posted by admin on Aug 11
I’m a little behind in my class reports but I’m trying to catch up.
So, after cookie class at school, we had Cakes and Cake Decorating. But, of course, being that this is the Natural Gourmet Institute we’re talking about, we didn’t just make any old cakes. We made cakes with whole, healthy ingredients in mind.
We made a couple of classics—carrot cake, genoise, and almond torte–but we also made some modern cakes, such as carob cake and ginger cake. It was the frostings, though, that were the real experiments for us. While we did make some standard frostings, such as Swiss Buttercream and Cream Cheese, we stepped into the brave new world of healthy and/or gluten-free and/or vegan alternatives.
Photo: Elyse Prince
Some of the frostings we made were Almond Ganache Frosting, Nut Butter Frosting, Carob Frosting, Coconut Cashew Frosting, Coconut Ganache, and Lemon Tofu Cream. Even the seemingly ubiquitous Chocolate Fudge Icing we made was a page out of the ordinary, as its main ingredient was nut butter. And you know what? They were delicious!
Photo: Elyse Prince
After we made the cakes themselves, we decorated them. We learned how to use various tips in our pastry kits to make flowers, shells, and basket weaves. Everyone did such a great job, I was truly impressed. The cake at right was decorated by my classmate Kalie. Isn’t it gorgeous?
Ultimately, no matter how you cut it, cake is cake, and it will never be a “healthy” thing to eat. But done the NGI way, these desserts don’t have to be the worst things for you, either. Below are recipes for Carob Cake with Walnuts and Chocolate Fudge Icing, both health-supportive alternatives to supermarket or bakery cakes. Let me know what you think.
Carob Cake with Walnuts
Copyright © NGI
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons carob powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons canola or melted coconut oil
2/3 cup maple syrup, room temp
3/4 cup almond milk or soymilk, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Oil and flour one 8-inch cake pan and line bottom with parchment.
2. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and whisk together to combine. set aside.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients and ;pour into dry. mix well.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
5. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Chocolate Fudge Icing
Copyright © Jenny Matthau/NGI
2 1/2 cups maple syrup
1 1/2 cups smooth nut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cocoa, sifted
1. In bowl of food processor, combine syrup, nut butter and vanilla.
2. Sift cocoa into wet mixture.
3. Continue to mix until thoroughly combined.
Hi, all. I totally forgot to mention that I was going to be taking a cake decorating course this week at the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) here in NYC! It was a four-day class (originally five but it got condensed), in which we made different icings and learned to make a variety of cake decorators’ designs, including borders, piped floral techniques, and specialized techniques.