Coloratura Chocolate Cupcakes With Strawberry Tofutti Cream Cheese Frosting

I recently received the Babycakes Bakery Cookbook as a gift. For those of you who don't know, Babycakes is a delightful vegan (and kosher!) bakery based in NYC. Look them up if you're there!

Excited by the beautiful pictures and innovative recipes, I was eager to begin baking. This cookbook contains the secrets to creating the most wonderful baked goods with a healthy twist. Who doesn't love a delicious dessert that is also good for you?

Ingredients

cupcakes

1 3/4 cups chickpea flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup arrowroot

1 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsps salt

1 cup coconut oil

1 1/3 cups agave nectar

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee

frosting

1 8 oz. container tofutti cream cheese

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed

Directions

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Grease them and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla extract, and hot coffee. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into each cup until almost they are almost full. Bake for a total of 22 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 15 minutes. Test the center of the cupcakes with toothpick to see if they are fully cooked. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 20 minutes while still in the tray. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before applying the frosting.

Frosting: In a medium size bowl, combine the tofutti cream cheese and vegan butter with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners sugar until fully mixed and smooth. In a food processor, grind down the strawberries until smooth. Fold the strawberries in to the frosting. Apply to the top of each cupcake and Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Un Ballo in Maschera: Saper Vorreste- Giuseppe Verdi
• Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67: Peter In The Meadow- Sergei Prokofiev

Decadente Peach Pie

Please forgive me for the amount of butter that you are about to witness in this recipe.

With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, I was in the mood to bake something truly American with a twist of Southern comfort. I came across a very traditional peach pie recipe on foodnetwork.com and thus began the baking process. Neglecting to read ahead in the recipe (a terrible cooking habit of mine), I was about halfway through making the dough for the crust when I realized just how much butter was going to need to be used. Having no choice but to proceed with the recipe I ended up with a very delicious and most definitely, very caloric peach pie.

Ingredients

Perfect All-Butter Crust (no I'm not kidding, this is actually what it is called haha!)

3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 diced sticks of cold vegan butter

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/3 cup ice water

Peach filling

2 1/2 pounds frozen peach wedges, thawed

3/4 cup light brown sugar

juice of one lemon

2 Tbsps quick-cooking tapioca

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease a glass pie dish and set aside.

Crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add 1 stick of butter and process until a coarse meal forms. Add the remaining 2 sticks and process until combined. While the food processor is running, add in the vinegar and then gradually pour in the ice water. Gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the peaches with all of the filling ingredients. Mix well.

After the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll out one of half of the dough and place into the bottom of the pie dish to create the base crust. Poke holes into the dough with a fork for ventilation. Pour the peach filling on top of the base crust. Roll out the other half of the dough and place on top of peach filling to create the top of the pie. Trim and seal the edges. Cut small slits into the top of the pie to create a vent.

Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the top of the pie with soy milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent them from burning. Return pie to oven to bake for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Appalachian Spring: VII. Doppio Movimento: Variations On a Shaker Hymn- Aaron Copland
• Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 (From the New World): II. Largo- Antonin Dvorak

Leggiero Lemon Meringue Pie

This is probably one of the easiest lemon meringue pie recipes out there. Usually I shy away from making this dessert because it can be a bit of a patschke but once I found this recipe I was ready and raring to go!

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening

3 Tbsps cold water

Filling

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbsps flour

3 Tbsps corn starch

2 Tbsps vegan butter

2 tsps lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice (or a bit more if you like the filling on the more tangy side)

1 tsp lemon extract

Meringue topping

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 Tbsps sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease a 9 inch pie dish and set aside.

Crust:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and shortening. Process until a mealy mixture forms. With the food processor running, add in the 3 Tbsps of water and process until dough forms. Roll on dough and place in the pie dish. Poke holes in the bottom of the dough with a fork and then cover with foil, pressing the center down so that it rests directly on top of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove baked crust from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and a dash of salt. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of water. Allow mixture to simmer until it thickens. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring continuously. Remove from heat.

Beat the 3 egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add about a 1/2 cup of the hot filling into the yolks. Stir well and return egg mixture to the filling in the saucepan. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter and lemon peel. Gradually add the lemon juice and lemon extract. Return to heat and stir for 2 minutes.

