The Vegan Wedding Cake

Eleven months ago, my friend asked me to make her wedding cake. Honored and excited to be asked I said yes! 

Then she told me it would be vegan. 

It felt like a a fool's errand, making a dairy-free wedding cake. Cakes are so good because they have milk and butter, right?! 

I was the biggest skeptic. How was I going to pull this off? 

The recipe search kicked into gear in January. Vegan cookbooks were purchased (thanks, Aunt B!) and countless vegan blogs were read. After a cake tasting to narrow down a cake in April and a practice wedding cake and subsequent eating party in early June, I felt ready for the late June ceremony.

I'm happy to say the cake impressed this skeptic.

It was all hands on deck during the setup.

I made an extra sheet cake for easy slicing.

The final product!

The recipe is the same chocolate cake I published in the Vegan Cake Tasting post from April, found here. 

If you need any cake recipes, vegan or otherwise, you know I'm your girl.

The happy couple!

Stephanie, thank you for asking me to make this cake. You pushed me to do something challenging and new. I'm so happy I was able to share in your special day. xo

Chocolately Almond Biscotti

Bite-sized and crispy, perfect for dunking, biscotti and coffee are a match made in heaven. If you are a fan of teatime, Italian goodies, or sweets in general, this recipe is for you.

While I was in Italy I found myself drooling outside the windows of cute, little bakeries like this one. 

Those Italians... they're doing it right.

Chocolately Almond Biscotti

     adapted from Cooking Light, March 2009

Ingredients

9.5 oz. flour, about 2 cups

2 tbsp flax seed

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 tsp Brandy

½ tsp vanilla

⅔ cup dark chocolate chips

⅔ cup unsalted almonds, I used sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Weigh and measure out the flour. Combine flour, flax seed, soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. In the bowl of a standing mixer combine sugars, egg whites, and egg. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes then add in the Brandy and vanilla.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in chocolate and almonds. 

Divide dough into 3 equal portions - The dough will be sticky. Roll each portion into a 6-inch-long roll on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut rolls into ½-inch slices. 

Fun Fact: Biscotti means twice-cooked bread.

Arrange sliced biscotti on the cookie sheet and return to the oven. Reduce temperature to 325° and bake 7 minutes on each side. Cool on wire rack before serving.

Enjoy!

Peach Pie with Blackberries

Peaches are some of the sweetest and juiciest fruit - perfect for a snack or dessert. Or a Father's Day pie. This one was for my dad, a true pie guy.

What I am discovering with fruit pies is the ease with which you can add flavor or a little surprise. That is what I tried with the blackberries; a little tartness from the berries to compliment the sweet peaches. 

Peach Pie with Blackberries

     adapted from Foodess

Crust

2½ cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

10 oz. chilled butter, cubed

6 tbsp ice water

Filling

5 white peaches, peeled and sliced

⅓ cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

¼ tsp cinnamon

⅛ tsp nutmeg

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 handful of blackberries

Garnish with a few extra blackberries.

Directions

For the crust...

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Add the cubes of butter and using a pastry cutter or your fingers rub into the flour mixture until it resembles course meal. Add water as needed.

Divide into two portions, form discs, and chill for at least an hour.  

Preheat oven to 500°F, yes, that's correct, 500 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the peaches and lemon juice, toss together and set aside.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough. Transfer the first disc to a 9-inch pie pan and fill with the peach filling, sprinkling the top with blackberries, and cover with the second rolled out disc. Trim the edges and cut air vents in the top. 

Once the pie is in the oven turn the heat down to 425°F. 

Bake for 25 minutes before reducing the heat to 375°F, covering with foil, and baking for anther 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown.

The crust is flaky and buttery... just right! 

I suggest serving the pie warm with vanilla ice cream. 

It's peach season so you and yours can enjoy fresh peach pie all summer long!

mmm mmm mmmmmm

Fish Tacos with Salsa Verde

Summer is here and fish tacos are the perfect meal for a casual backyard dinner party.

We had our own impromptu Sunday night dinner outback, blankets might have been involved, but the tacos were hot and spicy and the company couldn't have been better.

