Cake

Name: Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup white whole wheat flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 3/4 tsp ground cardamom; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 3 large eggs (or 3 flax eggs, if vegan - see note below); 3/4 cup coconut sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil); 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk; 2 cups finely shredded zucchini (~3 medium zucchinis); 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temp (I recommend Earth Balance Buttery Sticks); 1/4 cup vegetable shortening; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 3 cups powdered sugar; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; ~1-2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting

April 27, 2019 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

Earlier this week, I noticed we had a few wrinkly zucchinis lurking in our vegetable drawer. I really wanted to make some zucchini muffins, but I wasn’t in the mood for chocolate (which is odd for me). I started to think about what else I could make and decided to set out on making a spiced zucchini cake! And I’m so glad I did.

This cake is moist, fluffy, spicy, and perfectly sweetened. With a thin(ish) layer of Vegan Buttercream on top, it’s like a little slice of dairy-free heaven. This cake tastes like a regular, dairy-filled cake, and I promise you that this buttercream frosting will win anyone over. You won’t be able to tell it’s vegan!

The cake itself is easy to get together – no special instructions required! I even made it extra easy by baking it in a 9×13″ dish. You can let it cool in the dish if you’d like, frost it in there, and serve it. Easy! If you want to serve it like I did, then just remove it from the dish like any other cake and once it’s cool, you can frost it out of the baking dish.

The vegan buttercream is also pretty easy. You’ll beat together some vegan butter (I recommend Earth Balance Buttery Sticks) and vegetable shortening. Add in a bit of vanilla. Beat in your powdered sugar and spices (to taste). And then add your favorite dairy-free milk until you get a nice, spreadable consistency. I’ve found that using the buttery sticks, along with a bit of vegetable shortening, is key to getting the right consistency. The frosting will hold its shape and be less likely to melt.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Zucchini adds so much moisture (plus a tasteless veggie kick!) to cakes and quick breads! It’s usually paired with spices or chocolate, and I love the texture in brings to this cake.

White whole wheat flour is a whole wheat flour that’s lighter in color and sweeter in taste. It’s milled from the whole hard white wheat berry, so it has more naturally occurring nutrients than all-purpose flour.

All-purpose flour helps keep this cake soft. It balances out the white whole wheat flour.

Coconut Sugar is my all-time favorite sugar because it’s unrefined and low GI, which means it’s less likely to spike your blood sugar than other sugars (like regular, granulated sugar or honey). It doesn’t taste like coconut, either!

Cardamom & Cinnamon are two of my favorite spices. If you haven’t tried cardamom before, I highly recommend getting some. It’s delicious and pairs perfectly with this cake and frosting!

Vegetable Shortening helps stabilize the vegan buttercream. You’ll use it along with vegan butter to create an amazing frosting that resembles a regular, dairy-filled buttercream!

Yield: 18-24 Slices

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting

A soft and tender sheet cake with finely shredded zucchini and ground spices, all complete with a delicious vegan buttercream frosting flavored with ground cardamom and pure vanilla extract.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Spiced Zucchini Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs (or 3 flax eggs, if vegan - see note below)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups finely shredded zucchini (~3 medium zucchinis)

Spiced Vegan Buttercream

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temp (I recommend Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
~1-2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x13" baking dish. Spray with olive oil and (if you'd like to frost/serve your cake out of the pan) line the bottom with parchment paper. I cut one long, thin piece of parchment - enough to cover the bottom and the short sides.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside. Shred the zucchini until you have two cups. Place on a cheesecloth or paper towel and squeeze out and discard the juice.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the oil and almond milk. Finally, use a fork to whisk in the shredded zucchini, making sure to break up any chunks.
Add the liquid ingredients to dry, using a large spatula to gently mix until no flour pockets remain. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and use your spatula to smooth out the top. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow your cake to cool. If you chose to line your baking dish with parchment paper, wait 10 minutes, invert a cooling rack over the cake, and gently flip over. Your cake should easily fall out of the dish. Remove the parchment paper and throw away. Allow your cake to cool totally. Alternatively, you can let your cake cool in the baking dish if you plan to frost it in the dish.
Once your cake has cooled, you can make your frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the softened vegan butter and vegetable shortening. Beat in the vanilla extract. Sift in the powdered sugar and spices and beat. Slowly add almond milk 1-2 tsp at a time until your frosting reaches a consistency that's thick enough to hold shape and thin enough to spread (I ended up adding 6 tsp to mine).
If your cake is on a cooling rack, use another rack (or a serving platter) to flip it right side up. Frost your cake, being careful not to pick up the top crumby layer with your icing spatula. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator if your home is warm.

