You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘baked stuff’ category.
On the last full moon, I hosted an enormous brunch for my Ashtangi friends Petar and Callie and our teacher Scot. There are a lot of changes in the air with respect to the Ashtanga scene at Back Bay. The studio is moving (in fact, just moved) to a completely new space down toward the Park AND Scot is leaving his position as co-director of the Ashtanga program (and we will miss him dearly!). So, this brunch was something of a commemorative event. We gorged ourselves on many things that I intend to remake and post eventually, but this was the only one I found a chance to photograph that particular morning.
The mini-muffin is a nice format for a smorgasboard kind of meal because it’s not so intimidating and filling as a full-sized muffin, allowing room to enjoy the rest of the treats. Of course, this batter can be used for full-sized muffins too, though you might need to bake them a bit longer.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup spelt flour
- 3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
To make:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a muffin sheet (or line with muffin liners).
2. Combine flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and sugar. Add to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the shredded coconut. Pour into muffin tins, filling 3/4 to all the way full (I like to fill them up because I like a big billowy muffin top, but it’s the baker’s call, of course). Sprinkle the tops with additional coconut.
5. Bake 375 for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins pass the toothpick test. Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a plate or wire rack to cool further.
With Saturday being the Ashtangis’ traditional day of rest, Friday nights seem to incite my baking urges. So last Friday I thought it would be fun to concoct a carrot cake, but decided to spice things up a little bit by going for the cupcake format. Have you ever seen a carrot cupcake before?
You have to love the compactness of a cupcake. It’s a single unit, a little cake all unto itself. But one could easily make into a full-size cake too, though the cooking time might need to be increased slightly.
I’ve been increasingly averse to using refined sugar or overly-processed foods in my culinary creations these days, so I decided to make a cupcake without using granulated sugar. And carrot cake isn’t exactly birthday cake — it actually has vegetables in it — so it seemed like a good starting point. These cupcakes get their sweetness from dried fruit, maple syrup, coconut milk, and applesauce. And they are quite rich and tasty.
Carrot cake traditionally has cream cheese frosting. Now, there are fake (“vegan”) cream cheeses out there on the market that aren’t terrible, but this is exactly the kind of stuff I’m generally trying to avoid. In addition to the fact that these sorts of products tend to be highly processed (e.g., the popular Tofutti “Better than Cream Cheese” contains partially hydrogenated oils, a.k.a “trans fasts” and corn-derived thickeners such as maltodrextin), my general philosophy on the matter is that if you’re constantly seeking out things to “imitate” meat or dairy, then you aren’t really satisfied with your plant-based diet and are operating in deprivation mode. And, if that’s the case, it really is too bad, because the plant-based diet has so much more to offer in terms of variety, taste, and texture. Imitations are always going to taste like imitations: not as good as the real thing. And this reinforces the feeling of deprivation. But the world of plant-based foods is one of abundance, not scarcity. As you start to awaken to this world of infinite culinary possibility, any feelings of deprivation will begin to fade. So, when trying to solve a problem concerning vegan substitutions, I feel the best way to approach it is by asking what particular quality, taste, or texture the conventional meat or dairy ingredient has that makes it so essential to the end result. In the case of cream cheese frosting, you want something rich and creamy and dense. So here I turned to raw cashews and coconut milk to make the frosting. It might not taste “like” cream cheese frosting, but it’s rich and creamy and delicious on top of the carrot cake, which is, in my view, the goal. And honestly, I think it’s better than the conventional frosting! (Also, I can’t help but point out that most cream cheese frosting is like a nutritional train wreck: in addition to refined sugar and heavy cholesterol, non-organic versions will likely contain hormones, antibiotics, rennet, etc….)
I omitted the walnuts typically found in carrot cake because I made the frosting out of raw cashews and didn’t want to over-do it on the nuts. But feel free to add them if you wish.
This recipe makes exactly 9 cupcakes, if you fill the muffin pan cups almost full.
Creamy Cashew Frosting, Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews (unsalted)
- 1/3 cup lite coconut milk (more or less)
- 4 large medjapool dates, pits removed, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes to soften
- 4 chunks of crystallized ginger (could also used fresh ginger or ginger powder, but then add one more date)
- 1 T maple syrup
- 1 tsp cardamom
Frosting Directions:
1. Process the cashews, ginger, dates, maple syrup and cardamom until combined into a thick paste, then add the coconut milk and process until desired consistency is achieved. (You may wish/need to use more or less, so don’t put it all in at once).
