AMAZING OATMEAL & APPLE SAUCE CAKE

 I picked a lot of apples in the fall thinking I could store them in the cold cellar for enjoying all winter. I discovered that I don't actually eat that many fresh apples, so I've had to get creative and cook and bake with apples. This cake is my latest experiment. It's so good, I've made 3 so far!! 

OATMEAL & APPLE SAUCE CAKE

1 1/4 cups organic apple sauce

1 cup organic rolled oats

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, softened

1 cup organic coconut sugar

1 tsp real vanilla

2 organic eggs

1 cup organic unbleached flour

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp organic cinnamon

1/2 tsp organic nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

TOPPING:

3/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar

1/2 cup chopped organic walnuts

1/4 cup unsalted organic butter

3 Tbsp milk of choice

Method: Preheat oven to 350*. Heat applesauce. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Let stand 20 minutes. Grease and line a large loaf pan with parchment. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to mix in two portions. Stir in oat mixture. Bake 40-50 minutes.

Combine all the topping ingredients. Spread over warm cake and broil for 1-2 minutes. Let cool in pan, then remove and enjoy!

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BLACK FOREST BIRTHDAY CAKE

I know it's probably pretty obvious, but I love to bake. I especially love to bake birthday cakes. People really love it when you bake them a birthday cake too. It's a win-win situation. It's also pretty obvious that I am no vegan, but when I make chocolate cake I always use this recipe, which just so happens to be vegan - and seriously moist and delicious. It adapts really well to a black forest theme too when you slather it with coconut whipped cream and cherries. Yum.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

(makes one 6” layer cake)

¾ cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup organic cocoa powder, sifted

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup organic unsweetened coconut beverage

½ cup avocado oil

1 ½ cups local maple syrup

1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 tsp pure organic vanilla

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Prepare two 6” round cake pans by greasing them with some oil and then lining with parchment paper cut into rounds.  Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl.  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, and then stir in the cocoa powder until dissolved.  Whisk the oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla into the cocoa mixture.  Stir the wet ingredients into to the dry.  Pour into prepared cake pans and bake in 350* oven for 45-60 minutes in cake pans and for 22 minutes in the cupcake pan.  Allow to cool on a  baking rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.  Cool completely before icing.

CHERRY FILLING

 5 cups frozen organic cherries

1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup

2-3 Tbsp organic corn starch

Method: Place the cherries and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat. Dissolve the cornstarch in a bit of cold water and then stir into the hot cherries. Stir until it thickens to desired consistency. Cool and refrigerate.

WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM

1-2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk

1/4-1/2 cup organic icing sugar or a bit of maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

Method: Chill cans of coconut overnight in the fridge. Chill a large mixing bowl in freezer. Remove just the solid coconut cream on the top and leave the liquid behind for use in a smoothie or something. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer then add sifted icing sugar and vanilla. Use immediately or refrigerate.

To assemble the cake: Use a serrated knife to trip the domed top off of each cake. Pour 3/4 of the cherry mixture on the bottom half and then top with some whipped cream. Place the second layer on top. Use the rest of the whipped cream to ice the cake, then pour the rest of the cherry mixture in the centre of the top of the cake. Sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate and gently press some on the sides of the cake too. Refrigerate to harden the icing a bit. 

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BLUEBERRY BIRTHDAY CAKE

My son asked for a blueberry cake this year.  Previous attempts at fruit based birthday cakes have been colossal flops, so I figured I'd do it a bit differently this time and opt out of icing.  What we have here is more of a coffee cake with an awesome maple walnut crunch topping.  Definitely my kind of cake, but lets hope the 7 year old thinks it's great too.

BLUEBERRY CAKE with Maple Walnut Crunch

2 1/2 cups sprouted spelt flour

3 tsp baking powder (aluminum and GMO free)

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup organic vegetable oil

1/2 cup local maple syrup

1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

1/2-2/3 cup organic milk

1 1/2 cups organic wild blueberries
Topping:
4 Tbsp organic coconut sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp walnuts, minced
generous pinch of cinnamon
2 Tbsp organic vegetable oil

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease and line a 9" round cake pan with parchment paper.  

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Whisk oil, maple syrup, vanilla, water and milk together in a bowl.  Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture, mixing until smooth - do not overmix.  Gently fold in berries.  The batter should be thick, not runny.  Add more milk if needed.  Spoon into pan.  Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle onto cake.

