Monday Desserts
Is there any better way to start off the week than with dessert? Maybe...or not. Here are six yummy desserts to help you start the week off just right, including Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting [Vegan] and Homemade Twinkies. Enjoy!
MANGO AND PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE
This is from the June, 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 87. It begins, "A home-style dessert gets a tropical twist by baking spiced mangoes and pineapple beneath a crunchy crumble topping. Serve with non-dairy, vanilla ice cream." Makes 6 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/mango-and-pineapple-crumble-recipe/.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. packed light brown sugar, divided
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 tsp. grated nutmeg, divided
1/4 tsp. ground allspice, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbs. chilled vegan margarine, cut into pieces, divided
1/2 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8-inch-square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Add 4 Tbs. margarine, and rub with fingertips until mixture forms coarse meal. Press together until mixture begins to form moist clumps. Stir in pecans and coconut.
Combine remaining 3 Tbs. brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. allspice in large bowl. Add mangoes and pineapple, and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; dot top with remaining 1 Tbs. margarine. Sprinkle oat topping over mango mixture.
Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices bubble. Cool 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
VANILLA APPLESAUCE
This is from the February, 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 67. It begins, "This homemade applesauce, which is good enough to double as dessert, can be refrigerated for up to 1 week." Makes 5 servings
This can be viewed online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/vanilla-applesauce/.
Ingredients
1 lb. McIntosh apples (2 large apples)
1 lb. Granny Smith apples (2 large apples)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. brown sugar, optional
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Peel, core and quarter apples. Combine apples, 1 cup water, vanilla bean and lemon juice in saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until apples are tender. Stir in brown sugar, if desired.
Remove pan from heat. Let cool, remove vanilla bean and whisk until chunky sauce forms. Stir in vanilla.
BLACKBERRY FOOL
This is from Vallery Lomas in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Vallery wrote, "Whipping up this dessert may be the wisest decision you’ll make in the summer: It comes together quickly and uses only five ingredients. Mashed juicy berries folded into lightly whipped cream results in a simple dish that manages to feel both decadent and light. Macerating ripe in-season blackberries in sugar extracts their natural sweetness and goodness. Serve this dish with shortbread cookies for a buttery crumble to contrast the creamy blend."
Yield: 6 servings; Time: 15 minutes
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022353-blackberry-fool.
Ingredients
1 pint fresh blackberries (12 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Shortbread cookies, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Place the blackberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar, then drizzle with the vanilla. Toss lightly to evenly coat. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then mash the blackberries until they release their juices and form a thick pulp.
Combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in another medium bowl. Use an electric stand or hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream to medium peaks. (When you lift the beater or whisk, the cream should hold a peak for a moment.)
Pour the berry mixture over the cream and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined. You can leave streaks of the berry mixture or completely incorporate it. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. To serve, scoop into glasses or dishes and top with cookies if desired.
SHORTBREAD, 10 WAYS
This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Melissa wrote, "Shortbread is not only one of the easiest desserts you can possibly make, it’s also one of the most adaptable. As long as you keep the butter-to-flour ratio constant (1 stick butter to 1 cup flour), everything else is negotiable. You can reduce or increase the sugar and salt, or mix in any type of flavoring from citrus zest to vanilla to herbs and spices. You can even alter the type of flour, swapping in some rice flour for all-purpose flour for increased crunch, or cornmeal for a nubby texture. Just be cautious about adding liquid to the dough; any more than one tablespoon could interfere with the texture. Here we give a master recipe and nine variations to play around with."
Yield: 24 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling
This was featured in "The Simplest Shortbread You Can Bake", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018784-shortbread-10-ways.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks/1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.
Tips
Here are nine variations for the master shortbread recipe above.
Scottish Shortbread: Use 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup white rice flour.
Tender Shortbread: Substitute confectioners' sugar for the granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup cornstarch for 1/3 cup of flour.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread: Split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the back of a knife to scrape out the pulp. Pulse the pulp into the flour-sugar mixture before adding butter. Or add up to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with the butter.
Citrus Shortbread: Add 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon, lime or orange zest with the flour. Add up to 1 teaspoon orange blossom water with the butter if desired. These are classic with poppy seeds.
Nut Shortbread: Grind 1/2 cup toasted nuts in the food processor with the flour before combining with remaining ingredients.
Spice or Seed Shortbread: Add up to 1 teaspoon spices, like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cardamom, or seeds like caraway or anise. Or add up to 3 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds.
Brown or Maple Sugar Shortbread: Substitute 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar or maple sugar for the granulated. This yields a slightly softer shortbread.
