Sunday, April 05, 2020

Strawberry Lemon Bars

Strawberry Lemon Bars - layers of lemon filling and strawberries sandwiched in a buttery crumble crust 

The result of combining pieces of two recipes: 

For the crust & overall directions:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-strawberry-crumb-bars/ 

For the strawberries & lemon filling:
https://www.averiecooks.com/strawberry-lemonade-bars/

In the crust I halved the sugar and doubled the salt.
The lemon filling recipe could probably be doubled next batch.
Fresh lemon was substituted with lemon extract at a ratio of 3/1

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Blueberry, Almond & Lavender Cupcakes

A squirt of blueberry, a touch of lavender, Mmmmmm
The icing was a mess, so I left that picture out.
People have been TALKING. I'm whipping up a proverbial vegan massacre of cupcakes, and shit ain't slowing down. The one that keeps em coming back to my yard, and the most popular on the blog, are my lavender cupcakes.

So I decided to refine, and specially for a good friend's Pride party I tested baking fat free cupcakes. They were disgusting. So I made these instead!

The flavour of almond beautifully marries the lavender, creating a not so subtle and totally unique flavor that even the pickiest of eaters will say they love. The blueberries in the middle burst to give a brief, cutting contrast of sweet sourness. Visually, the lavender provides a texture that compels you to look deep into the depth of your creation.

Makes: 12 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour

Super Easy Blueberry, Almond & Lavender Cupcakes

Basic Tips

  • Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients first, then mix the wet ingredients. 
  • Just mix until the dry ingredients are wet, over mixing makes dense glutinous cupcakes
  • Exact measurements are key. Don't tightly pack the dry ingredients in your scoop, and use a knife or flat edge to shave off the excess.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups organic white flour
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 tablespoons organic lavender blossom

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons almond extract
  • 1 cup cold coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
     
  • 1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries

Directions

The Batter

Use a mortar and pestle to ground your organic lavender. If your mortar is smaller like mine, do it in batches.

Add all of the dry ingredients together including ground lavender, being sure there are no clumps or lumps in there. and mix dry ingredients thoroughly.

Push the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl creating a small pit in the middle, then add the wet ingredients. If you have the correct ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients, the pool in the middle of the dry ingredients should come up to just over the edge of the dry ingredients.

Using a spatula gently push the dry ingredients into the pool of wet ingredients, and mix altogether until the dry ingredients are all wet. Don't over mix. 

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 cupcake papers, sprayed with a very small amount of cooking oil.

In the center of each cupcake, gently push 2-4 blueberries down into the batter, all the way down so they are completely covered. The cake will rise and the blueberries will be pushed up during baking, we want them to stay on the inside.

The Heat

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) for 25 minutes, then check your cupcakes. Use a knife to see if it comes out clean, and continue baking in 1-minute intervals until it's done. Don't over cook!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Lava Java Chocolate Coffee Cupcake Doughnuts


These cupcakes with a kick have a sunken chocolate centre, crowned with a thin crispy shell that gives way to a moist and gooey hole of deliciousness. Ohhhhhh man, that's good.

Makes: 12 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour

Inspired by Spacegirl Melissa, I've been stirring up a vegan massacre of cupcakes as my first foray into baking. Among the original recipes one favourite is my Coconut Kiwi and Lavender cupcakes! And there's more where that came from:

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups organic white flour
  • 1 tablespoons instant coffee ground
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  •  cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cold brewed coffee
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ½ cup premium chocolate cocoa powder

Directions

The Cake Batter

Brew a pot of extra strong coffee and store in the fridge so that it's cold when you're ready to bake. This can be done up to a day in advance, however coffee become bitter, so freshest is best. Brew it fresh, and put it in the freezer to chill quickly 30 minutes before baking. You want cold liquid.

Add all of the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl, mix well busting up clumps or lumps.

Push the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl creating a small pit in the centre to add the wet ingredients in.

Using a spatula gently push the dry ingredients into the pool of wet ingredients, and mix gently.

Spoon the batter into 12 medium sized cupcake papers, sprayed with a very small amount of cooking oil. They work fine straight in the tray, but you'll need to use extra grease to ensure they don't stick.