Bake on centre rack for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  You may need to cover with foil to prevent top from burning.  Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning out of pan and cooling on a wire rack.

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MY BIRTHDAY CAKE

Awwww, I love my boys. We just had a wonderful birthday celebration, drinking wine, and eating fondue. They made me a Tiramisu birthday cake, and I just finished eating two pieces. It was an interesting combination of me having to purchase ingredients when I was in town today, and Scott and Faegan baking the first part of the cake while I was out. You see, having kids, you have to share the duties, even when it comes to your own birthday cake. It was up to me to come home with cream cheese and whipping cream. But, it being Easter weekend, I couldn't find organic whipping cream for the life of me. I am embarrassed to admit, I went to 5 Superstores looking for some. I am so stubborn, I just couldn't break down and buy the conventional stuff that is full of God only knows what, and polysorbate. After the last stop, I thought I'd try out sour cream and see how that does as a substitute. From the taste of things, it did a good job!

TIRAMISU CAKE

2 cups organic unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder - GMO free and aluminum free

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

10 Tbps organic unsalted butter

1 cup organic coconut sugar

3 organic eggs

1 organic egg yolk

1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp instant espresso powder

2 Tbsp boiling water

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 Tbsp Kahlua 

8 oz organic cream cheese

1/2 cup organic icing sugar

1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Kahlua

1 cup cold organic whipping cream (or in our case, sour cream)

2 21/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Method: Preheat the oven to 350* F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.

Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

Stir the water and maple syrup together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

Put the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.

Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

To assemble the cake:

If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.

For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining cream cheese filling. 

With an icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. 

Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving.

Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa.

THE BIG 3

     Just winding down from a day of lots of busy excitement as my little boy turns 3.  His birthday isn't actually until Thursday, but we celebrated it today with lots of fun and friends.  I look back at last year's birthday party and wonder how  I managed to do it all!  I pared down the extravagance big time this year due to the fact that we now have two little ones to tend to, but I tried to still keep it special and delicious. 

     As you may remember, I have committed to striving to live as plastic-free a life as possible, which means not buying products packaged in plastic or made of plastic.  So last year at birthday time I bought Chinese paper lanterns instead of balloons.  The beauty of these lanterns is that they can be used over and over again, and they add a nice festive touch to parties.  The paper theme continued over to the corner where we hung a pinata shaped like a sun wearing sunglasses.  I stuffed this sucker full of little wooden toys, chocolate coins, and fruit sticks.  I had an uneasy feeling this "pull ribbon" variety of pinata was a dud.  I was right, after pulling off all the ribbons the darn thing didn't open.  I had to seriously put a lot of effort into busting the thing open to get the candies out....oh well.

     Since Faegan is now three, I thought we could try letting the little ones make their own pizzas.  The dough and toppings were made in advance and ready to go for when the guests arrived.  After some outdoor play and a snack of popcorn with (unintentional) burnt butter, they went to work creating their very own pies.  My favorite was the pizza face, made by chewing away bits of pepperoni to make a smile and pupils.  

     The sweetest part of the party of course was dessert.  Today was a great opportunity to try making super large cupcakes with the pan I've had kicking around since last years aborted baking idea.  I thought it would be neat to give each kid their very own cake to eat instead of cutting into a traditional birthday cake.  My favorite maple chocolate cake recipe translated fairly well over to cupcakes, except they sort of sunk in the middle.  No matter though, they still tasted great, especially when served with a side of homemade honey ice cream.  

MAPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

(makes one 6” layer cake or 9 large cupcakes)

¾ cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup organic cocoa powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup organic whole milk

½ cup organic vegetable oil (sunflower or safflower)

1 ½ cups local maple syrup

1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 tsp pure organic vanilla

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Prepare two 6” round cake pans by greasing them with some oil and then lining with parchment paper cut into rounds.  Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl.  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, and then stir in the cocoa powder until dissolved.  Whisk the oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla into the cocoa mixture.  Stir the wet ingredients into to the dry.  Pour into prepared cake pans and bake in 350* oven for 45-60 minutes in cake pans and for 22 minutes in the cupcake pan.  Allow to cool on a  baking rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.  Cool completely before icing.


MAPLE CHOCOLATE ICING


1/2 cup organic cocoa powder, sifted
100 g organic unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup local maple syrup


Method:  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup.  Slowly stir in the cocoa powder.

