Dairy, Egg, and Nut Free Coconut Dream Cake

I love coconut in all forms and in a cake it is wonderful. I had been planning to make a dairy, egg and nut free coconut cake for some time, but usually the kids request chocolate or strawberry cakes for their birthdays.  Plus, my husband hates coconut and doesn't really like cake (I have no idea how that is even possible).  I do sometimes feel slightly guilty just making a cake because I want one; I guess as all moms do.  My mother in law loves coconut as much as I do, so I was thrilled to try one out for her birthday.

Ingredients

2 c coconut milk
2/3 c canola oil
2 c sugar
2 tbs white vinegar
2 tsp coconut extract (you can use vanilla if you cannot find coconut)
3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Grease and flour 2 round cake pans and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients on medium low speed with an electric mixer.  Coconut milk can be thick and chunky when it has settled in a can, but smooths out nicely when beaten or heated.  Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the coconut milk mixture and beat after each addition.

Divide the batter into the 2 cake pans and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Take a little taste to see how delicious the batter is.  Don't worry, since there are now uncooked eggs in the batter.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown.  Remove pans form the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Turn cake out of pans onto wire racks and cool completely.  Frost with Dairy Free Coconut Dream Frosting.

Dairy Free Coconut Dream Frosting

Ingredients

2/3 c soy butter softened (I use Earth Balance)

4-5 tbs coconut milk

4 tsp coconut extract

6 c powdered sugar

1/2 c shredded coconut for flaking onto cake

Add the first 3 ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix well with an electric mixer.  Gradually add the powdered sugar beating well after each addition.  Frost and fill cake.  Sprinkle flaked coconut on top of cake and gently press onto the sides of the cake.  Serve with coconut ice cream if desired.

Allergy Free Gingerbread Cookies

I remember making these gingerbread cookies with my childhood babysitter.  I don't know her recipe, because I'm sure that it had tons of butter in it, but I loved decorating and tasting the cookies.  These are perfect holiday activity to enjoy with my children.  When we were making a batch the other night for my daughter's class party she said, "I love times like this, Mommy.  I love decorating cookies with you."

It melted my heart.  I'm just so happy to have recipes to share with her and bake together like all kids should be able to do, even if they have allergies.

Ingredients

1/3 c soy butter (Earth Balance)

½ c brown sugar

½ c molasses

3 tbs water

3 tbs canola oil

2 ½  c flour

1  tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

In a large bowl, blend together softened soy butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer.   Add molasses, oil, and water and mix on low. Measure the dry ingredients and stir together in a medium bowl.  Pour the flower mixture in the large bowl and mix again until fully blended.  Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to overnight.   Roll out the dough on a heavily floured board cut out cookies with cookie cutters.  For quick decorating, sprinkle with colored sugar sprinkles and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.   Or just bake the cookies plain and frost and decorate them when they have cooled completely.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.  

Icing


2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp water
2 tsp soy milk


Mix ingredients together well.  You can also divide the frosting and add food coloring.  Frost cookies completely and add colored sugar sprinkles or pipe icing around cookies.

Sugar Cookies With No Dairy, Eggs or Nuts

We make these cookies several times a year, Valentine's Day, Halloween, and Christmas.  They are great for class parties at school and for enjoying at home for dessert.  I try to do pretty decorations on mine, but the kids love to go crazy with sprinkles and frosting.  I just let them, they have so much fun and feel so proud of the hard work.  These times are so special.

Ingredients

3/4 c soybutter softened (Earth Balance works well)

1/2 c sugar

½ c brown sugar

¼ c oj

¼ c  soymilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ c flour (King Arthur is my fave)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

  

Directions

Beat the soybutter and sugars until creamy.  Next add the orange juice, soymilk, and vanilla and beat on low.  Measure and the dry ingredients and mix on low until a soft dough forms.  It will be lumpy, but when it is pressed together and refrigerated it will firm up nicely.  Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.     

Dust a board heavily with flour and roll out cookies.  Cut out with cookie cutters.  If desired, sprinkle with colored sugar sprinkles and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 11-12 minutes.  Or just bake the cookies plain and frost and decorate them when they have cooled completely.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.  

I sometimes make the cookies ahead and freeze them until I am ready to frost and decorate them.  Put them in layers between sheets of waxed paper in a large plastic container and freeze.  Take them out a few hours before you want to decorate.  

Icing

2 c powdered sugar

2 tsp water

2 tsp soy milk

Mix ingredients together well.  You can also divide the frosting and add food coloring.  Frost cookies completely and add colored sugar sprinkles or pipe icing around cookies.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apples are such a perfect baking fruit, there are so many different ways to use them.  And I love all apple baked goods.  There is a beautiful apple orchard in the next town that we pick apples at every fall. We bring home many more than we can eat, so I bake, bake, and bake some more until they are gone (which is usually until at least the holidays).

Ingredients

1 ½  c flour

1 c oats

1 tsp cinnamon

½ c sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbs wheat germ

¾ c soy milk

1/3  c canola oil

1/3 c applesauce

1 c shredded granny smith apple

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin cups with shortening or line with paper baking cups.  Measure dry ingredients and stir together in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center and mix and add the soy milk, canola oil and applesauce.  Stir until just moistened and pour in the shredded apple.  Stir gently.  Pour into greased muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 22 minutes.

Soy Buttermilk Pancakes

These are perfect pancakes that will delight any pancake connoisseur, which many little children are (especially mine)!  My kids help me with all of my recipes since they all have inherited my sweet tooth.  You can refrigerate any extras for a day or two and warm them up in the toaster oven for a quick school morning breakfast.

Ingredients  

1 c soymilk plus 1 tbs vinegar

1 c flour

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs wheat germ

2 tsp b powder

1 tsp b soda

¼ tsp salt

1/3 c canola oil

soybutter for cooking the pancakes

Measure the soy milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar.  Let it stand for a couple of minutes.  Preheat a non-stick frying pan and add a pat of soy butter.  Add the dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and stir together.  Make a well in the center and add the soy milk mixture and canola oil.  When the soy butter starts to sizzle, spoon the batter into the pan and cook.  Add more pats of soy butter for each batch of pancakes.  Serve immediately with maple syrup or your desired topping. 

No Nut Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are notorious for their nuts.  These bars are nut free and great for lunch boxes at school or backpacks when out for a hike.  My kids think they are a treat and have them for dessert.  You can make them more healthy by skipping the chocolate chips, (but why would you do that?).   

Ingredients


2 c oats
1 c shredded coconut
½ c wheat germ
1/4 c sunflower seeds
½ c honey
¼ c brown sugar
3 tbs soy butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2  tsp salt
½ c  chopped dried fruit, any combination of cranberries, raisins, apricots or cherries
1/3 c miniature dairy and nut free chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with shortening and set aside.  

Spread the oats, coconut, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds onto a sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Combine the honey, brown sugar, soy butter, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.  Once the oat mixture is done baking, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.  Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips (be careful, they may start to melt in the warm granola).

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.  Lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.