Peanut Butter Protein Bites for Easter (Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, No Added Sugar)

Happy Easter, everyone! I don't really celebrate it - but when I did my Easters were filled with Cadbury eggs, bunny-shaped cakes and Chinese takeout on a picnic blanket. It was a little personal celebration between my mother and I as I'm the youngest in the family and the only one living at home, and it filled me with glee to decorate butterfly masks and watch old movies with her as we ate the treats. We never actually took the picnic blanket outside, and instead opened all of the windows and turned on the fans whenever it rained into our living room as we decorated the Easter eggs or took the time to unfasten the VHS tapes from their sticky, suctionny packages.

It still makes me happy to think of that and I hope to do that one day with my own children (if I have any).

Although I don't celebrate it as we used to, these treats are too cute to pass up! They're simple, sweet and easy to share.

(Peanut Butter Bites Ingredients)

• 1/3 C. of Peanut Butter
• 2 scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder*
• 2 tbl. Melted Coconut Oil
• Melted Chocolate
• Your favorite Icing
• Rice Krispie Cereal for rolling

(Peanut Butter Protein Bites Directions)

• Roll your peanut butter, oil and protein powder together and place in the freezer. Once hardened, shape into eggs with your hands and two spoons.
• Roll in the rice krispie treats and freeze once more.
• Decorate and freeze.
• Serve and enjoy!

* I use Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder

Vegan Yellow Cake Recipe (Soy-Free)

Have you ever heard of "The Vegg"? Its a product that I've been using for a while this month and that I really like. Its meant to replace the egg yolk in most recipes and while yellow cake varies in amounts - its generally pretty high. I've found that "The Vegg" works excellent in replacing the egg yolk and that I can easily strengthen it by combining it with cornstarch. This cake ended up being really moist and great despite my oven having to be at 400 degrees for about an hour to cook anything now.

(Vegan Yellow Cake Ingredients)

• 1 C. of Coconut Oil
• 2 C. of Raw Sugar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 TBL. Cornstarch
• 1 tsp. of The Vegg
• 1/4 C. of Cold Water
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 C. Non-Dairy Milk + 1 TBL. Apple Cider Vinegar

(Directions)

• Cream your coconut oil with the raw sugar then add in the baking powder and vanilla extract.
• Blend your cornstarch, vegg and the water together in a blender, then cream it into your oil and sugar.
• Alternate with your flour and milk and fold/stir them together
• Preheat your oven to 350, spray and line your pan with parchment paper
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked, allow to rest and then frost with your favorite frosting recipe or use a chocolate fondant like I did!

Enjoy!

PB & J Brownies with(out) Crackle Crust

I'm trying something a little different with my photographs - you like? This brownie recipe came to me when I got tired of just peanut butter sandwiches (I'm not really a big fan of PB & J anymore) and I had a huge bag of chocolate that just needed to be used. Add in my love for all things that are a little crazy, I also tried a somewhat successful crackle bread crust on top that broke enough to hold onto piece of jelly, but I think it needs to be adjusted before I post it. These brownies are moist, fudgey and super fun to make!

 

 



 

 

(PB & J Brownie Ingredients)

• 1 & 1/2 C. Cake Flour
• 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 C. Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 C. Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 C. Melted Chocolate
• 1 C. Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 C. of Non-Dairy Milk
• Peanut butter, powdered sugar and Jelly of your choice

(Directions)

• Combine your liquids and sift your dry ingredients (except the ones at the bottom and the melted chocolate) together.
• Fold them all together, then fold in your melted chocolate.
• Combine the powdered sugar and peanut butter together, then place them on top of the whole thing.
• Swirl in as much jelly as you think is necessary and bake for about 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Raw Mint Chocolate Ice Cream (No Added Sugar, Gluten-Free, Raw)

I was in the middle of making my favorite avocado smoothie and some beet pancakes when I noticed that I had way too big of a smoothie for it to be fresh. Instead of saving it or waking someone else up to eat the other half I instead decided to  freeze it, and oh boy was I happy that I did. The next day there was a slight heat wave but I was prepared! This is more similar to chocolate ice, unless you use an ice cream maker, but the mint and chocolate flavors are really fantastic, and can help your kids out with a sugar-free way of eating more fruits and veggies.

