Chocolatepeanutbuttermaplesyrupheaven.

Made the Vegan Zombie's Wacky Cake, just replaced the one tablespoon agave syrup with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, used hemp milk instead of water and had 2/3 cups of vegan margarine instead of the margarine/shortening mixture.
Best stuff! Try it yourself and listen to PLEASURE LEFTISTS while baking it.

 

Good things.

The kitchen window was open all night long for the first time in this year. I love it. Going totally sleepy into the kitchen which is filled with cool, but not too cold, fresh air, hearing birds and making coffee.

A new pillow for better sleep. And a new blanket to keep the bed safe from cat hair. At least, it's worth a try.

Planting plants and pretending to have a garden like every year.

For example, this garden sorrel has been accompanying me for over 7 years. We have quite a good relationship. It will look all fancy in about two weeks.

The sun of course.

Mango-basil cream cake.

Pretty cakes.

Last sunday I put on a matinée show with DRAMAMINE and NOEM which both are on a small tour together right now. I think 5pm on a Sunday is quite the right time for a show but believe it or not, some people didn't come as they thought it was too early for them. So what.

Fabulous Felix, Hanni and me made some cakes for the show. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of Hanni's chocolate muffins and his lemon cake was already gone before any visitors showed up. Cakes, coffee and two good bands were an awesome combination and I demand more Sundays like that.

Pear-Hazelnut-Cake

Nougat-Cream-Cake

Cinnamon-Cherry-Cake-Pops

Donauwelle (Chocolate-Cherry-Vanilla-Cake)

Raspberry-Chocolate-Cake

Rasp- And Blueberry-Unicorn-Cheesecake-Tarte For Eve's Birthday-Tea-Party.

This was a really rich and yummy cheesecake with lots of raspberries and blueberry syrup. As lovely Eve adores unicorns a plastic unicorn and some pretty accesories had to be on top. Crust was an easy-peasy short crust with ground almonds and lots of vanilla, filled with a creme of vegan cream cheese and some raspberries and blueberry syrup. Simple whipped cream on top. Rich, luscious, fruity, creamy, crispy, refreshing - all at once. Perfect.

The recipe for it goes something like this:

Short crust
200g flour
100g finely ground almonds
200g margarine
200g sugar
vanilla
ice cold water
Mix dry ingredients as quick as possible until you have a very crumbly dough. Add 2 table spoons very cold water and knead until it's a nicely short crust dough. If more water is required, add more, but spoon by spoon. Otherwise you will have a squishy thingy and no short crust. Put in the fridge for at least one hour. I mean it.
Then bake for about 30 minutes, gas mark 4.


Cream cheese cream
300g cream cheese (I used Heirler , Tofutti works as well)
100g margarine
powered sugar (I didn't weigh it, I think it was also about 100g)
frozen raspberries (a handful, I guess)
blueberry syrup
blue food colour (optional)
Mix very well with a hendheld mixer. As I wanted a deep purple I used a bit of blue food colour. When the crust is cold enough, fill with cream and decorate with whipped cream and anything else you can think of.

In a better world unicorns were real.

Tarte Tatin.

Last week I made a real good tarte tatin with apples and pears, I used the recipe from "A Vegan Taste Of France" cookbook (Lisa Maijzlik).

It's really important that you let cool the short crust at least for 30 minutes in the fridge, before you continue processing.

First, put the filling into the cake pan, then  cover with the coasted short crust.

 I sprinkled the cake with cocoa. Quite good together with ice cream or whipped cream or vanilla custard or just with coffee.  

Raspberry-rhubarb gateau.

My birthday gateau from two weeks ago with whipped cream mixed with raspberries and rhubarb. I layered cream - sponge cake - cream - sponge cake into a cake tin, lined with plastic wrap. After one hour in the fridge you can turn over the tin and remove the foil.

My foolproof sponge cake recipe:

- 220g flour

- 125g margarine (Alsan)

- 175g sugar

- 4,5 teaspoons baking powder (cream of tartar!)

- 125ml soya milk

- 125ml water

- vanilla

Mix margarine with sugar, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well and then add liquids. Mix really well again and pour onto greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden.Gets fluffy as hell!

Red Currant And Yofu Cake.

A fresh and sour-ish cake, pretty easy to make but with a fancy appearance.

Shortcrust

- 250g spelt flour

- 100g sugar

- 100g margarine

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- twist of lemon

Mix the dry ingredients very quickly and then add 6 tablespoons cold water. Quickly kneed the dough.

Don't kneed too long or it will be stringy! Uh.

Then put the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Topping

- 500g Soya-Yoghurt

- 50g sugar

- 1 package vanilla custard powder

- 250g red currants

Mix the Yoghurt and custard powder with the sugar and put in the fridge. Just let it sit until it's needed.

When the dough is really really cold put it in a greased cake pan and form a little edge.

Pour the yoghurt-pudding mix onto the dough and now you can arrange the currants on the topping or slightly stir in, just make sure not to destroy them. They will sink anyway.

Bake this cake for 40-45 minutes (Gas mark 4 or as required).

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Filling will be flabby, not completely set until chilled.

You can decorate it with some chocolate ganache or whatever you might think of.

Chocolate ganache is pretty easy and makes almost everything sweet better:

melt a little margarine, add the same amount soy milk (or any other vegan milk) and stir in cocoa powder and sugar. Let simmer for just two minutes, that's it.

Pour on things when still warm, afterwards it will be more or less firm but not as firm as a chocolate icing. Maybe I will post a decent recipe with measurements later.