Vegan Diner (31 page)

1
½
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½
teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal, preferably golden

3 tablespoons hot water

1
¼
cups packed light brown sugar

½
cup (1 stick) non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

½
cup lightly toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron or oven-proof skillet with shortening.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In a very small bowl, mix together the ground flaxseed and hot water. Set aside to thicken slightly.

In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the flaxseed mixture, beating until smooth. Add the vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture, beating just until the batter comes together. Don't over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread mixture into the prepared pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. When the top of the pie is lightly touched, it should only leave a little indentation.

Remove the skillet from the oven to a rack, and let cool for 15 minutes.

Tip:
Serve this cookie pie warm, with a scoop of homemade peanut butter chocolate chunk ice cream (see
page 153
).

This is a scrumptious cake, perfect for special occasions
or for afternoon tea. I go crazy for almonds and raspberries, especially when they're combined together in a delicate and tender cake. This cake won't let you down!

MAKES ONE 8-INCH CAKE

Cake

2 cups cake flour, sifted

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

⅛
teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain almond or rice milk, divided

⅓
cup canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½
pint basket fresh raspberries (about 1
¼
cups)

Frosting

9 ounces (about 2 cups) confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened

2 tablespoons plain soymilk or almond milk, or as needed to make a fluffy frosting

¼
teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 inch-square glass baking dish with shortening.

For the cake:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together half of the almond milk, oil, and vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk in half of the flour mixture. Add the remaining almond milk alternately with the remaining flour mixture. Add the flour mixture, whisking just until smooth. Don't over mix.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the raspberries over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the frosting:
While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the confectioners' sugar, margarine, soymilk, and the almond extract. Beat the frosting until light and fluffy. If necessary, add another
½
tablespoon of milk to make a soft and spreadable frosting. Using an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon, spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake.

Tip:
Substitute frozen (not thawed) raspberries for the fresh berries. The frozen berries will sink down into the cake a little more than will fresh berries.

This New York-style cheesecake has a wonderfully creamy
delicate taste of lemon zest. Try it unadorned, or with a fresh fruit topping. I have heard many people exclaim that this cheesecake must be made with dairy, because it's just too creamy and delicious.

MAKES ONE 9½-INCH PIE

Crust

2 cups cookie crumbs (I use animal crackers), about 9 ounces

6 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, melted and cooled

Filling

2 (8-ounce) tubs soy cream cheese

1 (12-ounce) box firm or extra-firm silken tofu

1 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1
½
lemons

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9½-inch deep-dish glass pie plate with shortening.

For the crust:
In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs and melted margarine. Press onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pie plate. Set aside.

For the filling:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine cream cheese, tofu, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and cornstarch. Process until the mixture is ultra-smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared cookie crust. Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just lightly golden.

Remove the pie to a rack to cool completely before refrigerating overnight. Once the pie has had a chance to firm up overnight, slice and serve.

Tip:
This uses a slightly larger pie plate than the other pie recipes in this book.

Look for Tofutti
soy cream cheese and Mori-Nu silken tofu in well-stocked grocery and health food stores. These are two brands that work well, and I use often.

When I was young, I was completely mesmerized by
black forest cakes. There was just something about the way the chocolate, cherries, and cream all danced together into one glorious cake. This cake is my little nod to the old Black Forest bakery cakes. It's got a totally different look, but the decadent flavors of chocolate and cherry remain.

MAKES ONE 8-INCH SQUARE CAKE

Cake

1
½
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½
cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½
teaspoon baking soda

⅛
teaspoon fine sea salt