Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I was asked to make a

vegan carrot cake for a 50th

wedding anniversary

reception. This is the end result.

PINEAPPLE CARROT CAKE

1 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup soymilk
1/4 c. flax seed, ground
1/4 c. boiling water
1 c. succanat
½ cup oil
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 1/3 c. grated carrots


1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg, cloves, & allspice
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 rounded Tablespoon cornstarch
½ c. walnuts

Combine soymilk and lemon juice and allow to rest a few minutes. In a large bowl, stir the water into the ground flax. Beat it with a fork or a whisk for a few minutes until it is thick and smooth. Add succanat, oil, vanilla, pineapple and milk mixture. Whisk together well. Add the grated carrots.

In a sieve or sifter, place flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and cornstarch.
Sift into the carrot mixture. Add the walnuts. Stir to combine.

Pour into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 c. raw cashews – soak in water for 8 hours
1/4 c. coconut oil
5 dates
1/4 c dried pineapple
1 tsp. Vanilla
lemon zest (optional)
Stevia to taste

Drain the cashews. Place everything in the blender. Add just enough water so that blender will turn. Blend until smooth. Spread over cooled carrot cake.

Pumpkin Carob Chip Cake (or cupcakes)

We grew this monstrous pumpkin last summer. It yielded over 30 cups of pumpkin. So I have been on a "pumpkin" kick, trying to use some of the frozen pumpkin up.

I was reluctant to put the carob chips into this.... but it's quite delightful!

1 c. canned or cooked pumpkin
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. Succanat
1/4 c. soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. carob chips

OK -- in a medium sized bowl, put the pumpkin, oil, Succanat, milk and vanilla. Stir them together.

In a sifter or sieve, place the flours, baking powder & soda, cinnamon and salt. Sift into the pumpkin mixture. Stir together with a fork. Fold in the chips.

Put it in a pan (9X9 square; 9 inch round or 12 cupcakes). Bake for 22-24 min at 350 degrees.

Drizzle with:

Cinnamon Icing:

1/4 c. Sugar in the Raw made into "powder" in a coffee grinder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 T non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
1 T soy milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix this all together. Drizzle on cooled cake.

Blueberry Cream

3/4 c. raw cashews
10 dates (softened)
1 c. frozen blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the above in the blender. Add just enough water to make it go. Blend until smooth. Spoon over the Yummy Vanilla Cake before serving.

I took this to fellowship dinner after church. They said "That was gooooood!"

Yummy Vanilla Cake

I didn't use to like "white cake". But this cake isn't very white... and it really floats my boat!

1 c. soy milk
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix these two together & set aside.

Get your sieve or sifter and put this into it:

3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 T. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl place:

1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. Sugar in the Raw
2 tsp. vanilla

Add the milk mixture to the oil, etc. Whisk together. Add the dry ingredients and stir until no large lumps remain.

This will make either 12 cupcakes or one 8X8" cake or a 9" round. For a sheet cake, double it. Bake 20-22 min at 350 degrees for cupcakes. Up to 30 minutes in a cake pan.

Try it for strawberry shortcake or with your favorite frosting or creamy topping.

Gingerbread Cookies

These are soooo yummy! You'll be amazed that this is possible without eggs!

1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. Succanat
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. soy milk
2 cups whole wheat flour (or a 50-50 mix of all purp. & whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger

You know the drill.... put all that dry stuff in a sieve or sifter. Whisk the oil, Succanat, molasses and soy milk together well. (About 3 minutes) Stir in the dry ingredients. Make a couple disks with the dough; wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator to chill about an hour.

Now... if you get your waxed paper & masking tape out, you can make an inexpensive rolling surface on your counter that is very effective. Just secure the edges of the paper to the counter. Dust LIGHTLY with flour. Very lightly.

Roll out the cookies and cut with your favorite cutters. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then move cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

My daughter's helped me make "Easter cookies" out of this dough. We rolled and rolled and ROLLED. It is a very supple dough and wasn't unmanageable even after multiple rollings.

*Modified from Isa and Terry

Cherry Almond Cookies

1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup Succanat
1/3 cup nondairy milk
1 T ground flax seeds
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup dried cherries

In a sifter or sieve, place the flours, soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, succanat, milk & flax, and vanilla. (I use a hand held blender for this step). Fold in the flour mixture and mix to moisten a bit and then add almonds and cherries.

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. If you want them chewy, leave them in a mound. If you want a crispier cookie, spread them out with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 14 minutes at 350 degrees.

Carob Pretzel Drops

2 heaping cups crushed pretzels
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup carob chips
1 c. all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (use less if your peanuts are salted)
1/2 cup nondairy milk
2 T. ground flax seeds
1/2 c. canola oil
1 cup Succanat (or other unrefined sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Frontier butterscotch flavor

In a bowl, put all that chunky stuff ( peanuts, carob chips & pretzels). In a sifter or sieve place the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a big bowl, whisk together the milk and the flax. (I use an electric whisk or hand held blender, but it works to do it by hand, too.) Add the oil, succanat and flavorings. Beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is very thick. Stir in the dry ingredients. Then fold in the chunky mixture. Drop the chunky batter onto greased baking sheets . Bake for 14-16 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies are firm and lightly browned.

Hint: Flax seeds can be bought whole & then ground easily in a coffee grinder. Cheap coffee grinders are readily found at yard sales. (at least they are in my area)

(adapted from Isa & Terry)

Been a while...

since I have posted any new recipes. For Christmas I received 2 new cookbooks written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I have had a blast trying new cookie and cake recipes. I blame my dear mother for my inability to ever make a recipe without making some change. She ruined me. So I have used these ladies recipes as a springboard for some new delights. Enjoy!