Chocolate Cupcakes (Take II)

I made these a few weeks ago, but went a bit overboard with the vinegar. I have updated the recipe because I now know it works with less. This is my first attempt.

The changes I made from my previous attempt were, to swap the type of flour used, to change the type of vinegar used (I figured that rice wine vinegar would be a lot milder than apple cider), and the type of oil used. You can really use any type of mild flavoured oil for this.

The other crucial bit that I changed was to use melted chocolate instead of cacao powder. The icing came out so silky and it tasted amazing!!! Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

300 gms white spelt flour
225 gms raw organic sugar
30 gms organic cacao powder (you can also use cocoa)
11 gms baking powder
90 gms rice bran oil
30 gms rice wine vinegar
375 gms oat milk


Method

1. Prepare 2 x 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake cases, and set aside (this makes 18-20).
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
3. In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients, wisk and set aside.
4. In a glass jar, mix together the wet ingredients, whisk.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and gently whisk together until combined.
6. Divide the mix into the 18 cupcake cases, and bake for 20 minutes or until done when tested with a wooden toothpick.

Chocolate Icing Ingredients

100 gms Nuttelex(or other vegan margarine) 150 gms icing sugar 100 gms semi sweet chocolate (vegan) Method Melt the chocolate in a bowl and set aside Using a hand mixer, mix the nuttelex until it is creamy and light. Add the chocolate one tablespoon at a time making sure well incorporated. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, until all combined.  Ice cupcakes as desired. I use a No 17 Loyal icing tip.

Zucchini & Corn muffins

Today I took my daughter on a play-date. The girl's mum made these gorgeous zucchini & corn muffins for lunch. She just threw them together and they cooked in no time at all. They were delicious!!!

She didn't use any measurements, just threw things in, but for the purpose of sharing a recipe, I re-made them and measured everything. I also added a few other bits and bobs :)

The girl's mum used a regular sized cupcake pan, but I used a large texan muffin pan. The recipe below makes 6 large muffins, or 10-12 small ones.

Ingredients

1/2 grated zucchini
1/2 a sliced red onion (I cut the onion in half then quarters, and then sliced the quarters thinly)
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
Handful of parsley (chopped)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups of white spelt flour
3 TBS Orgran No-Egg
1 tsp salt
1 cup of oat milk
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 TBS pumpkin seeds
1 TBS sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Prepare a 6 hole (texas) cupcake pan by greasing each hole with vegan butter or a little oil. Set aside.
3. Place all dry ingredients (except seeds) in a bowl including the veggies, mix with a fork to combine.
4. Place milk and oil in a cup/jug and mix well.
5. Pour milk/oil mix over the veggie/flour mix and combine with a fork. (do not over mix)
6. Place in the pan, sprinkle with pumpkin/sesame seeds and bake for half an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

These are delicious as an afternoon snack or for breakfast.

Cashew Mini Dessert Cakes

Ingredients For Base

50 gms dates
50 gms dessicated coconut
50 gms walnuts
25 gms raw organic cacao powder
15 gms maple syrup

Ingredients for Filling

205 gms soaked cashews (1 cup soaked overnight)
75 gms coconut oil
95 gms coconut cream
90 gms agave
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
45 gms frozen raspberries (slightly thawed)

Method

1. Prepare a 12 hole cupcake tray by putting a circle of cutout baking paper on the bottom. Cut a small strip of paper and place it underneath the circle. Picked up this tip from Minimalist Baker.
2. Place all the ingredients for the base in a food processor and process to a fine crumb.
3. Place one tablespoon of the mix in each hole. Press lightly with the back of a teaspoon, and then, place a baking paper circle on top and press with the bottom of a flat glass. As pictured.
4. Rinse the cashews and place in the food processor.
5. Place all the remaining ingredients (except for the raspberries) in the food processor along with the cashews and process until smooth.
6. Place one tablespoon of the mix in each cupcake hole, and smooth with the back of a teaspoon.
7. Place it in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes.
8. You should have about half of the mix left over in the food processor. Add raspberries and process until smooth.
9. Take tray out of the freezer and place one tablespoon of raspberry mix on top of the vanilla mix and smooth out.
10. Place in the freezer until set, allow it to defrost slightly for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

You  have the option to decorate them however you like. I happened to have chocolate ganache from a cake I was making so I put a swirl of chocolate ganache on top of each one.

Enjoy!!!

Leek & Corn Quiches

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 sheets of puff pastry (I use Borg's Extra Flakey which is vegan)
2 leeks (white parts only, thinly sliced)
1 large onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup besan (chickpea) flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 small tomatoes (optional)

Method

1. Heat a non stick frypan and sautee the onion and leeks with the olive oil until wilted.
2. Add corn, stir and set aside.
3. Line the holes in a 6 hole muffin pan with puff pastry. Set aside
4. Place the chickpeas, milk, onion powder, besan, stock powder, and baking powder, in a blender and blitz until smooth.
5. Divide the onion/corn mix between the six muffin holes, then add the besan flour mix.
6. Top with a slice of tomato if desired.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

I served these with sweet potato chips and rocket salad. I loved them, the texture is not like egg at all, but it keeps all the ingredients together, and it really tastes gooooood.

Enjoy, would love some feedback if you make them :)

Waffles, not the prettiest but very yummy!!!

Every year my team at work has an "Evil Santa" gift exchange instead of Kris Kringle. I bought an animal shaped waffle maker. I figured that if no one wanted it, I would be happy to take it home with me.
Alas! It was very popular and several people stole it off each other. I decided to buy another for myself, as the holidays were coming and I thought my daughter would like some waffles.

