chocolate cake!

GF Vegan Chocolate Cake

Adapted from this Babycakes NYC recipe

1 c white rice flour

3/4 c millet flour

3/4 c tapioca starch

1/4 c teff flour

1 c gluten free cocoa powder

1 T baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

2 t guar gum

2 t salt

1 c canola oil

1 c agave nectar

1 c applesauce

1 T gluten free vanilla extract

1 c hot coffee

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly before adding wet ingredients (cocoa and

tapioca both tend to clump, make sure they are evenly distributed!). If you

have no coffee on hand, substitute hot water.

Pour into two greased round cake pans. The cakes shouldn't be very tall.

Bake at 325 for 26 minutes, switching racks at 16 minutes.

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from pans.

GF Yogurt Frosting (non-vegan)

1 qt greek style plain yogurt

1-2 T sugar (to taste)

zest from 1 orange

1/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice

1 T finely chopped fresh ginger

1/4 t salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add more zest or sugar to taste.

To Assemble:

Flip one cake out onto a cutting board, right side up if possible. With a long

knife, slice in half horizontally. Set aside top layer. Spread cake with two

heaping spoonfuls of frosting, and replace top layer upside down.

Using a second work surface, cut the second cake in half. Add frosting to the

first cake and pile on the next layer. Repeat one more time and top off with

the rest of the frosting. Your cake should look like a giant whoopie pie.

Spotted: True That on Design Sponge!

I was at Mission Bikes yesterday to deliver this shiny new batch of leg
straps for the SF Bike Expo...


When someone told me about this post on Design Sponge featuring a
Mission Bike with a True That corset!


Pretty cool to still see them around (it's been 6 months since I made one!).

Jerseys on the other hand are still coming!

true that takes on winter

so much wool! this one's claimed, but there are more in the works...

true what?

All-wool jerseys, just in time for the rain! Made from recycled wool
sweaters. If you would like a jersey, or have wool sweaters to donate,
please let me know! Jerseys are $65 with shipping.

i'm back!

and happy to be home.

here are some photos to fill you in on the past month!

chocolate and lemon layer cookies! raspberry jam in the middle from
Serendipity raspberries!


Fifth Crow Farms' scarlet queen turnips! They were so pretty I had to take
a photo, and they tasted even better than they looked!


I treated myself to a handlebar bag from Acorn Bags in LA. My ride is
complete.


We had an awesome trip to the East coast. Thanks to everyone who hosted
us, or found us along our route.



Of course, we couldn't travel without cooking. Thank goodness for
ovens!



I'll post more soon! There may even be some drawings in the works...

Bread and pizza? life is good.

Check out that sourdough! It turned into dinner for 4 as the Marshes

and I took off for Rosh Hoshana in LA. It was such a wonderfully fragrant

bread that the lady next to me on the flight asked for a piece!

And pizza for dinner the other night worked a charm. Hearty bloomsdale

spinach and mozzarella with a fresh batch of Serendipity pesto. The

dough (finally!) was not gummy in the least. I cut it while it was hot and it

kept its shape! It was cause for celebration, and time to rewrite some bread

recipes.

More pizza adventures coming soon! Off to the Castro market for me,

Sadie

Cookies!

I finally made a vegan cookie I enjoyed. With the sandy textures and the

cookies that fall apart before they reach your mouth, I thought it might

not be possible. But with a little bit of help from some leftover chocolate

ganache, these cookies were really well received. I served them at the

Evening with Food Artisans market in Carmel, and nobody walked away

without a smile.

Vegan Chocolate Curry Cookies

It helped to have a jar of ganache leftover from the cafe in my fridge. But

you can make your own ganache using a whisk or electric mixer, some

small chunks of good chocolate, and coconut oil, hot water or hot cream.

Stir it really well until the mixture is emulsified (a whisk is much more

effective than a fork or spoon). (you can also use coconut milk, or your

favorite nuts or seeds blended with water until the mix is smooth. See

this post on truffles.

the wet ingredients:

1 c coconut sugar

2 t vanilla

1/2 c chocolate ganache (straight up melted chocolate will probably work fine!)

3/4 c olive oil

1/4 c water

the dry:

1 c brown rice flour

1/2 c sorghum flour

3/4 c tapioca starch

3/4 c white rice flour

1 t xanthan gum

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 T curry powder

1/4 c flax seed meal

1/2-1 c chocolate chips

Roll cookies into balls, and toss in a bowl of sugar and salt.

Place on a pan lined with parchment paper and flatten.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. The cookies will seem soft and underdone,

but take them out and let them cool!

They will be very moist inside, so if you are saving them for another day,

refrigerate or freeze them. I ate a frozen one the next day and it was so

good cold!

Vegan Sunflower butter cookies

1 c sugar

2 t vanilla

3/4 c olive oil

1/2 c water

1/2 c sunflower seed butter

1 c brown rice flour

3/4 c tapioca starch

3/4 c white rice flour

1/2 c millet flour

1 t xanthan gum

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 c flax seed meal

sunflower seeds

chocolate chips

Roll batter into balls and flatten. Bake at 350 12-14 minutes.

I made some of these into thumbprint cookies with leftover ganache in

the middle. They were perfect. Store these in the fridge or freezer as well.