• ½ cup Milk
• 1½ tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 cup AP Flour
• ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• ¾ tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ¼ cup Oil (Canola, Coconut, etc.)
• ⅓ cup Applesauce
• 1½ tsp. Vanilla
• ½ cup boiling Water

Instructions

1. Prepare the “buttermilk.”
   In a small bowl, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle slightly.
2. Preheat & prep.
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.
3. Mix dry ingredients.
   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
4. Add wet ingredients.
   Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
5. Add boiling water.
   Slowly stir in the boiling water until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.
6. Bake.
   Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

• 1 stick Butter, diced and softened to room temperature
• ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
• 1⅔ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. Milk (plus a few drops more if needed)

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and cocoa powder together with a mixer until fully blended.
2. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix well.
3. Add the vanilla and milk, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar.
4. Frosting should be very thick. If needed, carefully add a few drops of milk until desired consistency is reached.

Recipe Notes

• This recipe is half of the original cake recipe and one-third of the original frosting recipe.
• For a 9×13-inch pan: double the cake recipe and double the frosting recipe.
• For a two-layer cake: double the cake recipe and triple the frosting recipe.

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 cups AP Flour
• 1 3/4 cups Sugar
• 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted
• 2/3 cup Applesauce
• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
• 1 cup boiling Water

Icing:

• 1 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 1/2 cup Vegan Butter, or regular if not making vegan
• 4-5 cups Vanilla
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk

Instructions for Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease two 8 or 9 inch cake pans.
2. Measure out 1 cup almond milk and add the apple cider vinegar to it.
3. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, add the coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk/vinegar mixture.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until well combined.
6. Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix. The batter will seem very runny at this point, which is normal.
7. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Instructions for Icing:

1. Add the cocoa powder to a large bowl. Whisk well to remove any clumps.
2. Add the softened vegan butter and mix until well combined.
3. Add half the powdered sugar and half the milk and mix until creamed and well combined.
4. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix starting on low and then turn to high. Mix until fluffy.
5. If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (230g) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
• 3.5 Cups (420g) Confectioners’ Sugar
• 1/2 Cup (41g) Cocoa Powder
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) Heavy Cream or Milk
• 1/3 (80g) Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Instructions: In a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and milk. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until combined. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another 1-2 Tablespoons of cream/milk if frosting is too thick. Taste. Add a spoonful of extra peanut butter or a pinch of salt if desired.

Quantity: This recipe is enough for 12-16 cupcakes, a thin layer on a 9×13 inch quarter sheet cake, or a 2 layer cake. For a 3 layer cake, I recommend 1.5x the recipe to ensure you have enough for each layer.

Source: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-frosting/

• Heavy Cream
• Milk Chocolate

Directions:

1. Measure out your chocolate and chop it finely if it’s in big pieces so it melts evenly. And place in a medium sized bowl.
2. Heat your cream on the stovetop until steam just begins to rise from the surface. Whisk occasionally to prevent burning. Don’t walk away or your cream could boil over.
3. Pour your hot cream over the chocolate and push the chocolate down so it’s all under the surface of the cream. Then just let the chocolate and cream sit for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until it’s smooth. Start with small circles in the center until the chocolate and cream start creating an emulsion.
5. If you have lumps or un-melted chocolate you can use an immersion blender to make your ganache super creamy and lump-free.

Ratios:

• Dark Chocolate (2:1) 16 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate + 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
• Milk Chocolate (2.5:1) 20 oz. milk chocolate + 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
• White Chocolate (3:1 or 4:1) 24 oz. white chocolate + 8 oz. heavy whipping cream.
• Chocolate Drip Icing (1:1) 8 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate + 8 oz. heavy whipping cream. (This can also be whipped to make whipped ganache frosting.)

Problems:

• Lumpy: reheat the whole thing in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth.
• Broken: Whisk in a Tbsp. or warm water or milk. Adding a Tbsp at a time until it comes together.
• Grainy: Caused by whisking when the milk was too hot. Be sure to give it the 5 minutes to sit. To fix, re-melt the whole thing over a double broiler and let it re-set.
• Runny: Add melted chocolate 2oz at a time and whisk to combine.
• Stiff: Add 1 oz. warm cream to loosen it up.

2 pints of fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 loaf pound cake or angel food cake (I put in the whole cake)
10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows
8 oz whipped cream topping
14 oz sweetened condensed milk

Instructions: 

Cut pound cake or angel food cake in half.  Cut any dark edges off 1/2 load cake.  Cut half the loaf cake into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  (I did the whole cake and I didn’t cut the crust off!)

Mix whipped cream topping and sweetened condensed milk together in a large bowl.

Stir in mini marshmallows

Slice strawberries; add to bowl

Fold ingredients together until well combined.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve within 1 – 3 days.

Side note: the sugar in the marshmallows will melt the longer it sits; usually by day 2.  To fix texture, simply cut remaining cake into cubes or stir in 1 – 2 tbsp vanilla or cheesecake pudding. 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup organic chunky peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda

The next time I make these I plan to add wheat germ and flax seeds. Any healthy add-in that you like would probably work.  Also, honey would work in place of brown sugar.

Heat the half-and-half in a small saucepan and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Refrigerate until ice cold. Then, to make the snow cream, put 6 cups of snow in a large mixing bowl. Pour the cold sugar mixture over the snow and stir with a spatula until blended. Add another cup or two of snow if needed.

(From Rhonda Murray)