Vegan mushroom and spinach galette

Gah! Life is business. Nevertheless, I’ve been scrambling for the past month to find time between studying for exams, doing all the various jobs, and trying to get sleep in-between to make food and take photos- this month’s theme for the photography club is food, which would normally make me glee and squee, but certainly not when there isn’t time to be human.

Last night, however, I plodded forth and tried my hand at pastry-making. The galette sounds delightfully exotic and always looks tasty in pictures, so I thought to myself, why not? I keep forgetting that I have potato farmer hands, and that the daintiness required for many recipes is just not possible without a good dose of calming pills to steady the ol’ hams and some jazz in the background to instil a sense of “can-do”. Still, this recipe came out SO tasty and delicious that I’m inspired to work hard on my pastry-skills, because I would seriously pay money to sit down and eat this somewhere in the outside world. 

I ganked the recipe from food.com by “Hannahactually”, since I require colour and greenery in most all things, and the general recipe fit the bill quite nicely. I did make some slight changes, however, so bear with me!

Crust
1 1/2 cups wholewheat bran fibre flour (I’m sure it has a real name- either way, the most hardcore healthy wheaty flour one can find)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 or so tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons cold water

Filling
1/2 an onion (would’ve loved red)

3 small radishes, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red wine (OR since we don’t drink in our shocking household, I added a TBSP of mango&orange concentrate with 1/3 cup water & a splash each of balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar).
15 white mushrooms
a handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
1 bunch spinach, washed and coarsely chopped

handful of cranberries

2 TBSP of diced almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
lots of paprika, tumeric, ginger, and oregano AND delightful nutritional yeast (a really healthy shake or two)

To make crust:.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix the flour and salt. Drizzle the olive oil over the flour and cut in with a fork, combining lightly until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over the flour, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork. With your hands, press the pastry lightly into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and let rest in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.

For the rest:
Chop the onion and radishes and place them in a frying pan with the olive oil. Saute over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the wine/juice and vinegar mix. Slice the white mushrooms, and add them to the pan, cooking until they soften and release their liquid. Add the spinach, salt, pepper and herbs and cook until the spinach is wilted. (I got quite concerned about the amount of liquid, so next time less liquid added, such as the wine/juice mix). 
On a wide surface, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it becomes a .5 cm thick circle, or however thick/thin that you are comfortable handling. My peasant hands meant that my dough firstly came out slightly flaky and brittle, so I had to constantly squish together the spots that opened in the dough, and secondly that I was too scared to make the dough too thin. Arrange the vegetable mixture in the middle of the dough, and loosely gather the dough around the filling, leaving an opening at the top (the dough won’t close completely). I also placed the diced almonds sprinkled over the top of the mixture at the end.

Place the galette on a baking sheet sprayed with Spray n Cook plonked in the middle of the oven until filling is bubbly and crust is lightly browned, about 35 to 40 minutes.

It’s not quite clear from the photos, but my goodness, delicious! The warm fresh out of the oven pastry exterior cradling the spicy and rich interior, peppered with the sweet cranberries and sharp tomatoes…gah! The moisture and intense flavour of the vegetables was soaked into the pastry, so that, when I got to eat my half, I had a lordly time eating the bits of pastry that had all the goodness seeped. nooommm.

All in my point is, wauw! This is the adult’s bunny chow! Not as guilt inducing, and completely vegan!

ETA: Take note, I ended up with quite a lot of leftover innards, but that might be because I was too much of a sissy to roll it out thinly- I suspect if one has the skills to work the dough without making it fall apart then there will be space to plonk all the ingredients inside!

The All-Situation Snack – Oat & chickpea protein bars

Well, these days, what with the two (and soon to become three) jobs, there isn’t time for the decadence of previous months vis a vis baking expeditions into the soul of the taste buds. Nevertheless, I try to, at least once a fortnight, make these beauties below, for a splash of difference in our daily dishes. These are ideal for pre-workout munchies or even for second breakfast with coffee and an apple.