Notes

Flours: you can use all all-purpose flour or 1/2 AP + 1/2 regular whole wheat flour.

For vegan cake: replace the 3 large eggs with 3 flax eggs. Mix 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 9 Tbsp water. Allow to thicken for 5 minutes.

Shortening: you can replace the shortening with more vegan butter, but your frosting may be more prone to melting and losing its shape.

Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

April 17, 2019 by Rachael Ng 7 Comments

You may know by now that I try to make desserts that are both delicious and (a bit) better for you than traditional baked goods. But when it comes to cake, I simply can’t accept any substitutes for a sugary, buttery frosting. Keep your whipped cream and coconut butter, I NEED BUTTERCREAM. Or in my case vegan buttercream.

I’ve attempted vegan buttercream frostings in the past, and this one is by far my favorite. It’s devilishly sweet, buttery tasting, and stable enough to frost a 3-layer cake in an 80°F apartment. The secret? Add a bit of vegetable shortening. Yes. I know. Maybe you think it’s gross or too unhealthy. But the shortening really helps to stabilize this frosting. You could leave the shortening out and replace it with vegan butter, but I can’t vouch for the results.

As for making the vegan buttercream, it really is so simple. You’ll need vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks), vegan cream cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand), vegetable shortening, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Lots of powdered sugar. You’ll want the vegan butter to soften to room temperature, but you’ll keep the vegan cream cheese in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make your frosting. Before you add the cream cheese to your mixing bowl, pour out any liquid that has pooled at the top.

The cake itself is pretty straight-forward. I made an 8″ 3-layer cake, but this amount of batter will work for a 9″ 2-layer cake or even a thick 6″ 3-layer cake. For 8″ or 9″ pans, the cake layers will be thin and flat enough that you won’t need to trim the tops off. For a totally vegan cake, check the “notes” section below.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Banana and pineapple make up a classic Hummingbird Cake. I like my bananas mashed and my pineapple crushed but feel free to chop your banana or use pineapple chunks!

Toasted pecans have a more prominent flavor than non toasted pecans, and it takes so little time to pop them in the oven and let them toast.

Extra light olive oil gives this cake moisture while maintaining a low flavor profile.

All-purpose flour helps keep this cake soft. It balances out the white whole wheat flour.

Cinnamon and nutmeg add a bit of cozy spice. Feel free to play with your spices, adding more or less to suit your tastes.

Yield: 12 Slices

Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

A classic hummingbird cake made dairy-free (or vegan)! With bananas, pineapple, toasted pecans, and thick layers of you-can't-tell-it's-vegan Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, this cake will not disappoint!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

Hummingbird Cake

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup coconut sugar
5 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
6 Tbsp extra light olive oil
3 large eggs (or 3 flax eggs, if vegan - see notes)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (~2-3 bananas)
1 cup (8oz) crushed pineapple (with juice)
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temp (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1/4 cup shortening
8oz vegan cream cheese, straight from the refrigerator (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2-2 lbs powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your cake pans. Spray each pan with olive oil and then line the bottoms with a parchment paper circle. If your pecans aren't already toasted, now would be a good time to toast them - spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for around 10 minutes or until toasted. If you plan to frost your cake the same day, you can set out your vegan butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut sugar. Stir in the toasted chopped pecans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add in the mashed banana and pineapple. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix until no flour pockets remain.
Divide the batter equally into your pans. For three 8" pans, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, being sure to rotate your pans halfway through baking.
Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Run a butter knife around the edges, invert a cooling rack over the top, and then flip over. Your cakes should all come out easily. Gently remove the parchment paper circles and throw away.
Once your cakes have cooled completely, you can make your frosting. Drain liquid from the vegan cream cheese, and then, in a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter, shortening, and vegan cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add 16oz of the powdered sugar and beat. Continue adding powdered sugar until you've reached the desired consistency. If you end up adding too much sugar, you can add water or nut milk 1 tsp at a time to thin the frosting out.
Now you can begin frosting your cake! I added 3/4 cup of frosting between each layer and then smoothed the rest onto the sides and top of the cake. Decorate your cake with pecans and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if your home is warm.

