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Fruit Frosted Chocolate Layer Cake

August 20, 2015 · Natalie 40 Comments

If I said this was easy to make I’d be lying.

If I said this was not epically delicious I’d be lying again.

It requires multiple steps, multiple bowls, lots of stacking, and lots of finger licking. But it is worth it. SO worth it.

Before we even get to the sweet stuff sandwiched in between, let’s talk about this cake. Other than for color, the cake really doesn’t even need the frosting. There are already a few chocolate cake recipes on FF…

– The adorable Everything-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
– The strawberry-concealing Chocolate Lava Loaf Cake
– The elegant 5-Ingredient Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake

But this one is different. It is richer and lighter. It is so close to the classic. Even my mom, the toughest cake critic around, said it reminded her of boxed Devil’s Food cake (the gold standard of course ?).

What’s different? This recipe is sweetened with a combo of dates and coconut sugar. I think that is the secret. I love my fruit-sweetened cupcakes, always will, but they will never be as light as a sugar-sweetened recipe. But a sugar-sweetened recipe will never be as moist as a date-sweetened one. So apparently, just like life, cake-sweetening is all about balance too.

Oh, and it has a lot more cacao powder than the Everything-Free Cupcakes, so extra chocolatey! It’s still oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan, of course.

The frosting is just fruity fun! Made vibrant with freeze-dried fruit. Made creamy with So Delicious Unsweetened Cultured Coconut Milk. Made sweet with blender-blitzed or store-bought vegan powdered sugar.

It may have a little more non-fruit sweetening than most of FF recipes, but when you are trying to create a stunning something for the So Delicious and Go Dairy Free Snackable Recipe Contest, you pull out all the sweet stops!

Creating those colors…
– Blueberries = purple
– Strawberries or raspberries = pink
– Peaches or mangoes or pineapples = yellow
– Spirulina DOES NOT = green! It = a monstrous color in between green and cement…don’t go there.

As I said, there are many steps, so here’s a video:

Fruit-Frosted Chocolate Layer Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 70 minutes
Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

CAKE
1 1/2 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
12 pitted medjool dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
FROSTING
6 cups powdered sugar (store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Cultured Coconut Milk
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup freeze dried blueberries
1/2 cup freeze dried peaches/mangos/pineapple

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Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 325F.
Blend the dates, cacao powder, coconut sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract on high until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the oat flour and baking powder.
Add the wet to the dry, and mix to combine.
Divide the batter between two 6 inch round cake pans that are lined or lightly oiled.
Bake for 25-27 minutes at 325F. The center should bounce back if lightly pressed when the cakes are done.
Let the cakes cool completely. Slice each cake horizontally into two thin layers. Set aside.
FOR THE FROSTING:
With a hand mixer, whip together the Cultured Coconut Milk and powdered sugar until smoothand lump-free. Adjust the amount of sugar and/or yogurt as necessary to achieve a stiff but spreadable consistency.
Using 3 bowls, divide the frosting into 1/4, 1/4, and 1/2 (the 1/2 color will be the repeating color).
Blend each of the freeze dried fruits separately in a VERY dry blender or coffee grinder until they become powder. Start with the yellow, then the red, then the purple (lightest to darkest), wiping out the blender with a dry paper towel in between each color.
Add the fruit powders to the divided frostings, whisking each with the hand mixer to thoroughly blend the color in. You may not need all the powder, so adjust the colors to your liking.
TO ASSEMBLE: On a plate or cake round, start with your first layer of cake. Gently spread on your repeating frosting color (I used yellow) with a spatula or dull knife. Be careful not to get crumbs in your frosting. Don’t spread the frosting all the way to the edge as the weight of the next layer will push it out further.
Repeat with the remaining layers. Finish with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, sprinkles, or chocolate shavings.
Serve immediately or refrigerate to prevent the frosting from smushing (very technical word) out the sides.

Sweet-Topped Banana Bread (GF + Oil-free)

August 18, 2015 · Natalie 68 Comments

Oat flour banana bread with just a few simple ingredients and an extra-sweet cinnamon date topping! Oil-free and coconut sugar sweetened.

It’s about time there was a banana bread recipe around here!

There is no lack of bananas on FF. They have served many uses…

– The base of a snack bowl
– The sliced-not-split filling of a pie
– The chewiness of a snack bar
– The center of a cookie or cupcake
– Hidden in a muffin
– The crazy fruitiness in fudge
– Surrounded by peanut butter chewiness
– The “milk” in a latte
– And of course nicecream galore!

(What would we do without bananas??)

But they’ve never been in the spotlight. A recipe all to their own. With their name in the title. Overshadowed by nothing but the word “Bread”. So that’s happening right now…

Sweet-Topped Oat Flour Banana Bread

Of course I couldn’t make just plain banana bread. I had to add a special sweet topping. A dollop of date paste. A spoon-handle swirl. A sprinkling of oats. And banana slices laid out connect-the-dot style.

