Cake Truffles Surrounded by Mini-Cupcakes (size perspective)

Cake Truffles – Step Two – The Balls

Step 2.1 – Make Vegan Frosting (see below)
Step 2.2 – Crumble cooled cake into large bowl
Step 2.3 – Add 1-2 cups vegan frosting to crumbled cake and combine thoroughly until sticky
Step 2.4 – Form balls
Step 2.5 – Chill in refrigerator or freezer

Step 2.1 – Make Vegan Frosting
While your cake is cooling completely, begin Step Two by making 1-2 cups worth of vegan buttercream frosting. As with the cake, you can use any of your favorite frosting recipes, in any flavor you’d like. Mixing and matching flavors is part of the fun!

Since I was creating treats for a formal occasion, I kept my balls simple: chocolate cake (see Step One) and vanilla buttercream frosting (see below).

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero)

Makes 2 cups worth (I halved the original recipe)
1/4 c. nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 c. vegan butter (Earth Balance)
1 3/4 c. confectioner’s sugar, sifted if clumpy
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 c. non-dairy milk or creamer

Beat the shortening and vegan butter together until well-combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and milk or creamer, beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

Step 2.2 – Crumble completely-cooled cake into large bowl.

Step 2.3 – Add 1-2 cups vegan frosting to crumbled cake and combine thoroughly until sticky. Using your fingers works best.
(For one of my 9×13 cakes, I used 2 cups frosting, for the other, I used 1 cup frosting. Both ways worked just fine.)

Step 2.4 – Form balls
Your balls can range in size from about a quarter diameter to golf ball size. It’s your preference and discretion. Mine were about quarter-sized and I was able to create 100 balls from one 9×13 cake.

Step 2.5 – Chill in refrigerator or freezer
Put balls into an air-tight container and chill.
Fridge chill time = 4 hours or more
Freezer chill time = 2 hours or more
The balls freeze nicely. I made mine in batches one week in advance of the wedding and froze them. They were perfect the day of and nicely-chilled balls makes for easy chocolate coating later (Step Three on the way).

Chocolate Cake Truffles (photo by Melissa Dettloff)

I like to call them Chocolate Cake Truffles for fancier occasions, but when I’m speaking in the vernacular “cake balls” will do. The “truffle” terminology, however, actually explains better what these precious balls of joy really taste like. A rich, dense, cake center, with a deep, dark, and equally rich, chocolate coating. I made these as my wedding gift for bride/groom friends to serve at their wedding reception, and they were such a hit, I thought I’d share the process with you.

In a bizarre, round-about way, these cake truffles actually fit with my Vegan MoFo theme, Veganizing Martha’s Muffin, since the first time I ever heard the term “cake balls” was when I was getting a haircut and my stylist was telling me about seeing them “on Martha Stewart or somewhere.”

During a search, I ended up on a cute, non-vegan, cake-y kind of website, that helped me figure out the basic principles of the “cake ball”. However, the site’s methods include using a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. And the total regular and vegan snob that I am, just wouldn’t have anything to do with that. So I went all scratch-vegan on those balls and created my own classy, sassy, sophisticated cake truffle.

Because the method occurs in three distinct steps, I will post the method in three separate posts. It’ll make your life easier. And I’m not just saying that to up my Vegan MoFo posting obligation. Heh-heh.

Cake Truffles – Step One – The Cake
You can use any of your favorite cake recipes, in any flavor you’d like. The beauty of this concept is that you can mix and match your cake-y truffle inside with whatever frosting and outer coating flavors you’d like. Play! And see what happens.

I used a basic chocolate cake. I purposefully chose a recipe that resulted in an understated chocolate flavor, which became important later, after Step Two.

Chocolate Cake (adapted from Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon)

Cooking spray or oil to grease cake pan
2 c. sugar
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3 c. unbleached white all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. water
1/2 c. mild oil (corn or canola)
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease/spray 9″ x 13″ cake pan. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir well. Pour the water mixture into the cocoa-flour mixture, whisking vigorously for a couple of minutes, until smooth and free of lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and whack it on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Bake until the edges of the cake pull away from the pan sides slightly and the cake tests clean with a toothpick, about 30-35 minutes.

