Vegan Chocolate Cake

 Vegan Chocolate Cake with Vegan Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting and Vegan Chocolate Glaze

2 cups Sifted All Purpose Flour

¾ cup Powdered Cocoa

½ tsp salt

2 tsps Baking Powder

1 ½ tsps Baking Soda

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Line 3 8” round pans with parchment paper

Sift all your dry ingredients together, except the brown sugar. Add the brown sugar to the bowl after sifting first 6 ingredients. Make a well in the center and add your apple cider vinegar,  coconut milk, vegetable oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix gently from the center until dry ingredients are wet. Slowly add boiling water, and again, with a whisk , gently mix water into your batter until smooth. Divide equally into your prepared pans about 15 ounces  each or 440 grams.

Bake in a 350 degree conventional oven or 300 Convection for about 25 minutes. Cool completely. I like 

to chill the cakes before frosting. 

Chocolate CreamCheese Buttercream

 1½ cups plant based butter, room temperature

1 cup plant based cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

½ c sifted powdered cocoa

2 tsps vanilla

Cream the butter . Add cream cheese and continue to paddle until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cocoa. Pulse for a few minutes-and add cocoa. Continue to paddle, add milk and vanilla slowlyand mix until nice and light and smooth.

NOTE: I have not used a lot of different plant based fat and cream cheese, so it is a hit or miss so far. I used Target’s Good and Gather organic plant based butter and also like Good and Gather Cocoa.  The vegan cream cheese was hard to find. 

On a 10” board or plate, put one 8” cake (pls remove parchment paper first). Spread about ¼ of the frosting on top. Place the second 8 ” cake and repeat until you have assembled all three round cakes. Spread the remaining frosting over the cake with a spatula, trying to get it as even as possible . Chill cake!

Glaze

¼ cup plant base butter

¼ cup powdered cocoa

½ can coconut condensed milk

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa and stir until smooth. Add condensed milk, mix well and cook over the stove and cook until slightly thick but still pourable. Cool. Pour over the top of the cake, slowly so as to get a nice drip on the edges, Use vegan chocolate to make curls to garnish. 

Gingerbread House Dough

 

This is construction type gingerbread dough, although it has very good flavor, it is quite hard for the teeth.

Gingerbread Dough

32 ozs bread flour

2 tbsps cinnamon

2 tsps ginger

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

(if you want your gingerbread lighter in color, reduce spices)

1 tsp salt

9 ozs corn syrup

9 ozs molasses

(if you want it lighter, reduce molasses, increase corn syrup)

10 ozs brown sugar

10 ozs shortening

(if you are making cookies, you can substitute butter)

Combine corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar and shortening in a sauce pot, and warm just until the shortening is melted. Transfer warm liquid into a mixing bowl, and with a paddle, mix in dry ingredients. 

Mix until well blended. Pour dough into a parchment lined sheet pan or silpat. Cool for several minutes, sheet out to about ¼ inch thick, sometimes thicker, depending on your structure. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. (Tip: after cutting your templates, you can bake your pieces halfway, pull them out of the oven, re cut the pieces using the original templates. this is also a good technique for adding crushed hard candies for windows. This will insure that your sides are all even. 

Chicken Pot Pie

 serving size: 4 Individual  3x5x2” serving dishes

Crust:

6 ozs all purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsps salt

4 ozs butter

6 Tbsps cold water, cut in small pieces

Mix flour, salt and sugar.  Blend in butter with a pastry blender just until distributed.  Sprinkle water on flour. push all ingredients with your hands, careful not to overwork dough. roll out into about 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Reffigerate

Chicken Filling

1 chicken breast boneless and skinless, large dice

3 tbps butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium potatoes, peeled, large dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

2 Tbsps flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup frozen peas

salt, pepper to taste

Saute  garlic in butter.  Add onions, cartots, celery and cook just a few minutes.  Add flour to the chicken and immediately add to the cegetables.  Continue to saute until chicken us lightly btowned.  Add chicken broth and galf snd gslf.  bring to s boil and cook until thick. season with salt and pepper, add ffozen peas. Remove from stove and cool.

