VeggieGirl Takes The Cake

After successfully venturing into the realm of baking pies for the very first time (this past Thanksgiving), I decided to be courageous once again, and try to bake something else for the first time: cakes. Even though I have baked muffins, brownies, and blondies before (which are basically "mini-cakes"), there is just something about baking a "full-size" cake that has always intimidated me. Well, I convinced myself to just take on the challenge of cake-baking, and hope for the best - I tried to remain as optimistic as possible about this feat that I had decided to take on, since I would be attempting to bake something new during a very stressful week (a week filled with exams, 10-page-long final papers, and numerous other class assignments) - but hey, this made it even more fun and exciting! So, did VeggieGirl "take the cake" in conquering this new baking challenge? Read on, to find out! :0)

Even though I have not had any previous experience baking a cake before, I certainly have been thinking an awful lot about it - this is particularly evident if you look through my recipe binder and/or "post-it-note-marked" recipes in my cookbooks. To limit my options (and to make it easier to actually choose my first cake recipe to try), I decided to bake a cake from a cookbook that I had not yet made anything from - Veganomicon! Yes, as pathetic as this sounds, I have not been able to choose which recipe to start with from Veganomicon, despite the fact that I have had this book in my possession for almost a month already! Since every single recipe in this book sounds so delectable and worthy, I have had the most difficult time actually getting around to making one of the dishes. However, after finding out from my friend Hilary that the cake recipe that I was considering is indeed a winner, I felt ready to go ahead and make it. So, which recipe turned out to be not just my first cake recipe ever, but my first Veganomicon recipe as well?



Why, it is the recipe for Lower-Fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake! But of course my version has been renamed as simply a Carob Bundt Cake. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe: Since I do not consume caffeine in any form (and my parents do not drink/consume that much caffeine either), I used water in place of the coffee; substituted carob powder for the cocoa powder; used 1/3-cup Sucanat (unrefined sugar) in place of the 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar; and I subbed 1/3-cup applesauce for the 1/3 cup oil. Despite all of these substitutions, my family and I cannot stop raving about the richness and dense, moist texture of this cake! And it is rather picturesque as well, thanks to the lovely design of the bundt pan.



This photograph captures the interior of the bundt cake - you can see how intricate each layer is, as well as the luscious, "extra-moist" parts of the cake! Yum!



While my mom, grandfather, brother, and one of my nephews decided to enjoy a slice of this cake "as-is" (i.e. no ice 'cream' or anything on it), my dad chose to enjoy a slice topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar (vegan, of course! I buy the Wholesome Sweeteners brand of sugar). However you choose to enjoy it, this Carob Bundt Cake is sure to please your taste-buds - kudos to Isa & Terry for including such a lovely bundt cake recipe in their latest brilliant cookbook, Veganomicon!

After surviving my first attempt at baking a cake, I wanted to bake another one, right away; but instead of making another carob bundt cake, I decided to choose something a little lighter. I remember my mom requesting that I make the Sunny Pineapple-Yogurt Cake recipe from ED&BV (my current cookbook obsession), so I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to make it! So, I set to work in my kitchen on my second cake-baking adventure, hoping that the results would be as successful (and scrumptious!) as my first attempt.

I decided to take a series of photographs (for a contest), documenting the various stages of the Sunny Pineapple-Yogurt Cake - from creation all the way to the end of consumption ;0) :



First, I prepared an 8"x8" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.



Next, I thoroughly mixed the batter, poured it into the baking pan, and distributed it evenly (to ensure a smooth cake - no lumps, please!)



After about 36 minutes, the pineapple cake emerged from the oven. With a gorgeous, golden-brown color, and small chunks of fresh pineapple scattered throughout the batter, it was only a matter of time before my family and I could find out whether or not my second attempt at cake-baking would be as sensational as my first one.



Once the cake cools completely, you're supposed to drizzle an orange-glaze over the top; however, since I did not have orange juice on-hand to make the glaze, I chose to just omit this step/recipe component. The cake looked so moist anyways, that it practically appeared to have already had a glaze on it!



Since it was torturous enough having to wait for the cake to completely cool, I did not waste anytime before slicing the cake into equally-sized portions, to distribute amongst my family members.



As you can see, the cake was quite popular amongst the lucky few (my dad, mom, grandfather; one of my brothers who just happened to stop by after I had made the cake) who got to taste it. The words/phrases "delicious," "fluffy," "very moist," and "pleasantly sweet" were used to characterize this light cake.



I was lucky enough to get a taste of this tantalizing cake as well, once I had distributed the other slices to my family. Paired with a glass of hempmilk (it is a sin not to enjoy baked goods with a glass of hempmilk! It just makes everything taste twice as delicious!), this pineapple cake made for an incredibly delicate, satisfying and scrumptious afternoon snack.



Considering this is what the baking pan looked like just one day after baking the Sunny Pineapple-Yogurt Cake, I think it is safe to say that I will be baking another one quite soon :0)

Despite my previous fear of baking "full-size" cakes, I feel quite comfortable now taking on these recipes with optimism and creativity. I would love to try a double-layer cake recipe next (with frosting, even!); but I think I will just take things one step at a time, for now. If you haven't baked a cake in a while (or ever), I highly recommend the Carob Bundt Cake (variation of the bundt cake recipe in Veganomicon) and the Sunny Pineapple-Yogurt Cake (from ED&BV). Hey, if VeggieGirl can "take the cake," then you certainly can too!! :0)