(Ingredients)

• 1 Large Ripe Banana
• 1/2 Large Ripe Avocado
• 1/4 cup of Cocoa
• 5 tsp Stevia
• 3 drops of Food-Safe Mint Oil
• About 1 & 1/2 cups Non-Dairy Milk

(Directions)

• Blend the ingredients until fine and then freeze, taking it out every three hours or so to scrape and mix it to your liking. Skip the step if you are churning and let it thaw for five minutes or so when you are ready to eat.
• Grab a spoon and enjoy!

Guest Post: By Susmitha Subbaraju

Susmitha is perhaps one of the friendliest people that I have encountered online and has accepted me into the group "Vegan Temptivists" on Facebook, which is truly an honor - especially since she is my first guest blogger! She is an extremely talented artist in practically all of the mediums and makes amazingly mouth-watering recipes. Her blog, http://blog.veganosaurus.com/ is full of delicious, stunning and unique recipes - she isn't afraid to veganize and is most definitely outgoing when it comes to the things that she loves. Check her out because you won't regret it! ^^

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Before I became vegan, 9 years ago, I was never interested in baking and barely interested in cooking. But turning vegan opened up a whole new world of ingredients and possibilities to me and I couldn't help but be inspired to get creative in my kitchen. That's when the baking bug bit me and ever since then there's been no looking back.
Since I'm vegan for ethical reasons, for the longest time I had the attitude that I'd rather use a few less than healthy ingredients in my baking (all purpose flour, processed oils etc...) than compromise on the taste and texture of the finished goodie. My main focus was to have people taste my cakes and pastries and be blown away by the deliciousness of vegan desserts.

When my more health inclined vegan friends spoke of using date syrup or whole wheat flour in their cakes, I used to turn up my nose and say, "those healthy cakes won't impress non-vegans into turning vegan so what's the point?" I even tasted a few of those healthy cakes and cookies with an open mind but was left unimpressed which further strengthened my belief that good cakes had to be made of all purpose flour and contain a generous amount of oil.

Then a few months ago, my friend Arun kicked that attitude right out of me by bringing this amaaaazing chocolate cake to our monthly Vegan Bengaluru potluck. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He told me that it contained absolutely no oil, was made of whole wheat flour and was made without an oven! My jaw would've dropped hearing that last bit except that I was busy gobbling up the cake.

Since I associate Bou Shin's blog with healthy eating as much as the cute bentos, I figured a healthy cake recipe would be perfect for my guest post here. :)

I made a bunch of changes to Arun's original recipe based on the ingredients I had at home.

(Here's my version of the Healthy Chocolate Cake recipe)

• 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 C Jaggery Powder (can use Sugar if you can't find jaggery but it's less healthier that way)
• 1/3 C Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)
• 3 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 C Water
• 1/2 C Walnuts - broken into little pieces
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)

(Directions)

• Bring 3 to 4 C of water to boil in a large pan/pot/steamer (the baking dish should easily fit inside).
• Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and lightly grease with a few drops of olive oil.
• Mix dry ingredients (except sweetener and walnuts) and sieve a few times to make the flour airy.
• Mix jaggery/sugar with wet ingredients and whip for a few minutes to create air bubbles.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients quickly until there are no large lumps (do not over mix).
• Stir in the walnuts and transfer to baking dish.
• Place an upside down the plate or bowl inside the steamer pot (to add height) and place the baking dish inside it.
• Cover the pot and steam on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and continue steaming for another 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the pot and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Gently lift the cake along with the foil out of the dish and place on a cooling rack.
• After the cake has cooled completely, peel off the foil.
• Slice and serve plain or with melted chocolate poured over it.
• Enjoy!

Thanks Bou Shin for having me over on your blog.

