Pumpkin Cheesecake

In the food world, Fall means one thing: pumpkin. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin carvings...the list goes on. Canadian Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while pumpkin pie is usually my go-to dessert, sometimes it's nice to switch things up. I made this cheesecake to serve to a large group of my omni friends, and I was a little paranoid about the amount of tofu the recipe calls for. I was frantically tasting the raw batter, then the cooked batter, then the chilled cake to see if it would be palatable to non-veg taste buds, but in the end it was a great success. Once the cake is cooked and cooled, all you taste is pumpkin and spice.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (makes 1 cake)
Adapted from La Dolce Vegan

1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies
3/4 cup pecans, finely ground
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 14-oz package of firm tofu
1 12-oz package of soft or silken tofu
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and cloves
6-10 pecan halves
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and lightly oil a 9-inch spring form pan.

In a food processor, blend the first 4 ingredients and press mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Rinse out the food processor and throw in the remaining ingredients (except the pecan halves and maple syrup). Blend until smooth and pour into prepared pan. Arrange pecan halves on top and bake for 75 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Spoon maple syrup on top of cake and refrigerate overnight.

Rum Cake

Finally, another chance to use my bundt pan. I was first exposed to rum cake when Becca and I went to Nassau for Spring Break. There wasn't a lot to do during the day besides tan, but there was this little rum cake store selling mad amounts of cake to hapless tourists. And it was so good. They had samples, so we visited multiple times to try the different flavours. This is my attempt at recreating that treat. This recipe uses cake mix and pudding mix, which means it is super simple, but I guess not technically from scratch. Oh well. If you are worried about preservatives (cake isn't healthy either way!) you could use some organic all-natural mixes...but I used Duncan Hines and Jello. And Barcadi.

Rum Cake (serves 8-10)
Adapted from Veganomics

For The Cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 box of vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light rum
1 cup silken or soft tofu
1/2 cup finely-chopped nuts (optional)

For The Glaze:

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and sprinkle nuts in the pan. Place tofu in a food processor and blend while you prepare other ingredients (just leave the processor processing).

In a large bowl, mix cake mix and pudding mix. Add oil, water, and rum and stir until just combined. By now the tofu should be very smooth and liquidy. Add tofu to batter and stir until combined, but don't overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes.

When the cake is done and out of the oven, prepare the glaze. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the sugar, water, and rum. Cook, constantly stirring, until mixture reaches a syrupy consistency.

Poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick and pour the glaze over it. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, or until all the glaze is soaked up. Turn onto a pretty platter and enjoy with a Bahama Mama in the bright sunshine.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Those who know me well, know that I'm obsessed with the South and I want to go to there. I think it's because of the amazing stories that have come out of that region, both fact and fiction. I realize I have probably romanticized it in my head, but I like the idea of traveling somewhere that's different from where I live and still totally relatable. I want to go on a southern road trip, which would include Texas. (Although, the people I have met from the South say Texas is not southern, and I'm sure Texans consider their state to be in its own category, but what do I know, I'm Canadian.) To go on such a trip I would need money and time...and the ability to drive. And also a car. As you can see, there are many obstacles to my dream vacation. That is why I buy soul food cookbooks and watch TV shows about high school football. It's also why my favourite cake is red velvet. This recipe isn't exactly authentic, being egg-and-dairy free, but you get the idea. These cupcakes are virtually idiot proof and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 12)
Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

For the cake:

1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons red food colouring
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup Better Than Cream Cheese
2 cups icing sugar
a smidgen of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with a dozen paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix almond milk and vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk oil, food colouring, and vanilla into the almond milk, then whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until there are no more lumps.

Pour evenly into the prepared cupcake tin and bake for 18-20 minutes.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together margarine and "cream cheese." Gradually beat in icing sugar, then add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Don't do as I did and add too much vanilla, because then the icing will not be nice and white.

After the cupcakes cool, scoop frosting into a pastry bag or freezer bag with one end cut off and pipe frosting onto cakes to be all fancy and stuff.

Brown Sugar Nut Bars

This recipe is perfect for when you want to bake something, but you haven't gone grocery shopping in three weeks and you have barely anything to cook with. There are very few ingredients because it is essentially cookie dough sans chocolate chips baked in bar form. In other words: so. good.

