Sweets Galore

I have been mostly slack about posting this season of MoFo. We have been cooking up a storm and eating a lot, but I have not been posting as I should. At least I have been eating though, right? 

While the nauseation is mostly gone, I have developed other unpleasant symptoms. I have a pain in my right side under my ribs. The midwifes/nurses have several theories of what it could be and I'm trying different solutions. What seems the most likely now is that it is reflux. I tried taking tums last night and threw up. This is the second time during my pregnancy that I have thrown up after tums. While they might not be the reason I threw up I can't help but think my body is rejecting them. So I am on to other solutions, mostly natural. 

My side rant here is to share something about myself. Before pregnancy one of my biggest fears (besides spiders) was throwing up. My fear skyrocketed during the time when I was sick before my Celiac diagnosis. I had a 12 year long streak of not throwing up. I'd be nauseated for hours after a gluten attack and prevented myself from throwing up each time. It was pure misery. When my nauseation set in for pregnancy, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to throw up. And throw up, I did! While it still isn't a fun activity for me, I allow myself to do the dirty deed if my body requires is. All of this was so say that my future little vegan one has changed me. This change I feel is for the better. I did not want to go through life being afraid of throwing up. I still get nervous when I am nauseated in public, but I have been dealing with it better than before. 

Now that I have gotten the grossness out of the way, I wish to share sweets with you all. I think I have mentioned that my love of sweets has upped since becoming pregnant. I do not eat them all of the time, but I eat them more often than I did before. In moderation, they are not horrible for me. In addition, they are vegan and gluten free, so they can't be horrible- right? 

For my Mom's birthday, I made a sponge cake with a pudding/creme, jelly, and strawberry topping. I found the recipe on another MoFo post and started salivating at the picture. My Mom likes all desserts, so I felt it was a good experiment to try for her. The cake was moist and spongy like what I remember of a sponge cake. I really liked the topping as well. The pudding was easy to make and is a recipe I will keep on hand for other uses. 

The next creation that I decided to whip up was a request from a special friend's birthday. She wanted a vanilla cupcake with a coffee buttercream frosting. I pulled out my Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for the gluten freedom cupcake recipe and made a vanilla cupcake with some coffee extract. The icing was a buttercream frosting flavored with coffee granules. I was impressed with both the cake and the icing. A non vegan tasted them and requested the recipe. I think she was surprised how good something vegan and gluten free could be. 

Those of you that have read my blog posts this MoFo have seen my asking, begging and longing for scones! After much hinting from me, John decided to make a delicious chocolate orange scone with an orange glaze that we found posted on Facebook by an animal sanctuary we follow. John got out the ingredients and the recipe and got to work! The scones were absolutely amazing! They were rich and chocolatey with a lovely hint of orange. I enjoyed them as a snack with a smear of vegan butter. I think I could eat these scones for every meal! I'm thankful to have such a caring husband and father of the future vegan little one.

The last sweet I will share is a chocolate cake with blueberry icing and blueberries in between the layers. This wonderful cake was made by Joie de Vegan for a birthday party of a special three year old. His parents were so kind to get a cake that we could eat. It was so beautiful that people lined up to try a slice and found it amazing. I had to agree with their assessment. The blueberry icing and the pops of blueberries in between the layers set this cake apart from others I have tried. 

Hopefully your taste buds have been tantalized enough to go make yourself a vegan and gluten free treat of your own.

Strawberry Tart With Coconut Whipped Cream - Post 2

Over the summer, my Mom returned to North Carolina from Buffalo with vegan, gluten free recipes in hand from the Buffalo newspaper. When she said it, I thought she was kidding. For those of you that have not had the pleasure of visiting Buffalo, it is a place filled with chicken wings, pizza, American style meaty sandwiches, and breakfast food. All of which are neither friendly to a vegan or gluten freer. When I visit family, I go to Wegman's and stock up on goods to make food at my Grandma's place. I don't bother venturing out very much as I have had some bad experiences. 

