Pumpkin Pie

It is impressive how much pumpkin I have in my house right now. I have eight pumpkins on my table, and several cans of pumpkin puree. Although I am incapable of cutting pumpkin pie, I do promise this pie is worth trying. 

The flavors of pumpkin and coconut marry nicely. So this cake has a very traditional flavor, the coconut is not over powering.

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin

1 (12 oz) can of coconut milk

2 eggs 

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I prefer to use 1/2 teaspoon, because I don't like cinnamon)

1 (9 inch) pie shell

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

Combine the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, cloves,  and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the coconut milk (don't add more then 12 oz, otherwise the pie will not set properly)

Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350, and continue to bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. 

Strawberry Cake

You would not believe the number of strawberry cakes I have tried. I have been searching for the perfect strawberry cake for years; something that tasted bright, and juicy. This cake is by far the best strawberry cake I have ever had.

1 1/2 cups strained pureed strawberries
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice - if the strawberries are frozen
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 3/4 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free butter (Smart Balance with Flax works well)
Preheat oven to 350
Puree the strawberries and strain through a sieve (thaw the strawberries first if using frozen). Mix the strawberry puree with the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together wet and dry ingredients while beating in the butter.
Scoop into cupcake liners, bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
For cake: Split batter between two 9-inch cake pans, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Makes 24 cupcakes, or 1 two-layer cake

German Chocolate Cake

My husband's favorite cake is German Chocolate, which is great for me, as it is incredibly easy to make dairy free. I embrace the coconut flavor, and am able to make the cake without any dairy substitutes.

Cake Recipe

4 ounces baker's chocolate
8 ounces solid coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2  cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
1 cup canned coconut milk (save the rest of the can for the frosting)
1 tbsp white vinegar


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Melt the chocolate.
Mix together the coconut milk and white vinegar in a cup, let sit for at least 5 minutes.
Cream together the coconut oil, vanilla, sugar and brown sugar. Add one egg yolk at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl sift together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture to the coconut oil/egg mixture. Only mix until combined.
In a separate clean dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the whites into the batter until well incorporated.
Pour into 2 9-inch cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
For cupcakes: scoop into 24 cupcake liners, and bake for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Frosting recipe

1 cup sugar
1 can coconut milk plus remainder of previous can
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces of unsweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cup crumbled pecans

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, coconut milk, egg yolks, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir over medium heat constantly until thickened (about 10 minutes).
Stir in flaked coconut and pecans.
Allow the frosting to cool to room temperature, stir occasionally.

Frost your cake, or cupcakes and enjoy!

Buckwheat Pancake

Pancake, Singular!
Buckwheat tones down the sweetness of any topping you put on it. My favorite toppings are sliced Asian pear and maple syrup, macerated blueberries, or strawberries and bananas. I prefer to eat this as a dessert, but it makes an easy and impressive breakfast.

3 tablespoons buckwheat
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk alternative (hemp milk goes really well with the buckwheat)
2 tablespoons dairy free butter (I prefer Soy Free Earth Balance for this)

Preheat your oven to 400.
Melt the butter in an oven safe pan over medium heat.
Mix the buckwheat, flour, eggs, sugar, and milk. Pour the batter into the melted butter, and transfer to the oven.
Bake for 15 Minutes.
When the pancake is done, slice, and serve with your favorite topping.

Dark Chocolate Macaron Shells

Meringue is an exquisite dairy-free dessert. Although they take a little extra love to make, the results are well worth it.

Ingredients
115 g Almond Flour
15 g of cocoa powder
230 g of powdered sugar
145 g of egg whites
70 g of caster sugar

If this is your first time making macarons, I recommend going on YouTube and watching some video tutorials. This one was very helpful to me.

Sift the almond flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together (repeat twice to mix thoroughly).

In a stand mixer, beat the eggs and and caster sugar on low for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another two minutes. Increase the speed to high for 2 minutes. Add food coloring if you want and turn your mixer to ultra high (as high as it will go) for 1 minute.

Dump all the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, and fold the ingredients together. Once the mixture takes on the consistency of lava, transfer it into a piping bag (I use a gallon Ziploc, and cut off the tip).

Pipe the macarons onto pans lined with parchment paper. Each circle should be approximately 3 cm in diameter.

Slap the pans on the counter 3 times. You'll see tiny air bubbles come to the surface.

Let the cookies rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Set your oven to 300°F.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and let the cookies sit on the tray for 2-3 minutes. Remove the parchment from the tray and let the parchment and cookies cool for at least 20 minutes. 

You can either enjoy as is, or pair up and fill with your favorite filling. 

Try Pumpkin Caramel Dark Chocolate Macarons for an amazing Halloween treat.

Use the caramel from the Pumpkin Caramel Recipe.
Put 1/3 cup of very cold caramel in a small sandwich bag, cut off the tip.
Squeeze the bag to pipe a small amount of caramel onto a cold cookie.
Match an equal size cookie and enjoy.
Make sure to keep these cookies cold, otherwise the caramel will melt.

Pumpkin Caramel

Autumn means pumpkins, and I am ecstatic for the opportunity to incorporate them into my recipes.

The pumpkin in this caramel gives it a warm, earthy flavor, and makes a perfect topping over brownies, toasted pecans, or baked peaches.

Though the recipe uses coconut milk, very little of the coconut flavor comes through, allowing a broader range of uses.

2 1/2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup coconut milk*

7 oz marshmallow cream

3/4 cup pureed kabocha pumpkin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: cinnamon, pumpkin spice

*The coconut milk in this recipe must be the full fat canned type. Scoop the fatty contents off the top, avoiding the liquid contents that should have settled to the bottom.

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, salt, and sugar over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

Mix in the pureed pumpkin, and bring the mixture back to a boil

Stir in the marshmallow creme, and bring back to a rolling boil. Continue boiling the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and carefully mix in the vanilla. Poor into a heat proof container, and allow the contents to cool.