Vegan Cheezecake Pie Pops (Soy-Free, No-Bake, Gluten-Free, 4th of July)

Happy 4th of July for those that celebrate it - due to the summer heat (which makes me summer lazy) and I came up with these due to wanting something cool and cute to eat. My family just made a strawberry, refrigerator cheesecake so you know I had to one-up that and veganize it....or I just needed to try out this new sugar-free pectin! The best part about these is that with each bite you get a different ice cream flavor - the first is cheezecake, then its banana split and then you even get a bite of Choc-O-Chip cookie dough.

How do you like to celebrate your national holidays? Or, how do you prefer to cool down?

(Cheezecake Pie Pops Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Blueberries
• 1 Medium-Ripe Banana
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 tbl Coconut Oil
• 1 cup of Coconut Cream (or 1/2 pk of Thai Cream Powder)
• 1/4 cup Raw Sugar
• 2 tsp No-Sugar Added Pectin
• 2 tsp Water
• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs

(Directions)

• I didn't use a blender for this - but if you want something absolutely smooth and amazing then you can most definitely use a blender. 
• You can use about half a packet of Thai coconut cream powder and half a cup of cold water, then drizzle in oil, vinegar, sugar and blueberries.
• Put that mixture in the microwave on high for 20 seconds and then mash in the banana to "puree" the ingredients.
• Combine pectin and water, press it with fingers until it is no longer lumpy and then microwave for about 15 seconds until it is jellied on its own.
• Whisk in, cover your mixing container with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for about 1-2 hours and it should start to smooth over.
• Then, chop it up and mix in your graham cracker crumbs.
• Let that chill for about one more hour and then you can drizzle in some bitter-sweet chocolate or make cheezecake pops, using graham cracker crumbs and chocolate as a great base.
• Coat your sticks with chocolate, stick in and freeze until almost rock-hard, serve and enjoy!

Cool down with a nice float, too!

Bakery-Style Hightop Muffins (from Invader Zim)

These are my absolute favorite style of muffin - the little ones just don't do it for me (my cookware don't want none unless you got...top buns, hon?). I also decided to make this sort of like the muffins you often see Gir eating from the show "Invader Zim", its not exactly perfect but these muffins are easy, quick and very fun to make.

Chocolate Hightop Muffins Recipe:

1 cup of Vegan Buttermilk

1/4 cup of Veggie Oil

2 cups of Powdered Sugar

A Pinch of Salt

1 cup of Whole White Wheat

1 and 1/4 cups of Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Melted Chocolate

Just a little mixing until its a thick batter. Add the chocolate chips/melted chocolate last.

Put all of the batter into six holes evenly and use any extra batter to top each one off. Add some water to to the empty places then bake at 400 degrees for about seven minutes, lower to 350 until it has all thoroughly baked. You may need to empty the water out later OR you can microwave these babies for about 1:45 seconds and enjoy a quick breakfast or snack.

You could take the time to make these into Death Star cupcakes for May 4th...or just enjoy as is!

Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake

The thing that inspired me to make this cake was the surplus of ginger-ale I had in the fridge. I had a stomach ache earlier in the week for whatever reason but a small amount of baking soda fixed that so I had no need for the carbonated drink. I tried to think of something to use for it, as none of us require any soda or similar drinks...so I baked a cake - which we need, right? I originally saw the "base" of this idea from Veganlovlie's Irish Tea Brack but obviously went way out on this.

(Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake Dry Ingredients)

• 3 cups of Rye Flour
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 2 tsp of Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of Ground Cloves
• 1/2 tsp of Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp of Cardamom
• 1/4-1/2 cup of Cocoa Powder
• About 2 cups of Confectioner's Sugar
• 1/4 tsp of Sea Salt
• Dark Chocolate Chips
• A dash of Black Pepper

(Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake Wet Ingredients)

• 1/4 Cup of Blackstrap Molasses
• 3/4 cup of Vegetable Oil (sub half with banana for low-fat)
• 1 cup of Vegan Buttermilk
• 1 cup of Ginger ale
• Minced Ginger (optional)

(Directions)

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• Mix your wet and dry separately, then fold your wet into your dry about 15 times or until fully incorporated.
• Place into a well-greased baking dish and tap about 5 times to keep the air bubbles from forming.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until the middle is no longer gooey and the knife comes out clean when you do your "finished" test.
• Let it cool overnight or chill in the fridge for about four hours.Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with an orange wedge and enjoy!

