The Real Deal Pound Cake

If you love pound cake like I do, this one's the real deal! Pound cake was my favorite cake growing up and for years now I've been searching high and low for an authentic vegan pound cake recipe. Well, my search just ended!!

TIP: Make sure the oven is nice and hot and at temperature for a good 20 min. before you pop her in the oven to make sure she rises properly.

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup blended silken tofu (blend first, then measure)*
• 3/4 cup soy or rice milk (vanilla or plain)
• 1 1/4 cups cane sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla & 2 tsp lemon extract OR 4 tsp vanilla extract

* If you don't have silken tofu, replace with 1/4 cup vegan yogurt & 1/4 cup vegan milk

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (ie; white. Sorry, if it's whole wheat it ain't pound cake)
• 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Lemon Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp lemon extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly oil a loaf pan

In a large bowl combine wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, about 2 min.

Sift dry ingredients into wet mixture. Stir to combine then beat with electric mixter for 1.5 to 2 minutes until a very thick batter forms. Do not overmix.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 60 - 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Make sure the top inside isn't still 'gooey'.  (depending on your oven, it may have to bake shorter or longer.  Since posting this recipe I've gotten a new oven and find I need to bake it about 70 min)

Combine ingredients for icing in a bowl, whisk to make smooth with a spoon or electric beater, and pour over cake once it has cooled.


Important: The following steps ensure a "moist" pound cake without a hard outer 'crust': Remove from oven and let rest in pan 10 minutes, then cover with foil and let rest another 15 minutes or so. Remove from pan, place on wire rack and loosely cover with foil, including as well as you can under the wire rack. Cake should cool a few more hours before slicing.

Harvest Cake with "Buttercream" Icing

This moist double-decker delight will leave your guests at your mercy!

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour (pastry or regular)
• 1 1/4 cups cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanill extract

Cake Method:

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt with and electric mixer (using the whisk attachment).

Add pumpkin, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and whisk well to form a smooth batter.

Divide batter and pour each half into a lightly greased 8" or 9" cake pan.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or untila toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool fully before icing.

Vegan "Buttercream" Icing:

Link to this page or follow directions below:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup softened vegan margarine (Earth Balance, Soy Garden)
• 4 cups powdered icing sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy or rice milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

Optional:

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Method:

In a large bowl beat margarine with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.

With beaters going, slowly add powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.

For the filling, transfer one-third of the frosting to a small bowl, add the coconut and nuts and stir well to combine.

Source: VegNews Magazine, October 2008, pg.64

Vanilla "Buttercream" Icing

Yum Yum Icing!!

This recipe makes enough for a 9" layered cake; for both frosting and the filling.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup softened vegan margarine (Earth Balance, Soy Garden)
• 4 cups powdered icing sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy or rice milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

Optional:

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Method:

In a large bowl beat margarine with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. With beaters going, slowly add powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.

For the filling, transfer one-third of the frosting to a small bowl, add the coconut and nuts and stir well to combine.

Source: VegNews Magazine; October 2008, pg.65

Dressing for Carrot / Beet Salad

• 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root (or use 1 tsp powdered if fresh is not available)
• small handfull toasted cashews or almonds
• small handfull rasins

In a small bowl blend together all dressing ingredients except for the nuts.

Pour over grated carrots and / or grated beets. (about 4 - 5 cups grated veggies in all, or more to taste if dressing is too strong)

Add nuts & rasins

Source: ivu.org (International Vegetarian Union); Sept. 08

Cinnamon Buns

This recipe is from the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of 'VegNews' magazine

Cinnamon Buns:

• 2.5 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp warm water
• 1 cup soy or rice milk
• 2 Tbsp vegan margarine
• 3 cups flour (whole wheat, white, spelt or blend - your choice)
• Optional: 1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon Filling:

• 1/2 cup (heaped) sugar
• 3 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 4 Tbsp vegan margarine, melted & divided
• Optional: rasins and chopped toasted hazlenuts

Vanilla Icing: (not shown in photo above)

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup soy or rice milk

Method:

1. For the cinnamon buns, mix the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl. Let mixture sit until yeast is bubbly.
2. While the yeast is getting started, heat the soy/rice milk and margarine until warm, then remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flours, gluten and salt. Add the yeast and milk mixtures and blend until dough begins to hold together.
4. On a well floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, place in a lightly-greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll into a rectangle shape about 12 x 16 inches.
5. For the cinnamon filling, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl. Lightly spread 2 - 3 Tbsp of melted margarine over the dough, then sprinkle on the sugar mixture. Tightly roll up the dough along the longer side, moistening the final edge with water and sealing. Cut into 8 equal portions and place evenly apart on a lightly-greased (or parchment covered) 9 x 13 inch pan.
6. Cover pan with a dish towel and let rolls rise until they are almost touching each other, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush rolls lightly with remaining melted margarine and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
7. For the Vanilla Icing, beat the powdered sugar, margarine, and vanilla with an electric mixer until the margarine is distributed into the sugar (the mixture should be crumbly). Slowly drizzle in the soy/rice milk and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. After the rolls have cooled slightly, slather on icing and serve.

Award-winning Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Well, they haven't won any awards yet but they should!

You will need a blender, a large bowl and some muffin tins. This recipe yields roughly 18 small-ish muffins.

If you want to get extra creative & yummy, top these nuggets with some lemon icing!

Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl combine:

• 5 cups flour (I use 1 spelt, 1 white, 3 whole wheat)


• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup poppy seeds


• coarsly grated rind of 1 or 2 lemons


• 2 Tbsp baking powder


• 1.5 tsp baking soda


• 1.5 tsp citric acid (avail. at health food stores)


• 1 tsp xanthan gum


• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients: In a blender, combine and blend until smooth:

• 300 grams silken tofu


• 1 whole lemon (minus seeds and the peel you grated off for the dry ingredients)


• 1 1/4 cups soy or rice milk


• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sunflower oil


• 1/3 cup honey


• 2/3 cup cane sugar


• 2 - 3 tsp vanilla extract (or lemon if you have it)

Method:

Combine dry ingredients well. Slowly pour wet batter overtop, stirring in and mixing thoroughly.

Drop into lined muffin tins (unbleached muffin cups are widely available).

To form "smooth" tops wet the tip of a small spatula and smooth out the top. You'll need to wet the spatula between each muffin.

Bake @ 350 deg. for 30 min.

Created by: Trudel; September 5, 2008