Notes

For vegan cake: use 3 flax eggs in place of the eggs. 1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water. Let thicken for 5 minutes.
For 2-layer cake: this recipe will also work for two 9" cakes. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, check cakes, and continue baking until done.
To make ahead: Cakes can be made in advance. Once totally cool, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil, being sure to seal totally. Refrigerate until ready to frost.
For less sugar: you can use less frosting between the layers and make a "naked" cake.

Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes (dairy-free!)

February 15, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Is there anything better than a classic, ultra fluffy chocolate cake? A buttercream slathered cake is something I cannot resist – even since I’ve gone diary-free. I will totally cheat (and risk a break out) for a slice of buttercream-topped cake, especially when the cake itself is dairy-free and the buttercream is milk free! Basically, I love cake. And this Chocolate Cake is moist, delicious, and super customizable – I’ve baked this recipe as a layer cake, as a banana chocolate sheet cake, and even as a banana bourbon cake without cocoa powder. Seriously, use this is a base and go wild.

These mini bundt cakes are perfectly cute one or two-serving cakes. I covered them with a simple chocolate ganache (made with coconut milk) to keep them on the better-for-you side – I wanted to avoid adding refined white sugar. But if you’d prefer a chocolate glaze (a simple mix of cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and nut milk) then do that! I’m telling you, make these cakes your own and enjoy this dairy-free version of classic chocolate cake! Happy baking!

Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes
Makes three 4″ bundt cakes or one 6″ cake

Cake
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
1/4-1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your mini bundt pans – spray them with olive oil or other non-stick spray + lightly dust them with cocoa powder. I sprinkled a small spoonful of cocoa powder into each pan, covered it with a plate, and shook it around.

2.) In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar and egg. Add in the almond milk, olive oil, and vanilla extract and mix. Stir in the applesauce; set aside.

3.) In a medium/large bowl, sift the flours and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt until all ingredients are well combined. Add the wet ingredients and mix until no flour pockets remain.

4.) Evenly distribute the batter into your mini bundt pans until they’re nearly full (mine were somewhere between 75% and 100% full). Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes*.

5.) Allow cakes to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Flip over each bundt pan and gently shake the cake out. Allow cakes to cool completely. Set cooled cakes on a cooling rack over a piece of parchment paper (I like to sit mine in a baking sheet) before preparing the chocolate ganache.

6.) Place a medium pot with about an inch of water over medium heat. Add the chopped chocolate and 1/4 cup of the coconut milk to a heatproof bowl that can sit on top of your medium pot (without touching the water). Stir frequently until chocolate has melted, adding more coconut milk until the mixture is thin enough to pour/drizzle. I tested mine by seeing if it would easily run off of the spoon in a steady stream. You want it to be thin enough to pour over your cakes but thick enough to hold onto your cakes.

8.) Spoon or pour chocolate ganache over each bundt until the cakes are totally covered. If desired, sprinkle with toppings – cocoa powder, powdered sugar, cacao nibs, sprinkles, rose petals, etc. Ganache will solidify at room temperature, depending on your current climate. Store cakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if ganache doesn’t set. Enjoy!

*if baking a 6″ cake, bake for 20-30 minutes

Strawberry Chocolate Baked Donuts (vegan option!)

February 8, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Since Valentine’s Day is next week, and I’ve recently been very into pink and red desserts over on Instagram, I decided I wanted to come up with a vegan-friendly strawberry baked donut. After a less-than-thrilling first recipe attempt, I came to the conclusion that the donut would just be better if I added cocoa powder. Is this my life now? Adding chocolate to anything and everything because it just makes things better? Anyways, these baked cake donuts are so light and fluffy, they’re basically cake. My toddler, who knows what a donut is, took one bite and decided all on her own that these donuts were in fact cake – she chased me around trying to get a bite of my “cake” – ha!

I added strawberry purée to both the donut batter and the icing. The icing is really where the strawberry flavor hits you, so don’t skimp on the purée! I made this recipe twice in an attempt to perfect the pink icing and both times I ended up with results that just weren’t visually appealing enough for decent photos. BUT that doesn’t mean I didn’t perfect the recipe! And since Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, I really wanted to get this recipe published for you all, even with this one photo. I hope that’s okay with you, and I promise that at some point I will make these again and get more than just a “donut in hand” pic. Happy baking!

