I’ve been starting to think the monthly Daring Baker’s choices were pretty serendipitous. From the Perfect Party Cake for my birthday right up to this month’s Valentino Cake.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.  We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Decedent for your Valentine but even more perfect for a selection of desserts I was preparing for a recent wedding reception. The catering job had a few challenges; egg, dairy, wheat and nut-free. Of course, if you ask me, cooking challenges are fun – so it was back to vegan baking for me. Luckily, being a flourless cake, the gluten-free issue was solved. I’ve made a vegan flourless torte before, but it contained almonds. Serendipity once again played a hand and I was finally able to try a version of Hannah from Bittersweet’s bean + chocolate cake.

With a few variations and a miniature muffin tin, I was set to shine.

As for the ice cream, things still had to be dairy free, so I thought I would opt for these three choices; Strawberry Rose Sorbet, Raspberry Lemoncello and Bananas Foster. They were based on the first, Strawberry Rose Sorbet, which I made last summer. With this easy recipe, any combination is simple. All you need is some frozen fruit, infused syrups and some imagination.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE
Adapted From Bittersweet who adapted it from Epicurious

1 – 19oz can Black Beans, drained + rinsed
1 Package Silken, Firm Tofu, drained (425g)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Finely Ground Coffee, I used a French Roast
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted + stirred smooth
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Raspberries, frozen is perfect

Heat raspberries and press through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set purée aside.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a food processor, combine the beans and tofu until well combined.
Scrape the sides, then add the vanilla, coffee, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar and cocoa powder.
Scrape down sides and add the melted chocolate, mixing well to combine.
Lightly spray miniature muffin tins. Add the batter by the tablespoonfuls.
With a moistened, clean finger, pat down the batter evenly.
Using a teaspoon, create a slight divot and spoon on the reserved raspberry purée over each of the cakes.
Bake for approximately 25 -30 minutes, cool almost completely before turning out to a cooling rack to finish.
Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired just before serving.

Another ground nut, torte-like cake this month. But not just any other – Hazelnuts, my favourite.
The nut so good, it tastes like chocolate.  …So much so we’ve all been blessed by that fantastic concoction of Nutella.

Even with my love for hazelnuts, I was a little miffed by what I figured to be a cooler weather cake. Of course I’d do anything for my beloved Daring Bakers – They’re global, so it’s not like our good friends down under don’t deserve some good seasonal comfort food too.

Although I feel I’ve been making a near career of grinding various nuts lately, skinning these hazelnuts were a task onto it’s own. The first batch of nuts I needed for the actual cake, I tried the Julia Child method of simmering them with a touch of baking soda for a minute or two. Half of the skins came off very well, leaving the others to pick and scrape at after retoasting. The next nut batch, I just put straight into the oven, figuring I’d have a little less mess, which was true, however I was distracted by my new 2:30am burn from pulling them from the oven to add to my collective “Scars of Pride”.

Being that it IS summer here, I’ve been desperately trying keep my expanding <<Daring Baker>> butter belly at bay and I halved the recipe, aiming for just double layer from an 8″pan. As Murphy’s Law would predict, my classic oober planning left me one lemon short. I figured it may not be quite as fresh, but I opted for a quick shot of lemon extract to pick it up in a pinch. The recipe also calls for an apricot fruit glaze, which I simply don’t have. I was sure it would make for an interesting flavour, not just one I was willing to buy especially for my beloved hazelnuts.

As luck would have it, I happen to have a lovely Swiss neighbour who loves chocolate and too shares a fondness for hazelnuts. I’d asked her about Swiss pairing traditions and she let me know that apples and plums are the popular match reached for by many Swiss bakers, however, seeing it’s not quite season here for either, I opter for the freshly picked raspberries I still had in my basket from only days before. Glaze and “no fresh fruit” was a rule for the month, but it is summer and that is when the best of rules tend to be broken. I did a test flavour run with my homemade Nutella, topped with a few ripe berries, squished in for good measure.
Mmmm. To those Swiss baker’s I offer a suggestion.

Any matching liquor was, of course, changed to Chambord, except for the ganache, which honoured two hits. One of the Chambord and another of Brandy, just ’cause.

Although freightened of the cake’s assembly, the praline buttercream was a scrumptious hit, which totally balanced my fears of lobsidedness. I made the full recipe of the ganache and good thing too. Making everything, in the long run, a success. Chilling is manditory in a sturdy construction, however, even liquid nitrogen couldn’t have kept my ganache from passing over the sides, skipping over and pooling at the bottom, as if it were taking it’s lead from the movement of Niagara Falls. The recipe called for the beveling of the top layers edge to aid in a consistant flow but no matter what or how I’d tried, I didn’t have much luck and opted for camoflage.

