the creativity of this month's Daring Bakers challenge. By virtue of its simplicity it provides us bakers with a wide-range of opportunity to explore our creative side. Go on over to the daring kitchen site listed below to check out and vote for some amazing concoctions!
The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!
As for me, I decided to keep it simple- my edible container was a vegan mocha cupcake which I filled with this extremely light and mildly sweet maple mousse.
Vegan maple mousse
Ingredients
1 package (12 oz.) soft silken tofu
¾ cup (14 fluid oz.) pure maple syrup
2 tsp agar-agar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
Method
Let tofu come to room temperature. Using a food processor, blender, or hand mixer, blend tofu until just smooth.
Sprinkle agar-agar on the maple syrup and let it rest for 10 minutes. Heat maple syrup on the stove to a boil and then let it simmer 5 minutes until the agar-agar has dissolved. Add the sugar and just stir until it dissolves too.
In a food processor, blender, or a large bowl, blend the tofu with the maple syrup until creamy.
Refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from the fridge and divide among your edible containers.
Vegan Mocha Cupcakes (Source: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
)
Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs instant coffee granules
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with paper liners.
Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Once milk is curdled, add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and whatever other extract you’re using to the almond milk and beat until foamy.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, beating until there are no large lumps. Some small lumps are OK.
Fold coffee granules into batter.
Pour into liners, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a rack.
Note: I am sure I measured some leavening agent wrong or used the wrong kind of fat- but my cupcakes were too moist and therefore crumbling on me. I only could fill a couple for the photograph!
Judgement
If you look beyond the crumbling cupcake, you would taste an amazingly moist, extremely light (left to my own devices I could eat them all in one sitting- give me a few shows of law and order), mocha-ey cupcakes that go very well with the maple mousse (yes, I was apprehensive at first). Thanks Evelyne for this lovely challenge!
The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!
As for me, I decided to keep it simple- my edible container was a vegan mocha cupcake which I filled with this extremely light and mildly sweet maple mousse.
Vegan maple mousse
Ingredients
1 package (12 oz.) soft silken tofu
¾ cup (14 fluid oz.) pure maple syrup
2 tsp agar-agar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
Method
Let tofu come to room temperature. Using a food processor, blender, or hand mixer, blend tofu until just smooth.
Sprinkle agar-agar on the maple syrup and let it rest for 10 minutes. Heat maple syrup on the stove to a boil and then let it simmer 5 minutes until the agar-agar has dissolved. Add the sugar and just stir until it dissolves too.
In a food processor, blender, or a large bowl, blend the tofu with the maple syrup until creamy.
Refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from the fridge and divide among your edible containers.
Vegan Mocha Cupcakes (Source: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
)Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs instant coffee granules
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with paper liners.
Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Once milk is curdled, add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and whatever other extract you’re using to the almond milk and beat until foamy.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, beating until there are no large lumps. Some small lumps are OK.
Fold coffee granules into batter.
Pour into liners, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a rack.
Note: I am sure I measured some leavening agent wrong or used the wrong kind of fat- but my cupcakes were too moist and therefore crumbling on me. I only could fill a couple for the photograph!
Judgement
If you look beyond the crumbling cupcake, you would taste an amazingly moist, extremely light (left to my own devices I could eat them all in one sitting- give me a few shows of law and order), mocha-ey cupcakes that go very well with the maple mousse (yes, I was apprehensive at first). Thanks Evelyne for this lovely challenge!
Mocha and cupcakes sounds just perfect. The coffee's just right to balance out the sweetness of the mousse.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is so true- the coffee just balanced the sweetness out!
ReplyDelete