It is adapted from this old-school cookbook The New and Complete Encyclopedia of Cooking by Madame Benoit. According to the note on the inside page, my dad gave this to my mom on some sort of special occasion as a present. Now, not to be too judge-y, but if my significant other gave me a cookbook as a present, I would be like THIS ISN'T THE 1950s BI-ATCH. That's like getting your wife a book about how to iron men's shirts properly. But it does have interesting old-fashioned recipes, as well as tips on how to throw a "luncheon," so I can't hate. It's like a primary source from the olden days.

Brown Sugar Nut Bars (makes 16 squares)

1/2 cup Earth Balance shortening
2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 pan.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the shortening until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat very well. Beat in egg replacer mixture and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and chopped nuts. Gently fold into butter/sugar mixture.

Scoop dough into prepared pan and press down until it is flat and even. Bake approximately 30 minutes; the edges should be brown and pulling away from the pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar while still warm and cut into squares. It may seem like it is still raw inside, but the squares are supposed to be gooey in the middle.

Banana-Nut Waffles

Because of late-night fun times, I did not want to get out of bed on Saturday morning. So instead of sucking it up, I started to imagine what the best hangover cure would be. It involved a facial, because I always fall asleep in my makeup, and a foot massage, because my shoes hurt my feet. Then someone would bring me coffee in an obscenely large mug, and only then would I be up and at 'em.

Unfortunately, I do not have a team of personal estheticians at my disposal, so I thought of the best hangover cure that's also remotely possible: waffles! I also like saying, "I'm making waffles!" like the donkey in Shrek. I had to dig my waffle iron out of the basement and spend a significant amount of time cleaning it (there are spiders in my basement), but it was totally worth it.

This batter comes together quickly and it tastes like dessert. I have yet to learn exactly how much batter to put on a waffle iron, so mine always come out a bit wonky. I guess it just takes practice.

Banana-Nut Waffles (makes 14 waffles)
Adapted from Veganomicon

1 3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup walnuts
nonstick cooking spray
Strawberries (for garnish)

Preheat your waffle iron. Pour milk, water, and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the banana and stir in the milk mixture, oil, syrup, and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg and mix with a fork until just combined. Finely chop nuts (I used a food processor) and fold into the batter.

Spray your waffle iron with nonstick spray, pour on some batter, and cook waffles the way your waffle-iron manual tells you to.

Serve with lots of strawberries and extra agave, and don't forget the coffee.

It's the friendship mug! ha ha.

Carrot Cupcakes

Between intensely fudgey brownies and sinfully chocolately bundt cake, it should be obvious that both of us Poor Girls have a sweet tooth.  And while my heart really lies with chocolate, I also have a deep appreciation for carrot cake.  I mean, it's delicious, and I'm sure all those carrots make it somewhat good for you.  Okay, maybe not all that good for you.  But a girl can dream.

 

I was stuck waiting in the apartment on a beautifully sunny Tuesday for the Time Warner guy (oh, how I loathe you, Time Warner).  To mitigate some of the misery of being inside, I took inventory of my fridge, grabbed a bag of carrots, and started shredding.  An hour later, I had internet and a dozen very airy and very moist carrot cupcakes.  The cream cheese frosting, which had all the tang of cream cheese without being too sweet, was the perfect compliment to such a light cake.   Or in other words, these little guys are pretty darn good, and the "OMG cupcakes" text I received later from my roommate served as a another testament to their deliciousness.

Carrot Cupcakes (yields 12) 
Adapted from All Recipes

For the cake:
2 eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

For the frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cupcake tin with wrappers.

Mix together eggs, canola oil, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla in a bowl (be sure to break apart sugar clumps.  Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add carrots, stirring until just combined.

Spoon batter into cupcake tin, filling the cupcakes about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, on until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

As cupcakes bake, prepare frosting.  Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined.  Gradually add in powdered sugar.

Frost cupcakes, serve, and enjoy!