Assembly:

Equally divide chicken filling into 4 ramekins, cut rolled pie dough the same size as the top of ramekin.  Place dough over pie filling, eggwash and bake in a 375 oven until golden briwn delicious!  C very devouring!  It will be very hot!

Pumpkin Pie

 Pumpkin Pie

16 ozs pumpkin

6 ozs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

6 ozs eggs

5 ½ ozs evap milk

4 ozs regular milk

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg. mix well to make sure spices are evenly distributed.  add to the pumpkin.  Slightly whisk the eggs and add the milks, then combine with the pumpkin mix.  (You can also use pumpkin pie spice instead: 2 1/2 tsps).  You can make this filling a day in advance and store covered in the refrigerator.

Pie Dough

9 ozs All Purpose Flour

1 tsp salt

1 oz sugar

6 ozs butter

6 ozs shortening

3 ozs very cold water

Combine flour, salt and sugar.  Toss well to evenly disperse salt and sugar.  Cut in butter to fine flakes, then follow with the shortening, using a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor.  If you are beginner, try not to use your fingers so as not to warm up your dough too much. Press your dough with your palms while gathering them together.  Form into 2 balls, flatten, wrap in a plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator to relax your gluten. (This makes sure your dough does not shrink and you will have s nice flaky crust).

Preheat oven to 375.

Take a 9” pie tin. Dust the table with a little all purpose flour.  Roll your dough out slightly less than a quarter inch, fit into your pie shell with about 3/4 inch overhang, making sure you are not stretching the dough, easing it into the tin and pressing firmly into the corners.  Fold the overhang under the edge of the pie plate, then crimp. Pour your filling in and bake at 375 degrees about 30 mins, then turn your oven down to 350.  I like to see the filling rise just ever so slightly and when jighled, does  not move.  Cool completely before serving

Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

16 ozs  half and half

3 ozs sugar 

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsps cornstarch

3 ozs. Sugar

2 whole eggs

 4 yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 ozs butter

6 ozs dark chocolate

16 ozs heavy cream, whipped

2 ozs powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Bring half and half, sugar and salt to scald.  While that is happening, combine cornstarch and sugar , whisk well, add the egg and the egg yolks  and mix until well combined.  Pour a little of the half and half into cornstarch/egg mix.  Pour back into the scalded pot and mix with a whisk until thick and smooth, no lumps.  Add chocolate and butter.  Mix until all butter and chocolate is melted. Cool.  Pour into prepared oreo pie crust or a 9” pie crust. Top with whipped heavy cream that has been sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla.  I like to pipe a rosette of whipped cream for each serving, and scrape some chocolate curls on top.  Use a peeler to Make the chocolate curls

Chocolate Cake Pops

 

Holiday Baking Championship

 Season 8 of #FoodNetwork’s @HolidayBakingChampionship!  Something I decided to do after deciding to retire middle of this year!  I wanted to experience being on a Popular TV Show, and to have fun!  I figured, i had nothing to lose, I was not after fame, nor money, did not need a TV contract, i have accomplished everything i wanted to do as a Pastry Chef, except this, sothe story goes!

Creme Brulee

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

16 ozs heavy cresm

8 ozs half and galf

1/4 tsp salt

4 ozs sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

4 ozs eggyolks

Bring cream and half and half, sugar, salt and vanilla bean  to a boil. Whisk egg yolks lightly. Pour a little of the cream to the yolk , split and scrape the beans, sdd to yolks, then add back to the pot.  Turn heat off, and make sure you stir all the way to the  bottom  and sides of the pan.  I use a pitcher with a long spout to deposit custard into desired molds.  For a 4 izs mols, it will take about 15

Mins to bake st 350 degreees

Buche de Noel

 

Roasted Plum Frangipane Tart

 Pate Sucree 

3.5 ozsbutter

2.5 ozs confectioners sugar 

3 yolk

4 ml milk

1 lemon zest

7 ozs All Purpose Flour

Cream butter with confectioners sugar, judt until well incorporated, add yolks one st a time, then sdd the zedt.  Mix well.  Blend in flour just until invorporated.  Gather into a ball, place on a piece of plastic films, wrap very loosely, then flatten and restvin the fridge a few minutes. 