2. Refrigerate the frosting for at least half an hour before frosting the cupcakes (also, make sure the cakes have cooled).
Cake Batter, Ingredients.
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour or, if you must, all purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- about 1 1/2 cup grated carrot (this turns out to be about one really large carrot; I just ground it up in the food processor)
- 3 inch chunk fresh ginger root, minced (I ground mine up with the carrot in the food processor)
- 1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water to plump
- 1/4 cup chopped dried figs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup lite coconut milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- 1 T flax seed meal (a.k.a. ground flaxseed)
- 1/2 cup dried coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- 3 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp clove powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To make the cakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil a muffin pan or line it with paper muffin liners.
2. Combine flours, cardamom, cinnamon, clove powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the flax seed meal in a small bowl with 3 Tablespoons of warm water, until it takes on a sort of jelly-ish texture (BTW, this is a good egg substitute in baking recipes).
4. In a smaller bowl, mix the flax seed mix with the coconut milk, coconut oil, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in the raisin, dried figs, and carrots. Pour batter into muffin pans, filling them almost all the way to the top.
6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, using the toothpick test to determine if done.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. (If you want, top with toasted shredded coconut, shredded carrots, or raisins).
So after I posted my “Breakfast of Champion” oatmeal yesterday, it occurred to me that I should really branch out in the breakfast department more often. And what better time to do this than a 3-day weekend? But, this sweet bread isn’t necessarily breakfast; it’s perhaps just as good (maybe better, nutritionally speaking) as a snack or dessert. It’s a bit cakey and sticky, making it perfect to enjoy as I did: still warm out of the oven, in a bowl of soy milk with additional blackberries (as pictured above). I used blackberries because I happened to have them on hand (Trader Joe’s was selling huge containers of them at a relatively low price for this time of year), but many other fruits could easily be substituted.
Also, note that this recipe is for a mini-loaf. I enjoy the mini-loaf format for three reasons (1) I am most often cooking for just me or one other person, (2) I feel guilty when I don’t eat leftovers, which I never seem to want to do, and (3) the mini-loaves are just so damn cute. However, a mini-loaf is about 1/3 the size of a regular loaf, so if you want the full monty, just make three times the dough and increase your baking time.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of white whole wheat flour (no, this is not a typo, see notes below)
- 1/4 cup of evaporated palm sugar (can also use brown or white sugar, see notes below)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 large very ripe banana, mashed
- 1 T plus 1 tsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 T chopped walnuts
- 1/4 heaping cup of chopped blackberries
- 1 T flaked coconut (optional: I have a theory that I was born to live in a tropical environment, a reality that manifests itself via a compulsion to put coconut products in EVERYTHING…)
To make:
- Preheat oven to 350 and lightly oil your adorable little mini-loaf pan.
- In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, oil, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry to form a rough, sticky dough. Then fold in the blackberries, walnuts, and coconut (if using).
- Put dough into loaf pan and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the bread passes the standard toothpick test.
Notes:
White whole wheat flour. Never heard of it? Don’t feel bad, neither had I until I stumbled across it in the baking section of my local grocery store. And I had to stare at it blankly or a minute or two: was this a trick? I think most of us health-conscious folks have become terrified of all-purpose white flour, the ubiquitous nutrient-deprived foundation of most baked goods today. Unfortunately, substituting traditional whole wheat flour often messes up the recipe in terms of consistency, taste and rising. Strange then, that white whole wheat flour seems to be the best-kept secret of the healthy baking world. While most traditional whole wheat flours are made from hard red spring wheat, white whole wheat flour is made from hard white winter wheat. It has an identical nutritional profile to traditional whole wheat flour — all the fiber and nutrients are present because all of the bran and germ remain — but offers a lighter color and sweeter taste. The Vermont-based flour company King Arthur makes both an organic and non-organic version.
Evaporated Palm Sugar. Also known as evaporated palm nectar, this whole foods sweetener is superior to traditional refined white sugar in that its glycemic index is only 35 (compared to white sugar’s GI of 68) and it actually contains some nutrients. It is derived from the blossoms of the coconut palm. I used the brand-spanking new organic version by Sweet Tree Sustainable Sweeteners, which is heralded as being the world’s most sustainable sweetener.