Lower-fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake

This recipe is titled "lower-fat," which is essentially meaningless, but at the same time offers an excuse to eat two pieces of cake instead of one. This cake is ridiculously easy to make, and it looks super classy on a pretty platter. Bundt cakes are weird though. I wonder why people wanted to make cakes in that shape. It's like a wheel...or a doughnut. Did I just answer my own question? Well, after using my excellent online research abilities, I have found the answer. Apparently bundt cake was invented in Germany a very long time ago and no one cared about it until a bundt cake won a baking contest in the 60s, and then it became very popular and housewives were falling all over themselves to buy bundt pans because they make cake look fancy with virtually no effort.

Although apple sauce replaces some of the oil in this recipe, this cake is (probably) not that healthy. However, it is highly chocolaty and it is not too sweet or rich, so it is perfect with coffee as an after dinner treat. If you are like me and serve it after a huge Easter meal, you will find a way to make some room to eat some even if you feel like you are going to burst. Not that I would advocate gluttony. Just...you know...dessert is important.

Lower-fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake (serves 12)
Adapted from Veganomicon.

1 3/4 cups fresh brewed coffee
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing sugar and strawberries to garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8- or 10-inch bundt pan

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring coffee to a simmer, turn down heat, and whisk in cocoa until it is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool until it reaches room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, canola oil, applesauce, and cornstarch until well-blended. Whisk in cooled chocolate mixture and extracts.

Sift in dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven, let cool 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Let cool completely, dust with icing sugar, and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Old School Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making these cookies reminded me that everything in life can relate to a Friends episode (or Seinfeld, but in this case it's Friends). For example, chocolate chip cookies remind me of "The One With Phoebe's Cookies," in which Monica really wants Phoebe's late grandmother's super-secret chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it burned up in a house fire. So, Monica must use one frozen cookie to reverse engineer the recipe, and tries out all these variations with different spices and ingredients and taste testing. In the end, the super secret recipe turns out to be from Nestle Tollhouse (or, "Ness-LAY Toll-HOOS"). Haha what a waste of time. It's funny because it's true; everyone wants the unique, definitive version of a classic, but the simplest cookie recipe is probably the best. Whatever's on the back of the chocolate chip bag you happen to buy is just fine. Use it as a base, then modify to your taste. I use all brown sugar so they are extra chewy, and the "optional" walnuts are a must. They cut down on too much sweetness and add a satisfying crunch.

This recipe is adapted from the back of a Nestle Tollhouse bag and it makes a lot of cookies (4-5 dozen).

1 cup Earth Balance shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer powder mixed in 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

Soften shortening in a large bowl (either let stand at room temperature or microwave for about 30 seconds), then use a wooden spoon to beat in brown sugar. Add egg replacer mixed with water and vanilla and continue to beat mixture until light and fluffy. Work those arm muscles!

Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir a few times then add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir until combined. Over-mixing is not your friend.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool a few minutes on the sheet to keep them from falling apart, then transfer to sheets of old newspaper to cool completely.

Classic Brownies

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a hopeless chocolate addict. The cravings usually start after breakfast, and by the time mid-afternoon hits I need to have a bite of something, anything chocolate.

Last week, my parents stopped by to drop the last load of odds and ends I had forgotten to pack during my move from my childhood bedroom to my new New York apartment. In addition to my collection of Harry Potter books, framed photographs, and a hookah, my mom had also brought some baking essentials. She had flour, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla tucked away in a bag, but, more importantly, an entire Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Baking Bar. I knew if I didn’t bake with it soon, the chocolate would end up in my stomach. And this is how I ended up making brownies.

The Ghirardelli brownie recipe is of the one-bowl variety, making it both easy to prepare and easy to clean up after. There’s also no need for fancy equipment (aka an electric mixer – I still haven’t had a chance to buy one yet!), which means that however sparse your kitchen is, you can definitely whip out a batch of these babies. And I mean it. I don’t even own the 8x8 pan the recipe called for, so I used a loaf pan. Although I was nervous that I’d end up with a crumbly, over-baked mess, the narrower pan made for a thicker, very fudgey brownie, which I was more than happy to sink my teeth into.

Classic Brownies (serves 16)
Adapted from Ghirardelli

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (or

1 Ghirardelli bar)

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons flour

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8x8 pan (or a loaf pan, if need be). Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan, or in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring inbetween until smooth. Let cool until room temperature. Stir in sugar and vanilla, followed by eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.

Pour batter into pan, and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Avoid over-baking – no one likes a dry brownie!