With Harper’s birthday right around the corner I have been obsessing about what is, without a doubt, the most important detail; The Cake.
I really want to make Harper's first birthday cake from scratch, frosting and all. You know, something whimsical but simple. I was thinking a spice or pumpkin cake, or even applesauce, but then I remembered that Harper hates cinnamon with a passion she usually reserves for her Pediatrician.
Perfect! I should be able to whip this up in just under a month, no sweat.
So now I’m considering a vanilla cake, or maybe cupcakes (even though they’re so 2008).
Why would anyone make clown cupcakes when it has been scientifically proven that clowns scare well over 100% of children (and a fair number of adults, too)?
The only problem is that Harper has some food sensitivities that are going to make this project a little more complicated than I’d envisioned. She has a nasty dairy intolerance and a recently discovered egg intolerance, too. And, while finding a dairy-free, egg-free cake recipe is difficult, finding a dairy-free, egg-free cake worth eating is virtually impossible. I apologize in advance to any vegans that may be reading this but the vast majority of vegan baked goods are too dry, dense and/or overly sweet to make up for the first two offenses.
So if anyone out there has any ideas for recipe hunting or, even better, has a wonderful vegan cake recipe, please let me know. In the meantime, I will continue Googling diligently .
actually good Vegan Chocolate Cake from Joy of Cooking:
ReplyDeleteSift together into large bowl:
1 1/2 c flour
1 c + 2 T sugar (I use about 3/4 cup. of honey.)
6 T unsweetened cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
Combine and add:
1 c cold water
1/4 c oil (I use olive)
1 T vinegar
2 t vanilla
Stir until smooth. Scrape batter into greased & floured or wax/ parchment paper lined 8x8 pan; spread evenly. Bake @ 350 until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 min. (longer if you use honey). Cool in pan on rack 10 min. Slide knife around edges; invert and peel off paper liner, if using. Cool on rack.
There's a frosting recipe but I've never tried it. I often add gingerbread spices for a little more flavor, but it's nice and rich and chocolatey and amazingly light and moist.
I was thinking about chocolate, I have that recipe I really like, too. But chocolate isn't very mild and sometimes takes some getting used to. I don't know. Maybe I'll just do chocolate after all.
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