Easy Homemade Twix

There's a little glow on these simple things - I can enjoy my favorite childhood treat with ease and have even made it a bit more "mature" with the addition of coffee. Crisp, sweet, velvety and chocolate with a great crunch and a dark-chocolate bite to balance everything out. An easy short-bread recipe combined with a simple cocoa coating and an amazingly easy shortbread recipe. I've become quite the little candy-making queen with this simple 5-ingredient caramel and a little eye-balling.

(Shortbread Ingredients)

• 1/2 cup of Raw Sugar
• 3/4 cup of Vegan Margarine
• 1/4 cup of Applesauce (Optional, I didn't use)
• About 2 cups of White Whole Whea

(Coconut Caramel Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Cold Coconut Cream
• 3/4 cup of Cold Water
• 3/4 + 2 tbl Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• A pinch of Salt

Dark-chocolate (for coating)

(Directions)

• Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
• Simply cream your margarine and sugar together for the shortbread.
• add flour and knead a bit and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick strips, roll in oats, poke a few holes and then place in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
• Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes or until hard, then place in the fridge as you start the caramel.
• For the Coconut Caramel, boil everything together until it gets to the firm-ball stage using a candy thermometer or using the cold water candy test.
• Spread on top of shortbread, then coat in dark chocolate.
• Enjoy!

Brownie Bite Ice Cream Sandwiches w/ 30-Minute Ice-Cream and Raw Vegan Option

Crunchy on the inside and unbelievably fluffy on the inside with lots of yummy homemade ice cream. You can't even taste the spinach or bananas! Surprised? This dish is great to round up a healthy meal with a decadent treat with a nice surprise. Your kids (or anyone shorter than you, honestly) will look up at you and say "There's no way that vegetables can be in here!", I'm sure. But oh they are in there dear children and people that are shorter than me, they are.

(Five-Ingredient Ice Cream Ingredients)

• 1 Mildly Ripe Banana frozen
• 2 tsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 4 tbl of Peanut Butter
• 2 tbl of Raw Sugar

(Brownie Bite Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Vegan Margarine (or Coconut Oil)
• 1/4 cup of Non-Dairy Milk
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 1/4 cup of Raw Sugar
• 1 cup of Whole Grain Flour
• 3/4 cup of Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp of Stevia
• 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup of Spinach Juice (and pulp)

(Raw Vegan Version of Brownie Bites)

• 3/4 cup of Raw Cocoa Powder
• 20 Raw and Soaked Dates
• 1 tsp of Stevia (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Raw Oats
• 1/4 cup of Cold Coconut Oil
• A few tbl of Spinach Juice and Pulp

(Directions)

• For the Ice Cream: First, mash your banana with a whisk, add your lemon juice and then your sugar. Let that sit for a minute and then mash some more until it looks custard like. Move your whisk around in an effort to whip air into it.
• Combine with the vanilla and then add your peanut butter after everything has been whisked and masked completely. Mix for a minute more then stash in the freezer for about an hour.
• Take out, whisk again and then place in the freezer while you decide which Brownie bites version you want to make.


• For your Non-raw Brownie Bites:, cream together the margarine, sugar and vanilla and refrigerate for about five minutes. Whisk again and then fold in your dry ingredients. Mix on high with electric beaters and then slowly pour your milk in until it comes together. Use an ice cream scoop and place onto a well-oiled cookie sheet and place in fridge for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, crank the heat up to 400 for about five minutes and set back to 350 until the tops have firmed and the bottoms have browned well. Let cool for five minutes then scoop a bit of your ice cream top and enjoy!


• For the Raw Brownie Bites: Grind your oats together and then mix with everything else.
• Use an ice cream scoop to place them on some parchment paper and freeze until ready.
• Combine with your ice cream, serve everything extremely cold and enjoy!

Breakfast Bento

My first (and simplest) non-kyaraben bento, normally I don't photograph these types - but this was too adorable!