This was a totally surprising cake, which when willing to submit the time, I will certainly bake again.
Thanks for the recipe Chris, I never would have baked it without you.

I swear I’ll do it every month and every month I still find myself daringly baking away through the last week prior to posting. Maybe just a bad habit I guess, but these challenges continue to challenge themselves and the time they are taking to complete. All fine and good if I’d not been away leaving me, to my surprise, without many of the key ingredients, like say, um, flour.

Getting my elbows deep in to the pastry for the Danish Braid challenge hosted up by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’?, I realized I had to make a decision between the dribble of milk in my morning coffee or in the dough. Also, I didn’t have an orange, and had to sift out the bran from my whole wheat to make up for the other 2 cups of that missing flour. Brilliant.

Day two into the challenge I had to finally decide on a filling for the Danish Braid. Thankfully I’d had a general idea, which my pantry was able to make up for with the ingredients I had on hand. Since I’d never made a Danish Braid, I wanted to read up on what might be a classic filling and pair with something seasonal.

I went for a frangipane with fresh raspberries. At first I was thinking of childhood memories and thought that an almond based custard might be not quite my speed but when I blitzed it up and taste tested it, I had to keep reminding myself of the raw egg in the mix to keep my fingers out of the bowl.

To proof my braided dough faster, I covered it and put it into the shade of the muggy summer day. I baked and rotated leaving my house to smell like a hot buttery heaven. The pools of melted butter under the golden braid urged me to eagerly lift the pan from the heat of the oven. I photographed to resist the temptation of diving in, getting my fingers burned and brew a fresh cup of coffee.

Excitedly, I chose my props; plates, napkin and garnish. I sliced in to set up my next set of shots and my coffee break – only to find a gooey, yeasty dough waiting, unbaked surrounding the almond and berry filling. I thought I’d read the method wrong, but no. I thought it could have been my substitutions or my choice of filling, but I’d noticed others had softly filled their braids before me… Back to the pseudo drawing board and into the oven, tented in foil, it went again.

Time consuming, yes but it’s given my promise and a glimpse in to the flaky world of croissants and other puff pastries. Plus it was just in time to greet my Mom who was getting out of the hospital and sick of bad food.

DANISH BRAID
(Full of substitutions)

For the dough (Detrempe):

1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk, I only had 1%
1/3 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely grated, optional – I skipped it.
3/4 tsp ground cardamom, optional – at least in my case
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, you guessed it – I didn’t have one
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice, optional – I replaced it with more milk
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup All Purpose & 2-1/2 cups well sifted whole wheat
1 tsp salt

For the butter block (Beurrage):

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, mine was organic goat butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the egg wash:

1 large egg, well beaten

To make the dough:

Combine yeast and milk in a bowl of a stand mixer on low speed or a with a whisk.
Add sugar, vanilla extract, (orange zest, orange juice cardamom, vanilla seeds, if using) and eggs; mixing well.
Sift flours and add in batches, along with the salt.
When the ingredients have been incorporated, knead the dough until it becomes smooth, around 5 to 7 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is sticky.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To make the butter block:

Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

After the detrempe (dough) has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Assembling:

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F, (I didn’t & left it at 400ºF) and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. (Check the center for doneness and return, rotated for another 5 minutes, tented in foil, if necessary.)
Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature.

Being indigenous to South American countries like Columbia, Physalis doesn’t exactly fit into the local food movement around here. However, they are in season right now.

Physalis, or Cape Gooseberries, come naturally wrapped, giving them a shelf life of over a month or more. Described as a cross between sweet cherry tomato and pineapple flavours, the Cape Gooseberry actually isn’t a gooseberry at all. In fact, it’s about the closest to the tomato, coming from the nightshade family.

An interesting combination of tart and sweet, they are a perfect and versatile match for desserts, preserves, salads or savoury dishes.

From the moment I saw my little package of Cape Gooseberries, it was destined for my grocery cart and clafouti. Most typically toped with cherries, clafouti is a French baked custard that’s super simple to make and rustic yet elegant to present.

Having not baked with Cape Gooseberries before, I still wasn’t so brave as to go it alone to tempt my clafouti solo. I opted to pair the Gooseberries with a handful of raspberries, which turned out to be a tasty choice. Both seedy, a bit tart but sweet, they balanced really well.

So well, my vegan friends thought I might just have been pulling a fast one this time.

