I have been waiting for an occasion to make a big layer cake. I'm not that great of a baker and after a few failed attempts, I still feel the desire to get it right one of these times with the perfect cake and frosting recipes. I want it to be understated and beautiful and decadent. Like Tara's cakes. I am attempting her recipe next in hopes of a cake like that. So, what does one do mid-week when you want cake but maybe not a triple layer situation? Cupcakes, of course. Cupcakes on an ordinary Wednesday made me think of small victories - of little things that are going right, like finishing taxes and friends with a new healthy baby and picking a paint color for the nursery... reasons to celebrate with cake that may not be a birthday. You can always find people to help you eat cake.

I pulled this cupcake recipe from the new Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon that is packed with a great collection of vegan recipes. It is a lovely resource for those on a vegan diet or otherwise just trying to eat less meat and dairy and more produce. Because it was what I had, I substituted dutch processed cocoa for the natural stuff here. I know, I know. I altered the baking soda/powder and things got funky and I don't recommend doing that. Do as I say, not as I do. I am writing the recipe as published, with natural cocoa. If you want to use dutch, find another recipe, the acid v. alkaline ratio doesn't work with it here. The frosting is not so vegan, but I always prefer mascarpone based frostings over buttercream (vegan or otherwise) and I was the one who would be consuming most of these so there you have it :) To weekday cake!

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH COCOA MASCARPONE FROSTING // Makes 10-12

Cupcake recipe barely adapted from Oh She Glows Cookbook

1 cup non-dairy milk
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup natural cane sugar
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or grapeseed oil
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt

8 ounces mascarpone
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. milk, as needed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pint strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350'.

In a mixing bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and vinegar. Let them sit for a few minutes (this creates a vegan buttermilk). Add the vanilla, sugar and coconut oil and stir to mix.

In another bowl, sift together both flours, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine. If the coconut oil gets chunky because it got cold, use a mixer or whisk to break it up (Angela suggests an electric mixer but I was afraid it would make the cake tough).

Grease a muffin tin or line it with liners. Fill the vessels 3/4 full for 10 cakes, 1/2 full for 12. Bake on the middle rack for 21-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. With a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter, mascarpone, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and milk and mix until smooth - adding a tiny splash of milk as needed to thin the frosting. When the cakes are cool, frost them and top with a bundle of fresh strawberries.

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Dessert, Gluten Free, Snack, Chocolate

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Sara Forte · February 8, 2014

Tripple Chocolate Cookies . Sprouted Kitchen

I left a stick of butter out at room temperature knowing cookies were in our future. I usually go for oatmeal chocolate chip. Sometimes I add peanut butter or dried cherries to change it up. They usually end up baked to order in the toaster oven and a la mode in this house, so even if they turn out less than perfect, it is nothing a scoop of ice cream can't make right. I try to bake without wheat when I can and believe cookies are the most forgiving baked good when you're making an educated guess with gluten free flours. Wheat or no wheat aside, I find a mix of almond meal, flax, and rice flour make a beautifully tender crumb. I had been craving brownies but didn't want an entire tray full around, so I attempted a super chocolatey cookie. Experimenting doesn't always work out for me, specifically with baking, but these were spot on first try. As luck would have it, when I wasn't writing things down. I did my best to mimic what I did that first round, and while these aren't exact, it's the closest I can get. The following are not doughy cookies, they are thinner with a bit of chewiness. I suspect they'd make great ice cream sandwiches had they lasted long enough to try. A number of recipe-starved Instagram followers asked for the recipe so I am publishing it here as it seemed there was a need. It's nearly Valentines and while Hugh and I typically make understated plans with an exchange of cards, there will be treats. Because you really must always have treats.

A handful of talented and thoughtful bloggers donated posts on Monday to feed impoverished school children in South Africa via The Lunchbox Fund. I'd venture to assume most of us have not had to go through the day with an empty belly and taking action here is a small step we can take to give that privilege to children in need. You may donate whatever you are able to give should this cause tug on your heart strings. I hope that one day we can fix the system, with less going to waste and more people recieving adequate food. It is easy to donate if you wish.

