Category: Non-Dairy

Earl Grey Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla “Buttercream”

~ Max ~ 1 Comment

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Building on my last post, I’ve been on a little bit of a tea-kick. David’s Tea Cream of Earl Grey is one of my favourites, and incorporating it into some of my favourite recipes has been a unique challenge. I modified my vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve been using for nearly 10 years to add the strong earl grey flavour, giving these cupcakes a unique depth.

It took a few tries until this experiment was a success! After all, this is why we chose to call this blog The Science of Baking.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

1/2 cup earl grey concentrate (2-3 tbsp. earl grey tea and 1/2 cup boiling water)
1 3/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) nondairy margarine, room temperature, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 eggs
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the icing:

1 cup (2 sticks) nondairy margarine (softened)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

1) Steep Earl Grey tea (in filter) with 1/2 cup boiling water. Allow to cool
2) Add the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on medium speed until well combined (about a minute).
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3) Add margarine, a few cubes at a time until mixture resembles coarse sand.
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4) Add eggs one at a time
5) Slowly pour in almond milk, vanilla and earl grey concentrate. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth (works best with a mixer), scraping sides of bowl as needed.
6) Fill liners 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup batter) and bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden brown and centre is set.
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Allow to cool completely before frosting.
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7) Make the Frosting: Cream margarine. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add almond milk and beat until fluffy. If desired, add food colouring.FullSizeRender 26.jpg
Makes 24 cupcakes. These freeze well unfrosted in a ziploc style bag. As well, the batter can be made in a 9 x 13 sheet pan (bake for 35-45 mins) or 9-inch circular pans (bake 25-35 mins) to make a cake.

Science Fact of the Week:

Similar to our friends the blueberries, Pure Vanilla Extract is rich in anti-oxidants such as vanillin. Using imitation vanilla decreases the anti-oxidant quantity, and therefore decreases potential health benefits. Vanilla has been shown to be anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory,and anti-bacterial. As a result, it may reduce one’s risk of certain cancers. 

Raisin Bran Muffins

~ Marvin ~ Leave a comment

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These high fibre muffins were actually the first thing that I ever baked many years ago.  I was looking for a recipe that was “healthy” and tasted great without all of the preservatives and less nutritious ingredients that store bought muffins tend to have. Over the years I’ve modified the recipe, but these muffins are still lovingly referred to in our house as “Poo Muffins” because of their high fibre content.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup natural wheat bran
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup All-Bran Buds
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tbsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk/soy milk/buttermilk
1/2 cup orange/apple/pomegranate juice
1 egg and 1 egg white
1/2 cup demerara style brown sugar
1/4 cup olive/grapeseed/canola oil
1/8 cup fancy molasses
raw sugar/turbinado sugar and large flake oats (about 1/4 tsp. each per muffin), optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

1) In a large bowl, combine wheat bran, oat bran, All-Bran, flours, baking soda, salt and raisins
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2) In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients and mix well.
3) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir together until just mixed.
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4) Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins and sprinkle muffins with  raw sugar/turbinado sugar and large flake oats.
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6) Bake for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched.   Makes 12 muffins.
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You can make extra batter and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days before baking off more muffins.  These freeze well in ziploc type bags.

Science Fact of the Week:

Dietary fibre has been shown to have numerous health benefits. There is a reason we call these “Poo Muffins”. Beyond keeping you regular, these muffins may decrease inflammation of the gut and help reduce symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

~ Marvin ~ 5 Comments

As the Patriarch of the family, I was told I should take the lead for this first post. I opted to post a staple in this household: Fruit Crisp.

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We make seasonal variations of this crisp year round. In the winter, apple-pear, and in the summer, blueberry-peach.

Always a crowd pleaser, this crisp is easy to throw together in a pinch.

Ingredients:

For the fruit base:

8 peaches, peeled and sliced into large chunks
2 dry pints (approximately 4 cups) fresh blueberries, washed
1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup large flake oats
3/4 cup demerara style brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 sticks vegan margarine, cold, cut into cubes (eg. Earth Balance)

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix fruit base ingredients into large bowl and transfer to a 9×13-inch pyrex dish.

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Pulse the flour, oats, sugars, nutmeg and cinnamon in a food processor until well mixed.  Add the margarine and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

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Top the fruit with the mixture and bake for 45-50 minutes until fruit is bubbly.

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This is our family’s traditional Friday night/Shabbat dessert in the summer when peaches and blueberries are fresh.  The crisp can be kept covered with foil and warmed until it is time to serve.  It also is a great Sunday evening cottage finale.  The topping can be made up to 2 days before and refrigerated in a large ziploc type bag.

Recipe can also be adapted to be made in individual ramekins. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

To make this gluten-free: You may substitute the all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour and swap the oats for gluten-free oats.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and served cold or reheated.

Science Fact of the Week:

Blueberries are rich with anthocyanins. In fact, anthocyanin levels are significantly higher in blueberries compared to other berries such as strawberries and raspberries. Anthocyanins can be considered antioxidants, and may be linked to a decreased risk of cancer and lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes.