Peace in 1944 Vegan Spice Cake
It's certainly been a while since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I have abandoned cooking! This winter term has been dominated by directing a production of The Diary of Anne Frank for Oregon State University. This beautiful production took a great deal of focus, dedication, time, and energy (as all productions do). I was fortunate enough to be working with an extremely passionate and hard working group of students and, I really believe this is a show we can all be proud of. That all being said, one of my tasks through the rehearsal and performance process was baking "Miep's Spice Cake" that is eaten on stage every night. While purchasing a cake is usually the option, we were faced with the dietary challenge of a vegan in the cast. Rather than bother hunting down a suitable (and cost effective) ready-made vegan cake in the store, I developed this recipe. I probably baked this cake twenty times in the past few weeks. Moist and delicious, the cast ate it over and over again. They started asking for the recipe . . . so here it is. I named it "Peace in 1944" cake because that is what the icing was supposed to say. Feel free to omit the icing completely, it's delicious either way. One of the tricks to a vegan cake is finding the right substitution for eggs which act as a binder and a leavening agent. I found this vinegar and baking soda substitution to work very well for this recipe, plus the vinegar adds a slight tang to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 1/3 c. canned pumpkin
- 3/4 c. flour
- 2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. baking powder, divided
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. all spice
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan with vegetable shortening, dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside. In small prep bowl dissolve vinegar with two tablespoons of water. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, and oil until smooth. Add flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. of baking powder and whisk together until well combined. Working quickly add the remaining two Tbsp. of baking powder to the water and vinegar mixture. It will bubble. Pour into batter and quickly whisk. The batter should become lighter and fluffier. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until cake is cooked through. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating and/or eating.
Hot and Smoky Pumpkin Soup With Garlic Croutons
Somewhere between the morning mist and the hours of cold November rain, I ventured outside to walk the dog. What have I found strewn in the aftermath of my neighbors' drunken violent post-Halloween outbursts? The scattered remains of last week's Jack-o-Lanterns smashed upon the asphalt in some sort of macabre massacre of used gourds. What a waste. We had two perfectly edible pumpkins sitting in our living room. While we had every intention of carving them and setting them out on the front step, the traditional practice of wasting perfectly good food never materialized. What am I going to do with those pumpkins? Not wanting to take the route of utter pumpkin destruction, it occurred to me that I could actually eat them. So, on this cold and rainy November night I threw together this smoky (and satisfying) soup recipe. Please try it! And remember, think of the pumpkins.
Ingredients
- 1 whole pumpkin (about 2-4 lbs.)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 4-6 ancho chili peppers in adobo sauce, diced
- 1 c. milk
- 2 c. grated white cheddar cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- chives
- crumbled feta cheese for garnish
- 4 c. vegetable broth
- 4 c. old bread, cut into 1" cubes
GARLIC CROUTONS
Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange bread cubes on the foil in an even layer. In a small bowl mash together garlic with 4 Tbsp. olive oil, whisk in 1 tsp. salt. Drizzle olive oil mixture over the bread cubes and toss together to coat evenly. Toast in oven for about 20-30 minutes until bread begins to dry out and turn golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Turn oven up to 425˚F. Slice pumpkin in half and scoop the seeds and stringy pulp. Discard innards. Slice the pumpkin into 1" thick pieces and arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and oregano and drizzle with olive oil. Roast pumpkin slices until they soften and begin to turn golden brown. It will take about an hour since pumpkin can be tough. Flip slices over about half way through to make sure both sides are browned.
Once the pumpkin has been roasted, allow it to cool for about 10-15 minutes so that it is easier to handle. Scoop the meat away from the skin. Discard the browned rinds and set the pumpkin aside.
In a large, heavy stock pot heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Cook onion over medium until it softens and begins to turns translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetable broth, chili peppers in their sauce, and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes until everything is softened. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Return soup to a low heat and whisk in milk and grated cheddar cheese.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. And heat until soup is warmed through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with croutons, crumbled feta, and chopped fresh chives. It will warm you from the inside out!
Richard Bradley's Pumpkin Wookie Pies
Baking is the best therapy. Sometimes I find that it is in the moments where my mind is caught in the tempest of stress that the Divine Muses of Baked Goods visit and offer temporary safe harbor from life's occasional emotional storm clouds. I was just having a weird day. Perhaps it was the whole "Falling Back" time change the night before, but something was off. Everyone seemed weird. There was weird energy in the air all around and I just felt like crawling back into bed and calling "reset" on the entire day. On my drive back from the office, suddenly inspiration struck in the form of a pumpkin and cream cheese combination. I quick pit stop at the ol' Trader Joe's and I found solace in the rituals of creaming together sugar and butter. The house smelled delicious, comforting. Later, I brought some of the fresh Whoopie Pies out to be enjoyed by the public. After sharing a delicious meal with friends, I offered up dessert. "What are those?" Emily asked with excitement, eyes wide with anticipation. When I answered, "Pumpkin Whoopie Pies," Richard Bradley looked at me quizzically and asked, "What's a Wookie Pie?" I liked the name so much I promised to name the recipe for him. So . . . here we go: Richard Bradley's Wookie Pies. They are a super-moist mouthful and definitely met the approval of all who enjoyed them. Emily sat there, smile on her face, half eaten pie in her hand, and sighed, "I don't want it to end." Indeed.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature, divided
- 3 tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3 c. flour
- 1 1/2 c. almond meal
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2 c. (or more) powdered sugar
COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together pumpkin, 1 stick butter, sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1 tsp. vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and blend into mixture until batter is light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until ingredients are combined thoroughly. Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture about a cup at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Add spices to batter.