I ganked the recipe from Chow Gypsy, and I’m sommer going to paste some of the recipe here:

• 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 ½ c oats
• ½ cup nut butter (I used almond nut butter, because hawmylawd it is divine, but yes…see more below- either way, it must be “drippy”)
• 1 cup packed pitted dates (about 12)
• 3 tbs toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup honey (for completely vegan vibes, use agave nectar and add in some agar agar to stabilize it somehow).
• 2 tbs applesauce (or sub maple syrup or more honey)
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 3 packets stevia (about 1 1/2 tsp) or 1-2 tbs sugar (last time I completely omitted this and they came out darn fine without)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bar dark chocolate (100 grams or about ½ c chocolate chips) (vegan!)

Directions Preheat oven to 200 degrees CELSIUS, line a baking pan with baking paper and spray it with cooking spray stuff to keep the blotchies away.

Chop dates into small pieces and blend them in the food processor for until they are relatively broken down, then add the chickpeas and let them also break down. It may start to look somewhat dry, but that’s fine. Then throw everything else except for the chocolate into the food processor and pulse just enough to blend. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the baking pan. I kept a cup of water at hand and pressed the mixture down with the back of a spoon because it really gets to be a thick mixture that needs prompting to budge and smooth out. I don’t usually fill an entire baking pan but then I just make sure my edges are nice and neat.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until sides start to brown. I usually like to leave them in somewhat.

Remove, let cool completely so that it won’t break up later. Don’t cut yet.. Once cool, remove from the pan and set yourself up for drizzling chocolate over the top. I just chuck my meltable chocolate discs into a very wiped-down bowl and go at it until I can spread chocolate over every inch with a spatula. Chow Gypsy recommends that one can also just make patterns and drizzle, but bah! Plonk back into the fridge for a while til it hardens, then cut generously.

I would have taken some to work today to share, but despite having made them on Sunday or so, they are pretty much all gone! ai ai!

Next time I’m going to introduce crushed all bran flakes and other elements, such as cranberries for a different taste and texture, but this is really divine. The almond nut butter makes it take like marzipan, which I don’t really like in general, but this is NOM.

Greetings and good cake to you

Hallo! Well, due to some self-inflicted poverty after the Christmas period (baking every day has a magical effect on one’s bank account, let me tell you!) I’ve been making a set standard of goodies each week which are low-cost but still nom and what not. I’ll post about that when I make fresh batches, but in the meanwhile, I decided to splash out and try out a new recipe! I’ve got a lovely job which has made me ill, but good news is now that I am respectably employed once more, I can bake like a boss.

Today’s concoction was actually for the purpose of having a subject to photograph for the club I’ve joined. In April our theme is food photography, so I’ve been beginning to test out my n00b skills in this regard. Thusly, I present:

Apple, pear, carrot and raisin cake topped with balsamic raspberry saucy business

(or, NOMS for short)

I’ve been trolling the internets for a day or two trying to find something colourful yet healthy that doesn’t require tofu or a thousand soaked cashews, so this deliciousness (from Deliciously Ella) is what was decided on. The original recipe seemed pretty nifty anyhow, but I wanted colour for the snaps, and thus the raspberry balsamic jazz atop came to be.

 

For the saucy business, I just threw in approximately 1 1/2 (can make it one) cups of raspberries with 2 TBSPs of balsamic vinegar and 1 TBSP of brown sugar. Let that goodness sit and simmer on the stove for plus/minus 15 minutes and smash it about a little so there aren’t many lumps left. Place in the fridge.

Then follow the delightfully easy directions from Ella. I did make some modifications  but minor: I added 1 grated carrot and 3 tsp applesauce. I also used 1 1/2 cups oats and 1 1/2 cups ground almonds, since I just couldn’t bring myself to use 2 cups of ground almonds. Next time I’ll use even less, not because it isn’t divine, but I figure it will work out healthier if I every want to serve it to diabetes-prone guests. I also let it bake for closer to 45 to 50 minutes, just for fun, because I like my cakes nogals firm if I’m going to drizzle and smear lovely red goodness atop.

 

All in all let’s just say this cake is bloody delicious and leave it at that. I really think the balsamic raspberry splash rounds off the flavours with a nice sharp edge to counter the spicy sweetness of the apple and pears and what not.

