Tag: dessert

This naturally gluten free dessert is excellent for summer nights, although, thanks to the farmers who freeze their berries and bring them to our farmers market, I also make this cake year round. I started only adding blueberries, but have since expanded into rhubarb based fruit layers. I love the tang of the berries along with the tang of the lemon in the cake batter.

[egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan]

Cake batter:

1 1/2 cups of ground almonds
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tsp baking powder
zest of 2 lemons (organic)
pinch of salt
6 oz frozen pineapple, defrosted
3 tbsp vegan yogurt
1/4 c maple syrup
5 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

fruit bottom:

2-3 cups of blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Wash the blueberries and cover the bottom of a tart pan.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Defrost the pineapple in a medium mason glass jar (I typically do this in the microwave). Add olive oil, maple syrup, vegan yogurt, and lemon juice. Stick blender everything in the jar until smooth (a few strings from the pineapple that get stuck to the blender are totally fine). Fold into the dry ingredients and mix until unform.

Pour over the berries. Place a cookie sheet on the lowest rack and place the cake on the middle rack. Any juice that escapes the tart pan will go on the cookie sheet, which you can easily wash, and not the bottom of the oven, which is much harder to scrub clean. Bake for 45 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

I call this blueberry cake but I’ve now made with an apple/rhubarb compote on the bottom as well as a mixture of frozen strawberries, rhubarb and cherries. If something is frozen, which the blueberries can be as well, I give them a few minutes in the tart pan in the oven while the oven is coming to temperature to even out the temperature of the ingredients.

I chanced upon this combo of almond flour, chickpea flour and millet flour when making a crust for the mushroom and leek pie in the excellent Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moscowitz. The crusts in the book are made from wheat flours, and I needed a gluten free substitute. I am not a chemist, so I don’t know what specifically about this combo that makes it work, but so far, it’s been great. For a tart crust, you’ll need to add olive oil and water to constitute.

I found my first bean brownie recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog years ago and they became my first introduction to brownies made from beans and without flour. I loved the flavor and ease of preparation. I’ve now made so many different variations, but this is an oldie but goodie, so I had to rework to recipe to ditch maple syrup and sugar. I hope you enjoy them.

[soy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free recipe]

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (one can, drained and rinsed or homemade, ideally in a pressure cooker for softness, rinsed; bonus points if you catch the beans while they are hot – they will help absorb the oats)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
10 Medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup canola, sunflower or safflower oil* (any neutral flavor oil is fine)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract**
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips (try Completely Cacao or Taza’s 100% chips for a no-sugar version)
1 cup walnuts or almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×9″ baking pan with parchment paper or if you want to go the trash-free version, line a 9×12″ baker with a Silpat or similar silicone liner.

Grind all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips and nuts if using, until very smooth. Add in the chips and nuts and pulse, until the new additions are small chunks.

Bake in a preheated oven for 15-18 minutes.

* If you live close to VomFass, lucky you – they have a Canola oil that tastes like melted cow butter. Try it. You’ll never go back to ultra processed Canola.
** If you’re a lucky human who lives near a Trader Joe’s, try their glycerin vanilla. It’s much cheaper than other stores’ versions and has a great flavor.

dairy-free, egg-free, soy free, gluten-free, flour-free

This time of year, I simply cannot walk past the farmers market or a farm stand without getting a sugar pumpkin. Soon enough, I am looking at a fridge overflowing with pumpkin puree and it’s at this point that I turn to this recipe to make a smooth delectable treat that comes together quickly.

You can make your own pumpkin puree by roasting a sugar pumpkin in the oven. Simply wash the outside of a sugar pumpkin, split it open, scoop out the seeds (you can roast them separately at 375F with olive oil and spices for about 10-15 minute until light brown and crispy). Scoop any slimy parts. Place the halves face down on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven, at 375 for about 30-45 minutes (depending on size). You’ll know the pumpkin is done when you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove the outside skin (and add to your compost pile), add the inside to a food processor and process until smooth.

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup unsweetened non dairy milk (I use oatmilk)
1/2 cup packed, pitted Medjool dates*
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tsp agar powder
1 tsp arrowroot or tapioca powder or potato starch
1 tsp cinnamon**
1/4 tsp nutmeg**
1/4 tsp cloves**
1 tbsp vanilla, ideally the non-alcoholic variety (yes, tablespoon)
1.4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C and fill a tea kettle with water.

In a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Very smooth – be sure the dates are well processed.

Prepare 6-10 ramekins (depending on the size you have) and a baker or two to fit them inside. They will need to rest flat inside the baker. You’ll need the baker for the Bain Marie. I won’t give detailed instructions on how to do a Bain Marie because there is no end to the tutorials to be found online and if you’ve watched a few episodes of the Great British Baking Show, you’ve seen someone lose their spot by doing it incorrectly, so now you know what not to do.

Bring the kettle to a boil.

Once the custard is smooth, pour or scoop into ramekins, filling about 2/3 of the way. Place the ramekins into the baker and then place into the oven on a rack you’ve pulled out just far enough that you can add water to the space inside the baker and outside the ramekins being very careful not to get water into the ramekins that are standing inside. Very gingerly move the baker into the oven and close the door.

Bake for 28-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the ramekins from the baker onto a cooling rack (I usually do this with a set of silicone lined tongues). Once the ramekins have cooled, place them in the fridge.

We’ve eaten these straight out of the oven, before they even set and the texture is soft. Once they’ve set, they will be closer to the texture of a pumpkin pie, which is where I think I first got the idea of combining pumpkin and chocolate and setting it as a custard.

* If you cannot find Medjool dates, you can use Deglet but you’ll have to soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes. Do this while you get the rest of the ingredients into the food processor.

** If you’ve never bought your spices in bulk, I highly recommend that you find a store near you. You’ll smell the difference once you open the jar and then taste it in the finished dessert.