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VEGAN FEAST SUBSCRIBERS' COOKING AND RECIPE FORUM>
Vegan birthdays
peachlight
1 post
Feb 03, 2006
5:39 AM
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Hi everyone.. I'll first introduce myself. I'm Desiree, mom of three -- longtime vegetarian, new vegan. Next week is my son's birthday. I have to make cupcakes (he wants them baked in ice cream cones) and he wants chocolate with icing. I have never made any type of cake from scratch so I need all of the help I can get! Thanks so much in advance.
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Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
1391 posts
Feb 03, 2006
7:39 AM
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Hi, Desiree! Glad to have tyou on board!
THIS IS MY BASIC CAKE RECIPE. It can be used to create all kinds of delectable vegan cakes and desserts. See below for resources for better cake making, professional cake-making and special occasion cakes. It’s best to make big cakes by making several double batches. 2 x this recipe will make 10 cups of batter.
Read this page for lots of info to make your layer cakes better:
Cakes 101:
http://baking911.com/cakes_101.htm
BRYANNA'S VEGAN GENOISE CAKE
Makes two 9" layers (5 c. batter)
This is the basic vegan layer cake, pretty low in fat. It can also take the place of sponge cakes. I wanted to make a cake that was light and "buttery", but fairly low in fat (1/12th of the cake contains 1 and 1/2 tsp. fat) and easy to make. This one won't disappoint, if you use a good-quality dairy-free margarine (like Earth Balance). (You can substitute 6 T. neutral cooking oil , if you prefer, but I don't think the flavor is as fine.) A good choice for vegan wedding cakes (see resources below).
2 and 1/2 c. plus 2 T. pastry or cake flour (this should be white flour, organic if possible, for most occasions, but for an “everyday” cake you can use all or part wholewheat pastry flour)
NOTE: To measure the flour, stir the flour in the bag or container, then spoon it out into the cup measure and level off with a knife. Do not sift or pack down.
1 and 1/2 c. granulated vegan white sugar (organic, if possible)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plus 2 T. Earth Balance
1 c. water
3/4 c. soy or rice milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. vanilla
OR 1 and 1/2 tsp. pure almond or lemon extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the pans by greasing with Pan Coating (see below). Optional: Line the bottoms of the pans with cooking parchment cut to fit the bottom and grease the parchment paper with Pan Coating as well.
Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Add the margarine and the water and beat with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and beat one more minute. Divide equally between two 9" greased and floured round cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cakes test done.
Cool on racks for 10 minutes, then loosen cakes and remove from pans to finish cooling, otherwise it might crack and fall apart from being too warm. To remove from pans, first, run a thin knife to loosen the edge of the cake layer from the pan. Then, place a wire rack over the top of it and with a hand on each side of the baking pan and rack, quickly invert. Gently shake or tap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon handle to help remove the cake layer . Carefully peel off the liner and turn cake layer right-side-up to cool on a wire cake rack.
VARIATION:
CHOCOLATE GENOISE-- Substitute 1/2 c. of organic cocoa powder for 1/2 c. of the pastry flour. Use vanilla or almond extract.
LEMON GENOISE CAKE: Use 2 T. fresh lemon juice and grated zest of one organic lemon. Use only 1/2 T. vanilla and 1 tsp. lemon extract.
GENERIC PAN COATING OR PROFESSIONAL OR BAKER'S GREASE:
Beat together equal parts shortening, oil, and unbleached flour. (I used a hand immersion blender.) NOTE: You can use organic ingredients, though not much of it is going to get into the cake itself. You can use palm oil shortening such as Spectrum, or a non-hydrogenated one like Smart Balance, if you like, though this coating will not contribute much in the way of trans fats to the cake itself.
You can also buy this in cake supply stores an specialty cooking shops. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator, but let come to room temperature before using.
Use a pastry brush to apply the coating on the inside of your pan and no need to flour after applying.
How to prepare baking pans:
http://baking911.com/howto_pans_prepare.htm
http://baking911.com/howto_pans_prepare.htm#Professional
FOR SPECIAL OCCASION CAKES:
From baking 911.com:
To bake even layers, my best fix for this is to wrap the outside of the cake pan with a damp towel strip and pin in place BEFORE filling with batter. This insulates the cake pan and allows the cake batter to bake evenly, resulting in a nice evenly baked cake. You can buy the Magic Cake Strips for wrapping your pan, but I find that a homemade one works just as well: Make a 2-inch wide strip from an old heavy bath towel, soaked in cold water and just wrung out and then wrap tightly around the pan, pin in place and bake as usual. Remove the wrap after the cake has rested in the pan 5 minutes and your cake layers should be even! - Tami
Wedding Cakes:
http://baking911.com/cakes_wedding.htm
Layer cake tips:
http://baking911.com/cakes_layer.htm
Leveling, trimming an splitting cake layers:
http://baking911.com/decorating_cakes_cut_layers.htm
You can turn this into a chocolate frosting by adding some melted organic vegan chocolate chips:
BRYANNA’S VEGAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
This is a creamy vegan “buttercream” with a lower percentage of fat than most “buttercreams”. It has a lovely off-white hue. Use this as a base for many flavors of “buttercream”. It stands up well for special occasion cakes and can be multiplied.
