Cookbook Review: Babycakes Covers the Classics

        The boyfriend's birthday is next month and that means that birthday planning starts now. There are a couple of surprises up my sleeve this year and this year I am determined to keep this a surprise until his birthday. I'm sure if he guessed anymore than twice he'd know what I was getting for him, but I like to let myself think that I'm clever and awesome about gifting, however far from reality that may be. 

        Beyond gifts and surprises, birthdays also mean cake! There isn't much that gets me more excited for an event than the prospect of fresh-out-of-the oven cake. However, summertime in Texas makes me dread using the oven for an extended amount of time, especially since our AC duct into the kitchen is blocked somehow. The plan for an ice cream cake hatched at work while I was talking with a woman I sit near about cake in general. The conversation turned to ice cream cake and when I mentioned that I'd never had one she nearly fainted and insisted that I eat an entire one as soon as I am able. With a birthday coming up, I figured why not make one? The hunt was on for a recipe of some kind to guide my way through a vegan and gluten free ice cream cake.

        I hunted around and found Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, a gluten free and vegan cookbook devoted to desserts, and wouldn't ya know, there's a recipe for ice cream cake in it! It's as simple as I thought it would be, consisting of a basic chocolate cake, two flavors of ice cream layered, topped with another chocolate cake, and drizzled with chocolate sauce before being frozen. While I won't follow the directions exactly, the basic principle will be the same. I'll post about it, complete with pictures, when that goes down, because it will be spectacular!

        Besides the ice cream cake recipe, Babycakes is filled with amazing recipes to tempt you into giving your sweet tooth more pleasure than you'll know what to do with. There are so many amazing recipes in this book from one of my childhood favorites, pineapple upside down cake, to cake donuts, bread pudding, German chocolate cake, and even crispy rice squares! There are a couple of appetizers thrown in, as well, to balance things out. Everything is vegan and gluten free, and the recipes are simple to follow with well written directions, easy to find products, and a few pictures of the finished products spattered throughout. 

        Something I hardly ever mention about a book is the index, and who the heck really cares, anyway. This book, however has a very well laid out index and it's rather in-depth. In addition to the index is a store listing of where to buy the ingredients online. This is amazing and exciting for those of us who live in smaller than average towns and who sometimes have to drive and drive and drive to reach any kind of decent grocer. 

        Enjoy the book and let me know what you think about it!
- Patricia

Continue Reading...

Lemonade Cookies

     Summertime here in Texas can be sweltering, to say the least. The temperature stays above 100 for weeks on end and there is little rest at night with lows remaining in the upper 80s.

     Despite these soaring temperatures, there are ways to beat the heat. Ice cream and popsicles abound in our household during the summer months. Freshly squeezed lemonade and homemade sweet tea are also essential must haves during the summertime. This summer, the lemons we were getting seemed to be lacking a bit and I only made two pitches of lemonade the entire summer.

     The summer heat has broken now, the winds are blowing a bit cooler and everyone is anxious for sweater weather to be here. I always secretly hold out that there will be one last heat wave before winter sets in, but it rarely happens. In my efforts to hold onto the summertime magic, I decided it was high time to make some lemon cookies.

     I was disappointed in them the first day and was hoping they would come out much better than what they were, but after leaving them out overnight they were the perfect lemon cookie! Slightly crumbly and not too wet. Just one half cup of sugar in these cookies lets the lemon zest and juice shine through in a wonderfully mouth puckering desert.



Lemonade Cookies

1/4 C potato starch
1 1/2 C sweet sorghum flour
1 t xanthum gum
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 egg
1 lemon zest
3-5 t lemon juice
1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C soy milk
1/2 C evaporated cane juice

Heat oven to 350. Mix 2t of lemon juice with soy milk, stir and let stand for about five minutes. Mix flours, xanthum gum, baking soda and baking powder together in large bowl until mixed well. Remove 1/2 the flour mixture and set aside. Add oil to remaining flour and mix well. Add egg, sugar, zest, milk mixture to dry and mix well. Add remaining flour to bowl and stir well. Add lemon juice to taste.

Grease a sturdy piece of aluminium or a cookie sheet and drop by the spoonful. Bake for about ten to twelve minutes or until slightly browned on the otter edge. Use any remaining lemon juice and mix with sugar to create a glaze and top cookies with mixture as they cool on racks.

Leave out over night and store in an air tight container the following day.

Continue Reading...