heartyspoonful

"Just because you can read, write and do a little math, doesn't mean you're entitled to conquer the universe."

- Kurt Vonnegut

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 beets, diced (about a cup)
• 2 tbsp raw almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 

Cashew Frosting:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water (2 hours or overnight)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x5 square pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips.

In the food processor, process the beets until smooth (a few clumps is okay). Make sure to scrape the side for uniform processing. Add coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and applesauce. Blend until smooth.

Pour the liquid batter into the dry ingredients. Mix until well incorporated, but make sure not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth down. Bake for 20 minutes (it's okay if the centre isn't baked through). You don't want the cake to dry out.

Transfer the cake onto a baking rack and let cool.

As the cake bakes/cools, prepare the cashew frosting.

• In the food processor, blend cashews with almond milk. You can start with 1/4 cup and add as needed. 
• Add in maple syrup and vanilla. Blend further until smooth and thick. 
• As the cake cools, chill the frosting for at least 20 minutes.

Once the cake is cool, spread cashew frosting evenly. Add a few sprinkles of chocolate chips (optional).

Enjoy! xx

"Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do."

- Oprah Winfrey

• 1 1/4 cup whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup "buttermilk" (1 cup nut milk of choice + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar)
• 1/3 cup neutral oil, such as canola
• 2-3 tsp vanilla (depending on how strong you want the vanilla flavour)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

Frosting:

• 1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a round cake pan with liquefied coconut oil or oil of choice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift flours together. Mix baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, add all wet ingredients together. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold. Make sure not to over mix.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for at least 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Whilst the cake bakes, prepare the frosting by whisking the coconut milk (remove the water from the can), vanilla and maple syrup until smooth. Chill in the fridge until the mix becomes firmer.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Top with frosting and fruits of choice. (The first time, I added homemade raspberry jam and mangoes. The second time, I added mangoes and strawberries.)

Enjoy! xx

"Health is not just about what you're eating. It's also about what you're thinking and saying."

- Unknown

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar/coconut  sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp vanilla coconut yoghurt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

If you're using coconut oil, make sure all your other ingredients are at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cake pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together coconut yoghurt, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Once mixed, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. 

Add in raspberries. Make sure not to overmix.

Pour the batter on prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Enjoy! xx

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie."

- Jim Davis

• 2 cups of grated carrots, loosely packed 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or mylk of choice)
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup applesauce 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins or walnuts 

Cashew Frosting:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight 
• 3 tbsp almond milk (add more as needed)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
• 2 tbsp maple syrup 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x5 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, add together grated carrots, brown sugar, maple syrup and olive oil. Let stand for a few minutes. In a blender, pulse together applesauce, almond milk, lemon juice and flax seeds. Add to the grated carrots mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the dry mixture with the liquid ingredients. Careful not to overmix. Fold in raisins and walnuts, if using. If you're having difficulty getting all the dry ingredients to mix properly, add a splash of almond milk until desired consistency of the batter is attained.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread consistently. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a rack.

Whilst the carrot cake is baking, prepare the cashew frosting. Blend together all cashew frosting ingredients until smooth. Taste and add more maple syrup as desired. Let sit in fridge whilst the carrot cake bakes.

Once the cake is cool, spread the frosting on top. Add as much as you want!

Enjoy! xx

"If life gives you lemons, don't settle for simply making lemonade--make a glorious scene at a lemonade stand."

-Elizabeth Gilbert

Life all hands us lemons, or targets us with lemon canon balls, almost always. I'd like to think that even after the lemon bruises and the sticky mess, I've come out of it only stronger, a bit bitter, but sweeter as well. Some sourness, of course, but we all want some sugar, too.