Yes, yes it’s gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, high carb low fat, etc. But rather than focus on all it’s free of, let’s focus on all it’s full of: soft crumbly texture, potassium packed fruity-ness, lots of blender-blitzed oat flour, and my add-to-everything spice: cinnamon.

And if you’ve never tried it before, I highly recommend making a banana bread nicecream sundae for breakfast. Warm slice of banana bread, cold creamy banana ice cream, maple syrup, fruit, a sprinkling of nuts–it’s heaven <3

Sweet-Topped Banana Bread

★★★★★ 4.9 from 7 reviews

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Yield: 9 1x

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Ingredients

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2 cups oat flour
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
Topping
6 medjool dates
1/2 cup water
1 sliced banana
Sprinkling of oats and cinnamon

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Mash the bananas with a fork.
In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, banana mash, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and non-dairy milk. It’s okay if it’s a little lumpy.
Pour into a 9×5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Topping: Blend the dates and water together.
Dollop the date paste on top of the banana batter. Swirl.
Lay on the sliced bananas. Sprinkle on the oats and cinnamon.
Bake for 50 mins at 325F. The center should bounce back when it’s done.
Cool. Then remove from the pan, slice, and devour!

HCLF Vegan Tiramisu

August 14, 2015 · Natalie 38 Comments

Do you remember my Fruity Frosty Raspberry Tiramisu? I admit I used the word “Tiramisu” very lightly with that one. Basically I just meant cake surrounded by creaminess. But I got a request for a classic Tiramisu, so I’m trying to take the dish more seriously today.

You probably know by now though that making anything the conventional way is not my style. Heck it’s actually challenging for me! So trusting me with requests for anything classic is maybe not the best idea, but I did my best!

I tried to keep the fruit in funny places to a minimum…

There is no fruit in the sponge cake (although you could use my Everything-Free Vanilla Cupcakes if you wanted to change that).
There is no fruit in the coffee (unless you use Teecino for a coffee-free coffee alternative because some flavors contain dates and figs).
But I couldn’t keep dates out of the pudding. I tried. They kept jumping in the blender. Okay, that’s not true. I made one batch with dates and one batch with cane sugar, but the date-sweetened version was much better in texture and taste. Sorry.

So it is as traditional as my very untraditional baking brain can possibly conjure up. The flavors are traditional. The ingredients? Maybe not. But I still think you’ll love it! And I included lots of options so you can find your own fruity:traditional Tiramisu ratio.

What is Teeccino? Teeccino is an herbal coffee alternative that tastes pretty darn similar to the real thing! A few facts:
– It’s alkaline in the body, unlike coffee which is acidic.
– It is caffeine and stimulant free.
– I like the Dandelion Vanilla Nut variety, which is made with carob, chicory, dandelion root, dates, almonds, figs, and natural flavors.
– It’s gluten free and vegan!

Oh but I have one more thing to tell you…

Confession time. I’ve only had one bite of tiramisu in my entire life. It was at Disneyworld. My friend ordered it and I stole a bite. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to the real thing. And that was long before my blogging years, so I wasn’t in the mindset of studying restaurant foods to recreate them at home. Not to mention that veganizing such a dairy-heavy dessert already meant that a lot of improvising had to happen.

So now that you know how unqualified I am to make this…to the recipe!

HCLF Vegan Tiramisu

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 41 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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CAKE (alternatively you can use my Everything-Free Vanilla Cupcake batter)
1 cup less 2 tbsps oat flour
2 1/2 tbsps corn starch
1/4 cup organic cane sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
2 tbsps almond milk yogurt (or any non-dairy yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps baking powder
PUDDING
8 pitted medjool dates (you can use 1/2 cup cane sugar instead)
2 cups non-dairy milk (preferrably vanilla flavored)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsps corn starch
1 tbsp lemon juice
AND
1/2 cup brewed coffee or Teeccino
1 tbsp of cacao powder

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Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350F.
Sift the oat flour, baking powder, and cornstarch into a mixing bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk till smooth.
Pour a shallow layer of cake into the bottom of a 8×8″ square pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10-11 minutes until the center bounces back when touched.
Set aside to cool.
FOR THE PUDDING: Blend all the ingredients on high till smooth.
Pour into a large heat-safe bowl.
Microwave on high for 1 minute. Whisk. Then microwave for another 1 minute on high until thickened.
Let it cool with a piece of plastic wrap on top so it doesn’t form that weird layer.
TO ASSEMBLE: Once everything is cool, cut the cake into cubes.
Briefly dip each cube into the coffee and layer them in the bottom of the glass.
Top with the pudding, a dusting of cacao powder, and chocolate shavings if you want to be fancy.
Devour!

For any Tiramisu connoisseurs out there, how did I do?

Vegan Lime Loaf Cake

August 11, 2015 · Natalie 57 Comments

I really wanted to use Key limes in this cake. But have you ever juiced a bunch of Key limes by hand? Did it take you 2 hours? 3? It takes a lot of tiny lime squeezing to make a cake. And honestly, I can’t taste a big difference in the flavor between Key limes and Persian limes. I mostly just wanted to use those little limes so I could call it Key Lime Loaf Cake. But practicality won.