Enough of focusing on the negative, and getting back to the point.....I was delighted to see a recipe for a Strawberry Tarts with Coconut Whipped Cream. The tarts have a crunchy almond crust with a light and airy whip cream on the top. I have made the tarts on two occasions, one for a Labor Day vegan BBQ and for my Mom's Birthday. The first time I made this recipe, I put the tarts together and let them sit too long and the juices from the strawberries softened the tart crust. The second time I did not make them up ahead. 

These tarts were a winner on both occasions, but much better the second time around. The shells were crunchy with a hint of sweet and salty. The strawberries were mixed with balsamic vinegar and surprisingly did not taste like vinegar, but the flavor of the strawberry was enhanced. The coconut whip cream was rich and fluffy. From what I remember of fresh whip cream, this seemed to be quite similar. I had to stop my self from eating the whip cream on its own. 

I plan on using the tart shells and whip cream in another capacity as well. I have been dreaming up all sorts of savories and sweets that would pair well with the tart. I can also see topping pancakes, french toast, and ice cream sundaes with the cream. I think the writer of this recipe was on to something big!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream Frosting

Blog #13 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Anyone else out there as obsessed with vegan cupcakes as I am? When I found out that I had to go gluten free (gf), my heart broke. I instantly thought to myself "no more vegan cupcakes!" At that point, I was trying to work my way through Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and was crushed to learn I'd have to give that up. I had gotten about seven or eight recipes in, even though I only blogged about four of them.

In taking a closer look at the cookbook, I located two gf recipes. So, I decided I would try the chocolate cupcake one. Most of the frosting recipes are gluten free, so I went with one of my favorites- Peanut Buttercream. I paired that with the chocolate gluten free cupcake recipe and we were good to go!

I have learned not to be optimistic about gf baking. It is so difficult, especially when you add in the vegan element. We have had our share of failures since trying vegan, gf baking. Luckily, this is a post about a success!

I had some female friends over for a clothing swap and I made the cupcakes for the group. Before deciding whether they were edible, John and I split one to make out own assessments of this experiment.

Hello! This cupcake is amazing! I would never be able to tell that this cupcake was gf!! I decorated the top with a carob chip and set them out for my friends. I got very positive reviews and compliments about the cupcakes. I am sure to try Isa's other gluten free cupcake recipe. Thank you, Isa!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Act Four

It was February and by now I had made three other recipes that had all been successful. Acts One, Two, and Three had been winners and it was time for Act Four! We were invited to celebrate a birthday party of a friend and what could be better for a Birthday celebration than a cupcake? Nothing, of course.

In between acts three and four, I purchased unbleached, earth-friendly cupcake liners that I found at Earth Fare. The less bleach that we can consume, the better!

I thought about making a cupcake with mounds of frosting, but I decided against that approach. Beth likes fruity things, but one of the rules of the invite was no fruit, so had to think harder (Alfonso, her hubby and our friend, does not like fruit). It was Beth's special day and I would abide by her rules. I remembered that she liked my vegan peanut butter cups and it seemed clear to me that I had to make a peanut butter cupcake with something chocolaty on top.

I knew just where to look and found exactly what I wanted Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Quick Melty Ganache. As I made the batter, I wanted to dive in and eat it straight. I had to restrain myself though because these were for a friend and her party. Once the cupcakes were in the oven I scooped out every last bit of goodness in the bowl and gobbled it down. All I can say is MMMMMM!

The cupcake batter was filled with peanut butter (duh), molasses, flax seed, and several other ingredients. This combination produced heavenly, moist, and fluffy cupcakes. The ganache was very simple and produced a perfect topper for this cupcake. Frosting would have worked well, but I felt this cupcake needed a ganache on top. Besides, ganache is more fun and sounds fancier than frosting.

To top off these cakes, I chopped up unsalted and roasted peanuts and called it an afternoon. My next and only real challenge was to get them to the party. I wanted them to make it safe and make it without one of us breaking down and scarfing them up before the party.