In The Raw, Just Before Things Get Hot
The Lava

Warm up a sauce pan on low-medium and add white sugar and cocoa powder, plus a table spoon of water. Careful the pan is not too hot, we want this to go slow and controlled.

Do not leave the lava unattended, we only want to melt the sugar a little bit, just enough so it blends with the cocoa and everything gets wet.

Wait for the sugar to melt just a little, then stir it all so the melting sugar becomes a chocolaty sauce. If the dry cocoa powder doesn't mix completely, add another 1/2 tablespoon of water. Take it off the heat right away, over cooking will cause the lava to harden.

Spoon the lava onto the middle of the top of each cupcake, trying not to let it run off onto the sides. The lava is heavy and will create a pit of deliciousness inside the cupcake after baking.

Optional: After baking, fill your gooey pit with something delicious, like caramel. Oh man!

The Heat

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) for 20 minutes. We want to slightly under-cook these cupcakes, but still have fully baked cake. Use a knife to see if it comes out clean, and continue baking in 1-minute intervals until it's done. Remember, there's lava in the middle, so the knife might have the chocolate on it from the lava in the centre.

Let your cupcakes cool completely, being very careful not to disturb the delicate thin crispy top. When you remove the cupcakes from the tray they will be very delicate because of our under-cooking, be careful and try to keep the thin crispy top in-tact.

Biting into these beauties will reveal a combination of textures from the thin crispy chocolate top to the moist gooey hole in the centre. Yumm!

Tips

  • Just mix until the dry ingredients are wet, over mixing makes dense glutinous cupcakes. When first combining the ingredients, instead of mashing it all together just roughly move it around with your fingers, then let the batter rest for 20 minutes to allow the wet and dry to combine passively, keeping it light and airy.
  • Measurements are exact, don't tightly pack the dry ingredients in your scoop, you can use two scoops, one to scoop into your actual measuring scoop. Use a flat edge to shave off the excess.

Saturday, June 01, 2013

Coconut, Kiwi and Lavender Cupcakes

Image Credit: http://myediblememories.net/
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour

Funny story, I've never baked a damn thing in my life. I had historically always put myself into the category of being a cook, but not a baker

Until just a couple weeks ago, a good friend challenged me to return the favour of a tray of cupcakes. Being the sort of guy who enjoys a good cooking challenge, I couldn't say no.

After a quick consult with my close friend and award winning vegan baker Spacegirl Melissa, I learned a few tricks, and went on to create my own amazing recipes! Considering I've never baked before, I did all of these in just one week! It really was that easy, I don't know what stopped me before.

Here are three super easy vegan cupcake recipes I created, for all of you to enjoy.
  1. Thai Cupcakes with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf
  2. Chai Tea Cupcakes
  3. Coconut, Kiwi and Lavender Cupcakes

Super Easy Coconut, Kiwi and Lavender Cupcakes

Basic Tips

  • Mix the dry ingredients first, then mix the wet ingredients. 
  • Mix only until all the dry ingredients are wet, over mixing will leave you with dense glutinous cupcakes
  • Exact measurements are key. Don't pack the dry ingredients, just scoop em up, and use a knife or flat edge to shave off the excess from the scoop.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups of white flour
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cold coconut milk
  • 1 kiwi fruit
  • 1 tablespoon lavender blossom

Directions

Add all of the ingredients in the exact order listed above. First mix the dry ingredients together, and be sure there are no clumps or lumps.

Push the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl, creating a small pit in the middle of the bowl and add the wet ingredients.

Gently push the dry ingredients into the pool of wet ingredients and mix only until everything is wet. Don't over mix.

Now eat all of the delicious batter in it's raw form and don't leave anything for anyone else.

OR

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 cupcake papers sprayed with a very small amount of non stick oil.

Top each cupcake with a quarter slice of kiwi and a few blossoms of lavender, then lightly push it into the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) for 30 minutes, or until a knife in the cupcake comes out clean.

After cooling, top with homemade vanilla icing, coconut sprinkles, a very light sprinkling of ground lavender, and a quarter slice of kiwi to crown the icing.