For Cake Truffles, allow cake to cool completely.

Yikes! I’m excited and terrified. Scrumpdilly is taking part in this year’s – the third annual – Vegan MoFo, for which I must post 20 blog entries during the month of October, all about vegan food.

I’m excited! I’ve been craving a new project and this one came about at just the right moment, in between getting out of the 18-wheeler and doing laundry. So here we are. The Vegan Month of Food. Me and you. Scrumpdillies reconnecting. And veganity, in food form, our kiss on the lips. Exciting, right! Yeah, on one hand…

On the other…Mommy?! I’m absolutely terrified. Terrified I tell you. A few weeks ago, I started a list of blog entry possibilities and stuck it on my fridge. The ideas were varied: recipes, road food, kitchen staples, favorite appliances, restaurant reviews, aaaaand – HO-HUM, BORING! I threw away the list and at the last minute decided to go with a theme.

The Plan:
Oct 1- 2 = Regular Scrumpdilly-type posts that have been in my apron pocket waiting for just the right moment to be exposed (believe me, you want).

October 3 – 31 = Theme activation.

The Theme – Veganizing Martha’s Muffin:
I’ll be veganizing Martha Stewart recipes throughout the month. I might work on one recipe until it seems about right, that is, if I think it has potential for becoming perfectly scrumptious. Others, I’ll bust through and move on. No need to waste time on FAILS.

Week One = Appetizer
Week Two = Entree
Week Three = Side or Salad
Week Four = Dessert

Scrumpdilly Vegan MoFo Disclaimers:
*I’ll post a minimum 20 times during October in sticking with the Vegan MoFo agreement, however I have the right and authority to do whatever I have the right and authority to do.

*The #1 Scrumpdilly blog rule, I have to be behind it before I’ll write it, is destined to be broken. If it isn’t scrumptious, you’ll know it. Avoid the FAIL.

*Even after three years, I’m still a baby vegan who knows little of how to veganize without an Empress Vegan Guide. But, it’s all about food and fun and effin’ it. So who the hell cares what happens!

*Despite my theme’s name, I will not be making muffins. I don’t really like muffins. The name is a double-entendre. You can ask me about the back-story later. It’s not that interesting.

Vegan MoFo Background:
The Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo) began in 2007 when Queen of Vegans Everywhere, Isa Chadra Moskowitz, was inspired by NaNoWriMo and decided to give it a vegan-inspired twist. She encouraged vegans (and non-vegans) to blog about vegan food during the month of October (NaNo occurs in November). This year’s Vegan MoFo is gonna be hefty with over 320 bloggers participating. You can follow along until your tummy’s content by tapping into the public RSS Feed.

See you in later tonight for the first food pic and post!

Vegan MacN'

Once I discovered the absolute deliciousness of the Nacho Cheeeze Sauce, I wondered to myself if I could use that same recipe with a few adjustments (okay one) to make a nice Macaroni ‘N’ Cheeeze recipe. And guess what, it worked! Beautifully! Again, kiddie-poos, it’ll be all you can think about for the next two weeks.

MacNCheeeze

1 package elbow macaroni
2 cups water
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
4 oz. jar pimentos, drained
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni cooks, begin to make the cheeeze by combining all ingredients in blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat until thickened, 6 – 10 minutes. When macaroni is cooked to your liking, drain, and return to saucepan. Pour thickened cheeeze mixture over the macaroni and stir. Continue adding cheeeze mixture until desired MacN’Cheeeze consistency is reached (around 1 1/2 cups). Leftover cheeeze can be used as a dip later.

Green Pasta

My friend Melissa had my back when she sent me this recipe to try out. Five words: Twenty minutes to eatin’ heaven.

Green Pasta (veganized by Melissa; adapted from Everyday Food)

3/4 lb. fettuccine or other wide pasta
2 cups packed fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
10 oz. frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta, drain and return to pot.