HONEY VANILLA ICE CREAM

4 organic egg yolks

1/2 cup local honey

1 cups organic cream

1 cups organic whole milk

1 tsp organic vanilla

Method:  Whisk the egg yolks with the honey.  Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer and then gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Stir in vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  Stir and transfer into an ice cream maker.

NEW YEAR'S EVE FONDUE PARTY

     We've started a new family tradition in our house, and it began last night with the most delicious and fun fondue party.  I was so sure I already owned a fondue pot, but after looking everywhere in our cluttered basement, it was nowhere to be found.  Luckily without too much hassle a pretty decent pot was purchased, along with a smaller ceramic dessert fondue pot, and we were ready to roll!  I've only had fondue twice in my life, one year my mother made cheese fondue, and the other time our neighbour made the kind with hot oil.  Both times were very yummy, so I was excited to try it out for myself.  Fondue parties don't have to be too much work, but as you can probably see from this blog, I love to feed people and entertain so I made many of the accompaniments from scratch because it's fun for me.  The cheese fondue is made from Gruyere and Emmenthal cheeses melted with some white wine and thickened with cornstarch and lemon juice.  You can dip all kinds of things into this gooey and stringy delight, including the spread we had last night of crusty homemade bread, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and strips of red and yellow peppers.  I was happy to have an opportunity to open up and share a jar of my homemade dill pickles to eat with the fondue, along with some mammoth garlic stuffed olives.  

     For dessert I baked a few yummies to dip into the chocolate fondue.  My favorite Maple Shortbread, Maple Almond Biscotti and the star of the night, mini Orange Vanilla Cakes.  We also feasted on a selection of dippable fruits including bananas, pears, clementine segments, and pineapple.  It was a real treat to buy these precious imported fruits for this special occasion.  This meal was so much fun I can't wait until next year to do it again (if I can wait that long!)

CHEESE FONDUE

Serves 4 adults as a main course

9 cups grated Gruyere and Emmentaler cheeses, organic if available (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 1/2 cups dry local, organic white wine

1 organic clove garlic, sliced in half

2 Tbsp organic cornstarch

2 Tbsp organic lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1/4 tsp organic nutmeg, grated fresh

freshly ground black or white pepper

Optional accompaniments:  cubed bread, breadsticks, steamed small potatoe wedges, bell pepper strips, blanched broccoli and cauliflower, seared scallops, steamed shrimp, whole cherry tomatoes, olives, pickles, apple slices, pear slices

Method:  Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic, then discard the cloves.  In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the wine to a bubble and then begin whisking in the cheese by the handful, until melted and combined.

     In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice with cornstarch until the starch is dissolved.  Stir this into the cheese, whisking until it is smooth and bubbling.  Season with pepper and nutmeg.  Transfer to the fondue pot and set over the flame.  Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Serves 5-6 as dessert

3/4  pound organic chocolate chips

1 cup organic whipping cream

Optional accompaniments:  strawberries, banana, pineapple, dried fruit, shortbread, cake, biscotti, orange segments, homemade marshmallows, cherries, mango, melon, apple, pear, candied ginger

Method:  Set a bowl over lightly simmering water.  Stir in the chocolate and cream, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Transfer to the fondue pot set over a flame.  

MINI ORANGE VANILLA CAKES

Makes 5 mini loafs (2 1/2 cups batter)

3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup organic unbleached white pastry flour

3/4 Tbsp aluminum and GMO free baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup organic vegetable oil (sunflower, safflower)

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup (or more maple)

3/4 cup organic whole milk

1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1Tbsp organic fresh orange juice

zest of 1 organic orange

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease the pans with vegetable oil.  In a large bowl, sift in, then combine the dry ingredients, including the zest.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together.  Add the wet to the dry, whisk gently until smooth.  Pour into the pans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Transfer pans to a rack and allow to cool before removing from pans.

WHOLE WHEAT MAPLE SHORTBREAD 

 Makes about 12-15 cookies

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic unbleached flour
1/3 cup organic brown rice flour
1/4 cup local maple sugar
1/2 cup organic unsalted butter


Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter. Roll into small balls, pressing down on them with your palm to flatten them a bit, placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350*for about 15 minutes or until just slightly golden.