Baking has been my refuge these past two years, dealing with my dad's cancer. It's my anti-stress activity. Even my manicurist told me I have such stiff fingers and that I need to just relax. R-E-L-A-X. Now wouldn't that be nice? See, I don't know how to do that exactly. Is it just lounging about in your pyjamas and watching a show on Netflix? Is it taking a long hot bath and listening to music? Is it walking outside and enjoying the scenery? What is it exactly? I can't keep still so even with all the reading that I do, I don't relax. Not really. I walk about when I read. Or I stop for 5 minutes and contemplate on my life and decisions. Then I put the book down and bake. When I bake, my mind clears. The sun is up and there are no dark clouds. There's a breeze, but nothing threatening. The birds chirp and the flowers wave their hello. I'm in a constant state of relaxation. Kinda like the shavasana pose in yoga, I suppose. Except, wouldn't it be rather odd I drop to floor whenever I want to relax?

Last Saturday was a big baking day. There was a tantamount of anxiety building up in my mind. I needed all the strength I could get to relax. And so I exerted some effort into baking. You see, the reason I bake a lot when I need to clear my head is because baking needs so much of one's concentration. You need the right measurement of your ingredients. You need the right baking temperature. Your baking pan has to be the right size. You need to time what you're baking. This is why you can only really think of baking when you bake. This is why it relaxes me.

Sure, there are baking disasters no matter how "controlled" your baking environment is. Life does happen. But all in all, given all the right baking decisions, you can come out a winner. I once was so distracted when I was baking that I had forgotten to add sugar to my zucchini cake It didn't taste like anything. I couldn't even pass it off as a savoury bread. I slabbed as much peanut butter as a slice can hold, but to no avail. After that experience, I used baking as a way for me to clear the dark clouds and let sunshine in again. I bake, and I bake, and I bake.

On that particular weekend, I baked vegan avocado brownies, baked oatmeal for my breakfast, carrot cake cookies and a lemon cake with blueberry filling. I was exhausted after it all, but I was able to relax enough to be more efficient later on in the day. It's definitely much better than just sitting around and moping. I mean, there were lots of dessert waiting for me. That's the cherry on top.

Vegan Lemon Cake with Blueberry Filling
Serves 8-12 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp baking soda, sifted
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1 large Meyer lemon 
• 3/4 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a round cake pan by greasing it with some coconut oil.

Grate the rind of the lemon. Then juice the lemon and mix with the almond milk. Add the grated rind.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking soda. Add the lemon-almond milk mixture. Mix gently. Then, add the oil and apple cidre vinegar. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool once bake to prepare for the blueberry filling.

Blueberry Filling:
Boil 2 cups of frozen blueberries with 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp of coconut sugar. Once the berries are mushy, take away from heat and blend the berries. (In my case, I left the berries as it so there's more texture to the filling.)

Add 2-3 tsp of cornstarch and mix well. When the mixture is thicker, you can remove from heat. Refrigerate the mixture if you want to quicken the thickening process.

Slice your cake in half when cool. Spread the blueberry filling on the bottom layer and place the top layer. You can dust some powdered sugar if you please.

Enjoy! xx

"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling."

- Edna Ferber

• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted (or use vegan butter or canola oil)
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup almond milk (in room temperature if using coconut milk)
• 1.5 tbsp apple cidre vinegar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 plums, sliced in small chunks
• 2 plums, slices for topping
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chip 

Line a round cake tin with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl or cup, pour room temperature almond milk and apple cidre vinegar. Do not stir. 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Then, add the coconut oil or butter and mix gently. Once mixed, add in sugar and mix again. Fold in plums and dark chocolate chips.

Add baking soda to the almond milk mixture and stir until frothy. Pour into batter and mix. Don't overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Line the top with the remaining plums and add some chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm.

Enjoy! xx

"I eat cake because it's somebody's birthday somewhere."

• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Dash of cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp peanut butter or tahini (or nut butter of choice)
• 1/2 of a banana, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup almond milk 
• Chocolate chips

Variations:

• For a chocolate mug cake, add 1 tbsp of cocoa powder or carob powder.
• For a gingerbread mug cake, add 1 tbsp of molasses and a pinch of ginger. 

Mix all ingredients in a mug except for the chocolate chips. Once properly mixed, top with chocolate chips.

Microwave for 3-4 minutes until coconut flour is set and the liquid has been absorbed.

Enjoy! xx