Spoon 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto a parchment or silicon pad lined baking sheet, spaced out evenly. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until cookies are a little puffy and cooked through. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Continue baking cookies in batches until batter is used up.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
In a large bowl, beat together 1 stick room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar on a low speed until blended and the filling is at the desired consistency. Spread a generous dollop (2-3 Tbsp.) of the filling onto the flat side of a completely cooled cookie. Top with a second cookie and press together slightly to adhere. Store cookies in an airtight container. Eat with friends!
Pumpkin Spice Sour Cream Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Trick or treat! My announcement to my students that Friday's class would require wearing Halloween costumes to engage in a Fall-term Acting I tradition I have deemed "Super Spooky Halloween Fun" was met with a variety of responses. While several students were less than thrilled at the prospect of donning Halloween-themed attire two days before the actual holiday, their attitudes shifted when I promised a baked "treat" as part of the festivities. Pumpkin-themed baked good abound this time of year . . . and with good reason! The familiar orange gourd-like squash yields a flavorful and moist texture to cakes and cookies. I hope you enjoy this spicy, rum-spiked treat throughout the autumn season.
Ingredients
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 1/2 c. butter, room temperature, divided
- 4 large eggs
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla, divided
- 2 Tbsp. dark rum
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 2 Tbsp. cinnamon, divided
- 2 tsp. fresh nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- Halloween candies for decoration
PUMPKIN SPICE SOUR CREAM CUPCAKES
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line two muffin tins with paper-liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream 1 1/2 sticks of butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Blend in pumpkin. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add baking soda, cardamom, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, and nutmeg and blend until thoroughly mixed together. Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with 1/2 c. additions of flour. Blend thoroughly after each addition. Blend in sour cream, rum, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla until combined.
Spoon prepared batter into paper cupcake liners. Fill each cup to about two-thirds full. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Test cupcakes for doneness and remove from oven. Let cool on a rack completely before frosting. Bake cupcakes in batches and continue process until all the batter has been baked into tasty treats!
CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
In a large bowl blend together cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1 Tbsp, cinnamon, and 1 stick butter with an electric hand mixer. Blend until frosting is smooth and creamy. Add more cinnamon to taste, if desired. Frost each baked and cooled cupcake with a generous amount of frosting and decorate with Halloween candies. Enjoy this spooky and tasty seasonal treat!
Blueberry Pumpkin Bread
When budding Kitchen Diva Lacey presented me with the problem of what to do with an over-abundance of frozen blueberries, I promised her I'd devise something delicious. At first I thought of the more conventional choices- blueberry pancakes, pie, muffins . . . etc. Although these are indeed tasty uses for bags and bags of frozen blueberries, I wanted to develop something more in the spirit of fall baking. Combining pumpkin with one of my favorite berries seemed like a perfect fit . . . enter Blueberry Pumpkin Bread. It's a snap to whip up. Try it for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning to give you energy for the busy day of cooking ahead of you!
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 1 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- zest from one lemon
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease the bottom of a 9x5x3" loaf pan with butter or vegetable shortening. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and whisk gently to combine. Add blueberries and lemon zest and combine thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool ten minutes in baking pan then turn out on wire rack and let cool completely before serving. That's it! Nothing to it!
Cozy Autumn Pumpkin Soup with Cheesy Garlic Toasts
Oh immersion blender . . . how ever did I prepare delicious, creamy soups without you?
The immersion blender, sometimes referred to as a "stick blender" or as my mom calls it, "the motor boat," is an extremely useful, small, and inexpensive kitchen tool. It's basically exactly what it sounds like: a blender on a stick. It has all the chopping/whipping action of a blender without the hassle of having to clean the blender or running the risk of spraying the ceiling with hot soup. I use mine to whip up salad dressings, smoothies, and (obviously) creamy soups in a snap. It is (almost) as easy to make this soup recipe with a regular blender- just work in batches and make sure the soup isn't too hot (unless you wish to learn the hot-soup-on-the-ceiling-lesson for yourself).
The weather is definitely changing, I had to wear my cute new mittens on my commute to and from work today. Not that I'm complaining- the mittens are extremely cute and I really enjoy getting home from a long day and enjoying a warm, comforting bowl of soup while the rain is beating on the windows outside. I put together this creamy and satisfying concoction in about 30 minutes- it's really yummy and makes tons of leftovers for many more upcoming chilly fall evenings.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- l red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 30 oz. canned pumpkin
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- 7-8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 1 small handful Italian parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper
- good quality sliced crusty bread
- butter
- ground paprika
- sliced provolone cheese
- crushed garlic
For the soup, heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, parsley, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
As soup simmers, prepare the garlic cheese toasts. For each toast use 1 Tbsp. butter, one slice of provolone, and 1-2 cloves crushed garlic. In a small bowl mash together butter and garlic with a fork. Spread each slice of bread with butter mixture, sprinkle with a pinch of paprika, and top with a slice of provolone. Preheat broiler and place toast slices on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place toasts under broiler and toast for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly (keep an eye on your broiler).
After soup has simmered, remove from heat and blend in batches in blender until smooth OR use your fantastic immersion blender. Add mascarpone cheese to blended soup and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve with garlic cheese toasts.