MAPLE ALMOND BISCOTTI

1  cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic unbleached white pastry flour

1/2 Tbsp aluminum and GMO free baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup organic almond slivers

1/4 cup organic vegetable oil

1/3 cup local maple syrup

1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure organic almond extract

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift and mix together the dry ingredients, then stir in the almonds.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Stir the wet into the dry and then form into two logs, 2 1/2" in diameter.  Bake until golden around the edges, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool and then slice into thin diagonal 3/4" slices.  Bake for another 15 minutes.

APPLE CAKE with Walnuts and Honey

There were so many things to do last night, but all I wanted (and was craving ) was to make a dessert.  Even though it took about an hour before I could indulge, this delicious cake was definitely worth the wait.  The best part about this cake is that it's wheat-free, and sweetened with fruit, honey and just a wee bit of maple sugar.

APPLE CAKE with Walnuts and Honey

1/4 cup organic unsalted butter or organic palm oil at room temperature

1/4 cup (generous) local honey

1/4 cup flax slurry or 1 organic egg

1 tsp organic vanilla

1 cup organic applesauce

1 cup organic oat flour (or spelt or wheat flour)

1/2 cup organic brown rice flour (or spelt or wheat flour)

1 tsp organic cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp gmo and aluminum free baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 organic apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup organic raw walnuts, chopped

Topping: 1/4 cup local maple sugar or coconut sugar

1/8 cup organic butter at room temperature

2 Tbsp organic oat flour

1/2 cup organic raw walnuts, chopped

1 tsp organic cinnamon powder

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Oil a 9 X 9" cake pan, or line it with parchment paper.  Cream the butter and honey together until light and fluffy.  To make the flax slurry, blend 1/8 cup organic flax seeds with 1/2 cup water until frothy.  Stir the slurry in, along with the vanilla and applesauce.

     Mix together the dry ingredients in another bowl.  Add the dry mix to the wet and stir.  Fold in the apples and nuts and spread into the cake pan.

     Combine the ingredients for the topping in a separate bowl.  Sprinkle on top of the cake and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.  Cool and cut.

WEDDING CAKE

This weekend I had the pleasure of baking my sister a 3 tiered wedding cake.  I am an experienced HUGE wedding cake baker, having made my own wedding cake (which by the way is a great idea if you want to load even more pressure onto your wedding planning) last summer.  For my wedding I had visions of yummy moist carrot cake with a rich cream cheese icing.  It turned out very well so I figured what better gift to give my sister than a homemade organic wedding cake?  Since it was a spring wedding, my sister envisioned a light lemon cake, filled with raspberry jam and a lemon cream cheese icing.  She planted 400 tulips in her backyard last fall in anticipation of her wedding day, so she thought it might be nice to use some of them on the wedding cake.  I am happy to say the cake turned out well and all the guests enjoyed it immensely.  PHEW!

LEMON WEDDING CAKE (makes 2 12" pans, 2 10" pans and 2 8" pans)

You can bake all the pans at once if you have a commercial oven, otherwise you need to bake them 2 at at time.  I baked the cakes 2 days before the wedding, crumb coated them one day before and final iced and decorated them the day of the wedding.

5 cups organic unsalted butter

12 1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

5 tsp sea salt

5 Tbsp organic lemon zest

7 1/2 cups organic sugar

10 organic eggs

15 organic egg yolks

10 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

5 cups organic whole milk

organic canola oil for greasing pans

unbleached parchment paper

Moistening Syrup:

2 organic lemons, thinly sliced

1 cup organic sugar

1 cup water

2 jars organic raspberry jam

LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING

9 8-oz packages organic cream cheese, softened

3 cups organic unsalted butter, softened

4 tsp organic lemon zest

12 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

3 Tbsp organic vanilla extract

8 1/4 cups organic icing sugar

plastic straws and a thin wooden dowel

Method for Cake:  Preheat oven to 325*.  Grease the pans thoroughly and line with parchment paper that you traced with the bottom of the pan and cut out.  In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and soda, sea salt and lemon zest.

     In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time.  Beat in the lemon juice and then alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix until just combined.

     Divide batter between pans, smooth tops.  Be sure to insert a baking cone for the 12" pans and use wet baking strips around the cake pans to prevent the edges from burning and the centre remaining raw.

Bake until the cakes pull away from the sides of pan around 40 minutes.  Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and invert on wire racks to cool.  When cool, invert on cardboard cake rounds, wrap in saran wrap and then tie into plastic bags and store in a cool place overnight.