Regular (Persian) limes are also seedless. Bonus points for juicing practicality! And it’s not because they are some genetically modified fruity freakazoid. They have been selectively bred to be able to reproduce without seeds through something called grafting, which creates seedless lime clones. Clones just because they are genetically identical, don’t worry it all happens outside on a tree not inside on a petri dish. I really don’t understand how all that works, but I do know that seedless lime clones make for yummy desserts.

The glaze. The glaze is the icing on the cake. Well technically it’s the glaze on the cake, but close enough. It makes it even sweeter. Even moister. Even more sweet to tang balanced. It takes it to the next lime level.

And the icing on the icing on the cake is that it’s all super easy to make! The cake is just a blend, mix, and bake away. 5 minutes of prep time. 50 minutes of waiting. Slice, bite, bliss. And the glaze is even easier. All it requires is homemade blender-blitzed powdered sugar, a squeeze of lime juice, and a little water to get it to that pourable point.

The cake without glaze: yummy. The cake with glaze: AMAZING!

Vegan Lime Loaf Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 70 minutes

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Ingredients

Scale

CAKE
2 1/4 cups oat flour
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 small ripe bananas (or 1 1/2 large)
2/3 cup organic cane sugar (*see note)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
GLAZE
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 – 1 tbsp water

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Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350F.
Blend the banana, non-dairy milk, sugar, lime juice, and lime zest in a blender.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
Add the wet to the dry and mix.
Pour into a 9×5″ loaf pan lined with parchment paper or lightly oiled. Fill it 3/4 of the way.
Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350F until the edges are starting to brown and the center bounces back when touched.
Remove from the oven. Let it cool completely.
FOR THE GLAZE: In a dry blender, blend the sugar on high to create homemade powdered sugar. Here’s a great tutorial.
In a bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and the lime juice together. Add the water 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve desired thickness.
Once the cake is cool, pour on the glaze, top with lime zest, slice, and share! Or if you want the glaze to harden, refrigerate before slicing.

Have you ever made something with those little key limes?

Apple Upside Down Cake (Everything-Free)

July 29, 2015 · Natalie 50 Comments

If you eat upside down while you are upside down, then is it right side up cake?

Why am I posting an apple cinnamon recipe in July? Because I got a special request for one. And when you ask (and it’s something I can actually do), I deliver.

This cake is proof, delicious sweet proof, of why I LOVE receiving recipe requests from you guys. It would not have occurred to me to make an apple cake. Heck, I don’t think I’ve ever had apple cake! If I hadn’t received this special request, then I would probably still be going along with my strawberry this and mango that, and we all would’ve missed out on this scrumptious Fuji-topped phenomenon.

The same day I got the request I popped into the kitchen and the brain juices (and apple juices!) started flowing. This cake went from apple cake to apple upside down cake to apple upside down cake with a sweet simple apple glaze. And it stopped there because I don’t think it can get any better! (Unless there were sprinkles involved. Sprinkles can always make things better, but they didn’t feel right in this recipe.) And all that happened without a bit of sugar or gluten or oil! So that makes it a member of my Everything-Free recipe collection.

The concept of this cake is just like pineapple upside down cake, but minus the ‘pine’. No evergreen trees required. There is apple arranging and batter baking and that exhilarating moment of truth when you flip it over and cross your fingers that it comes out in one piece. Or if you can’t handle the suspense, just use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.

Here’s a video so you can see the cake-flipping moment (and all the other cake-making moments) for yourself…

Apple Upside Down Cake (Everything-Free)

★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 9 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

2 cups oat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 12)
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple sliced into thin wedges
GLAZE
2/3 cup apple juice
4–5 pitted medjool dates

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your cake pan. Lightly oil the sides of the pan with coconut oil.
Arrange your apple slices in the bottom of the pan. Set it aside.
In a blender, combine the apple juice, non-dairy milk, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend till smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the wet mixture and stir until it is lump free.
Pour the batter on top of the apple slices and gently spread it out.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350F. Check on it. If it is getting too brown but the center isn’t quite done (it should bounce back when touched), then lower the temp to 300F for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
FOR THE GLAZE: Blend the dates and apple juice on high until smooth.
Once the cake is cool, flip it out onto a plate. Top with the glaze, slice, and devour!
Store leftovers in the fridge (it’s really yummy cold too!)

Fruit Frosted Chocolate Layer Cake

Fruit-Frosted Chocolate Layer Cake

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Sweet-Topped Banana Bread (GF + Oil-free)

Sweet-Topped Oat Flour Banana Bread

Sweet-Topped Banana Bread

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HCLF Vegan Tiramisu

HCLF Vegan Tiramisu

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Vegan Lime Loaf Cake

Vegan Lime Loaf Cake

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Instructions

Apple Upside Down Cake (Everything-Free)

Apple Upside Down Cake (Everything-Free)

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