Frangipane

4 ozs Butter 

8 ozs Almond paste 

2 ozs Sugar

4 ozs Eggs, whole

1 oz Cake flour 

Procedure

break down almond paste into small pieces.  put in

mixer bowl, and paddle with half of the sugar just to combine.  Mount in butter and continue to paddle until blended, add remaining sugar snd cream until sugar is dissolved.  Add whole eggs, continue to cream until light! 

Roasted Plums

2 lbs plums, seeded and quartered

4 ozs butter, melted

4 ozs honey

4 ozs brown sugar 

Place plums on sheet pans lined with a silicone mat.  Drizzle with melted butter, then honey.  Dptinkle brown dugar snd roast in a 450 oven until the skin of the plums start yo turn brilliant red.

Assembly

Divide  Pate Sucre in 8 pieces.  roll-each one to about 5”  round, 1/8 inch thick .  Fit into your tart shells, press firmly on the sides, trim extra dough from the top.  Freeze about half an hour.

Pipe frangipane in the tart shell using tip # 803.  Put in a preheated 360 degree oven until frangipane lightly puffed.  pull out from the oven, arrange plums on top, sprinkle with a little more sugar( additional, not in recipe) and put back in the oven to  finish baking! (about 30 minutes total ) Garnish with some toasted almonds and meringue(torched)

Pumpkin Tiramisu with Candied Pecan Crumble

 

Spiced Pumpkin Tiramisu with Candied Pecan Crumble

Spiced Simple Syrup 2 cups water

1⁄2 cup sugar

2 sticks cinnamon

1⁄2 tsp cloves

1⁄2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp powdered ginger 1 seed star anise

3 cardamoms

Boil all together. cool.

Candied Pecan/Pumpkin Seed Crumble 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3⁄4 cups light brown sugar

1⁄4 tsp salt

3⁄4 c melted butter

Combine all the above ingredients and bake at 350°F about 15 minutes Add:

2 Tbsps roasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup candied pecans

Set aside

Pumpkin Mousse

16 ozs mascarpone

1 15 oz can Pumpkin puree 3⁄4 cup brown sugar

2 tsps Pumpkin spice powder 2 cups heavy cream, whipped

combine pumpkin spice with brown sugar. add to mascarpone. add pumpkin puree to mascarpone and sugar. mix well. fold in whipped cream and mix well, being careful not to deflate whipped cream.

Spiced Pumpkin Tiramusu 2 cups spiced syrup

1 small bag ladyfingers pumpkin mousse

candied pecan/pumpkin seed crumble... ... ...... 9×13 pan or use a trifle bowl

Assembly:

     

 Quickly dip layfingers in spiced syrup and arrange side by side in your serving dish. Top with half of the mousse. add another layer if the dipped ladyfingers, top with the rest of the mousse. Smooth over and sprinkle nut and seed crumble. Cover and freeze or chill before 

Tropical Pavlova

Pavlovas

3 large eggwhites, room temperature

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

¾ c granulated dugar

1 1/2 tsps cornstarch

½ c unsweetened coconut

whip eggwhites with cream of tartar until almost stiff peaks.  Add sugar  gradually and continue  to whip  until stiff, but still shiny.  Add cornstarch, and fold in well.  Shape into a round dome, hollow out center , drizzle with coconut! 

Preheat oven to 400 but turn down to 300 when putting pavlovas in. bake 45 min. Turn oven down to 270 if meringue is getting too brown. Cool

Calamansi Curd

6 ozs calamansi juice

12 ozs 

2 eggs

3 ozs yolks

2 tdps gelatin, bloomed in wster

6 ozs butter

Bring juice and dugar to o a boil.  Whisk eggs, pour a little of the juice, then pour back into pot! Cook while stirring until thick, as much as 20 mins. Add gelatin, then the buuter , stir until butter is all melted and gelatin dissolved.  Cool.

Assembly:

Plave meringue on a plate ir cake biard. Add about a cup of curd in hollowed out center, then top with tropical fruits like mangoes, ripe papaya, pineapple, dragonfruit, pomelo and I also like canned lychees! additionally, serve eith ice cream or whipped cream