The first thing I did when I finished the slice was look at the watch to try work out when next it would be appropriate to have another slice. That good.

And of course, while I was waiting for that to bake, I quickly made some dark chocolate with ginger, goji berries and pumpkin seeds. This is pretty much always in my freezer, because it’s easy, cheaper than Lindt, and…dare I say it? better than Lindt!

 

sweet potato cookies and vegan ice-cream

Sundays are always a lazy day in our lair, but today I felt the time was right for another batch of cookies. I’ve found myself snacking here and there on dried fruit and nuts and other stuff and not getting quite the same satisfaction as munching on a big cookie, so yes. I also had lots of leftover sweet potatoes, since I’m not big on potatoey business when I can have brown rice or quinoa instead. Anyhow, found a recipe I wanted to mod, sort of just mushed a lot of random stuff together, and voila! Not very sweet but very flavourful and reasonably healthy cookies.

Preheat to 175 degrees Celsius and spray a baking sheet.

2/4 cup sweet potato puree (I boiled 3 and whizzed them in the blender)

2 TBSP ground flax seeds

1/2 cup soy milk

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup pitted dates, soaked and chopped and processed in yer blender (I usually leave mine in boiling water awhile- I also have started doing this to the goji berries and mixing the two to save time)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 banana, smushed with a fork

2 cups nutty wheat/whole wheat flour/whatever you wish

spices! (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc)

2 TBSPs grated ginger (the last of my shiny!)

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup nuts, chopped or crushed (I used pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup cranberries, raisins, goji berries…whatever you have

 

Firstly, mix the puree, flax seeds and milk in a large bowl. Mix in the processed dates (and in this case, also the cranberries), coconut oil, banana, ginger and vanilla essence. Already looking yummy and colourful!

Mix in the flour,  baking soda, spices and stir. Crush your nuts and throw that, the oats and your berries (if not using dried goji as I did) and stir well till well mushed. Measure out TBSP-sized dollops and plop onto the baking sheet- this make pretty big cookies, which is the way it should be- one cookie satisfies and gets the job done. Bake for 20 or so minutes, till you are satisfied that it is nice and browned and bouncy but firm. Not a very elegant looking cookie, but it is filling and heart-warming to look upon.

Now for ice-cream! This is seriously the easiest thing to make ever, and I do it every few days just to have some frozen treat available.

Depending on the availability of different fruits, I usually end up making a strawberry/banana mix. The strawberries give the ice-cream more of a sorbet flavour, assuredly, but it is divine and the banana gives a side of creaminess to the dessert. This is something I make when I get home from my afternoon job, and a few hours later I can dig in- NOM!

Chop your fruit in slices and place it on a baking tray. I haven’t tried any other fruit yet, but I suspect mango may be successful as an addition to the above combo. Fruit is so shiny that any ‘duds’ will easily find a place of safety in my stomach. Anyhow, once the fruit is frozen (which may be quite quickly, but I give it 1-2 hours just to settle into their new state of being) give it a few whirls in the food processor till it looks right to you. Here you can probably add nuts, a tsp of cacao, peanut butter…whatever! I’m still enjoying it ‘as is’ so I won’t be going wild just yet.

Bursting to get out of the tub!

 

 

 

Decadent and divine healthy brownies (with secret ingredients!)

I was going to go on a long winding story with my ongoing experiments with cauliflower pizza base (as in, it is essential to the dough). I am much to excited to faff about that when I could be sharing the monster I just made, not an hour ago, in this beastly hot weather.

Ganked originally from Heather Nauta over at Healthy Vegan Recipes. I had planned to make this anyhow for this week, but a day or so ago pal Anja with the divine fig tree (the fruits of which have been in recent treats and tastes) came by and handed me a beautiful jar of homemade fig jam, complete with fancy wax seal on top. So lovely! I got all jittery when I saw it, but that may be because the sugar was calling to me.

Ahem, getting ahead of my own structured self again! Anyhow, I followed Heather’s recipe to the letter, except for the part where it asks you to add in cranberries, raisins, etc. I went for a goji berri, linseed & pumpkin seed combo. Not too sure if more nuts un-healthifies it all, but lah and rah!