Cornmeal or Whole Wheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/2 cup cornmeal or whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Season with spices, seeds, citrus or rosemary if desired.
Buckwheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/3 cup buckwheat flour for 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour.
HOMEMADE TWINKIES
This is from Jennifer Steinhauer in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. The recipe begins, "Dispirited by the possible demise in 2012 of Hostess, the company that makes Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Hostess cupcakes, Jennifer Steinhauer began to wonder if she could make Hostess snack cakes, as well as other much-loved junk food from the past, in her own kitchen. She started with this classic, the Twinkie, by buying a canoe pan, which conveniently came with a cream injector. This recipe is a traditional sponge cake-style recipe, with whipped egg whites and sugar forming the base, then filled by cream injector with seven-minute frosting. Neighbors were delighted when she shared the results, but it was short lived. By the next day, the cake had absorbed the cream -- so make sure to eat them fast."
Yield: 12 homemade Twinkies; Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
This was featured in "It’s Not Junk if I Made It", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12328-homemade-twinkies..
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that’s about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.
Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.
Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.
Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there’s no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.
Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about .75 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.
For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.
Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won’t last indefinitely. They’re best served still slightly warm.
Tip
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com
VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH BLACKBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This is from Sofia Von Porat at One Green Planet. The recipe begins, "Looking for the perfect summery vegan dessert for parties? Rich blackberry cream cheese frosting is piled high on these dense vanilla vegan cupcakes. The pink color of the frosting comes naturally from the blackberries — no food coloring necessary. These cute little cupcakes are the perfect summer dessert and great for weddings! Blackberries are in season from June till August, which means they're a great addition to classic sweets when you're looking to freshen them up for summer!"
To view this online, go to https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/vanilla-cupcakes-with-blackberry-cream-cheese-frosting/.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup blackberries (optional)
For the Frosting:
7 tablespoons vegan butter
7 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
About 5 blackberries
Preparation
To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven at 350° F and place cupcake liners in a cupcake tray.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients (oil, soy milk, vanilla, and vinegar) in a large bowl, add the dry mixture and stir to combine (be careful not to over mix). If you want you can even add some blackberries to the muffin mixture.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely. In the meantime, prepare the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
Mash blackberries and press through a sieve so you get 1 tablespoon of juice.
Mix butter and powdered sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer. Add cream cheese and continue mixing. Add the juice and mix to a smooth mixture. Add more icing sugar if the mixture is too runny. Decorate on top of cupcakes.
MANGO AND PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE
This is from the June, 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 87. It begins, "A home-style dessert gets a tropical twist by baking spiced mangoes and pineapple beneath a crunchy crumble topping. Serve with non-dairy, vanilla ice cream." Makes 6 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/mango-and-pineapple-crumble-recipe/.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. packed light brown sugar, divided
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 tsp. grated nutmeg, divided
1/4 tsp. ground allspice, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbs. chilled vegan margarine, cut into pieces, divided
1/2 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8-inch-square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Add 4 Tbs. margarine, and rub with fingertips until mixture forms coarse meal. Press together until mixture begins to form moist clumps. Stir in pecans and coconut.
Combine remaining 3 Tbs. brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. allspice in large bowl. Add mangoes and pineapple, and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; dot top with remaining 1 Tbs. margarine. Sprinkle oat topping over mango mixture.
Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices bubble. Cool 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
VANILLA APPLESAUCE
This is from the February, 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 67. It begins, "This homemade applesauce, which is good enough to double as dessert, can be refrigerated for up to 1 week." Makes 5 servings
This can be viewed online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/vanilla-applesauce/.
Ingredients
1 lb. McIntosh apples (2 large apples)
1 lb. Granny Smith apples (2 large apples)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. brown sugar, optional
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Peel, core and quarter apples. Combine apples, 1 cup water, vanilla bean and lemon juice in saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until apples are tender. Stir in brown sugar, if desired.
Remove pan from heat. Let cool, remove vanilla bean and whisk until chunky sauce forms. Stir in vanilla.
BLACKBERRY FOOL
This is from Vallery Lomas in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Vallery wrote, "Whipping up this dessert may be the wisest decision you’ll make in the summer: It comes together quickly and uses only five ingredients. Mashed juicy berries folded into lightly whipped cream results in a simple dish that manages to feel both decadent and light. Macerating ripe in-season blackberries in sugar extracts their natural sweetness and goodness. Serve this dish with shortbread cookies for a buttery crumble to contrast the creamy blend."
Yield: 6 servings; Time: 15 minutes
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022353-blackberry-fool.