The key to working with lavender is to use it lightly, it's fragrance and flavour is unlike anything else, but if overused can become offensive and ruin your dish.

Thai Cupcakes with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf

Image Credit: http://www.shemakesandbakes.com
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour

Funny story, I've never baked a damn thing in my life. I had historically always put myself into the category of being a cook, but not a baker

Until just a couple weeks ago, a good friend challenged me to return the favour of a tray of cupcakes. Being the sort of guy who enjoys a good cooking challenge, I couldn't say no.

After a quick consult with my close friend and award winning vegan baker Spacegirl Melissa, I learned a few tricks, and went on to create my own amazing recipes! Considering I've never baked before, I did all of these in just one week! It really was that easy, I don't know what stopped me before.

Here are three super easy vegan cupcake recipes I created, for all of you to enjoy.
  1. Thai Cupcakes with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf
  2. Chai Tea Cupcakes
  3. Coconut, Kiwi and Lavender Cupcakes

Super Easy Thai Cupcakes with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf

Basic Tips

  • Mix the dry ingredients first, then mix the wet ingredients. 
  • Mix only until all the dry ingredients are wet, over mixing will leave you with dense glutinous cupcakes
  • Exact measurements are key. Don't pack the dry ingredients, just scoop em up, and use a knife or flat edge to shave off the excess from the scoop.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of organic white flour
  • 1/3 cup of ground kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 cup of white sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground lemongrass
  • 1 Cup cold coconut milk

Directions

Add all of the ingredients in the exact order listed above. First mix the dry ingredients together, and be sure there are no clumps or lumps. 

Push the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl, creating a small pit in the middle of the bowl, and add the wet ingredients.

Gently push the dry ingredients into the pool of wet ingredients and mix only until everything is wet. Don't over mix.

Now eat all of the delicious batter in it's raw form and don't leave anything for anyone else.

OR

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 cupcake papers sprayed with a very small amount of non stick oil.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) for 30 minutes, or until a knife in the cupcake comes out clean.

After cooling, top with homemade vanilla icing, coconut sprinkles, and lime rind twists for garnish.

Chai Tea Cupcakes

Image Credit: http://www.thesweetchick.com
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour

Funny story, I've never baked a damn thing in my life. I had historically always put myself into the category of being a cook, but not a baker

Until just a couple weeks ago, a good friend challenged me to return the favour of a tray of cupcakes. Being the sort of guy who enjoys a good cooking challenge, I couldn't say no.

After a quick consult with my close friend and award winning vegan baker Spacegirl Melissa, I learned a few tricks, and went on to create my own amazing recipes! Considering I've never baked before, I did all of these in just one week! It really was that easy, I don't know what stopped me before.

Here are three super easy vegan cupcake recipes I created, for all of you to enjoy.
  1. Thai Cupcakes with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf
  2. Chai Tea Cupcakes
  3. Coconut, Kiwi and Lavender Cupcakes

Super Easy Chai Tea Cupcakes

Basic Tips

  • Mix the dry ingredients first, then mix the wet ingredients. 
  • Mix only until all the dry ingredients are wet, over mixing will leave you with dense glutinous cupcakes
  • Exact measurements are key. Don't pack the dry ingredients, just scoop em up, and use a knife or flat edge to shave off the excess from the scoop.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of spelt whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 of a cup of ground roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil 
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 Cup chilled chai tea made with water or almond milk
  • 1/4 cup of Orange Marmalade

Directions

Add all of the ingredients in the exact order listed above. First mix the dry ingredients together, and be sure there are no clumps or lumps. 

Push the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl, creating a small pit in the middle of the bowl and add the wet ingredients.

Gently push the dry ingredients into the pool of wet ingredients and mix only until everything is wet. Don't over mix.

Now eat all of the delicious batter in it's raw form and don't leave anything for anyone else.

OR

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 cupcake papers sprayed with a very small amount of non stick oil.

Spoon a small dollop of orange marmalade on the center of each cupcake and lightly push it into the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) for 30 minutes, or until a knife in the cupcake comes out clean.

After cooling, top with homemade vanilla icing, and sprinkled powdered cinnamon for garnish.