 

Before you add the cocoa or carob (the latter cried out to me!)  the above is pretty much what you’ll be looking for in your mixture. I am not shamefaced to say that I licked my spatula clean (after having helped my poor rattlling food processor along). That mixture alone is tasty enough for… well..everything. I had visions of pies, stoic muffins filled with surprise blobs of this wondressness…

To the *brim* of my food processor, no less! And what a batch this makes! I had foolishly prepared my medium pan (as in, it’s too small to slide into the oven by itself like a big boy, and consequently spend at least 5 minutes spreading the mixture with my spatula, trying to make sure it wasn’t going to overflow. Also, shiny.

Anyhow, after letting it feel the intensity in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 C, I took it out, poked some holes in it and spread the fig jam fro Anja quite evenly and THINLY across the entire brownie. Still uber healthy? mmmeeeeh just eat it! Figs are a great source of stuff, so it can’t be bad for you :p But seriously, this thin layer is the only true sugar kick of the lot, since the dates you use for natural sweetness in the brownie base are very subtle and natural. Yes indeed.

I couldn’t resist- I know it’s all dark and mysterious but just look at that gooeyness.  I may have jumped the gun and cut the brownies before they were completely cooled, but it’s quite late so tough. They were sooo warm and soft and moist…I may have to go downstairs again soon, for science.

 The slight bitterness the last time I made these is now offset by the fig jam, but not ridiculously so- it is quiet and zen on the tongue…until the teeth join the action and then your mind switches over to OMONOMONOM land (seriously, I spoke those words aloud to myself, muffled betwixt my bewitching concoction.

 

 

MOAR! Then bed. Goodnight!

Savoury pop tarts, zombie bars and rye pesto and cranberry loaf

I’ve just made some lemon curd, so in order to not eat it all straight away, I decided to share what I was up to yesterday.

Whilst out and about for coffee with a pal yesterday I took the opportunity to skulk about the health food stores and decided to splurge to cacao powder and spirulina, which is *super* green and therefore utterly to my liking. I’d always pussy-footed about with cocoa powder and carob, but cacao is truly in a class of its own. Once I tasted the zombie bars I was transported to a moment of utter bliss, far away from the immediacy of my brain-in-body. I was tongue, teeth, gullet and spirit, all happily communing on some cosmic plane of goodness.

Anyhow, I ganked the recipe from Veggie Nook- these are called pre-workout snacks, and I had made them fully with the intention of striking out into the wide world at a pace faster than my usual dragging about, but the outdoors is still a bit too bright and shiny for that kind of madness yet. I call them Zombie Bars, however, because they pack such a delightful and earthy punch that I really feel that with a sturdy supply of this stuff, one could truly survive the apocalypse  dashing about slaying beastly zombies and single-handedly destroying infected cities, hyped on this glorious, glorious stuff.

Nevermind my shoddy photos, just look at that seaweed green! Gooey, tasty beyond description…gah!

Ing:

About 9 or so normal pitted dates, or 5 or 6 medjool dates, soaked

2 TBSP goji berries (I had the dried ones, so I sommer chucked them with the dates to soak for the last few moments)

2 TBSP coconut oil, melted (mine is permanently melted, thanks to the weather)

1 TBSP cacao powder

1/2 – 1 tsp Macha powder (this stuff is HARDCORE- it smells like some hectic Latin American Jungle voodoo shaman pipe herb, but I can see why it is packed with endurance-kickstarting power).

1 tsp spirulina (this is what makes the mixture green- protein-rich and contains B-vitamins, which everyone yaps on about.

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

spinch salt for hardcoreness

Notice the lack of fake sugar? Ja, it’s naturally sweet & delectable. It also makes my fingers a bit green, which is just wonderful. Anyhow, process till it’s a smooth mixture, then wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge. I wrapped it in a sandwich bag and then in baking paper to store in the fridge, just so as to make shaping it easier, although my farmers’ fingers once again got the better of me. Half an hour later, cut and eat! I try to only eat one of these a day until I actually earn the right to truly call it a pre-workout snack. :p

Savoury pop tarts (ganked from Reclaiming Provincial)- the absolutely charming blog (with some delightful photography) is mostly vegetarian as far as I can see, so I had to make a number of modifications to the recipe, which is why it didn’t come out completely as I imagine it should have, as well as my pigheaded refusal to use anything but nutty wheat bran flour, which again makes making a bit more earthy and dense, and less fluffy than what I suspect pop tarts are supposed to be like. Either way, I enjoyed these very much, except they took *hours* to make (including the prep of the filling, waiting and stuff) and I figure for my vegan version one needs to dunk them in some saucy number to make them less crisp.