Lower the heat while you work on the meringue topping, but be sure to keep the filling warm, stirring occasionally.

Meringue topping:

Allow the 3 egg whites to stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before beating.

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sugar and continue to beat until stiff glossy peaks form.

Lower oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the hot filling into the pie shell and arrange the meringue on top of it. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow pie to cool completely before chilling for 3-6 hours. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Lullaby of Birdland- Ella Fitzgerald
• A Kiss to Build a Dream On- Louis Armstrong

Delicato Jam Drops

This recipe was given to me by a good friend. This cookie is a bit of a healthier spin on traditional jam drops and is just as delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal

1 cup rolled oats, ground in blender

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

1 jar of jam of choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment and set aside.

Grind the oats in a food processor until a coarse meal forms. Add whole wheat flour, almond meal, salt, and cinnamon and process until well mixed. Add maple syrup and canola oil and combine well.

With your hands, form walnut sized balls and press your thumb into the middle of it to create a small well. Place a little bit of jam in each well and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1: I. Allegro Con Brio- Ludwig van Beethoven
• Prelude in D, Op. 23, No. 4- Sergei Rachmaninoff

Portamento Pecan Mudslides

I found this recipe on chocolateandzucchini.com. These cookies provide the ultimate chocolate fix. Be sure to have a glass of milk handy!

Ingredients

15 oz. Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp vegan butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment and set aside

In a double boiler, melt 8 oz. of the chocolate chips and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture and combine well. Mix in the melted chocolate and add in the remaining 7 0z. of chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Place bowl in refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for about 20 minutes. Remove dough and and shape into walnut sized balls. Be sure to work quickly so that the dough does not become warm and sticky. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes and allow to sit for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Shreveport Stomp- Jelly Roll Morton
• La Ronde des Lutins (Dance of the Goblin), Op. 25- Antonio Bazzini

Stretto Strawberry Pie

I am a big fan of pies and this particular recipe is something that you don't see very often... not to mention the crust recipe is absolutely fool proof!

Ingredients

filling

5 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup agar-agar

1 tsp vanilla extract

crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup Earth Balance natural shortening, cut into pieces

6 Tbsps ice water

glaze

1/4 cup soy milk

1 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a 9 inch pie dish and set aside.

Filling:

Place all ingerdients in a large bowl and stir gently until the strawberries are fully coated. Set aside.

Crust:

Place the flour and shortening in a food processor and combine until pea-sized pieces of dry dough form. Gradually add the ice water, being careful to not over work the dough. Remove dough from food processor and role into a large ball. Divide the ball into two portions, one for the bottom crust and one for the top. Roll out one ball and place in pie dish. Poke ventilating holes into the bottom crust with a fork. Pour the filling into the pie dish, on top of the bottom crust. Roll out the second ball and place on top of filling. Trim edges and press gently to seal.

Brush the top of the pie with soy milk and sprinkle sugar evenly on top. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Le carnaval des animaux (The Carnival of Animals): VII. Aquarium- Camille Saint-Saens
• Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo- Ludwig van Beethoven

Agilmente Apricot Upside-Down Cake

I came across a box of wonderful looking apricots today and even though I usually bake on Fridays, I just could not resist making this recipe.

Ingredients

cake

1 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsps baking powder

4 eggs

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegan butter, melted

topping

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 1/2 oz butter, melted

6 apricots, halved and pits removed

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a spring form pan with baking parchment. Grease well and set aside.

Topping:

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir continuously until dissolved. Increase the heat and allow the melted sugar to boil until a golden brown syrup forms. In a small bowl, have your melted 2 1/2 oz of butter ready and waiting. Pour the syrup mixture over the butter and mix well to create a caramel. Pour the caramel into the spring form pan and set aside

Cake:

Sift the flour and baking powder three times (do not skip on this, it makes the cake fluffy) and set aside. In a large bowl beat, with an electric mixer, the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until thick and pale. Sift (don't skip the sifting!) the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in gently. Add the melted butter and fold in gently. Place the apricots cut-side down into the caramel. Spread the cake batter over everything. Bake for 65 minutes, allow to stand for 5 minutes to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Sonata for Violin and Piano- Ballada (con mot0)- Leos Janacek
• Violin Concerto in D Major for, Op. 61: Allegro Ma Non Troppo- Ludwig van Beethoven