From "Baking With Agave Nectar" by Ania Catalano
from www.washingtonpost.com article by Kim O'Donnell, March 28, 2008.
(In her banana bread recipe, Catalano recommends using unrefrigerated boxed tofu, rather than the fresh refrigerated version. Comments were noted about the cost of the agave ($6), but were balanced by the low-glycemic aspect.)
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (Catalano also suggests sprouted spelt flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups agave nectar
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup firm silken tofu
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Filling
12 ounces lite firm silken tofu
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Make filling first: Blend tofu in a food processor until very smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add agave nectar and blend again. Add peanut butter, vanilla and salt and blend thoroughly until very light and smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up before filling cupcakes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with 18 paper liners. Fill any empty cups halfway with water to prevent scorching.
To make cupcakes, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large bowl. In a food processor, blend canola oil, agave nectar, soy milk, tofu, vanilla and vinegar, scraping down the bowl often.
Blend until very smooth, with no chunks of tofu visible, about 2-3 minutes. Combine wet ingredients with dry. Stir well and spoon into prepared pans, leaving some room at top of each cup.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cupcake comes out clean. (In my oven, they took about 25 minutes.) Remove cupcakes from pan and place on cooling rack. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
To assemble cupcakes, you will need a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain smooth tip (you can make your own pastry bag with a Zip loc bag but will still need a tip, available at cookware stores.). Fill bag with peanut butter mousse and insert tip halfway into top of each cupcake. Squeeze filling inside each cupcake until it starts to expand.
Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup light agave nectar
3/4 cup nondairy creamer (soy creamer is preferable to CoffeeMate which contains corn syrup solids)
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated butter substitute (ie. Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon vanilla
Method
Combine chocolate, agave nectar and creamer in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter substitute and vanilla. To spread easily, ganache should be slightly warm, and the consistency of hot fudge.
Spread ganache evenly over tops of cupcakes. (If frosting is too firm, heat in microwave for a few seconds to soften up.)
Store cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Makes 18 cupcakes.
Garnish: chopped peanuts.
from www.washingtonpost.com article by Kim O'Donnell, March 28, 2008.
(In her banana bread recipe, Catalano recommends using unrefrigerated boxed tofu, rather than the fresh refrigerated version. Comments were noted about the cost of the agave ($6), but were balanced by the low-glycemic aspect.)
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (Catalano also suggests sprouted spelt flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups agave nectar
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup firm silken tofu
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Filling
12 ounces lite firm silken tofu
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Make filling first: Blend tofu in a food processor until very smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add agave nectar and blend again. Add peanut butter, vanilla and salt and blend thoroughly until very light and smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up before filling cupcakes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with 18 paper liners. Fill any empty cups halfway with water to prevent scorching.
To make cupcakes, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large bowl. In a food processor, blend canola oil, agave nectar, soy milk, tofu, vanilla and vinegar, scraping down the bowl often.
Blend until very smooth, with no chunks of tofu visible, about 2-3 minutes. Combine wet ingredients with dry. Stir well and spoon into prepared pans, leaving some room at top of each cup.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cupcake comes out clean. (In my oven, they took about 25 minutes.) Remove cupcakes from pan and place on cooling rack. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
To assemble cupcakes, you will need a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain smooth tip (you can make your own pastry bag with a Zip loc bag but will still need a tip, available at cookware stores.). Fill bag with peanut butter mousse and insert tip halfway into top of each cupcake. Squeeze filling inside each cupcake until it starts to expand.
Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup light agave nectar
3/4 cup nondairy creamer (soy creamer is preferable to CoffeeMate which contains corn syrup solids)
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated butter substitute (ie. Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon vanilla
Method
Combine chocolate, agave nectar and creamer in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter substitute and vanilla. To spread easily, ganache should be slightly warm, and the consistency of hot fudge.
Spread ganache evenly over tops of cupcakes. (If frosting is too firm, heat in microwave for a few seconds to soften up.)
Store cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Makes 18 cupcakes.
Garnish: chopped peanuts.