It was the first time in my life to make and eat waffles. I made them with eggs and milk, as I was vegetarian at the time.

This morning my daughter asked me to make her waffles. I had read in the Vegan Meringue Hits & Misses facebook group that people had successfully  made waffles with Aqua Faba (water from a can of chickpeas.

So vaguely remembering the omni recipe, I started with my conversion.

The mishap that I had with these was that I forgot to oil the waffle maker until it was hot, and then it was too hard to get the oil into the grooves, and the waffles stuck a little. Yet they were crispy and delicious. I highly recommend them being made in a regular waffle maker which has been properly oiled before heating.

Ingredients

90gms aqua faba
90gms spelt flour
90gms oat milk
1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder
Pinch of salt
20gms maple syrup

Method

1. Oil and heat your waffle maker.
2. Place the aqua faba in a bowl or in a jar so that you can beat it to stiff peaks. I have a stick blender with a whisk attachment, so I had my aqua faba in a tall plastic cup.
3. In a bowl mix all the other ingredients to form a thick batter.
4. Add two tablespoons of the stiff aqua faba to the flour mix, to loosen it a little.
5. Add two more tablespoons but be a lot gentler this time, continue two tablespoons at a time until it has all been incorporated. The mix will be light and bubbly.
6. Cook on your waffle maker as per instructions.
7. Serve with syrup, fruit or chocolate sauce.

Mushroom Wellington

Ingredients

4-6 Sheets of Borg's Extra Flakey Puff Sheets
1 small onion finely chopped
8 Swiss Brown or Large flat mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
200gms cashew cheese*

 Method

1. Cut off the stalks from the mushrooms and set aside.
2. Brush the tops and bottoms of the mushrooms with a little olive oil and grill on each side. I use a sandwich press which has grooves on it, and they come out beautifully.
3. Chop the mushroom stalks and sautee with the onion until the onion is translucent. Allow to cool. Mix with cashew cheese. Set aside
4. Once the grilled mushrooms are cool, you can start assembling.
5. Cut large circles, (larger than the mushroom) out of the pastry, each sheet should give you 4 circles. You will need 16 circles for the 8 mushrooms.
6. Place a tablespoon of the cheese mix in the middle, press down with the grilled mushroom, and put another lid of pastry on top of the mushroom. Seal the sides.
7. Brush the tops with your preferred vegan "egg" wash. I used 2 tablespoons of aqua faba (chickpea water), 1/2 tsp tapioca starch and a pinch of tumeric.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden and crispy.
9. These can be frozen. There is three of us at home, so I make them, freeze them and take them out and re-heat as needed.

I served these with sweet potato chips and grilled asparagus. To make the asparagus you cut the woody part of the asparagus off, put a pinch of salt, three or four tablespoons of nutritional yeast on top, and a splash of olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. This is a family favorite :)

In regards to the cashew cheese, I make mine by boiling some cashews, drain and rise. Then blend them with oat milk, then add a bit of salt, some citric acid, and nutritional yeast.

The lattice is time consuming but worth while if you like making pretty things. I have also made these with plain tops. You can decorate them with pastry hearts cut out from the pastry offcuts :)

Enjoy

Pasta Frola de Chocolate y avellanas - Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart

Pasta frola is a tart made in Uruguay and Argentina, traditionally filled with softened quince paste. I have been making this tart all my life, and I have now converted the recipe to be vegan.

The original recipe came in a little pamphlet that was distributed with Royal baking powder in Uruguay. This is the original recipe in Spanish.

I used spelt flour instead of regular wheat flour, subbed the eggs for a thick aqua faba and used Nuttelex Buttery to replace the butter. I also filled it with a hazelnut paste that I made yesterday.

Here is my updated recipe.

Pasta Frola

Ingredients

240gms Spelt Flour
10gms baking powder
125gms Nuttelex Buttery
100gms raw organic sugar
 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
4tbs (60gms) aqua faba (Chickpea brine, must be thick)

Method

Step 7

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Prepare a 23cm tart tin or pan by greasing with nuttlex. Set aside.
3. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
4. Cream the nuttelex with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
5. Start adding sugar to the nuttelex whilst mixing, ensuring that it stays light and creamy.
6. Add the aqua faba,  one tablespoon at a time, whilst you continue to mix. Ensure that each tablespoon is fully incorporated before adding the next. This will ensure that the nuttelex/sugar/aquafaba mix stays light and fluffy and doesn't separate.
7. Add lemon rind and mix till incorporated.
8. Using a spoon add all the flour to the mix and then gently fold in.
9. Scrape all the contents of your bowl onto a well floured bench.
10. Lightly knead, until the dough comes together. Do not over knead of the dough will become tough.
11. Roll out 2/3s of your dough and place on the bottom of your tart tray. Trim so that the sides are nicely even. (See images)
12. Spread the hazelnut chocolate mix and use the remaining dough to decorate with strips.
13. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The tart should not brown.
14. Remove from oven and allow to cool, sprinkle lightly with icing sugar and serve cold.
15. Love as a dessert or with a cup of tea :)

Step 12

Hazelnut Paste

Ingredients

3/4 cup (100gms) raw hazelnuts

1/3 cup of maple syrup

1/3 cup of oat milk

1/3 cup of cacao powder

Method

1. Boil hazelnuts in water for 30 minutes or until softened.
2. Remove as much of the skins as possible.
3. Blend hazelnuts with remaining ingredients until a smooth paste is formed. 
4. Use as desired, on pancakes or on a tart.