I sort of have a thing for muffins. I whipped these up the other day when I was jonesing some baked goods but wanted to feel like I was eating something at least sort of healthy (hence the bran and carrots). I think the end result was a success — my friend Marissa and I ate the whole batch! These muffins are great with a cool glass of soy milk…
This recipe will make about 8 muffins.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 C whole wheat flour
- 1/2 C all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 C what bran
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 4 inch chunk of fresh ginger root, minced (or, 1 T ground ginger)
- 1/2 C soy or other non-dairy milk
- 3 T canola oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 C raisins, soaked in hot water for ten minutes to plump
- 1 C shredded carrots (throwing them in the food processor works marvelously)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1/2 T cinnamon
- 1/2 T ground clove
- 1/2 T cardamom
To make:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray or oil. (Alternatively, you can use muffin papers if desired).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, bran, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and dry spices.
- In a separate bowl, combine soy milk, oil, ginger (if using fresh), sugar, and banana and stir until well combined. This may take a little more effort due to the banana (a wire whisk may be of help).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Then fold in carrots and raisins.
- Pour into muffin pans (you can fill them almost all the way) and cook for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean
Note: if you don’t have some of some of the spices, say cardamom or clove, you can just use more cinnamon and/or ginger, or substitute Jamaican allspice or ground nutmeg instead.
Note also: I always throw ginger root in a food processor for the purpose of mincing. It’s just one of those things that makes life easier — especially if you’re already using the processor to chop up the carrots and will have to clean it anyway.
These tasty muffins are a perfect fall treat. I threw in quite a few ingredients, so don’t be afraid to get creative if you don’t have everything on hand.
Makes 12 muffins.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 TB ground flax seed
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (white flour is okay)
- 1 1/3 cups sugar (can use half brown, half white)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. ground clove
- 1 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 cup vegan carob chips
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins, plumped for a few minutes in water
- 5-6 baby carrots, chopped finely (like in a food processor)
- 2 T molasses
- 4 inch chunk ginger root
- 1 ripe banana
- 2-3 T rolled oats
- cinnamon-sugar mix, for garnishing muffin tops
- pumpkin seeds, for garnishing muffin tops
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a nonstick muffin tin sprayed well with nonstick spray and set aside
- Put the pumpkin, water, canola oil, ground flax seed, banana, ginger root, molasses and vanilla in a blender and process on high for at least one minute, until well-blended. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or large spatula until well-blended. Fold in the carob chips, raisins, carrots, oats and pecans.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, distributing evenly to make 12 muffins. Sprinkle the top of each muffin the pumpkin seeds and cinnamon & sugar mix.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife tested inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then use a knife to gently lift each muffin from the muffin tin. Finish cooling on a wire rack.
Oatmeal cake makes a delightful and hearty breakfast, especially when served warm in a bowl of almond milk. Here, I made the cake with fresh peaches, but any fruit or combination of fruits will do. I have discovered strawberries and blueberries to be a fine pair.
This recipe will satisfy two hungry yogis after a morning practice, or perhaps three or four people with smaller appetites.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 C + 3 T flour (up to half can be whole wheat; the other half should be white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, or, if you must, all-purpose)
- 1/4 C + 2 T rolled oats
- 1/4 C granulated sugar of choice (e.g., white, brown, palm, raw, turbinado, sucanat, etc. — or any combination of these)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 cup soy milk or almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
- 2 T applesauce
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1/2 C fruit of your choice (chopped in small pieces, unless it’s something like blueberries)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard-sized (8 inch) bread pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking power, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the milk, applesauce, cornstarch, and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until the batter is just moistened (lumps are okay).
- Gently fold in the chopped peaches and whatever other fixings you may have selected.
- Pour the batter into the oiled pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown on the top. When finished, a toothpick or knife inserted into the cake should come out clean. Note: the batter will only fill up an inch or so of the pan, and when the cake is finished, it will only be about 2 inches tall — not the size of a full loaf of bread. But, the bread pan provides a good shape and size for this cake.
- Allow the cake to cook in the pan for a 5-10 minutes, and then on a rack for at least five minutes more.
- Serve warm, preferably in a bowl of almond milk, and enjoy!
Variations:
- You can substitute 1/2 of a ripe mashed banana for the applesauce — it will give the cake a lovely banana flavor.
- If you want to get fancy, add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, carob chips, coconut flakes, or chopped crystallized ginger.
- Allspice or nutmeg can be used instead of, or in addition to, the cinnamon.
- Experiment with different kinds of flours, such as spelt, instead of the whole wheat.
Recent Comments