Crazy Cake & icing (all dairy free!)

This recipe has many names: Crazy cake, wacky cake, depression cake...... we just call it Yummy!  This is one of those timeless recipes that just happens to be dairy free (it is also egg free for those who are looking for a great recipe)! I also love the fact that is only dirties up one bowl!  Less dishes and a homemade cake equals win-win!

As is, this recipe makes 12 cup cakes or 1 8x8 cake & VERY easily doubled!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup oil
1 cup cold water

Gather all of your ingredients and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

 I sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

 Add in the wet ingredients & mix until incorporated but don't over mix!

 Place into greased pans or muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.

 Some people why ask why sift?  This is why ;o)

 Bake 15-30 minutes depending on your vessel until toothpick comes out clean.

Now here's a great icing recipe from Wilton. Wilton Recipe This is the class butter cream recipe that is also dairy free! This is vegan (dairy & egg free) if you do not use the meringue powder (which is basically a dried egg product).  The powder gives the icing the ability to crust which is necessary when making certain decorations, but for everyday use it is not needed. For this particular cake I was making it vegan so I omitted the meringue powder from the original recipe.

Also, the Wilton flavors are clear so that your icing will stay bright white.  If you use regular vanilla it will slightly tint your icing.  Also note, to color this icing use wilton colors instead of regular food dye.

• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon Wilton Flavor (vanilla, almond or butter)
• 7-8 teaspoons milk or water
• 1 lb. confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon Meringue Powder
• pinch of salt (optional)

 Cream shortening, water, & vanilla

 Slowly incorporate sugar & meringue powder

 This will be stiff consistency (see the standing spatula)  this is normal.  To thin, just add small amounts of water as needed. 

Dairy Free Mac n Cheese- Take 1

I'm experimenting with different techniques & alternative cheeses for macaroni and cheese, so here is Take 1.  There are so many different recipes for mac 'n cheese out there and everyone likes it a little different.  Let me start by saying that my personal preference will affect my opinion of each recipe that we try.  I will try to list the pros and cons of each one as unbiased as possible to help you find the best one for your family!  My personal favorite (and my hopeful goal of finding a dairy free alternative) is good ole, southern style, baked mac n cheese...... golden brown bits of cheese on the top and smooth under the crust.

This particular recipe I would personally rate a 7.  The kids had no issues and gobbled up every bite on their plates!  You will see at the very bottom an adaptation that raises it to an 8/9 for me though.

PROS
Easy recipe (no roux required)
Fast
Smooth texture

CONS
No 'crust' on top
Lacked richness
Lacked color (slight adjustment to recipe helped)

I have recently found that the Go Veggie brand is making a Vegan version of shreds and cream cheese which is dairy free!  Their regular green packages do contain dairy!  I was able to get these at our Commissary in the produce section at only $2.50 for the shreds and $2.65 for the cream cheese!  Hence the reason I tried this recipe, I have NEVER found dairy free alternatives so cheap!  I first tried the shreds for lunch on a mini pizza and I have never seen DF cheese melt this well and taste this close to real cheese.

Here are the ingredients:  Noodles, almond milk (unsweetened), shreds, cream cheese, earth balance, salt, pepper, ground mustard, & turmeric (not pictured)  

 The sauce is so quick that you can start the sauce and the noodles at the same time.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get started!  I didn't picture the noodles, just follow package directions.  For the sauce put 2 cups of almond milk, 1/2 container of cream cheese, 1 TB of earth balance, and all of the shreds (minus 1-2 handfuls for the top).  Wisk until smooth, bring to a bubble, and reduce heat.  Taste the sauce and season accordingly with salt and pepper & 1 tsp of ground mustard.  At this point the sauce was quite white.  The kids enjoy the more yellowish mac 'n cheese, so I added a dash of turmeric. **Don't forget as with any sauce, add a spoon or two of the pasta liquid to your sauce.

 Drain noodles, combine with sauce into a casserole, and top with remaining cheese. 

 Here we go after 25-30 minutes in the oven.

 The following day I wanted to heat some up for lunch and I added a bag of California blend veggies (steamed in the microwave)  This boosted the mac n cheese to a new level!  For me personally there just seemed to be something missing, maybe I was just seeking the richness that I grew up with when it came to mac 'n cheese.  The veggies seemed to take away that it was JUST mac 'n cheese and transformed the dish.  If/when I use this particular recipe again, I will add the steamed veggies before I bake the dish!  Hope this helps you!  Leave me comments or questions!

Baking instead of Boiling Eggs!

Here is a super easy way to 'boil' your eggs without boiling them! I never perfected the art of perfectly timing boiled eggs, but since I have learned this trick they are always cooked perfect and fewer cracks in the shells!  Place eggs on a mini-muffin pan and let come up to room temperature.  I have seen others use regular muffin pan, I just use the mini so that I can cook more at a time (usually I cook 2 dozen).  This method works the same for 1 egg or dozens.  If you have the space in your oven for 4 pans and you happen to be feeding a small army a bunch of deviled eggs, this will work at the same temperature and same time. =)  When your eggs are no longer chilly, preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cook the eggs for 30 minutes, carefully remove eggs from pan into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and you are done!  To peel, or not to peel..... that depends on your next recipe!

 

 Before baking

                            After baking: notice the spots?  Most will come off during ice bath.





All clean, only a few spots remain.  Occasionally a few eggs will have a brown spot inside of the shell.