Method for Syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in the saucepan.  Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

     Remove cakes from plastic wrap and with a large serrated knife, level off the tops of the cake so they are flat and all the same height.  Moisten the cakes with cooled syrup by dipping a pastry brush into the syrup and dabbing onto the cut surfaces.  Place one of the 12" cakes on a cake plate and spread with some of the jam, leaving a 1/2" border so the jam doesn't colour the icing.  Top with the other 12" cake, inverting it so the bottom of the cake is the top of this tier for a flat surface.

With a mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese and butter on medium high speed until combined and airy, about 2 mintues.  Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Sift the sugar and with the mixer on low speed, slowly pout in the icing sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  I used a third of the icing recipe for the crumb coat and the other two thirds for the final icing.

Do a crumb coat of a thin layer of icing and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Repeat with the other two cakes.

     The next day or 2 hours later, do the final layer of icing.  If you have refrigerated extra icing, bring it to room temperature and then whip it a bit before you use it.

    When you are ready to assemble the cake place a dab of icing onto the cake plate and place the 12" cake on the plate and press an empty 10" cake pan onto the surface of the cake to guide your placement of the next tier.  Then insert a straw into the cake to measure how tall it should be, remove and cut.  Then using this straw as a guide, cut 5-6 more and insert within the circle you created so that the straws support the next level and prevent it from collapsing into the bottom cake.  Keeping the paper cardboard cake plates on the cake, place the 10" tier onto the bottom cake and repeat with the straws.  Then place the 8 inch cake on top of the 10" cake.  Take your wooden dowel and sharpen one end of it like a spear and insert it into the centre of the cake all the way down to the bottom layer.  This helps prevent the cake from shifting in transportation.  Then mark where it reaches the top of the cake, remove and cut it to size.   Re-insert into the cake and use icing to cover the entry point.  Using an icing bag, pipe any designs you would like on cake and then refrigerate before wedding.  Right before the wedding, insert the little water filled flower spikes into the cake for decorating.  Yay!

     Here is a picture of our wedding cake.  It is basically the same method only we used the carrot cake recipe that is featured in the blog post I did for my son's birthday party.

 

I kept the pieces of cake I sliced off when levelling the wedding cake.  I was glad I did because it came in handy the day after the wedding.  We invited some family and friends over for a BBQ and I served this cake for dessert.  There was some leftover icing and I picked some wild violets and dandelion from the garden which made a lovely spring decoration!

MAPLE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING with Vanilla Ice Cream

     My in-laws were coming by to pick up my son for a sleep over and were staying for supper. I had already planned to make a casserole for supper, but now I had an excuse to make a dessert! And what a dessert it was. Maple Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream.  After my third piece of this heavenly concoction I have decided that this is my absolute favorite dessert.  Everyone should try this once before they die.  That's how good it is.

     Rather than bake the maple date cake in a square pan, I thought using a muffin tin would work really nicely, making individual portions that plate nicely once you cut the top off.  The caramel sauce was a bit on the thin side when hot, so I recommend you let it cool to a nice thick consistency before spooning over the cake and ice cream.  In fact, make it the day before, refrigerate and just spoon on top of the warm pudding.

     Next to the dessert, our main course pales in comparison. It's not a pretty dish, but very tasty, and a great way to use millet!

CARROT MILLET CASSEROLE

1 cup organic millet, cooked in 2 cups water until light and fluffy

4 cups organic carrots, shredded

6 Tbsp e.v olive oil

6 Tbsp organic tamari

4 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

2 tsp dry marjoram or 1 Tbsp fresh

1 pound organic firm tofu, crumbled

10 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 organic onions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh organic parsley, chopped

Method: Combine all ingredients in a covered casserole dish. Bake at 350* for 40 mins.

MAPLE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, softened

8 oz pitted dates

1/2 cup light rum or water

1 cup organic all purpose flour

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground organic cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup maple sugar

2 organic eggs

Toffee Sauce:

2 Tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/3 cup organic whole milk

Method: Preheat oven to 450*. Butter 12 cupcake spots in a pan, or a square 8" pan. Combine the dates, rum and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then simmer for a couple of minutes until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and use a hand blender to puree. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the flours, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl. Whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scrape the bowl and then add flour alternatively with the date mixture in 3 additions. Scoop into the pan and bake for about 2-25 minutes. 

Make the sauce by combining the butter, sugar and syrups together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook one more minute. Remove from heat and let cool until thick. Serve the sauce over the pudding.