In a food processor, puree basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice until a paste forms. With machine running, add oil in a thin stream; process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add pesto to pasta in pot plus a little bit of water, if necessary. Add spinach and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with walnuts and more nutritional yeast, if desired.

Nacho Cheeeze Sauce

The date I printed this recipe and filed it in my “To Try” folder was over two years ago, 3/8/2007. I finally got around to testing it out, and holy effin’ crap! What the hell was I waitin’ for all these years? We’ll never know.

Actually, yes we will. I’m a fake cheese hater. Can’t stand the whole lot of them. Even the ones super-vegans rave about. Me, I’m all keep your plastic, rubber-y, icky tasting fake cheese to yourselves. Then I made this and became a lover. Maybe because this isn’t fake and plastic and processed, but warm, delicious, thick, gooey, homemade, and juuuust right.

This recipe is so quick and easy, you’ll be making it all the time. Hear me now, believe me in two weeks…when it’s all you can think about.

Nacho Cheeeze Dip (the three “e’s” are mine, the recipe from Vegan Lunchbox)

2 cups water
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
4 oz. jar pimentos, drained
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat until thickened, 6 – 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups.

Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole

I’ve been absent the last six weeks. You can send me to detention or we can just start anew. I choose the latter, which is why I decided to introduce you to a breakfast item. Starting fresh makes me think of a new day, so we have to have breakfast!

I discovered this casserole over the holidays, then I altered the recipe from its original form, so that it would have a little more umph. I still serve mine with Tabasco, but on its own, it’s damn tasty.

Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole (adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 pkg. frozen spinach (10 oz.), thawed and squeezed dry
2-4 cloves garlic
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. firm tofu (16 oz.), drained and crumbled
4 patties soy sausage, thawed if frozen and crumbled
3 cups unsweetened almond milk or other unsweetened dairy-free milk
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
6-8 slices sourdough bread

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and no liquid remains, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, tofu, soy sausage, 1 cup of the almond milk, mustard, dill, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well, then blend in the onion/mushroom mixture and the remaining 2 cups of almond milk. Set aside.

Tear the bread into chunks or bite-sized pieces and place in a lightly-oiled 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the spinach mixture over the bread, spreading it out evenly. Either set aside until the liquid is absorbed (30-60 minutes) or refrigerate overnight. (If refrigerating overnight, bring back to room temperature before baking.)*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly browned and puffed, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

*I’ve tried it both ways; my preference is overnight refrigeration. If I recall, I brought it out, let it sit for about 30-45 minutes, then put it in the oven right when I turned it on, so that it pre-heated along with the oven. Perfect!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m a 10 days late and several dollars short, but I’m giving you my list anyway. Better you know than not. In no particular order (da-ta-ta-da-ta-DA!)

Curly's Vegetarian Lunch

If you’re in New York City and you’re looking for something to eat, stop by this quaint and spectacular “diner”. They serve sandwiches, salads, burgers, breakfast, and sides. All vegetarian with many, many, many vegan options. We happened to be in the City the day after my birthday, so this is where we celebrated for lunch. It’s difficult for me to narrow down the particular food highlight, because it was all completely scrumptious. Buuuut, don’t miss the gravy-smothered fries or the (Holy Crap, this is the best-I’ve-ever-had) Red Velvet Cake. In all my vegan reading, I had never heard of this place. Damn shame, but we’re changing that, right now! Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Giovanni Straight Fast

I just discovered this hair product and can’t imagine my life without it. Use about a dime-sized dollop for jaw-length hair. Makes my hair feel soft, shiny, and younger. I guess what I mean is that when I wear this product, my hair feels the way it did when I was in my teens and twenties. It straightens it very, very nicely and smells reeeal good! Fresh, straight, soft, shiny, and young. Huh. Seriously, could I ask for more? Giovanni Straight Fast = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Queen Bee Creations