Fish Tacos with Salsa Verde

     slightly adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow

     serves 4

Ingredients

8 corn tortillas

1 lb. halibut (striped bass, cod, or other white fish work)

1 can diced hot jalapeño pepper

½ yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic

handful of cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

sea salt 

pepper

olive oil

salsa (I used pineapple-mango)

½ red cabbage, shredded

Directions

For the salsa verde... puree the jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt & pepper in a food processor. Should be smooth and spicy!

Warm up the tortillas in the oven or microwave as the fish cooks. Make sure all your toppings are prepped so the fish doesn't get cold between the stove and feasting.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan, add a dash of salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the fish. 

Cook on one side for 3 minutes before turning. Cook for another 3 minutes, then using tongs, shred the fish in the pan, stirring lightly as not to crumble the fish, and cook for another minute or so. 

Tacos topped with salsa verde and cabbage, some chips and dip, and a cold beer... maybe it's the California girl in me, but if that doesn't say summer I don't know what does! 

Enjoy!!

The Blog's Coming Out!

It was only a matter of time before I fully committed to spreading the word about this blog. 

Social media makes sharing information and ideas easy (yay!) and since I love sharing my culinary interests with you I put the blog on Instagram!

In addition to sending you an email* when I've undated the blog I will be posting pictures on Instagram.

Follow me @bakingit, instagram.com/bakingit

For those not on Instagram, 

I happen to know a girl who can hook you up if you so choose (wink wink).

*If you want to get email notifications when the blog is updated, leave me a comment.

Ciao

Brussels Sprouts with Apples & Candied Walnuts and Almond Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

May 17th marked chef Jamie Oliver's Annual Food Revolution Day but I took liberties 

and designated last weekend as my personal Food Revolution Day/Weekend. 

Lucky for me, I was hosting a friend's bridal shower so all the cooking and baking didn't go to waste. 

Food Revolution Day is about healthy eating, food education, and raising awareness around obesity. Jamie Oliver is doing amazing, important work; If I've learned anything from drooling over his cookbooks, following him on Instagram, and watching his cooking shows it's that healthy food is simple food. It's attainable and it's delicious. 

Here are two of my Revolution dishes, both vegetarian, and great when feeding a crowd.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples & Candied Walnuts

     from Noshon.It

Ingredients

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved

1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

½ cup candied walnuts, recipe to follow

olive oil

2+ tbsp butter 

salt & pepper

lemon juice

honey

Candied Walnuts

½ cup walnuts

1-2 tbsp butter 

1 spring fresh rosemary, diced

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

Directions

If you want to brave it and make your own, more savory-less sugary candied walnuts here is how...

In a sauté pan over a low heat, melt butter and then the walnuts. Stirring occasionally. 

Once the walnuts begin to darken, add in the rosemary. Cook for 30 seconds before turning off the heat and adding the honey and salt. Stir until combined. Let cool.

To prepare the Brussels sprouts...

In a large sauté pan (or 2), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Roast the Brussels sprouts for about 7-10 minutes until they begin to brown.

Then add in the butter and the apple, stir together, and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes before adding in the walnuts and lemon juice. Cook until they are tender. Before serving, drizzle a little extra honey over the top. Serve these up hot!

Mmm mmm mmmm!

Almond Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
     from Family Fresh Cooking
     serves 8+

Ingredients

7 heirloom tomatoes, ¼ inch round slices

1 cup almond meal/flour

pinch of garlic powder

1-2 tsp of Tuscan herb salt, or your choice of dried herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary)

Black pepper

Paprika

Olive oil spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F and center rack.

Whisk together the almond meal, garlic powder, herb salt, pepper, and paprika. Dip both sides of the tomato slices in the almond mixture. 

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with olive oil, place the tomatoes in a single layer, and lightly drizzle olive oil over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are browned and crispy. Feel free to flip them half way through the baking if yours are looking light in color. Arrange tomato slices on a platter, garnish with fresh basil, and serve hot.

These made a great leftover lunch the next day. Reheat and serve with a glass of something tangy, like blood orange Italian soda.

There you go! Two tasty side dishes to add to your repertoire!