Ingredients
1 pint fresh blackberries (12 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Shortbread cookies, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Place the blackberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar, then drizzle with the vanilla. Toss lightly to evenly coat. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then mash the blackberries until they release their juices and form a thick pulp.
Combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in another medium bowl. Use an electric stand or hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream to medium peaks. (When you lift the beater or whisk, the cream should hold a peak for a moment.)
Pour the berry mixture over the cream and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined. You can leave streaks of the berry mixture or completely incorporate it. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. To serve, scoop into glasses or dishes and top with cookies if desired.
SHORTBREAD, 10 WAYS
This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Melissa wrote, "Shortbread is not only one of the easiest desserts you can possibly make, it’s also one of the most adaptable. As long as you keep the butter-to-flour ratio constant (1 stick butter to 1 cup flour), everything else is negotiable. You can reduce or increase the sugar and salt, or mix in any type of flavoring from citrus zest to vanilla to herbs and spices. You can even alter the type of flour, swapping in some rice flour for all-purpose flour for increased crunch, or cornmeal for a nubby texture. Just be cautious about adding liquid to the dough; any more than one tablespoon could interfere with the texture. Here we give a master recipe and nine variations to play around with."
Yield: 24 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling
This was featured in "The Simplest Shortbread You Can Bake", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018784-shortbread-10-ways.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks/1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.
Tips
Here are nine variations for the master shortbread recipe above.
Scottish Shortbread: Use 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup white rice flour.
Tender Shortbread: Substitute confectioners' sugar for the granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup cornstarch for 1/3 cup of flour.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread: Split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the back of a knife to scrape out the pulp. Pulse the pulp into the flour-sugar mixture before adding butter. Or add up to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with the butter.
Citrus Shortbread: Add 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon, lime or orange zest with the flour. Add up to 1 teaspoon orange blossom water with the butter if desired. These are classic with poppy seeds.
Nut Shortbread: Grind 1/2 cup toasted nuts in the food processor with the flour before combining with remaining ingredients.
Spice or Seed Shortbread: Add up to 1 teaspoon spices, like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cardamom, or seeds like caraway or anise. Or add up to 3 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds.
Brown or Maple Sugar Shortbread: Substitute 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar or maple sugar for the granulated. This yields a slightly softer shortbread.
Cornmeal or Whole Wheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/2 cup cornmeal or whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Season with spices, seeds, citrus or rosemary if desired.
Buckwheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/3 cup buckwheat flour for 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour.
HOMEMADE TWINKIES
This is from Jennifer Steinhauer in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. The recipe begins, "Dispirited by the possible demise in 2012 of Hostess, the company that makes Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Hostess cupcakes, Jennifer Steinhauer began to wonder if she could make Hostess snack cakes, as well as other much-loved junk food from the past, in her own kitchen. She started with this classic, the Twinkie, by buying a canoe pan, which conveniently came with a cream injector. This recipe is a traditional sponge cake-style recipe, with whipped egg whites and sugar forming the base, then filled by cream injector with seven-minute frosting. Neighbors were delighted when she shared the results, but it was short lived. By the next day, the cake had absorbed the cream -- so make sure to eat them fast."
Yield: 12 homemade Twinkies; Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
This was featured in "It’s Not Junk if I Made It", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12328-homemade-twinkies..
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that’s about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.
Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.
Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.
Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there’s no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.
Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about .75 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.
For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.
Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won’t last indefinitely. They’re best served still slightly warm.
Tip
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com
VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH BLACKBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This is from Sofia Von Porat at One Green Planet. The recipe begins, "Looking for the perfect summery vegan dessert for parties? Rich blackberry cream cheese frosting is piled high on these dense vanilla vegan cupcakes. The pink color of the frosting comes naturally from the blackberries — no food coloring necessary. These cute little cupcakes are the perfect summer dessert and great for weddings! Blackberries are in season from June till August, which means they're a great addition to classic sweets when you're looking to freshen them up for summer!"
To view this online, go to https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/vanilla-cupcakes-with-blackberry-cream-cheese-frosting/.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup blackberries (optional)
For the Frosting:
7 tablespoons vegan butter
7 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
About 5 blackberries
Preparation
To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven at 350° F and place cupcake liners in a cupcake tray.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients (oil, soy milk, vanilla, and vinegar) in a large bowl, add the dry mixture and stir to combine (be careful not to over mix). If you want you can even add some blackberries to the muffin mixture.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely. In the meantime, prepare the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
Mash blackberries and press through a sieve so you get 1 tablespoon of juice.
Mix butter and powdered sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer. Add cream cheese and continue mixing. Add the juice and mix to a smooth mixture. Add more icing sugar if the mixture is too runny. Decorate on top of cupcakes.
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