Luckily, we had success and they made it safe. The cupcakes seemed to be a hit based on the compliments that I received. I think Beth liked them and that is what mattered because it was her celebration. I am pleased to say that John and I loved them! I expect that this treat will be made and enjoyed again!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Act Three

This was my third batch of cupcakes, as the title suggests, from the cookbook "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." I was so excited that my experiments one and two turned out so well that I was thrilled for a personal audience for my third batch. Instead of titling this blog "attempt three" or "take three," I have decided to more appropriately call it "act three." Attempt and take suggest that the others had been less than successful. Not so.

Anyways.....

Our friends Craig and Rebecca, also known as CraiBecca, were coming over for dinner and I wanted a special dessert. We take turns hosting dinner and every meal we have shared over the years has been delicious. They are both wonderful chefs and we have a lot to live up to each time. Based on their rave reviews of our meals, I think John and I, also known as JoManda, have done well.

On this occasion, we decided to make a salad, lentil and black bean chili, and vegan whole wheat biscuits. Although it was winter, the meal had an autumn feel and I wanted a sweet to match. I went in search of a cupcake and icing combination that would pair well. I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing and knew I had found my seet. The recipe was so enticing, even without a picture.

The recipe had pumpkin, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and a simple cinnamon icing that was to be drizzled on the top. My mouth started watering as soon as I read the recipe. This combination of flavors sounded perfect. I love the taste of pumpkin and am always looking for ways to use it. In the past, my uses have been mostly savory dinner dishes. This new use of pumpkin would be a nice change.

I set out to find canned pumpkin and came across an organic variety. The price was comparable to the regular canned pumpkin, so this one was a no brainer. I also picked up vegan chocolate chips. I had all of the other ingredients on hand.


As I mixed all of the ingredients, I wanted to eat the batter raw. (As I have mentioned before, vegan batter can be consumed raw since it does not include eggs. Yippie for me!). After the cupcakes were in the oven baking, I scooped around the sides with a spatula and ate every little drop that was left. The raw batter was amazing, I could hardly wait for the finished product!


Once the cupcakes were out of the oven and cooled, I drizzled the cinnamon icing on top. We decided to share a cupcake before serving them to Craibecca. As we expected, they were heavenly! This was by far my most favorite cupcake to date! The pumpkin, chocolate, and cinnamon flavor worked so well together. Craibecca enjoyed them as well. Rebecca and I each enjoyed one cupcake for dessert and John and Craig both had two.


Verdict: Attempt three is a WINNER!!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Take Two

Now that I had one successful cupcake under my belt, it was time to try another. My second attempt would be eaten by my friends and coworkers. Since the first batch had gone so well, I was not worried about try number two. It was Jim's birthday (a friend and coworker) and I wanted to make something special for him. He loves coffee like I do, if that is even possible, and I knew I had to try mocha flavored. Jim and I work together on many clients and I have to keep him content. When the Psychometrcian is pleased, the Test Developer/Project Manager is pleased too. It is a delicate rhythm we have to keep here.

So, I opened my "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" cookbook and began my search through the luscious recipes and pictures. Since I was going for a mocha flavor I decided on the Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe with the addition of coffee to the batter. To top off these chocolaty delights, I chose Chocolate Buttercream Frosting with the another addition of coffee.

Now that I had a plan, I retrieved all of ingredients from the pantry and fridge and got to work. The recipe and frosting proved to be simple. The smell of chocolate and coffee had me psyched to try this sweet treat. They looked good after they had been iced, but I felt they were missing something. As I looked through the kitchen, espresso beans jumped out at me. I knew I HAD to top each cupcake with an espresso bean.


My cupcakes were finished and packed them up to take to work the next day. I was fortunate to have a friend let me borrow her cupcake carrier for the day. The bright blue-green made the brown cupcakes pop! John wanted a taste, but he had to wait to see if there were any left over. Luckily, Jim made sure that there was at least one left for him.


The next day at work, we met in Jim's office after lunch. We sang "Happy Birthday" and chowed down on cupcakes. To my delight, they received rave reviews. They even inspired a coworker to buy the book to make cupcakes for her kids.

