Tag: sweet

Vegan Chocolate Cake

New Years was quite subdued everywhere this year, but we brightened ours up with this amazing cake! I’d been dying to try baking Pick up Lime’s chocolate cake since I saw it online. If you haven’t seen their recipes, please check them out! They’re completely vegan and always work out. Here’s a link to their chocolate cake: https://www.pickuplimes.com/single-post/2020/02/27/easy-vegan-chocolate-cake.

This recipe is uses a combination of vinegar, baking powder and soda for leavening, which is very common in depression cakes. During the Great Depression, common cake ingredients were not available easily or were too expensive. Therefore, depression cakes use very little or no dairy and eggs. Most depression cake recipes are vegan, and work out quite well.

I baked the cake in a sheet pan and then cut it up to the desired size for easy layering. I also halved the recipe and it worked fine! A word of warning though, the cake doesn’t hold together as well as traditional cakes do. It’s a bit crumbly since it only has applesauce as the binder. The frosting holds the cake together for you, so this isn’t really an issue. Also, the cake is delicious even if it crumbles. I’ve included my recipe for whipped coconut cream below, so feel free to use it on this or any other cake!

The cake was fluffy and moist on the inside!

Yield: about 2 cups of frosting Preparation Time: 24 hours for chilling plus 3-4 minutes for whipping

Ingredients

  • Coconut cream 1 can
  • Granulated sugar 2 tbsp or according to taste
  • Vanilla Essence 1/4 tsp

Instructions

  1. Place the coconut cream can in the fridge for 24 hours or at least overnight undisturbed
  2. Carefully open the top of the can and scoop out the solidified cream on the top into a bowl. Reserve the liquid at the bottom in the can
  3. Add the other ingredients to the cream and whip for 3-4 minutes using an electric mixer.
  4. Add 1 tbsp of the reserved liquid at a time if the cream is too thick to whip.
  5. Place in the fridge till needed. Simply reshiyo the cream for a minute of so before using after pulling it out and it’s ready to go!

Tips

  • Use the left over liquid in the can for smoothies or add it to stews etc. Its full of flavor!
  • Coconut milk can also be used, but it will yield less frosting since it’s more diluted than coconut cream
  • The amount of sugar can vary depending on your preference. We generally prefer less sugar, so 2 tbsp was enough for us
  • This whipped cream goes with anything, so use it on pancakes, waffles, crepes or just eat it with a spoon!
  • You can use honey instead of sugar, but the flavor will be milder
  • You can add other flavorings like coco powder, freeze dried strawberry powder or instant coffee to this recipe as well!
  • This also pipes well, but it needs to chill in the fridge for an hour or so first

I hope this whipped cream will make Sunday brunches and frosting a cake a breeze. I hope you give give this a try and let me know how it goes!

Pineapple Sheera

Pineapple sheera is a South Indian sweet dish made of semolina. Traditionally, this contains a lot of dairy, but I have modified the recipe so I can eat it. It’s not too sweet, so it’s the perfect dish for all times of the day. I first ate it at one of the best South Indian restaurants in Mumbai called Ramashraya. This was the first time I made it though. Now, this isn’t the most traditional way to make it, but it’s very easy and foolproof.

Servings: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fine semolina flour 1/2 cup
  • Granulated sugar 1/2 cup
  • Boiling water 1 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp to dissolve saffron
  • Chopped pineapple 1/2 cup
  • Cashews 15 whole
  • Clarified butter or coconut oil 4 tbsp
  • Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp (optional)
  • Saffron 2-3 strands (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut the cashews into smaller pieces, preferably not more than 3 from one cashew
  2. Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a non stick pan on medium low heat. Add the cashew pieces and sauté till they turn a light gold. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon
  3. Boil water on the stove or in a kettle while the cashews roast. Once boiled, soak the saffron strands in 2 tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside till needed. Using saffron is optional, and you can totally skip it. I haven’t used it in the picture!
  4. In the same pan, add the semolina and cook constantly stirring till it smells roasted and turns a dark yellow (about 10-12 minutes)
  5. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, while stirring constantly to make sure no lumps are formed. I’ve found that a silicon spatula works best here.
  6. Once the water has been absorbed, add the sugar and stir to dissolve it. The mixture will loosen as the sugar dissolves, then it will start sticking to the sides of the pan
  7. Once the mixture is homogeneous, add the remaining 2 tbsp clarified butter and mix well. The mixture will come together in the pan and stop sticking to the sides
  8. Add the pineapple, saffron strands with soaking water, cashews and cardamom powder. Mix well and serve hot!

Tips

  • I like buying a whole pineapple and chopping it up myself since it’s cheaper. You can use pre diced pineapple as well
  • If you’re okay with dairy, use an equal mix of water and milk instead of just water here for better texture and richer taste
  • Any type of nut can be used in the recipe if cashews are not the available. I also use 1/4 cup cashew pieces sometimes due to the fact that they’re cheaper. Nuts can also be eliminated entirely if needed
  • Clarified butter or ghee has negligible amounts of lactose and most people are able to digest it (myself included). However, you can use coconut oil to make the recipe vegan!
  • Please make sure to use a non stick pan and a silicone spatula to make this for the perfect texture and avoid a sticky mess on your pan
  • You can increase the amount of fat if you’re not counting calories. The more the fat, the better it will taste

The savory version of this recipe, upma, is also one of my favorites. I’m glad my grandmother was able to pass on the the technique to make it and the recipe before she passed away. It’s thanks to her technique that all my semolina recipes turn out perfect, including this one. I hope you give this one a try soon and as always, please let me know how it goes!