A special request cake

Those who know me, know that I create cakes for friends and family.  I like to think all those years of Art class and studying design has finally come in handy.  A few weeks ago, a was asked if I could do a gluten free cake with a catch. It also had to be vegan because the boy was allergic to everything :o)  Of course I said yes!
So with task at hand, I set out to find the best looking and tasting gluten free, vegan chocolate cake.  Let me tell you if you google gluten free vegan chocolate cake, you get everything.  The choices and recipes were many.  I wanted a cake that did not have to many 'weird' things in it and I wanted it to look like 'real' chocolate cake.  I searched pages and pages of recipes and found this blog. http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.com/ On this blog is the best gfv chocolate cake I have ever tasted.  You would not even tell it was.  I made a test cake and sent it with my husband to his vegan co-worker.  I told him to share it with the staff, well no one else got a piece the vegan co-worker had his slice and the whole cake disappeared ( I still have not gotten my container back)  I had friends and family sample it and they all agreed it was the winning recipe.  Now to make it look like a 'real' birthday cake complete with a Transformer theme to it.

Shopping for it was easy, two trips, one to the Bulk Barn and one to the Peanut Mill.  The cost of supplies was no different then supplies for a normal cake and I actually purchased enough to make two.  

There was this mysterious item on my shopping list.  I was unsure of where to find xanthan gum and did find it at the bulk barn for $13!!!  Off to the Peanut Mill and found a small bag for $2. The bulk barn only sells it prepackaged.  Yeah for the Peanut Mill!

It was was easy to mix and when baked smelled so good.  I was able to treat it like a normal cake and filling and dirty icing the cake was a snap.  When it was completed, you could not tell what cake was the special one.

I have to thank Noah's mom for allowing me to make this cake.  In one message, she told me that he is use to gluten free baked goods.  I wanted a recipe that did not fall into this category.

Here is the recipe: (plus note I did not make the icing, but made a vegan version of buttercream using vegetable shortening)  The chocolate sauce you see is just a syrup made of water (normally milk) and cocoa powder.  Next time I will try it with soy milk.

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake (2-layer)

Cake Batter:
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups unrefined sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 3/4 cups vanilla soy milk
2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup organic canola oil

Frosting: (shown here)
2 pckgs (349-g) *SILKEN* extra-firm tofu, patted dry (must be silken extra-
firm tofu, not regular x-firm tofu)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (generous) non-dairy chocolate chips

For the cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda, then add in sugar and salt and mix well. In another bowl, combine non-dairy milk, vinegar, extracts, and oil. Add wet mixture to the dry, and stir until well combined. Pour into 2 lightly oiled round cake pans (wipe with a little canola oil), distributing batter as evenly as possible. Bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting: In a *food processor (don't use a mixer, it won't smooth out the tofu), combine tofu with maple syrup and vanilla, and puree until very, very smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a bowl fitted over a pot with simmering (not boiling) water. Pour melted chocolate into food processor with tofu mixture, and puree again until well incorporated (again, scraping down sides of bowl). Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cool (will thicken as it cools). Once cool, spread frosting on cake layers, then refrigerate cake for at least a couple of hours to set (preferably overnight).

Chicken and dumplings

During the 'blizzard of 2011' I thought it would be a good time to make a stew, but a chicken stew as my daughter is not a fan of beef.  After some search on the internet I found this recipe and she had two helps so it must have been good.  It was so easy to make and the dumplings...well I should have made a double batch to put in.
Let me tell you there is nothing healthy about this recipe. You start with a whole lotta buttter!  But it makes it taste so good!!

 Start with 3 tablespoons of butter, let it melt down and had the following:

1 medium onion -cut into 1 inch pieces

5 medium carrots

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Cover and and let it simmer till the onion is soft (about 5 minutes)

Add 1/4 cup of flour (this is what will thicken the stew) and cook stirring for 30 seconds.

Add 1 box of chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook, stirring for 20 minutes.

While the stew is cooking, you will make the dumplings.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoons of dill weed, 1 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup of Milk to form a moist and soft batter.  ( I found I had to had about 1/4 cup more then the recipe called for) 

It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon.

Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas and/or corn into the stew.  Drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook).

Cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. Serve.

Cupcake collection

Cakes I have completed over the last couple of years.

Crockpot Beef Stew

My family loves this.  I love it because I can toss it together in the morning and by dinner time the house smells yummy.  Here is the recipe:

One package of stewing beef
1/4 cup flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 small onion sliced
2 cloves of garlic

Take the stewing beef and put into a clean plastic bag.  Add flour, salt and pepper and shake.  In a frying pan heat up olive oil and add the onion and chopped garlic, cook till onions are tender and add beef in flour mixture.  Cook the beef  for 10-15 turning often to cook all sides but not throughly.

In your crockpot add:

Cooked stewing beef, onions and garlic and drippings from pan
Assorted root vegetables (We like potatoes clean with skins on, carrots, turnip and squash)
Half container of beef broth
Seasonings to taste, I usually add salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf (remove before serving)

If preparing in the morning, put your crockpot on low, if afternoon, put on high.

An hour before serving put crockpot on high so that it starts to boil.  Add a mixture of cornstarch and hot water to thicken juices into gravy.  Stir and your stew is ready.

You can make this a chicken or turkey stew but subsituting the beef broth for chicken broth and adding chicken or turkey.