Breakfast Bento Ingredients:
1 Lightlife Sausage
Scrambled Tofu
Oatmeal Yogurt
Steamed Kale
Blackberry and Dark Chocolate Pancakes (Whole-Wheat)

It was a great and filling breakfast that only took thirty minutes to prepare - I hope that you enjoyed my first non-character bento!

German Chocolate Sweet Rolls

I made these the day of Halloween for a Hansel and Gretel themed dinner, but didn't get to post it until now. As everyone knows, the best part of a sweet roll (or cinnamon bun) is the middle - but now every bit is just as delicious! I coated it with a simple icing of cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt and non-dairy milk and made sure that the inside had a similar covering. Sweet and oh so delicious - just like the kids would have wanted.

(Sweet Rolls Dough Ingredients)

• 1 and 1/2 tsp Rapid-Rise Yeast
• 1/2 tbl Sweetener
• 1 Cup of Warm Water
• 1/2 Cup of Sweetener
• 2 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
• A Pinch of Sea Salt

(Sweet Rolls Filling Ingredients)

• 1 Bar of Melted Dark Chocolate (or Cocoa Powder,Oil,Non-dairy Milk, and Sweetener)
• 1/4 cup of Unsweetened Coconut Shreds
• 5 tbl of Kinako Powder (optional)
• A handful of Walnuts

(Icing Ingredients)

• 1/2 Cup of Cocoa Powder
• Enough Non-Dairy Milk to Mix (dont make sauce runny)
• Powdered sugar
• A Pinch of Sea Salt

(Directions)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For the sweet roll dough and filling: Mix the first three ingredients (only 1/4 of water) together. After about ten minutes you can mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
• Add flour as you need to and knead the dough for about ten minutes.
• Let it rest in a warm area and cover with a damp towel for one hour while you get the rest of the ingredients together.
• Roll it out thinly into the shape of a rectangle and then spread on your filling in order.
• Grab one end and roll it tightly, then slice thickly and evenly and place into a non-stick pan and place some icing around the edges. Let those rise in a warm area for about 30 more minutes.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly browned.


• For the Icing: Add enough of the non-dairy milk to the cocoa to make it spreadable and enough sugar to make it taste good. Add pinch of salt.
• Coat with more icing, add more nuts and/or cherries and serve warm.
• Enjoy!

Sugar-Free Chocolate Daifuku

Rushed perfection (aka - sorry for the blur)

Normally I'll only eat mochi if it has sauce with it (in the case of dango) but in my attempt at another Ghibli treat I discovered something absolutely delicious. It was a combination of chocolate, strawberry and marshmallow (flavor and texture). It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it's absolutely delicious!

Chocolate Daifuku Recipe:
1 and 1/2 Cups Mochiko
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/4-1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
1/4 Cup of Cold Water (plus more for boiling)
1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Mix the ingredients together with your hands until they become firm but still easily moldable. Wrap a piece onto one your cleaned strawberries and make sure that none of the fruit is poking out. Take a piece of cheesecloth and wrap it around the daifuku, making sure that it is in an upright purse position. Tye it with twine and begin to boil a small amount of water (enough to bobble in). Cook them for about 5 minutes on medium heat and then turn the heat up to high at the last 30 seconds or so. Remove them from the water and let them cool until you can touch the cloth, unwrap and then enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

It's Pancake Time!

Inspired by Pendleton Ward's Adventure Time - but edible! None of the images that I took inspiration from are owned from me, they are owned by the people that I mention.  The pancakes are two different flavors, and one is sweet while the other has a savory taste.

(Basic Pancake Mix Ingredients)

• 2 and 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 tbl Ground Flax Seeds
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• Vegetable Oil (a few tbl per pancake)
• Water or Soy milk (to mix)

(Jake's Face Ingredients)

• Basic Pancake Mix
• Turmeric + Pineapple Juice
• Chocolate Sauce

(Finn's Face Ingredients)

• Basic Pancake Mix + Turmeric + Pineapple Juice
• Fresh Strawberry Juice + Water + 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice (face)
• Chocolate Sauce

(Directions)

• Mix the ingredients together
• Start off your pan onto the lowest heat with a little bit of oil and spoon (or squeeze with a bottle) the pancake mix in.
• If making Finn's face: make sure to keep it as oval as possible and do the strawberry pancake mix first. Add the hat after then use your spatula to shape everything).
• Once it has started to bubble up well, firmly shove your spatula under and carefully flip it.
• For Jake's face: you can just make the shape of his face
• Once done, let them rest on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.
• Decorate with chocolate sauce.
• Enjoy!