I first discovered Queen Bee Creations in 1999 after admiring a friend’s handbag and asking her to pass along the webshop info. After my first few purchases I had the opportunity to become more intimate with Queen Bee’s business practices and products when I carried them in a boutique I used to own. I still get warm and fuzzy inside knowing that my support over the last 10 years has helped Queen Bee Creations owner, Rebecca Pearcy supply her employees with healthcare benefits and good wages, something so rare and precious in the small, independent business environment. Every item purchased from this group of fantastic people helps support the kind of small business economy we all dream of for the future. Even though I’m listing Queen Bee as a 2008 find, my feeling is: Queen Bee Forever! The quality is high, so much so, that I continue to use the wallet I purchased in 2002, simply because it still is completely IN TACT! Queen Bee’s designs are functional, practical, and beautiful. My “winter” handbag is pictured above. Stuff for guys, too. Queen Bee Creations = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Smashbox Eyeliner

I love this little kit by Smashbox! Cream eyeliner goes on thin or super-thick depending on your brush size. More importantly, it stays put after application. No smearing or smudging on its own, you’d have to do that manually if you want the smoky look. Looks to me like all the cream eyeliner colors are awesome, but the kit allows you to play around with any color you want. Stay vegan by staying away from their brushes. Baby steps hopefully mean synthetic brushes on the way. Smashbox Cream Eyeliner = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Smashbox Mascara

Another Smashbox product passes my rigorous tests. This mascara makes my lashes look thick and long, yet natural despite the amount I have to use to make my thinnie-minnies look like lashes at all. Having such good luck with two products from this cruelty-free company makes me want to try more. Again, stay away from their brushes. Smashbox Bionic Mascara = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Florere Cream Deodorant

Finding natural deodorants that actually work is difficult, but I’ve discovered a new one that I absolutely love! The smell is clean with lavender undertones. Application is easy, smooth, and sheer, leaving no mess. It’s not abrasive, so there is no irritation after using it on cleanly shaved armpits. You can get it in stick format, but for some reason, I like the idea of a cream. Florere Cream Deodorant = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Salt Lake City

With its slew of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, endless network of bike paths, a downtown street car system, easily accessible and free downtown street parking, plenty of nearby outdoor activity areas and beautiful scenery, Salt Lake City was a pleasant surprise when we visited for a few hours last summer. We were passing through on our way to California. Our vehicle, an 18-wheeler, caused us no problem when we tried to park near downtown. We actually parked for free on a street just outside of the downtown core. We walked all over downtown, shopped at a local, independent bookstore, peeked into a local music venue, and ate at one of the many vegan options we found online. Salt Lake City is beautiful and has an odd, under-the-radar coolness, exactly the way I like. I’d like to go back and visit again, this time for more than one evening. I get the sense there’s much more here than meets the eye or the preconception. Salt Lake City = Scrumptious 2008 Pick!

Fake chicken cutlets get sliced up for "Chicken" and Celery Stir-fry

Ever since I made 64 fake chicken cutlets for a gumbo I was going to sell at an event I help organize, I’ve been completely obsessed with the fake. chicken. cutlet. Obsessed! I’ve been trying to plan my evenings and weekends so that I can make more.

Here’s the low-down on the Fake Chicken Cutlet:

Find the recipe here.
Each batch makes around 20-24 cutlets.
You can use the Zip bag dough-rolling technique; that’s what I did.
You can store them in the fridge for a good while.
I bet you can freeze them for longer storage.
The broth makes a delicious base for a stir-fry white sauce (see above pic).
The recipe is easy and painless.
Thank you Joanna from Yellow Rose Recipes for changing my life!

Thanksgiving Plate

One o’clock = Cornbread made in an iron skillet
Three o’clock = 1/2 sweet potato the way I like ‘em. Plain.
Six o’clock = Green beans & cremini mushrooms in wine and garlic*
Eight o’clock = Red-skinned mashed potatoes** with Diner Gravy (the original way)
Ten o’clock = Seitan Roast with Diner Gravy
In-the-middle = Oven-roasted brussel sprouts and garlic*
Not pictured = cranberry sauce and apple pie

*Thanks Vegan with a Vengeance
**My secret to the best mashed potatoes on the planet: a touch of white pepper (1/2 tsp maybe).