chocolate pieces into double boiler and allow to melt. Stir occasionally. Turn off heat once melted.

Pour the melted chocolate over the raspberries covering evenly. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to flash freeze it.

Topping 2:

1 heaped cup pure semi sweet chocolate chips (or milk or white chocolate which creates a lovely contrast against the dark chocolate - as you wish)

1 1/2 tsp coconut cream or coconut oil

Add chocolate pieces and coconut cream into double boiler and allow to melt. Stir occasionally. Turn off heat once melted.

Remove raspberry bar from the freezer, and again pour the melted chocolate mix evenly over the raspberries. Now is the time to sprinkle with toasted almonds etc., if you would like to garnish it - I left mine plain. Return to freezer for another 10-15 mins to set. 

Remove from freezer, cut into squares and arrange as desired on a serving plate. Offer with love! :-)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Blueberry Ginger Choc 'n' Lemon Muffins

OK, I just invented my own favorite muffin recipe of all time! :-) The decadent combination of juicy blueberries with melting chocolate, candied ginger and tart fresh lemon zest is dangerously addictive! Oh yummmmmmmmmmy!! 

This a perfect consolation dessert in the cold wet weather, when you just want to snuggle up with a book in a cosy corner somewhere. And the rich welcome aroma of warm cinnamon and chocolate fills the house while these are baking - good for chasing away the pre-winter blues methinks! :-)

Makes 14 medium sized muffins. Vegan.

Moist, fluffy and bursting with goodies and sweet spice flavors. . .

Ingredients:

Approx 2 1/4 cups sprouted wheat pancake and waffle mix (Arrowhead Mills)

Approx 1 cup sprouted wheat flour (Arrowhead Mills)

1 heaped tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

A pinch of clove powder

A pinch of sea salt

2 TBSP lemon zest

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped candied ginger (Trader Joe's)

1 cup frozen organic blueberries

Mix all dry ingredients. Add lemon zest, choc chips and candied ginger. Mix, then add frozen blueberries and mix again.

Blend together the following til smooth:

I banana

1 1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup safflower oil

1 TBSP vanilla essence

 Approx 1/2 cup of water

Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix evenly. Fill into paper muffin cases in a muffin tray. Allow to sit for 20 mins or more before baking. 

Make sure you lightly oil the muffin tray to avoid burning the muffin cases and muffins while baking. Bake for approx 35 mins in a pre-heated oven at 380 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Peel off paper cases from the muffins before completely cooled. Offer with love and serve with tea, or however you desire. Very more-ish!! :-)

Home-made Marzipan Squares

Yummy layered homemade marzipan treats which I made for lunch today! :-)

Raspberry Chocolate Oat Slices

Dessert time! :-D

Here's my latest experimental invention from the "science lab" kitchen! Delicious decadent raspberry chocolate oat slices made with the best of ingredients! Actually, I was stumped what to make for dessert today, so I just used whatever ingredients we had available at home to create this dish - as they say - necessity is the mother of invention. Can easily be vegan-ized.


Serves 8 slices.

Ingredients:
Please bear in mind I just created this on the spur of the moment using my hands to measure, so measurements are approximate.
Pie base:
Approx 2 cups rolled oat-flakes
3/4 cup walnut pieces
Approx 1/2 cup pure organic cane sugar (brown)
A pinch of sea salt
Approx 1-2 TBSP cold butter or organic extra virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla essence

Blend the oats and walnuts into a coarse meal. Cream together with the rest of the pie base ingredients and press evenly into a glass pie dish. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 380 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown - approx 20 mins. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:
10 dried organic figs, rinsed and chopped small
1 tsp organic vanilla essence
Approx 1 1/2 - 2 TBSP organic extra virgin coconut oil - soft (but not melted)
Approx 1/2 cup organic drinking chocolate powder (or cocoa or carob powder)
Approx 3 TBSP organic maple syrup or to taste
1/2 cup almond meal (optional)

Blend all the filling ingredients together into a thick paste. Gently pat evenly into the cooled baked pie shell.

Topping:
1 cup fresh whole raspberries washed and drained
1 bar 75% dark chocolate melted in double boiler

Sprinkle fresh raspberries over the filled pie. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the raspberries.

Place in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up the melted chocolate. Remove from freezer and serve as a memorable dessert! :-)