And the verdict is.......these cupcakes were a big WINNER! I would make both recipes again with the addition of mocha.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Take One

A couple posts ago, I wrote about how I received "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." It is now time for me to start blogging about the cupcakes! In mid January, I decided to dive into the book and get started. I first thought about starting at the beggining, but then decided that I would just make what I wanted until I got as far as I wanted. So, here I go!

In this case, I actually did start with the first recipe, Golden Vanilla Cupcakes. The instructions suggest several frosting pairings, which all sounded good. After careful consideration of the frosting section of the book, I decided to go with the Chocolate Buttercream. The first step was to check out our pantry to see what I was missing and then head to the store. Once I had what I needed, I started by organizing all of the ingredients and utensils on the counter.


The recipe was straightforward and easy to follow. I went with the basic recipe and used vanilla and almond extract. The recipe has suggestions for variations, but I decided to keep it simple and follow the main recipe. In no time, I my batter ready and into the cupcake liners. One of the things I love about vegan baking is that you can eat the batter raw, without any worry of salmonella poisoning because there are not any eggs. I tasted the batter and I loved it! If it was this good raw, the end result would be great.


Now that the cupcakes were in the oven, the aroma drifted through our home and my sweet tooth was kicking in. I quickly moved on to the Chocolate Buttercream recipe at the back of the book. Again, I followed the basic recipe without any of the variations.I had fun tasting the frosting as I went along. I had to make sure it was suitable. :)

By the time I was finished with the frosting, it was time for the cupcakes to come out and cool. I transfered the cakes to a wire rack and let them cool. Once they were completly cool, I was able to frost them with ease. I do not have any fancy frosting tools to pipe on frosting, so I used a kitchen knife. The frosting does not look professional, but I was least concerned about looks in this case.


I finally had a finished product and it was time to dig in. I invited John to join in the tasting. I felt like a little kid again as I removed the paper lining and took my first bite. The chocolate, vanilla, and almond hit my tounge and I was in heaven. Yes, we had a winner!!

The cupcakes were better than I expected. They were fluffy, rich, and delicious! I was so happy to have my first attempt be so successful. It motivated me to want to try more and very soon. There was an office birthday coming up and this sucess inspired me to pick out the next two recipies that I would try......Choclate Mocha Cupcakes!

"Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" (And So Will I)

I normally do not ask, or want, anything domestic. It just isn't me. John and I share domestic duties, we both take responsibility for household chores as working adults. Having said that, I am the one who prefers baking. John enjoys cooking and does it regularly, but he has no interest in baking. I am cool with that, it is not his thing. It is not really my thing either, but over the past couple of years I have been interested in vegan baking. It fascinates me and I want to learn more about it.

After hearing all of the buzz and tasting samples from the cook book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, I knew what I wanted for Christmas. When John asked me what I wanted I asked for this cookbook (when I ask for books, I always ask for them used. It is better for the environment). He seemed a bit surprised, but knew he would reap the benefits from my Christmas present.


I was delighted when I opened this book for Christmas. As I flipped through the pages, I knew I had made the right choice. Isa and Terry have a whimsical and humorous style of writing that draws you into the recipes. They even include a section called "Cupcakes A to Z" answering the question "Why cupcakes?". They cite such reasons as adorable, blogworthy, joy, oligarchy, transcendental, and voluptuous.

While I agree with all of their reasons, I am going to choose blogworthy. My plan is to make many, of the recipes and blog about them. I probably won't get to them all because the combinations are endless with all of the cake and frosting recipes. I will do my best of baking a good representation of this book and blogging about the cupcakes and the baking.

What does that mean? Several things. 1- John will get to eat cupcakes and he will be a happy guy. He told me that his tummy personally thanks me. (Yes, you should be scared, it scared me too) 2- I will get to eat and blog about cupcakes. Two wins! 3- My friends and family will get to eat cupcakes. Yumm-o! and 4- You can read my reviews, if you care.

I will not promise to do this every week or even every month. This is fun for me so I am going to do it when the mood or occasion strikes me. I want this to remain fun and not become a chore. I already have two recipes under my belt and I am anticipating a third soon. Will you join me for the ride?