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Elegant Chocolate Cake
Serves 8
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1/3 c. Equal Exchange Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. cold water or Equal Exchange Coffee
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sift together the flour, baking cocoa, soda, salt and sugar directly into a 9-inch round or 8-inch square baking pan. In a bowl, blend the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla and pour into the pan. With a fork or a whisk, mix the batter until smooth. Add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter as the baking soda and vinegar react. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and set aside to cool.
From the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites, published by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1996.
Frosting:
Yields 3/4 cup frosting for an 8-inch square cake
3 tbsp. margarine
1 tbsp. peanut butter
4 tbsp. Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
4 tbsp. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
In a medium bowl, beat the margarine and peanut butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Separately, in a small dish, blend together the cocoa, hot water, and vanilla until smooth and shiny. Beat this cocoa paste into the margarine and peanut butter, blending thoroughly. Next, sift the confectioners' sugar into the cocoa mixture, half a cup at a time, beating until smooth. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
From the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites, published by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1996.
Vegan Spicy Cocoa Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. Fair Trade sugar
1/3 c. Equal Exchange Organic Spicy Hot Cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. coffee (may substitute water)
6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. Fair Trade vanilla
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
6 tbsp. water
Directions:
Grease and flour 8-inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all dry ingredients and then add coffee (or water). Mix in oil, vinegar and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan completely before removing.
Glaze: mix ingredients until smooth and pour over cooled cake.
Alternate serving suggestions: cinnamon whipped cream and berries or chocolate ganache.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients:
2 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
1 c. milk (or less)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter (more or less)
Directions in Mom's Own Words:
In a large saucepan, put about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of white granulated sugar. Add 2 large serving spoonfuls of cocoa powder. Stir the two together until evenly blended. (Part of the fun is seeing the white sugar turn brown.)
Pour in some milk. There is no measure for this. You want enough that the mixture is "runny," yet if you put in too much, it will take forever to boil down. I usually judge the amount to be right if, when I drag the spoon across the diameter of the bottom of the pan, the mixture closes in behind it fairly quickly.
Set the pan on medium high heat. If your pan is small, watch to see that it doesn't boil over. If it threatens to, lift the pan off the heat. Eventually, it will boil down to where this isn’t a problem. It's much easier to start with a big pan in the beginning. (2 1/2 - 3 quart size) At first when it boils, the bubbles will be light brown and "fluffy." It's okay to stir occasionally. While you are waiting, butter a pie plate and put cold water in the sink.
When the bubbles start getting glossy and brown, it's time to check the temperature.
Before candy thermometers, we used a small glass of cold water to check when the fudge was ready. You wanted a small drip from the spoon to hold together and form a soft ball in the cold water. Not ready and the fudge would never harden. Cooked too long and the fudge would harden like a rock before you were ready for it.
Now, with a candy thermometer, you can get just about perfect fudge most times. Take it off the heat when it is fully and exactly at "soft ball" stage. Set the pan into a sinkful of cold water (about 2-inches deep) to cool.
Add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract directly into the hot fudge. Let the fudge cool briefly and add a big dollop of creamy peanut butter.
Lift the pan out of the cold water (dry off the bottom by setting it briefly on a dish towel laid on the counter) and stir. Stirring will blend in the peanut butter and cool the fudge. You want to be ready to pour it into a buttered pie plate just as it begins to hold its shape (harden). Perfect is when it hardens just as it spreads out in the plate and holds the decorative swirl you put on top. If you got the temperature right when you took it off the stove, then it will harden in the plate if you pour it in a little early. Early is better than late because otherwise it hardens in the pan, or as you are trying to pour it, and then you don’t get nice pieces. It tastes just as good either way though. If for some reason, it doesn’t harden in the plate, just eat it with a spoon.
Spiced Coffee Cooler
Ingredients:
4 c. of double-strength Equal Exchange Coffee
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
Directions:
Combine brewed coffee with spices in a large glass pitcher or teapot. Steep for 30 minutes. Strain and pour over ice. Add cream, milk, sugar to your taste (powdered or superfine sugar melts fastest and best.)
Choco Coconut Balls
Ingredients:
1 c. Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
1/2 c. Coconut Oil/Butter, melted but cooled
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. crushed walnuts
Directions:
In a bowl, mix shredded coconut, coconut oil, cocoa powder and vanilla. Mix it up real good. Add cinnamon and sea salt. When mixed well, add crushed walnuts.
Use two melon ball scoops to shape the balls and place on a dinner plate and refrigerate until firm. Transfer to a plastic container for keeping. If your weather is hot, you can dehydrate for 4-5 hours at 95°F to firm up so they will not melt during long hikes and kayaking trips.
Should make 24 coconut balls, but you can make them smaller or larger and change the quantity.
Contributed by Coleen Shaull, West Bloomfield, Mich.
For more tasty recipes for your holiday baking and entertaining, please go here. Submit your own recipes, too!
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