Recipes: Vegan gingerbread and peanut butter frosting

Vegan gingerbread

My vegan co-op in college, c. 2000, liked to make this gingerbread. We probably adapted it from a similar recipe.

No animal products, such as eggs or milk, are needed for this great gingerbread recipe. It rises because of the reaction of baking soda and vinegar.

Dry Ingredients:

4 cups flour,

4 tsp baking powder,

2 tsp baking soda,

1 tsp salt,

2 Tbsp ground ginger,

1 tsp ground cloves,

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Liquid Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil,

2 cups soy milk,

3 cups molasses,

2 Tbsp white (i.e. colorless) vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the pan.

First mix the dry ingredients together, and the wet ingredients together, in separate large mixing bowls. Then mix the two bowls together (this is a big project, and you will need to use your hands or a blender).

Immediately pour mixture into pan. Don't fill the pan all the way to the top, or the gingerbread will bubble over the edge of the pan when it rises. Allow at least one inch (3 cm) of depth for the gingerbread to rise. Bake 1 hour.

Wait until the gingerbread is out of the oven and has cooled before garnishing with confectioner's sugar. The sugar will burn and bubble if it is baked on the batter.

This recipe produces a dark, strong, burly gingerbread for adults. If you like it more mellow, replace part or all of the molasses with maple syrup, sugar, pureed fruit (pear is good with ginger), or honey (if you're a slacker vegan). Share and enjoy. Serves 20 people.

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Probably not for your gingerbread, but for something else...

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Peanut butter frosting

It's easy to "veganize" a cake recipe! In many cases, the eggs that cause the cake to rise can be replaced simply with baking soda and vinegar. Just be sure not to mix the baking soda and vinegar together until the last minute when the batter is ready to go into the oven.

The following basic recipe makes a richly flavored yellow or light-brown cake with the savory taste of coffee and brown sugar. The consistency is just like any traditional American birthday cake. An optional peanut butter and chocolate frosting completes it!

Rich Coffee Cupcakes

Mix the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the wet ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup prepared coffee beverage (coffee you could drink-not the ground beans!)
1/2 cup rice milk, soy milk, or water
1 tsp white vinegar

After the dry and wet ingredients have been mixed separately, combine the dry and the wet mixtures. Some fizzing or foaming is normal as the baking soda and vinegar react. Pour batter into cupcake tin, allowing a little vertical space for each cupcake to rise, and place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes about 9 cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cup Frosting

This indulgent frosting has only two ingredients and can be made in the microwave in less than a minute! Does a peanut butter and chocolate frosting taste good together with coffee-flavored cake? You bet!

Break up 3 oz. of plain dark chocolate candy bar (one or two bars) and stir in a bowl with an equal volume of creamy peanut butter (about 1/4 cup). Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Stir until the color is consistent. Makes enough to frost at least 9 cupcakes.

Allow the frosting and the cupcakes to cool before applying the frosting to the cupcakes. Bon appetit!