Nevertheless, these were the perfect excuse to roast some garlic. Just peel the skin, cut off the heads of each clove, rub in a few tsps of olive oil into the heads and plonk it in a muffin pan with foil covering the top at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 or so minutes. Once it’s done the cloves just pop out of their shells- I even ate one just like that, because it was so soft and fragrant and simply irresistible.

In terms of modifications, I obviously changed the flour type (though if you’re not so concerned with fibre as I am, then by all means actually follow the recipe :p) and used the last of my homemade vegan butter for the dough. I also made lovely chia eggs (1 TBSP chia seeds to 3 TBSPs water per egg), which always make me think of dinosaur spawn, soy milk instead of regular, and more soy milk to smear on the flour, instead of egg.

For the filling, I didn’t have cauliflower, since it all looks rather rank in the shops, so I used the last of my cabbage instead- fried it in vegan butter with a splash or two of milk with spices, then blended it with some garlic for noms. I also added some nutritional yeast and linseeds/flaxseeds, being a firm favourite of mine at the moment. What I did leave out of the final, combined filling which was probably very wrong of me was cheese, but I was just too lazy to make vegan cheese at that very moment and after a few hours of faffing about, decided to forgo it. In retrospect it may be what softens the pastry from the inside and gives the whole ensemble its tweak, but live and learn!

Finally, today I made some rye & pesto bread- my basic bread with a layer of pesto nestled inbetween. Sometimes pesto is so divine I can’t think what not to add it to, but this pesto was made with some very distinctly lemon-y basil from my dad’s garden, and so it was a bit too potent to just smear onto random stuff.

2 handfuls of basil

splash of sesame seeds (about 3 TBSPs worth)

splash of cranberries

little nugget of ginger, peeled and chopped finely

2 tsps olive oil

2 tsps lemon juice

- Blend the washed and patted down basil in a food processor, add in the sesame seeds, ginger and cranberries and blitz some more.

- when it’s broken down sufficiently, pour in the two tsps olive oil into the feeder as you’re blending until the consistency is smooth and to your satisfaction.

For the bread! Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, chuck in 1 cup stoneground rye flour & 1 cup nutty wheat bran flour, along with 2 TBSPs baking powder and 1/8 tsp of baking soda. Add any and all spices to your liking (I added nutmeg, paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper, tumeric, thyme…sjoe!). Mix nicely then make a well in the middle. Pour in 1 cup of water and mix well. Pour half the batter into a sprayed/oiled bread tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Take 4 or so TBSPs of pesto (however much you feel necessary) and create a thin layer. I chucked in some more loose cranberries and pressed them in at this stage as well. Then take the rest of the batter and smooth that over your pesto layer. Chuck it into the oven for 30-35 minutes and ta da! So delicious! Even though it has a semi-savoury filling, the bites of cranberries means that one could really smear the bread with anything, from jam to ghastly marmite, if you’re into that kind of thing.

 It isn’t a very large bread, but I’m not really into that sort of thing- this is mainly for light snacks in-between real meals or with a salad for lunch. Now off to finish my gripping novel!

Balsamic Fig Jam & Almond Cake…so many figs!

After I baked the Fig Bars the other day Anja brought some more for me to play with, which is just dangerous, because my love for figs has gotten, if possible, even wider and more intricate. It is so versatile, delicious and absolutely primal on the tongue that it lends itself to all savoury and sweet notions and fancies. As of yet, I have resisted the urge to just bite into one, because then it will be game over, and I won’t bake anymore but just recline on the couch with some DH Lawrence and feel all ethereal and stuff whilst fig pulp streams down from between my canines.

