Freitag, 11. Mai 2012

vegan rhubarb and ginger cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting

I couldn't resist keeping 2 small stalks of rhubarb out of our compote for our super-healthy breakfast and sneak them into some indulgent cupcakes... I love the combination of rhubarb and ginger, and I thought orange would go nicely with it.

This is what I used:
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground vanilla (or use 2 tsp essence)
1/4 tsp almond essence
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 small stalks rhubarb, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 175 degrees and line muffin pan with liners.
Mix the soy milk with the vinegar and allow to curdle. Add oil, sugar, vanilla and almond essence. Sift in flour, ginger, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Mix to just combine ingredients, then fold in rhubarb. Pour batter into liners and bake for about 25 mins.

Allow to cool before frosting. For the frosting, you will need:

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup shortening (if in UK use Trex, works better than Cokeen)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
grated zest of one orange
2 tbsp orange juice

Cream margarine and shortening. You can add the zest at this point. Gradually add the sugar and with each addition, a splash of orange juice. Beat till light and fluffy.
So, here goes. Hope they pass the taste test! And yep, I've got a new piping bag and nozzles!



Freitag, 4. Mai 2012

potato cakes

using leftover mash works well for these. best served warm.

400-500g mashed potatoes
100-200g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft butter or margarine

mix everything potatoes with a smaller amount of flour and the rest of the ingredients, then add more flour as needed to get a dough that is still soft but not sticky. For best results, chill for about 30 mins, then roll out on a well-floured surface to 1 cm thickness and cut with a large cookie cutter into rounds, or cut into triangles with a knife. Heat a slightly greased, heave (cast iron) frying pan and cook over medium heat until both sides are slightly browned.