Chocolate Chips & Cocoa . Sprouted Kitchen

Tripple Chocolate Cookie Dough . Sprouted Kitchen

Cookies and hugs and kisses to you, lovelies.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES // Makes 15 cookies

While I typically use the natural/non alkalized cocoa powder, I had some high quality Valhrona powder I have been hoarding and used for these. If you use natural, you'll need baking soda, not powder, though I'm humbly not positive if it would be an exact volume swap. If anyone is a baking scientist or gives it a try, let me know. However, this cocoa is insane...and I love these nibs while I'm name dropping.

I used a few drops of mint extract and melted a bar of minted dark chocolate for the drizzle topping because I love mint and chocolate together. If you want to skip the mint, a teaspoon of instant coffee in the dough will intensify the chocolate flavor.

1 stick / 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup packed muscavado sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (optional - see head note)
2/3 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup almond meal
2 Tbsp. flax meal
3 Tbsp. dutch cocoa powder (see head note)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

3 ounce dark chocolate bar, melted down
1/3 cup cocoa nibs

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cane sugar, muscavado and sea salt until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, if using, and mix. Add the brown rice flour, almond meal, flax meal, cocoa and baking powder and mix until just combined. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours in advance.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, arrange the cookies with 2'' between for spreading. Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 10 minutes until the edges are dry but the centers are still barely wet. They will set as they cool. Remove to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Drizzle the cookies with the chocolate and sprinkle the cocoa nibs on top to stick as the chocolate cools.

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Dessert, Winter, Gluten Free

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM

Sara Forte · December 3, 2013

First off, thank you for the sweet notes from last posts' news. I was so excited to tell you people and your congrats and affirmation exceeded my expectation - thank you!

I wish there was a way for me to make you a dairy-free based peppermint ice cream - for you and me both actually - but this is just a flavor that I can't translate to the coconut based sort. I will point you towards this mint chip which looks fabulous if there is a dairy allergy or intolerance. True peppermint ice cream should only come out around the holidays, if you ask me. It's something sacredly seasonal like egg nog or reindeer on the lawn. I love it more because I don't have it year round. My grandparents used to bring us over a big styrofoam container of it from a local ice cream shop when it came out for the season. I get my ice cream fondness from my PopPop, who has since passed. The ice cream had little specks of red and green throughout from the peppermint candies - the element that sets peppermint and mint chip apart. My whole family loves the flavor, but it still reminds me of my grandparents. The brands that offer peppermint at the market are either chock full of crap ingredients or pricey for a tiny pint we would eat all too quickly. 'Tis the season for special treats.

Trees! Holiday tunes! Bundling and looking at lights! Hope this beautifully crazy month has started off well for you all.

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM // Makes 1 quart-ish

Base recipe adapted from David Lebovitz' Mint Chip

I use the peppermint candies from Trader Joes. They don't have any coloring or corn syrup in them, so seem the least junky option for a peppermint candy. The cornstarch is optional here, but I've been adding it ever since I tried the Jeni's method. She uses it to reduce the amount of ice crystals in the mix, and while I am using a custard base here, not her eggless one, I figure it can't hurt. Don't challenge my science, just know it's optional.

5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Set a large glass bowl above a pot of simmering water, not letting the bottom of the bowl touch the water line. Add the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl and stir occasionally until the sugar has mostly dissolved the the yellow has paled in color. About 5 minutes. Set the bowl aside.

Mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch and set aside to dissolve. Empty the water from the pot, put the remaining milk and cream in the pot over medium heat and warm until bubbles form on the outer edges. Slowly add the warm cream to the yolks, stirring as you add. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and the peppermint extract.

Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably closer to three.

Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. In the last minute, add the peppermint candies. Take a bite, if its not quite minty enough for you, add another splash of extract. Transfer the mixture to a container for the freezer, and freeze for at least a few hours to firm up.

Top it with hot fudge, chocolate cookies, inbetween cookies for an ice cream sandwhich etc.

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