Ahem. So! I ganked this delicious and much enjoyed recipe from Rosewater and Thyme, and mmmm! I love the fact that I got to *make my own jam* in order to create this cake- in fact, the jam making is probably the most labour-intensive part of the whole process, and even then it was rendered utterly enjoyable by the fact that I was snuffling the air and licking my fingers clean of conveniently spilled balsamic, not to mention that my barbarian was reading my novel aloud to me. Bliss!

Just look at that! Glossy, glorious! OMGawsh the process is delicious- from the almost glaze of the beginnings to the thick jam of the end, glory!

This recipe makes about one cup or a dash more, so be prepared for some oorskiet, or leftovers, which never goes to waste. I donated mine to the in-laws, because we already have fig jam, but I will argue that it can hold its own against store-bought any day, and tis even better because of the balsamic undertones.

Anyhow, I won’t scribble it all out here, because Rosewater & Thyme has lovely print-out cards to share, but I will say that the one addition I made was to add a TBSP of grated ginger. Recently I bought a whole ginger piece, and ever since have been carving it into everything possible, just to try and get rid of it, but truly, the undertone of ginger in soups and stews especially is very classy like ducklings with lace-tipped wings.

I must be honest and say the reason I chose this recipe, apart from the main star ingredients, was so that I could finally make a dent in my home-made butter! I have no clue what to do with the stuff since I haven’t eaten butter or margarine as a spread or whatever since I was 5 and ate it by the TBSpoonful.

Anyhow, again, there are lovely print cards to be had, but once more I made modifications based on what I had lying around. I used chia eggs instead of flax, and I can’t get over how proud I am to have finally “mastered” such an elegant, nutritious and beautiful alternative to eggs of my ovo-past. 3 TBSPs of Chia seeds with 9 TBSPs of water, left aside for 10 or so minutes.

I also used only 1/2 a tsp of almond extract, because yowza, I’m not sure if it’s my brand or not, but usually when I bake with it it feels as if I am inhaling pure alcohol. Still, the tiny smatter of almond was just enough to make the tongue question, which is what I strive for.

Furthermore, instead of AP & WW, I used 1 1/4 cups Nutty wheat high bran flour & 3/4 cup cake wheat flour (for once! Good grief! I just felt it needed a lighter texture than my usual sort of menace). I also used 1 2/3 cups of fructose instead of 2 cups of normal sugar, so my near-diabetic FIL could enjoy some.

Oh, and finally, I was too lazy to go get sliced almonds, since we overdosed on a variety of other nuts (pumpkin seed, sesame, whole almonds, cashews, etc) so I crushed some whole almonds in my mortar & pestle and sprinkled some cranberries and pushed them into the batter slightly with my palm.

I must say, when making this part of the recipe, I marvelled at how beautifully my chia eggs blended into the mixture. I was concerned, as I got to the end of folding in the dry ingredients, at …well…how dry it all was- not at all spready as I’d expected. I added a last minute dash of soya milk just to make the stirring a tad easier, but decided to suck it up and go according to the recipe. So glad I did!

Although I had some trouble with the layers (since, again, it’s more of a spreading batter effort rather than pouring on the next layer, and my jam may have gotten a bit mushed into the top layer), the final product was, to my mind, awesome and just right! If you look below you can see the soft, darker tone of this moist and yet densely delicious cake. It’s not a cake as most South Africans know, since most cakes I see in stores are layered to the ceiling with creams and laden to the molten core with refined sugars and what not, but I would say this has a decidedly European flavour to it- say, descendants of the Frankish Empire that stuck closer to home may find it as it should be.

When the barbarian got a piece he mmmd and aammmmmd for a short while (since it lasted a very short time on the plate) and immediately asked if I could make more tomorrow if he organized more figs from our source. I told him no, not because I don’t enjoy this cake with every fibre of my soul, but because I want to move on to other fig pursuits!

He also asked if I could make this for his birthday- that is his version of the ultimate complement, since it’s usually a firm tradition of his mother making a rather glorious chocolate something cake that I have yet to veganize.  Anyhow, do try this glorious recipe, it’s really very straightforward and utter delight awaits thee!