Cakes - Shortened (Whipped), Rich Carob, Oil (Mixed), Carrot, Vegan Cheese Cake, Topping, Frosting, No Bake Creamy Carob Cake

Everyone can make a good cake but with care and practice some will make a great cake. Cake is usually associated with special occasions probably because of the work involved although cakes can be made simple or plain. There are two basic types of cake, foam cakes and shortened (butter) cakes. Foam cakes (e.g. Angel Food) are based on eggs with little or no fat and shortened cakes (e.g. Pound Cake) use butter or margarine. Vegan cakes are a bit more complex and difficult and cannot be compared to the standard cakes. Foam cakes are not reproducible as vegan but instead we have different categories of cakes. Shortened cakes and oil cakes. Shortened cakes use margarine and need to be whipped and are very similar to traditional shortened cakes. Oil cakes must only be stirred together and are more crumbly inside.

 

Important points to remember:

Preheat the oven

Don’t open the oven door until the cake is done

Use shiny pans

Grease them well and dust with flour if necessary

Follow the directions very carefully

Work as quickly as possible once the cake is mixed to get it into the oven

Sift the flour to remove the lumps and aerate it.

Liquid sweeteners will make the cake heavier and gummier

 

 

Shortened (Whipped Cakes)

 

Vanilla Cake

1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda or 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

 

1 stick Buttery Sticks - softened

2/3 cup Cane Sugar

1 Tb. Liquid Lecithin

1 tsp. Vanilla

 

3/4 cup + 2 Tb. Soymilk

 

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 8” round cake pan. In a small bowl combine the flour, soda and salt and mix well. In a medium size bowl whip the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and whip it in till creamy add the vanilla and whip it in. Add to the buttery mixture in alternating turns flour and milk whipping each in as you go till all is combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and slide it into the oven. Reduce the oven to 325˚F and bake the cake for 30 minutes or until the middle top has cracks. Cool completely.

 

 

 

Rich Carob Cake

 

1 ½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

½ c. whole wheat pastry flour

¾ c. carob powder

2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch salt

½ c. soy margarine spread

¾ c. raw cane sugar

1 c. + 2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 c. liquid soymilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 – 9” cake pans and line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Sift the flours, carob, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Use electric mixer to beat the margarine and sugar together in large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes at low speed. Add maple syrup and beat until incorporated. Add soymilk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until fully mixed.

 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold with spatula just until batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain. Divide batter between prepared pans and spread tops to level batter. Bake until tops spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes.

 

Remove pans from oven and cool completely on rack. Then place rack over cake part and invert layer onto rack. Invert layer back onto large plate. Repeat process with second cake layer.

 

 

Oil (Mixed) Cakes

 

These cakes use oil as the only fat which can make things tough if mixed to much. Oil cakes are tender and moist and have a very nice crumb.

 

Ultimate Orange Cake

3 cups sifted flour

1 cup cane sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups orange juice

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 T orange zest or 2 tsp orange flavor

1 T lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

 

Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium size bowl. Mix together and form a well in the middle. Place all the liquid ingredients in the well in the dry. Mix everything together well so that there are no flour streaks. Pour the cake batter into a floured cake pan and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until the middle springs back when pressed. Cool.

 

Carrot Cake

 

2 cups flour blend ( un-bleached and prairie gold)

2 tsp. baking powder (Featherweight)

1/4-½ tsp salt

1 tsp coriander

6 T cane sugar

6 T sucanat

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

3 cups finely shredded carrots

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 T egg replacer

¼ cup water

1 T lecithin

 

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and coriander. Mix well. In a small bowl whisk together the egg replacer, water, and lecithin. Form a well in the middle of the flour and add the sugar, syrup, carrots, oil and egg replacer mixture to the dry.  Mix well in a folding motion till there are no flour streaks. Pour the mixture into a oiled cake pan and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes. Cool

 

 

Vegan Cheese Cake

 

Tofu Cheesecake Yield: 1 10” cheesecake.

1 pkg. silken tofu

½ - 1 cup sugar cane crystals

1 T vanilla or 1 t. vanilla & 2 t. flavor of choice

1 T lecithin

2 T egg replacer dissolved in ¼ cup of water

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 pkg. tofutti cream cheese

 

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour  the mixture into a spring form pan with an unbaked crumb crust. Bake at 325ºF for 40-50 min. The edges will brown, and the middle should have small cracks in it. Cool for 15 min. then run a knife around the edge to loosen from the pan. Chill overnight.

 

 

Cake Decorating

 

Four Parts to the Cake: cake, filling, frosting/icing, and decoration

 

Cake Flavors:

Vanilla

Lemon

Orange

Coconut

Banana

Nut

Carrot

Carob

Spice

Fruit

Pineapple

Blueberry

Filling Options:

Pudding

Jam or Jelly

Fruit – fresh or thickened

Frosting/Icing

Cream

Fruit Gel

           

Frosting:

Cream –soy or non-dairy

Cream Cheese

Glaze

Butter Frosting

Decorations:

Butter Frosting and decorating tools

Flowers

Nuts

Fruits – fresh and dried

Mint Leaves

 

Frosting Recipes:

 

Cream Cheese

 

1 container cream cheese

1 stick margarine – room temp

½ cup to 4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

 

Whip the cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir in. Chill before using. This frosting is very creamy and soft. If you add the larger amount of sugar it will dry firm.

 

Butter Frosting

 

¾ cup margarine

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 tbsp soy milk

 

Food coloring (optional)

 

Whip the margarine until soft. Add the sugar one cup at a time and whip it in. Add the vanilla the milk on tablespoon at a time until the desirable consistency is reached.

 

Fudge Frosting

 

1 cup carob chips

2 cups soy whipped cream

½ cup powdered sugar

flavor of choice

 

Melt the carob chips and whip them into the cream and the sugar and flavor and whip them in. Gets firm as it cools.

 

Directions:

 

• Prepare the frosting of choice and place it in the fridge.

• Prepare the cake for decorating.

• On the bottom layer pipe a bead of frosting around the outside edge.

• Place the filling of choice in the middle spread it smooth.

• Place the top layer on top.

• Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of icing called a crumb coat to stick everything down.

• It is best to let the cake rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to several hours before proceeding to the next step.

• Finish frosting the sides and top of the cake with a ¼ - ½” thick layer of icing.

Decorate the sides and top with decorations of your choice. 

 

 

No Bake Creamy Carob Cake

 

• 3/4 cup pecan meal

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1 cup dried sugar cane crystals

• 1/4 cup carob powder

• 1 cup couscous

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 10 oz. carob chips

• 2 (12 oz.) pkgs. firm silken tofu

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

 

 

Dry roast the pecan meal in a non-stick skillet. Meanwhile in a saucepan mix water, sugar cane, carob powder, couscous, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until mixture is thick. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 8” x 8” glass baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the pecan meal over it. In a small saucepan melt the carob chips over a low heat stirring frequently so they do not burn. Place in blender the tofu, maple syrup, and melted carob chips, and blend till smooth. Pour over the couscous mixture, and sprinkle the remaining pecan meal on top. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Serve cold