Helfer's Deep Butter Cake (Link/Revisions)

Can you tell I enjoy desserts a lot? :) This isn't one of those things I'd made often, actually just once. And it was beyond decadent and I felt completely indulgent and delighted and horrified all at the same time. It was goooood. This recipe is lifted from the wonderful Helfer's Pastries and Deli Cafe deep butter cake, and revised for a low sulfur diet. The artificial butter flavor is at once bizarre and really enhances the cake. So, this isn't a "let's do it all the time" thing. At least for me. :D

Let's Eat Recipe Card
Deep Butter Cake (Helfer's)
Helfer's Pastries and Deli Cafe

Yield: 8 to 9 servings

Revisions:

For crumb mixture:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring (see note)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For batter:
11/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 T EnerG egg replacer
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1-3/4 cups cake flour

Powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Prepare the crumb mixture. In a small mixer bowl, beat together 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter until fluffy. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring and all-purpose flour; beat at low speed just until crumbly. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Prepare the batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch-square baking pan.

3. Combine 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large mixer bowl; beat on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add energy egg replacer; beat on high speed 2 to 3 minutes or until light.

4. Combine milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring. Alternately add cake flour and coconut milk mixture to batter, starting and ending with flour. Beat on low speed, scraping sides of bowl, until well mixed.

5. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly in prepared pan. Spread batter over crumb mixture. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until top is deep golden brown and cake tests done in the center with a wooden pick. Cool 5 minutes.

6. Place a flat plate or cake board on top of the pan. Hold the pan and plate together securely; turn over. Carefully remove the pan. (The crumb side is now the top of the cake.) Dust with powdered sugar.

Note: Butter flavoring is sold with the extracts in supermarkets. Its flavor is essential to the success of this recipe.


Cheers!
~Miriam

One-Pan Turkey & Vegetable Cobbler

Simple, throw it together pretty fast, full of fresh (preferably organic) vegetables and goodness. We really enjoy it around here. And it can be spiced up in a variety of ways if this is too bland for your tastes. Red pepper flakes and adding jalapeño peppers would be a lovely addition. If you do that, recommend subbing 1/2 cup regular flour for 1/2 cup corn meal, and you have this dish with a more spicy Mexican flavor. We will keep this one simple for those that prefer them that way to start. :)

You need a large iron skillet that can be on the stove top and in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 zucchini, cut in smallish quarters
1 lb mushrooms sliced
2-3 carrots sliced
2-3 celery sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced small
1-2 fresh or roasted tomatoes sliced in small pieces
1 t summer savory
1 t oregano
1/2 an 8 oz package of organic frozen corn
1 T butter

Saute zucchini, carrots, celery, bell pepper in butter over medium heat until just slightly wilted, then add in mushrooms and tomatoes, summer savory and oregano and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat, pour vegetables out in a bowl.

1 lb ground turkey
Salt & Pepper to taste

Brown ground turkey in the same pan, adding salt and pepper as the turkey browns. As soon as it browns, throw all the vegetables back in and add in 4 oz of frozen corn. Mix it together and remove from heat.

1-1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1-1/2 t salt
3 T cold butter
2 t EnerG egg replacer + 1/4 water, beaten until frothy
1-3/4 C coconut milk
*nutritional yeast for sprinkling over the top (optional)

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using knives or a pastry cutter, cut up the cold butter until it resembles coarse peas. Whisk together the milk and egg replacer/water mix until a bit fluffy. Make a hole in the flour and pour the liquid into the hole. Mix until just wet and incorporated and then pour the whole thing over the top of the meat and vegetable dish. Drizzle nutritional yeast over the top to make a nice flavored top to your cobbler.

Please uncovered in oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the dough clean.

Enjoy and Cheers!
~Miriam

© 2012, Miriam Mason

Big Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits for dinner? Biscuits for breakfast? Anybody? :)

2 C preferred flour (we use whole wheat white)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup shortening (or butter)
1 C coconut milk + 1 T apple cider vinegar

Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a cup measure, then fill to the 1 cup mark with coconut milk. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Then cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal or small peas. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Do not over mix. Turn dough gently out onto a floured surface, and lightly push it together a few times - avoid kneading (less kneading means more flakey)! Gently pat dough down to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or milk glass dipped in flour. Gently reform and repeat until all the dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.

Cheers!
~Miriam

© 2012, Miriam Mason

Sugar Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is based losely on a number of recipes I researched and tried out. I found the simplest approach to my version be best. The soup is already complex tasting if you pick ripe in season vegetables (local is even better).

2 sugar pumpkins or 2 large butternut squash

3 C chicken stock
1 C full fat coconut milk (canned)
1/2 t. ground nutmeg (fresh grind will be better)
1 t. ground sage
2-3 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut pumpkins/butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Spray a large glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place pumpkins/butternut squash, flesh side down on the baking dish and roast until soft to the touch or when poked with a fork through the skin, about 45 minutes. Remove pumpkins/butternut squash from oven and let them cool down. Once they are cool enough to handle scrape flesh from skins into a food processor. Discard the skins.

Add chicken stock to the pumpkin and puree. Pour soup into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in full fat coconut milk, nutmeg, sage and salt. Mix well and remove from heat. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with Big Buttermilk Biscuits and a lettuce and tomato salad with a simple oil/vinegar dressing.

Cheers!
~Miriam

Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes (Link)

Completely delicious cupcakes. Note the recipe says this doesn't work for whole cakes, just cupcakes. And sometimes instead of using all coconut oil, I'll make half of it butter. Adds a lovely flavor.

Vegan Cupcakes -- Allrecipes.com

They work well with jam on top. And we've been frosting them with this Easy Velvet Almond Frosting recipe from bakespace.com, which is what the banner picture is of at the top of this blog. :)

Cheers!
~Miriam

French Toast (Link) - Can you Believe it?!

Yes, french toast, and while it isn't exactly like its sulfury counterpart, is it ever so good on its own! Kudos, blessings, and joy to the creators of this recipe. We make extra, store it in the fridge for a quick french toast any time the mood hits.

This gets high ratings for a low sulfur dish, especially in light of the fact that it isn't supposed to exist as a low sulfur dish. French toast is all about the egg, yeah?

Not here!

Vegan French Toast -- vegweb.com

We used coconut milk from the carton. We nixed the cinnamon, too, cuz I'm not big on cinn in my french toast batter, and it still tasted divine.

Cheers!
~Miriam

Korean Zucchini Pancakes (Link)

This recipe is so yummy, and needs absolutely no replacements at all. Simple, savory and delicious, skip the dip sauces (which contain sulfur) suggested below the recipe and try these pancakes with butter and a bit of salt, or a dab or rice vinegar sprinkled on top. Delicious all by themselves, too!

Korean Zucchini Pancakes-gastronomyblog

Can't wait until zucchini is growing in our garden! :)

Cheers,
~Miriam