If you want to make the Lumpy Space Princess, use blueberry + blackberry juice for the pancake mix, and for Princess Bubblegum you can just do the same thing as you did with Finn, except reversed.

Cat-Bear-Cake?

I got a Hello Kitty cake pan from Wilton, and let's just say I wasn't very good at doing anything with it. For some odd reason, everything HK that I make turns into a bear. It's never an adorable bear either, this one just looks...off, but I didn't use parchment paper to lift it or anything. No matter though, the cake is absolutely moist and delicious and I love it.

(Cat-Bear-Cake Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup Strong Brewed Coffee (you should probably cut down on that)
• 1 cup Vegan Sweetener
• 3 Cornstarch Eggs
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 and 1/2 cups Cake Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Soda (or a little less baking powder)
• 1 cup of Soy Milk
• 2 tsp Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (avoid if using powder)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Cold Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt

(Directions)

• Cream the coconut oil and sugar together and slowly sift in the dry ingredients. Fold them into each other.
• slowly add the wet ingredients until it is a medium-thick batter.
• Place into a greased and parchment paper lined baking dish and tap onto a hard surface about 20 times.
• at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the knife comes out clean from the middle.
• Let it rest of one hour, cover in coconut cream and berries or whatever you choose.
• Enjoy!

Three Little Lambs of Easter Are We

                                            

These cakes were simple to bake and pretty easy to decorate. The only hard part is that you have to constantly chill them after each application of frosting. Otherwise it's just a sweet and wonderful treat to add to your holidays! It’s full of coconut flavor and it's the perfect dessert for those whole love this island nut.

Coconut Cake Recipe:
3 cups of Cake Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp of Iodized Salt
1 and 3/4-2 cups of Vegan Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother is best)
1/2 cup Coconut Cream
1/2 cup Cold Water
3/4 cup of Coconut Oil (scented is fine)

Sift together the cake flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and mix together the rest of the ingredients separately. Once all of the dry items are mixed together and all of the wet items are mixed together then you can slowly mix them, adding the wet to the dry in this case. Use whichever baking dish(es) that you like (I used two ramekins and a larger pan) and grease them with coconut oil. Spread the coconut cake batter through the dish(es) equally and tap them about 10-20 times on a hard surface to ensure that all goes well in the baking process and everything is equally distributed.

Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees and poke a knife through the middle of the center-most one. Let the cakes cool on a cake rack (or a cool pan) for about an hour or until everything is fully cooled, then run a knife around the edges a few times and pull the cake out to let it cool a bit more, then prep your frosting.

Coconut Frosting Recipe:
3 cups of Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup of Coconut Cream (or enough so everything is pulled together like store-bought)
1/4 cup of Cold Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp of Coconut Extract (optional)

Mix the coconut cream with an electric mixer and slowly pour in the powdered sugar. Once about 1/2 a cup is added you can add more coconut cream and coconut extract, then alternate until it is the right texture. My kitchen was especially hot today so I stored the frosting in the freezer for about 5 minutes, and then stirred it with a whisk. I took one of the smaller cakes from one of the ramekins and cut the puffed top off (use your hand to level it but keep your thumb out of the way). I put large amount of icing on the top, and then smoothed my butter knife around it to cover the brown color and to make sure that it looked more like a sheep. I placed that in the fridge for about five minutes, took it out and added raisins for eyes and made a design of rings around the face with my knife and a cake decorator (optional). I placed that back into the freezer and mixed some of the frosting with some beet juice to make sure that the color was to my liking, then used a skewer to place the nose on and the cheeks. I covered the sides with coconut and placed it back into the freezer to chill. Repeat with the next one. For the larger cake I did the same except for adding about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and adding more beet juice for a darker color.


Remember, these cakes can be used for any occasion so don't feel left out if you don't celebrate Easter!

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3