I have a sweet tooth. Ok, that is putting it lightly. I am a sugar junkie, craving all things doughy and sweet – cupcakes filled with custards and jellies, topped with a thick layer of
rich frosting. There is nothing more satisfying than ending a meal with a slice of moist rich chocolate cake. I am the girl who makes chocolate chip cookies just to eat the raw dough. Brownie batter? That’s my drug of choice when I need an instant mood lift. When going out to eat, I would often choose a restaurant based on their dessert selection – naturally, my husband and I often found ourselves at dairy places! You can imagine my dismay when my doctor recently told me to avoid all things dairy while nursing my son. I can easily give up my pizza and Greek salad, but what about dessert?
Good news! Just in time for my non-dairy diet, I found “The Kosher Baker”, by Paula Shoyer, which contains over 160 dairy-free recipes! When I saw the photo on the cover of an Orange Tea Cake being drizzled with white icing, I knew I had found the bible of dessert cook books. I spent an entire Shabbat looking through all of the recipes, eagerly turning each page in search of my next favorite treat.
Not only is every imaginable dessert listed, but Paula has organized them into sections, such as “Quick and Elegant Desserts,” “Two Step Desserts,” and “Multiple Step Desserts and Breads.” This makes it a breeze to sort both by preparation time and how much you want to impress your guests.
Enjoy this tasty sampler for “Summer Fruit Galette” from “The Kosher Baker:”
While the depression of the 1930′s certainly presented everybody at the time with great challenges, some were actually met with quite a bit of genius and ingenuity. Some fancy food synthesis falls into this category. It’s a good thing too, because when World War II came along just a decade later, these clever foodies didn’t even miss a beat, continuing to tackle the challenge of cooking with restricted ingredients with great aplomb.
Some of their concoctions were pretty logical, while others really require a head scratch while speculating what on earth they were thinking. Some notable eyebrow-raising recipes of this era include Mock Apple Pie, a pie made almost entirely of Ritz crackers its proponents swear taste like the real thing, Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cake, a (sometimes) vegan spice cake with a very unusual ‘secret’ ingredient, and of course, my absolute favorite, Wacky Cake, a sublime chocolate cake with a moist crumb to rival that of a commercial mix. Best of all, unlike most cake mixes, it’s completely parve!
Wacky cake gets its lift from the acidity of the cocoa and vinegar combining with the baking soda. This is a fast reaction, and some even insist that this cake be mixed and baked in the same pan. However, you’ll do just fine opting to mix in a bowl, if you do some fast mixing followed by a speedy transfer to the pan and directly into a hot oven.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup oil (I like to use coconut or grapeseed, but any light, mild-flavored oil will do)
1 cup cold water
Directions:
Prepare a 8 or 9 inch baking pan, and make sure your oven is preheated to 350 and ready to go. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in either a mixing bowl or the baking pan. Combine liquid ingredients and then add to dry ingredients, quickly whisking together. If batter is mixed in a bowl, quickly transfer to baking pan. Place cake into oven immediately and bake approximately 30 – 35 minutes, or until cake springs back after pressed lightly. Cool completely before frosting.
Make a parve frosting with margarine, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt and soy milk, or simply whip together cocoa powder, marshmallow fluff, and additional powdered sugar to taste. For a more sophisticated look, top with a chocolate ganache by combining parve chocolate chips, margarine, and Mocha Mix or soy milk over medium low heat and cooling slightly before pouring over the cake. Enjoy your slice of history!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of soft margarine (from a tub), melted
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (make sure that the oven is at the right temperature with an oven thermometer).
2. Spray a square pan (8×8) with cooking spray and lightly flour it.
3. Whisk together the melted margarine and sugar in a bowl.
4. Add egg substitute and vanilla extract and whisk.
5. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix it all together.
6. Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the margarine. Add in egg and vanilla extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients up until and including the salt. Next, add in the liquid mixture and mix well. Next, stir in Rice Krispies and chocolate chips. Scoop out about a tablespoon sized mound of cookie dough and place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies. These cookies freeze well; you can freeze them in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper.
Anxious about missing your cakes and desserts over Pesach? Fear not. Once you try this recipe you will never again fear the holiday of no flour! This is a family fav and always made our house the place to be over Passover. Be prepared to make a double batch of this recipe since it’s usually devoured within minutes of leaving the oven!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of potato starch
1/2 cup of cocoa (use Hershey’s coca for the best taste!)
They taste like regular choc chip cookies, they are Amazing!! (Please note the following recipe is gebrokts)
Ingredients:
1 cup cake meal
2 Tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips by hand (kneading it). Then knead in
chocolate chips.
Roll the dough into small walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Then, flatten the
balls with the palm of your hand.
Bake on 375 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 30 small cookies.
