That Was Vegan?

Recipes so delicious you'll never think twice!

Category Archives: Desserts & Sweets

Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream

Pssst! I announced the winner of the Fruitables Dog Treat Giveaway!

Vegan Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream

Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream

This recipe was actually my submission to One Green Planet this month, but I wanted to reshare to make sure no one missed it- it’s that good.

As summer winds down my thoughts begin to turn towards traditional autumn dishes like apple pie, only I’m not ready to turn on my oven yet (mid 90′s this week in Denver, WTF!?). What’s a girl to do? Well… turn to her best hot-weather-friend, of course- the grill!

These are the perfect alternative to the traditional over-baked dessert: Fun, handheld apple pies you can cook without heating up your kitchen! Delicious apple pie filling wrapped in spring rolls, grilled, and then brushed with melted vegan butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  The only thing that could possibly make it better is the vanilla-infused whipped coconut cream that is just perfect for dipping.

Vegan Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream

Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream (Makes 10-12 rolls)

Ingredients (Apple Pie):

  • 6 large apples (Fuji apples work great), peeled and sliced
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1 1/4 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3-4 pinches of sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 20-24 spring roll wrappers, defrosted
  • Non-stick spray
  • 2-3 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar mix for sprinkling (this is approximate, you may need a little more/less)

Directions:

  1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix the apples, water, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Once the mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low-medium and cook for about 25 minutes stirring occasionally, or until the apples soften. The mixture isn’t going to cook inside of the spring rolls, so it’s important to give it plenty of time on the stove top. If the mixture gets too dry, add more water- you want it to be the same consistency as it would be inside of an already baked pie.
  2. If you’ve never worked with spring roll wrappers before, the key is to be gentle with them. Leave the package on the counter for at least an hour before you start to work with them, and keep a bowl of cold water and a paper towel near by as you start to separate them. As you’re pulling a wrapper away from the rest, squeeze the wet paper towel at the point of separation. You can even rub the paper towel back and forth to help the wrappers separate, and this should keep them from tearing. If you’re still having trouble, try separating them two at a time.
  3. Once the filling is ready, place the wrappers (2 at a time, doubled up) on a non-stick surface such as a cutting board with the points oriented up, down, left and right- like a diamond. Spoon 2 heaping spoonfuls (I used a soup spoon) onto the center of each. Grab the top point and fold it down to match up with the bottom, giving you an inverted triangle. Next take the two side points and fold them in towards each other. Finally, grab the bottom point and wrap it upwards and around the roll. As you finish, place each on a plate with the flap underneath the roll. If you need a picture, check out my buffalo tofu spring roll post.
  4. When you’re finished building the rolls, heat the grill to medium/ medium-low heat and spritz with a little non-stick spray. Place your rolls onto the grill (flap side down) and leave for about 5 minutes. Flip and leave on for another 5 minutes. You want grill marks but you don’t want them to burn! Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and serve with the vanilla-coconut whipped cream.

Ingredients (Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream):

  • 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk, unshaken and left in the fridge overnight (I used Thai Kitchen)
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

  1. Gently open the cans, and scrape just the white solid portion out of the first can, avoiding the liquid at the bottom, into a large bowl. For the second can you can pour the entire thing into the bowl, liquid and all. Add in the vanilla and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy! Note: If you want a stiffer cream, use 3 cans, only using the solid portions.

Enjoy!

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Strawberry-Coconut Bundt Cake… Perfect for Summer!

Vegan Strawberry Coconut Cake

Strawberry Coconut Cake

This is a play on my Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake… just a little bit more summery, if you will. The coconut is sweet (but just naturally- make sure you buy the unsweetened flakes!), and the cake is so moist. We enjoyed the first round of this cake on the back deck with a side of summer sunshine before I wrapped the leftovers up in foil and a zippy bag and stored it away in the freezer. It was in there for about 3 weeks I think, before I defrosted it just the other day, and it was still just as delicious. Neither the texture nor the flavors changed, so I think the next time I make this I’ll bake two and save one for a rainy day!

So, it’s Friday and I hope you all have a lovely weekend, but before I sign off I wanted to share this blurry adorable picture of Cooper- He had been rooting around under a bush looking for some (real or imaginary) bit of food, I guess… and when he came back in he had all this junk stuck to his little face. Poor guy, but pretty typical- the boy is an explorer at heart :)

Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

  • Bakers Joy (or other nonstick spray)
  • 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
  • ¼ cup So Delicious coconut milk (plus 4 T)
  • 3 t vanilla extract
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried and sliced
  • Extra coconut flakes, for sprinkling (if desired- not necessary)

Directions:

  1. Spray inside of bundt pan with Baker’s Joy, and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine the sugar, vegetable oil, both kinds of coconut milk, and vanilla. Stir really well to get rid of any lumps.
  3. Stir the remaining dry ingredients (leaving out the blueberries and coconut flakes), a small amount at a time, into the mixture. Once well mixed, fold in the blueberries and coconut flakes.
  4. Pour into pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until a wooden skewer comes out clean (well, it may be stained blue if you stab a berry! Just make sure there’s no cake goo stuck to it)
  5. Allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan onto cooling rack. Once completely cooled you can sprinkle with coconut flakes if desired.

Enjoy!

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Strawberry “Brownies”

Pssst! I announced the winner in the So Delicious giveaway… check and see if it was you!

Vegan Strawberry Brownies

Strawberry "Brownies"

We had a group of friends over for dinner on Saturday night. It was supposed to be the first BBQ of the season, but Mother Nature decided not to go along with my plans. So instead of the 75 degree, sunny, summer-ish weather we’ve been having for the last month or so, we got cloudy, cold and snow. SNOW! So we moved the party indoors, which worked out just fine. Everyone brought something to share, and we had tons of amazing vegan food: Chipotle guacamole, jalapeno poppers, “bloomin’ onion” bread, agave-sriracha tofu, grilled-balsamic carrots, pasta salad and rice. And margaritas. And beer.

We were also supposed to have Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake, but for some reason I was entrusted with this task… and we all know what usually happens when I try to bake… Something went very, very wrong. Except, as it turns out, not that wrong, because what we ended up with was still very yummy!

Namely Marly created this recipe, and when you look at her pictures they’re decidedly more cake-y than what I ended up with. Mine is really more of a brownie-like dessert. I followed her recipe, except that when it was time to transfer the mixture to the baking pan it was still not anything like dough AT ALL, so I added about 1/8 cup of water. I also baked it for the full 35 minutes. I don’t know if it was because of my altitude (6,700 ft) or my attitude (decidedly poor), but the cake didn’t turn out as Marly had intended. I was a little nervous about serving it at all, but I did (along with some neopolitan coconut milk ice cream and extra chocolate sauce) and I’d say it was a hit. Perhaps not as big a hit as it would’ve been if I were better at baking, but I’ll take what I can get :)

Besides, by that time everyone was drunk happy and stuffed, and we had a great time. Did I mention it was also a celebration? Our friends Lauren and Jeremy just got engaged, yay!

I’m just hopeful that my next “BBQ” will actually be outdoors!

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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake (AKA: Paula Deen Veganized!)

Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter Cake with Warm Chocolate Frosting

Two Words: Yum. Yum. Please don’t let the “un-pretty” picture sway you- this cake is phenomenal. If you love the PB and Chocolate combo, this is the cake for you!

I made this cake once years ago, in my pregan days, but unlike most recipes that I make just once, I never forgot about this one. Seriously. I made it in 2007 and I still remember how good it was- that should tell you something.

The neato part about this particular cake is that after it’s done baking, you poke holes in it with a wooden spoon handle, then pour the hot liquidy frosting all over it, so the frosting gets all mixed in with the cake. You can actually see it in the picture. Paula may be one of the least healthy people on the face of the planet, but she knows her cake.

I guess there are actually a couple “neato” things about this cake… the other one that comes right to mind being the batter. And since this version is vegan, we can do something that people making the original recipe can’t… EAT IT RAW! It tastes like peanut butter mousse, y’all! So go ahead and stick your finger in that bowl, or lick the mixers because you’re missing out if you don’t. And it’s still good after it’s baked, all peanut-buttery and rich. So decadent. The frosting is divine too, and not overly chocolatey.

I changed it up a bit, to make it vegan and at least a little bit healthier (it’s still not healthy though, let’s be honest with ourselves). I got rid of the eggs of course, and reduced the amount of shortening and sugar. It’s still wickedly good though!

Faithful readers and friends IRL know that I am miserable at baking. Painfully so. And true to form, I messed this cake up too- although not irreparably. I forgot to make ANY altitude adjustments, so I ended up having to bake it for almost 45 minutes before it stopped shaking like a bowl full of jello. The good news for most readers, though, is that the recipe below should turn out perfectly at your altitude!