1/4 c. Earth Balance
1/4 c. non-hydrogenated shortening (such as palm-oil shortening, like Spectrum, or Smart Balance)
3/4 lb. organic powdered sugar (such as Hains, Wholesome Foods or Florida Crystals), sifted (have a bit more on hand in case the icing needs thickening-up)
2 T. plus 2 and 1/2 tsp. nondairy milk, organic nondairy creamer, or fruit juice of choice
OR 5 and 1/2 tsp. one of the aforementioned liquids PLUS
1 T. liqueur of choice OR orange flower water or rosewater OR juice
1 tsp. vanilla OR 1/2 tsp vanilla plus 1/2 tsp. orange, lemon or almond or other extract
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 T. grated organic citrus zest
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the Earth Balance and shortening until smooth. Add 2 c. of the sugar and the remaining ingredients. Beat until creamy. It may look curdled—don’t worry! Add the remaining sugar, a little at a time, as you beat it, until it holds it shape well and you can see “trails” in it from the beaters.
BRYANNA’S CHOCOLATE MUDPIE CAKE WITH EASY SILKEN VEGAN CHOCOLATE ICING
(LOWER-FAT, MOIST, AND TENDER!)
Makes one 8" square cake (or 1 9 or 10” round cake) OR 2/ 8” round layers , OR 9 cupcakes (cake can be doubled for 9x13” sheet cake)
This is a new version of a wartime eggless cake (also called Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake because it was mixed right in the pan) that became very popular in the 50's and 60's. My kids loved making it and eating it. I've changed the original version to make it lower in fat.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is important to use pastry flour (or cake and pastry flour), since the amount of fat in the recipe is small, and using regular flour could make a tough cake. IF YOU HAVE NO PASTRY FLOUR OR IF YOU DON'T MIND A LITTLE MORE OIL, then use unbleached all-purpose flour, omit 3 T. of the water, and add 3 T. more oil to the recipe.
It's still easy, chocolatey, and tender, so we often use it as a layer cake, a sheet cake (double the recipe), or for cupcakes.
COOKING NOTES;
**I actually prefer using brown sugar in this recipe— I think it improves the flavor.
**Measure the flour after aerating it in the bag with a spoon, then sift it; also measure the sugar before sifting
DRY MIX: (please read Cooking Notes above)
1 and 1/4 c. PASTRY flour, sifted after measuring
1 c. finely granulated unbleached or white beet sugar OR fine brown sugar OR Sucanat, sifted or pressed through a mesh strainer
1/3 c. organic cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
WET MIX: (see note above if you are using coarse sugar)
1 c. plus 3 T. water (cold coffee can also be used, if you like)
3 T. oil
1 T. vinegar
1/2 T. vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk the dry ingredients together well in a medium bowl. Blend the liquid ingredients in a blender until smooth, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix briefly with a whisk (important) until smooth-- do NOT beat, or the cake will be tough.
Scrape into a lightly-oiled or sprayed 8" square or 9-10" round cake pan, or two 8” layer cake pans, or 9 muffin cups. (If you use paper cupcake liners, spray them with cooking spray.)
Bake for 25 minutes (may take 35 minutes if you have doubled the recipe for a 9x13” pan- cupcakes take about 20 minutes), or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack thoroughly before eating (this improves flavor—I don’t think this cake is at its best when still warm). Frost and serve right from the pan, or gently loosen and invert on a plate.
BRYANNA’S EASY SILKEN VEGAN CHOCOLATE ICING
This is enough for a layer cake. It makes a nice not-too-sweet fluffy frosting. With the smaller amount of chocolate and the syrup, it’s kind of like a milk chocolate icing. It’s not “tofuey” at all!
One 12.3 oz. Box extra-firm SILKEN tofu, crumbled
2 T. vanilla or a liqueur or rum or brandy, etc.
6 oz. Vegan organic semisweet chocolate
Melt the chocolate and blend with the other ingredients in a food processor until ABSOLUTELY smooth. Chill for 1/2 hour or so before icing the cooled cake. It firms up more after refrigerating the cake.
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"To look like a goddess, eat like a peasant." Karen Andres
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peachlight
2 posts
Feb 03, 2006
9:50 AM
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Bryanna--Thank you!! I'm so impressed with all of your recipes, and I am very excited about trying out the cake and icing recipes. I really appreciate you taking the time!
Desiree :)
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