Vegan Tiramisu

This cake is made on the base of cafe Gratitude recipe.

RECIPE:

Ingredients for cake layers :

1 1/3 cups chopped dates

1/2 coconut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 TSP vanilla

30 ounces of almond flower (can be after making almond milk or freshly grounded)

1/2 cup espresso

Ingredients for chocolate mousse:

1/2 ounces washed and soaked for 24 hours Irish moss
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/4 cups chopped dates
1/4 cups agave syrup
2 Tsp vanilla (extract)
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup cacao powder
1Tsp soy lethitin
1/2 cup coconut oil (or mix coconut oil and white cacao butter)

Ingredients for white mousse:

2 Tsp vanilla

2 1/4  coconut milk (I used coconut cream)

1 1/2 cups soaked overnight cashew

1/2  cup + 2 Tsp agave syrup

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tsp soy lethitin

2/3 coconut oil or mix with white cacao butter

Decoration:

1/4 cup cacao powder

Preparation of cake layers:

Pure the dates in the blender.  You might need to add a little bit of water.

In the food processor combine date pure, coconut oil, vanilla and mix them well on slow speed.  Add almond flower and mix all on high speed.

Remove from the food processor and divide into 2 equal part.

Line the square form for the cake with parchment paper so that it will stick out above the walls of the form (to make it easier to get the cake out of the form when it is fully assembled).  Press into the form the first part of the cake layer mixture. Make sure it is even in height and smooth the surface with a square spatula.

Soak the layer with a half of prepared espresso.  Than put it in a freezer for about an hour.

Preparation of chocolate mousse.

Rinse Irish moss from salt and sand.  Cut it in small peaces and put in a blender.  Add 1/2 cup of almond milk and process moss with it till smooth. Irish moss works best when it is heated.  You can heat it either in a dehydrator below 116 degrees to keep it live or if you don't care you can heat it in a pan - it will become noticeably thicker, which will help to harden the mousse layer.  

Add the rest of almond milk, dates, agave syrup, salt and cacao powder.  Mix all well till smooth.  Add soy lethitin and coconut oil.  Mix well.

Get the cake form with frozen cake layer and pour over it chocolate mousse.  Again put in the freezer for an hour or hour and a half.

When chocolate mousse hardens spread over it the second part of the cake layer mixture, make sure it is even in height and smooth and pour over it the rest of espresso and put back in the freezer. 

Preparation of white mousse

Mix till smooth all the ingredients excluding lethitin and coconut oil. 

Add lethitin and coconut oil and mix well again. 

Pour over 3 frozen layers (2 cake layers and chocolate mousse between them) and put back into the freezer.

Decoration

When white mousse layer gets harder (not totally frozen) pour chocolate powder over it to cover completely and stick a few almonds in the middle.  In addition you can also decorate it with chopped coffee or cacao beans.  After that put into the freezer till the cake freezes completely.

When it is frozen take it out of the freezer and then pull it out of the form by the ends of parchment paper layering.  Peal off the paper and carefully cut off a little bit of a cake on each side to make the layers look more pronounced and sharp.

Note: using mixture of coconut oil and cacao butter instead of pure coconut oil will make the mousse layers harder, which in general will help the cake to hold the shape better.

Keep in the freezer and get out in an hour before slicing and serving. 

Spring time and vegan hollandaise

Spring time - the best time for asparagus.  Many like it with hollandaise sause. It doesn't mean though that one has to consume eggs or dairy with it.  It is very easy to make vegan hollandaise sause.

Ingredients:

• tofu 1/2 cup
• soaked cashews 1/2 cup
• soy cream 1/2 cup
• lemon juice 2-3 Tsp
• salt - 1/2-3/4 tsp
• turmeric 1/2 tsp

Preparation:


Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Turn on high speed and process till smooth. The mixture has to be like thin batter for creps. If it is too thik - add more soy cream.  Adjust according to your taste the amount of lemon juice and salt.

Then pour the mixture into a small sause pan over medium heat. Mix it constantly with wooden spoon. As getting hotter it will start scrumbling (almost like if there were real eggs) and turning more bright yellow. When it will become thicker and brighter the sause is ready!

Cheese with Pesto

basic cheese with pesto
(click the image to enlarge)

This cheese was made the same way as the BASIC CHEESE, but after fermentation there was added pine nut pesto layer into it.

PREPARATION:

1) Place prepared earlier basic cheese or fermented cheese cream  in the freezer. Keep it in the cloth and if it is not holding its shape yet in the mold.

2) When it freezes peel off the cloth and cut the frozen cheese all the way through horizontally in two equal parts

3) spread evenly a layer of pesto on the bottom part and cover it with the top part.

4) Wrap it in a fresh cheese cloth and place in the mold to make sure that it doesn't loose its shape.

5) Put it in refrigerator.
Let it stay there till it is completely defrosted and the layer of pesto evenly fills the gap between the top and bottom parts of the wheel.

6) It can be kept in refrigerator just like the basic cheese in order to get it firmer by changing each day its cheese cloth wrap.

INGREDIENTS FOR PESTO:

• pine nuts
• basil
• salt
• a clove of garlic sliced 

PREPARATION OF PESTO:

place all the ingredients into a small food processor and let them turn into a spread like paste, which still contains some visible particles of nuts and basil.