Side note: I need an apron that reads: “I have a bad altitude!” :)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake (Makes a 9×13 pan, so about 14 servings)

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

Cake

  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1 cup sugar, with 2 T scooped OUT (I used Florida Crystals)
  • 3.5 t baking powder
  • 1 t salt
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (Nabisco brand has honey, but are otherwise vegan. You can also bake your own)
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup plus 2 T non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk)
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs replacer (I used flax eggs)

Frosting

  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 3 T cocoa powder
  • 8 T Earth Balance (2 short sticks)
  • 1/3 cup heavy “cream” (Here’s how I made mine: (I chose the 1 pt creamer plus 2 T cornstarch and 2 T cold water method)
  • 1/2 cup roasted/salted peanuts (The next time I make this cake, I’ll use crushed peanuts)
  • 1 T vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 if using a metal dish, 325 if glass. Grease your 9×13 pan and set aside.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add everything else (for the cake, not the frosting!). Beat mixture on low until moistened, then on medium for about 3 minutes.
  3. Bake for 30-35 minutes (see my notes above!), do not remove from pan to cool.
  4. For the frosting, start by making your heavy cream (unless you’re going using Mimicreme or something like that). In a good-sized sauce pan mix together all the other ingredients with the heavy cream and bring to a boil, and allow to boil for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly. I recommend a rubber spatula so you don’t let any burn to the sides.
  5. Set the pan aside and let it cool until your cake is ready.
  6. When the cake is out of the oven, use a wooden spoon handle to poke holes in it (I did 12), then pour the frosting over it.

Enjoy!

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Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake And… Happy Birthday Sally!

Vegan Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake

Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake

But… before we get to the cake, please indulge me for a moment…

In January 2009 I was at the National Mill Dog Rescue kennel, dropping off some donations. I decided to take a quick spin down the main aisle, which has kennels on both sides… and in the very first kennel on the right I saw this white and tan cocker, curled up in a ball. Her name was Sally, and she was 3 yrs old. I asked about her, and in return was asked if I would foster her. Theresa, NMDR founder, said that Sally was the most damaged dog she had ever seen rescued from a puppy mill. She described her as “not even knowing she was alive”, and I’d have to agree.

Sally came home with me on February 1st, and spent her first month or so in the corner of our family room, staring at the floor. She wouldn’t make eye contact with us, nor would she interact with our other pets. It took months before she would let us pet her, and even longer before she would play with us. Eventually she became comfortable with me, but she was still very nervous with Jason (most puppy mill workers are men, so this is pretty common with puppy mill survivors)… and we just couldn’t get her house-trained. After 10 months of cleaning up after her pottying in the house we decided to place her in the prison training program. It’s a wonderful program where they teach prison inmates to train dogs, then they rescue dogs from shelters- dogs that are considered unadoptable. These dogs live with with the prisoners in their cells, and they learn how to be well-behaved pets… then they’re adopted out to wonderful forever homes! For the same price, pet parents can can place their own critters in the program for 6 weeks.

So, for about $475, Sally went to live with a kind inmate named Shelton who taught her to potty outside, to walk on a leash and… (wait for it)… to walk upright on her back legs! The best part was she was no longer especially afraid of men. Oh, and the fact that she no longer went to the bathroom inside the house made me pretty happy. Another cool thing was that Shelton  kept a detailed daily journal of all the time he spent with Sally, and what they worked on. You can tell from reading it that he came to love her, and was heartbroken when it was time for her to come home. We, on the other hand, were ecstatic! Sally is now a happy little member of our family, and I’m so grateful to NMDR for rescuing her, and to the prison program for helping her to realize her full potential!

Okay, NOW it’s cake time!

Last month I made Epicurean Vegan’s Coconut-Lemon Bundt cake (and served it following my Cauliflower n’ Cheese!), and it was divine. See?

Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake

Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake from Epicurean Vegan

I love, love, LOVE her recipes! They’re all delicious and better yet are all altitude-adjusted for the baking-challenged like myself. For those of you at who’ve always lived at low altitudes: You have no idea how lucky you are!

Anyhoo… Last weekend I was at the market and spotted blueberries on sale, and thought to myself “Self? What could I make with those blueberries?”  Pancakes? Eh. Muffins? Nah.

Did I mention I was home alone and would get to really stuff my face with whatever I chose to make? Also, I still had coconut flakes left over from when I made the last bundt, which pretty much sealed the deal.

There are some changes in my version vs. April’s, mine is a little less sweet. And, obvs, it has blueberries instead of lemons. You should probably go ahead and make both. No need to choose a winner, just be grateful that you have two cakes to eat!

Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake

Recipe adapted from Epicurean Vegan.

I chose to reduce the sugar and to forgo most of the powdered sugar in an effort to reduce the sweetness. I guess I don’t have much of a sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

  • Bakers Joy (or other nonstick spray)
  • 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
  • ¼ cup So Delicious coconut milk (plus 4 T)
  • 2.5 t vanilla extract
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 ½ cups blueberries (fresh or thawed and rinsed)
  • Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions:

  1. Spray inside of bundt pan with Baker’s Joy, and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine the sugar, vegetable oil, both kinds of coconut milk, and vanilla. Stir really well to get rid of any lumps.
  3. Stir the remaining dry ingredients (leaving out the blueberries and coconut flakes), a small amount at a time, into the mixture. Once well mixed, fold in the blueberries and coconut flakes.
  4. Pour into pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until a wooden skewer comes out clean (well, it may be stained blue if you stab a berry! Just make sure there’s no cake goo stuck to it)
  5. Allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan onto cooling rack. Once completely cooled you can sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy!