CAPE GOOSEBERRY & RASPBERRY CLAFOUTI

1/2 Package Firm Silken Tofu, about 210g
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Soy Milk
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Brandy
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Pint Cape Gooseberries, about 1/2 cups halved
1/2 Cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 Tablespoons Demerra Sugar

Combine the soy milk, lemon juice and brandy; Stir and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
In a food processor, blend the tofu until very smooth
Add the sugar and vanilla, continuing to blend.
Pour in the soy milk mixture into the tofu.
Sift the flour and baking powder and add just to combine.
Pour the batter into a cast iron skillet, soufflé or oval baking dish.
Evenly top with fruit.
Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the edges are browned and the center is set.
Cool and dust with confectioners sugar.

Not like there is any mystery that I love chocolate, but I’d realized that I hadn’t yet created a torte recipe.
What better than Valentine’s week to do the dessert cart?

Generally, a torte is a flourless cake, often using bread crumbs or ground nuts in it’s place, resulting in a dense and intensely rich cake.

I love the contrast of a tart, red raspberry with the intense chocolate, and not only because it’s Valentine’s Day. Raspberries perfectly balance the richness with a bit of pucker making this a pretty sexy end to any meal.

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TORTE

1 Cup Almonds, finely ground
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder, sifted
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Safflower Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 oz Broken Chocolate Pieces, 70+% Dark, Semi Sweet or mixed
1/2 Package Firm Silken Tofu
3/4 Cups Frozen Raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Lightly spray or grease an 8″ cake or spring form pan, dusting it lightly with cocoa and removing any excess.
Finely grind the almonds in a food processor, adding a spoonful of the sugar, as necessary to keep it from clumping.
Transfer the ground almonds to a bowl.
Purée the tofu in the food processor, until very smooth, add the remaining sugar, cocoa, vanilla, oil and salt.
Using a glass bowl or a double boiler, heat water to a simmer in the lower pan to gently melt the chocolate above.
Pour the melted chocolate into the tofu, mixing to incorporate.
Add the ground almonds, pulsing just to combine.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan then evenly sprinkle the raspberries over the top.
Cover the raspberries with the remaining batter.
Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the sides have crackled and the center is firm.
Cool the cake completely in the pan or refrigerate until serving.
Run a knife around the edge and release the sides of the pan.
Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with a raspberry emulsion, if desired.

After a meal last week, I thought about some of my recipes on the site.
You see, my sister in law, along with being vegan, suffers from Celiac Disease which is a gluten intolerance restricting her diet of all wheat, rye and barley products.
No meat, no dairy and no bread. Poor girl.

To her, wheat shows it’s ugly head often. It’s in so much more that the mere loaf of bread – it’s in cakes, pastries, muffins, most veggie burgers, hot dogs and soy sauce.

This was the problem I feared when I first met with my vegan cooking challenge. I’ve gone on about creating a satisfying meal for my guests. I have to admit I feel just awful when I see her eating only hummus or grilled vegetables then skipping dessert, all while we’re all slathering our freshly toasted buns with bar-b-qed goodies.

It’s not the full meal, but here’s a little more than a popsicle for your next dessert; a gluten free, no bake raspberry tart. Happy early birthday, my dear. I hope you like it.

RASPBERRY TART

You will need about 2 Pints (3-4 cups) of fresh raspberries for the final topping.

CRUST

1/3 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Oatmeal
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Margarine
1/8 teaspoon Salt (pinch)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the vanilla and brown sugar; mix well.
Simmer over a medium heat and allow to simmer for 2 -3 minutes.
In a food processor, combine the almonds and half of the oats, until well ground.
Add the remaining oatmeal, cinnamon and salt; pulsing to combine.
Empty the dry mixture into a medium sized bowl and pour over the hot syrup.
Once the crust mixture is well combined, transfer to an 8 inch tart pan.
Spread out and evenly press the mixture along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Chill to set, about 20 minutes or just while you prepare the filling.

TOFU CREAM

1/2 Package Soft Silken Tofu
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
2 Tablespoons Soy Milk

Combine tofu and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth.
With the machine running, add the arrowroot, soy milk, lemon juice and vanilla through the feeder cap.
Taste and adjust vanilla and soy milk for flavour and consistency, if necessary.

Pour into the waiting crust and return it to the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1/2 Cup Chocolate Pieces, vegan
1 Tablespoon Margarine
2 Tablespoons Soy Milk

Melt the chocolate pieces in a double boiler or in a heat safe bowl fitted over a pan of simmering water.
Stir in the margarine.
Whisk in the milk to combining until smooth.
Pour over chilling tart.

Top with raspberries and dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.
Chill until ready to serve.

RASPBERRY EMULSION

1 Cup Raspberries, frozen is fine
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup water
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Heat everything in a saucepan, bringing it to a simmer.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the raspberries have broken down slightly, cook for 1 – 2 minutes more then remove from the heat.
Using an immersion blender, purée the mixture.
Strain through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, if desired.