Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)

I have had plans to make a rhubarb upside down cake since the first Farmer's Market of the season.  I've been carrying around some reference recipes, waiting for rhubarb to show up at the market.  We missed a couple of weeks but made it this weekend and scored some beautiful pink young rhubarb.  I have never made anything with it but I knew I liked it with strawberries in pie.  I've also never made an upside down cake, so this is at least two firsts for me.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10... or maybe a 10 if just judging on flavor.

When I pulled the cake from the oven, I thought it was a failure.  However, closer examination and tasting later led me to change my mind.  It has taken all of our willpower to make it last multiple days and not gobble it all up at once.  I would make some changes in the future to make it prettier, mainly using less sugar and vegan butter, but I do think I'm on to a great recipe!  Maybe if my dad is lucky- this will be his Father's Day gift.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)
by: Me!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 lb rhubarb, washed, trimmed, and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp vegan butter, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup non dairy milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the topping (which ends up on the bottom of the cake) by stirring together the first set of ingredients (4 tbsp melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp coarse salt) until moist and crumbly.  Set aside
2. Butter a deep 9 inch round cake pan.  Dot the bottom of the pan with 4 tbsp of vegan butter.
3. Toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of sugar, let stand for 2 minutes.  This helps bring the rhubarb's natural juice out.  Toss again and spread into the pan.  Top with the remaining sugar from the rhubarb bowl.
4. Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl.
5. Combine oil, milk, vanilla, orange zest and juice, and vinegar in a small bowl.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.  You may have leftover batter.  Allow room in the pan for the cake to rise (leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch).
7. Top the batter in the pan with the crumbly topping.
8. Bake the cake on a center rack for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted almost the whole way in comes out clean.  The bottom of the cake with the rhubarb and butter will stay gooey.
9.  Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes.  Flip it over too soon and it will be molten and dangerous; flip it too late and it will be glued to the pan.

Notes:
- I would reduce the butter used to dot the pan by at least 1/2.
-I would also suggest reducing the sugar mixed with the rhubarb by 1/4 of a cup.
-The top of my cake was a little too gooey for it to look pretty, so that's why I suggest the above.
-My cake pan was too full and the batter spilled over the sides of the pan, also contributing to it's ugliness.
-This cake ended up being very, very good.  It's mild and moist.  You could get away with cutting the sugar in the batter too.

Rhubarb mixed with sugar.

Pan dotted with vegan butter.

Juicy rhubarb in the pan.

Oops... it spilled over!

Not as pretty as I was shooting for.  You can see the potential.

Vegan Carrot Cake

I had been planning on making goodies for Brent's family's Easter but we ended up not going.  Luckily, I responded quickly to an Easter invite for my family and declared myself in charge of dessert before my sister got to it...(I don't have any kids and also have lots of bakers in my family and friend circle so I never get to make cakes!) 
I have a vegan carrot cake recipe that I LOVE despite the fact that it is borderline pudding by the time it gets to the table. Or, that's why I like it.  I haven't decided.
For Easter I topped it with beloved real cream cheese frosting, but I also have included a vegan cream cheese frosting below that is equally tasty (and has been known to fool people).
I had some leftover batter and made bunny cupcakes with it.  I have to make them every year because otherwise I have to get rid of the pan, which I refuse to do because I scored it super cheap at Goodwill.  They are impossible to decorate precisely, so this year I gave up and dumped them in coconut flakes.

I was very excited to decorate the cake, but it didn't go so hot.  For one thing, I exhausted myself making the frosting without an electric mixer and was shaking as a result.  Also, I don't have the right equipment.  (Don't get me wrong, I did use it as an opportunity to get an offset spatula and frosting sculptor.)  I saw Alton Brown use one on TV.  However, I need a spinning cake plate to perfect the technique and that's not something I'm going to buy right before moving!  Let's get one more thing that doesn't fit in a box and is awkward to carry!  Right?
The cake was delicious and it made it to Easter despite riding on my lap in the car since my wonderful carrier is MIA.

Here's the recipe:
Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake
Yield= one 9x13 pan or two 8 inch round cakes or 22-24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 c. grated carrots
1 c. nondairy milk (I used almond)
1 1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. maple syrup,
1/2 c. crushed walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 3. Grate the carrots and add along with the rest of the ingredients except for the walnuts to the flour mixture. Gently fold until just combined.  Mix in the walnuts.
Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 pan. Bake for 40-50 min at 350F until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  8 inch pans = 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Cool for 30 min and then frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting:


Ingredients:
16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
1. Blend butter and cream cheese until combined and fluffy.  Make sure both are at room temp. or they will get lumpy.
2. Blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 c (58 g) Earth Balance vegan spread, softened
1/4 c (58 g) vegan cream cheese, softened (I used Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated Spread)
2 c (312 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4-1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions:
1. Cream together the margarine and cream cheese just until combined.
2. Sift in the powdered sugar in half-cup batches, whipping thoroughly combined after each addition.
3. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and whip until fluffy.

We had a very nice Easter with family and a beautiful day after a week of rain.  Here's the sunset from our living room:

Blueberry Pound Cake with Berries and Yogurt Sauce

While we were in Pensacola Beach, my parents renewed their vows.  I wanted to bake a nice treat for all of us to enjoy after the ceremony and my thirteen-year-old brother wanted to make a cake he made last year, so we combined our ideas and made blueberry pound cake with berries and yogurt sauce.

Working in a rental house's kitchen and with my brother was a challenge, but luckily I've become skilled at whipping up recipes without an electric mixer.  We doubled the recipe and each made our own pan.  We definitely succeeded because they both came out looking the same!  My brother did a really good job and tried to recall what he learned in his Family and Consumer Education Class (F.A.C.E) in 7th grade.  Now if he would just quit eating all the berries while we went along!


Blueberry Pound Cake
Yield: one 9x13 pan

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tube pan with 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle pan with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix together 2 3/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Dredge blueberries with remaining 1/4 cup flour, then fold into batter Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 70 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Yogurt Sauce
Yields: about 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. container of Greek yogurt 
1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp fresh lime zest
1 tsp honey or use honey flavored yogurt

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients.

To serve:
In a bowl, place a mix of fresh berries and sprinkle 1/2 tsp sugar over and stir.  Refrigerate until berries are juicy. Chop a few leaves of fresh mint and mix with berries.  Place 1 slice of blueberry pound cake on a plate.  Top with berries and yogurt sauce (or whip cream for the kiddos).

Enjoy!