Vegan Blueberry-Coconut Bundt Cake

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“Rum-nog” Pound Cake with Cranberries

Vegan "Rum-nog" Poundcake with Cranberries

Mmmmmm.... Rum-Nog...

I’m totally in the holiday spirit, but something was missing… this pound cake!

Yesterday was a snow day (according to me, when I called in to work), so I took that opportunity to do some baking, and… ta da! It was difficult to not just drink all the So Delicious nog, but I managed to save some for this scrumptious pound cake. And some rum, too ;)   The cake itself doesn’t taste overly rum-y, but boy oh boy can you taste the rum in the glaze! Rum = Yum in my book! My cake came out a bit dense, but that could be blamed on my lack of baking skills or even just the fact that I live at 6,700 feet. FYI, you wont find a ton of baking recipes on this blog for that very reason. Baking at this altitude will break your heart! Anyway, I know most of you don’t live waaaaay up here with me, so please make any necessary adjustments. I want this cake to turn our beautifully for you!

I hope you’re all enjoying your holidays and stuffing your faces with as much vegan goodness as you can get your hands on!

“Rum-Nog” Poundcake with Cranberries (15-20 small slices)

Recipe adapted from Technicolor Kitchen (non-vegan)

Don’t forget to make any altitude adjustments!

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 ¾ cups AP flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  •  ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup Earth Balance , room temperature (approximately 2 sticks, plus a little more)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • Ener G replacement for 3 eggs
  • 1 cup So Delicious Nog (you could totally mix some rum in here, if you’re inclined!)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup dried cranberries, tossed with 1 teaspoon AP flour

Crystal rum glaze:

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-cup capacity ring or bundt pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream EB on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar then continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the side of the bowl.
  4. Beat in the egg replacer, one third at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in four additions alternately with the ‘nog in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl again. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
  5. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the cake is golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minutes – in the meantime, make the glaze: place the sugar, rum and water in a small bowl and mix to combine.
  6. Carefully unmold the cake onto the rack and, using a pastry brush, coat the top and sides of the cake with the glaze. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Check out this shot… you can see my cute little counter-top mini tree in the background!

Vegan "Rum-nog" Poundcake with Cranberries

Vegan "Rum-nog" Poundcake with Cranberries

Vegan "Rum-nog" Poundcake with Cranberries

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Cheesecake Sopapillas

Cheesecake Sopapillas

Cheesecake Sopapillas

Easy? Check. So freakin’ good they’ll blow your mind? Check.

Maybe I keep saying this, but it’s true- put a plate of these out at a party, and don’t tell anyone they’re vegan… NO ONE will ever suspect.  The Sopa is made out of Pillsbury crescent roll dough, so it’s got that yummy almost buttery flavor going on. The cream cheese filling tastes exactly like cheesecake, only softer.  So creamy, so good. The cinnamon sugar on top makes it pretty AND gives it that extra layer of flavor.

These took me about 10 minutes to throw together, and then they baked for another 20. Almost as soon as they went in the oven they started filling the house with their fabulous scent. Jason was in the other room wrapping (my!) Christmas presents and kept yelling “What are you making in there? Bring me a plate!”

I’ll be bringing these to my next holiday party, you can count on it!

Cheesecake Sopapillas

Adapted from My Yellow Umbrella

The original (non-vegan, ewww! ;) ) recipe that I looked at called for a cup of sugar which I think makes it too sweet, so I cut it down to 3/4. It’s still plenty sweet though! And just a note on the cream cheese… I used Galaxy Nutritional brand, but that’s just a personal preference. I know a lot of people love them some Tofutti!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
  • 16 oz vegan cream cheese (softened)
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 t vanilla
  • ¼ cup Earth Balance, melted
  • Cinnamon & Sugar

Instructions

  1. Unroll and spread 1 ½ cans crescent rolls on bottom of ungreased cookie sheet.
  2. Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Feel free to taste, but for pete’s sake try not to eat it all! Sheesh! Spread this lovely mixture over the layer of dough.
  3. Unroll remaining crescent rolls and cover the cream cheese mixture.
  4. Use a brush to spread the butter evenly over the top, then sprinkle LIBERALLY with cinnamon/sugar mix.
  5. Bake at 350 for 20 or so minutes. You want the top to turn a little golden, basically the same as if you were making the rolls.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Sopapillas

Cheesecake Sopapillas

Cheesecake Sopapillas

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