Strawberry Chocolate Baked Donuts with Strawberry Icing
Makes 6 regular donuts or ~32 mini donuts

Donuts
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg or 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water) if vegan
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
3 Tbsp neutral oil (avocado, grapeseed, light olive oil)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry purée*
3 Tbsp applesauce
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp strawberry purée*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-4 tsp nut milk

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan with olive oil (or other non-stick spray). For vegan donuts, prepare your flax egg.

2.) In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar and egg. Add the almond milk, oil, and vanilla extract and whisk until totally combined. Stir in the strawberry purée and applesauce; set aside.

3.) In a medium bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until no white streaks remain. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently fold until totally combined, making sure to scrape flour/cocoa off the bottom of the bowl.

4.) Add your batter to a piping bag or ziplock bag. Snip the end and pipe batter into donut pan, filling close to the top. Bake regular donuts at 350°F for 10-11 minutes and mini donuts at 350°F for 6-7 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with crumbs.

5.) Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. I like to turn my pan over and wave it a bit until the donuts fall out.

6.) Once your donuts have cooled, you can make your icing. In a small saucepan, add the powdered sugar, strawberry purée, and vanilla extract. Use a small spatula or whisk to combine the ingredients. If needed, add nut milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached – I added around 3 tsp. Keep stirring/whisking until icing is totally smooth and no lumps of powdered sugar remain.

7.) Place icing over a very low heat on the stove and heat up until just warm. Turn off the heat and begin dipping the tops of your donuts. Work quickly and stir the icing as you go along to keep it from crusting. The icing will harden on your donuts very quickly, so if you plan to use sprinkles or other toppings, I recommend having a second person do that part immediately after each donut is dipped. Enjoy your donuts! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if it’s warm.

*for my strawberry purée I simply blended 2 cups of whole frozen strawberries that I had thawed at room temperature. The 2 cups of berries gave me about 1 1/4 cup strawberry purée – you’ll only need half of that for this recipe.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts

November 7, 2018 by Rachael Ng 16 Comments

It’s our first week in our new apartment, and I really wanted my first bake to be something with a chocolate icing. I melted dark chocolate and added that to a super simple mix of confectioner’s sugar and almond milk and OMG. It came out so good. And then I dipped my Chocolate Banana Donuts in it and I literally ate three. Yeah, that happened. These donuts are freaking good. I made Nathan take them to work, because I knew I’d end up eating all 12.

The batter is easy to whip together – it’s basically a quick bread batter that I piped into a donut pan. If you don’t have a donut pan yet, then you should definitely get one. They’re relatively inexpensive, especially if you buy one from a favorite craft store that regularly has 40% off coupons…

For this baked donut recipe, you’ll use a piping bag or large Ziploc bag to simply pipe the batter into the pan – that’s it! I promise it’s easy. And the icing? Just three basic ingredients, warmed up over a double boiler to make sure it sets. If you don’t warm your icing, there’s a good chance it will soak into the donuts (trust me). If you have any questions, leave them below. Happy baking!

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts
Makes 12 regular donuts

Donuts
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey if non-vegan)
1/2 cup coconut milk yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp neutral oil*
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour (all-purpose will work, too)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Icing
1 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar
~2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
.7oz (20g) vegan dark chocolate

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a donut pan with olive oil. In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, honey, yogurt, almond milk, flax eggs, vanilla, oil, and mashed banana; set aside.

2.) In a large bowl, sift together the flours and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until no flour pockets remain.

3.) Fill a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with the batter (I started out with half). Pipe the batter into your greased donut pan, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with crumbs. Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack – they should pop right out when you turn the pan over and shake a bit. Let donuts cool completely.

4.) To melt the dark chocolate, bring about an inch of water to simmer in a medium saucepan. Place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will rest on top of your saucepan, being sure it doesn’t touch the water. Let your chocolate melt, stirring constantly. Remove your bowl from the heat and set your chocolate aside.

5.) In another heatproof bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and almond milk until combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix until totally combined. Heat your icing over the simmering water (the same way you did the chocolate) until just warm to the touch; remove from heat. Dip the tops of your donuts in the icing and then set them to rest on a cooling rack. Be sure to work quickly as the icing will begin to set fast. Enjoy your iced donuts!

*an oil with a light taste, such as avocado, grapeseed, or light olive oil. I don’t recommend coconut oil, as the cold ingredients (milk and yogurt) will cause the melted oil to solidify

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting