When I asked Isaiah what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said "strawberry." At first I planned to make a strawberry ice cream cake with a chocolate base, but I've never made anything like that before and I was concerned that it might not work out and then there would be no cake for his birthday. So I decided to make a strawberry shortcake instead, and thus have a chance to experiment with whipped cream made from coconut milk, which is something I've had in mind to try for a while.
I've never bothered suffering through any packaged vegan whipped creams. The ingredients are pretty disgusting and the reviews on various vegan websites have never been flattering. But you just can't have strawberry shortcake without whipped cream!
Since I've been working with coconut milk quite a lot, I've noticed that the cream has a consistency very like whipped cream and I've wondered if, with the addition of a stiffener like cornstarch, it might whip up just as deliciously. And indeed it does. It turned out perfectly! It's so easy to make and so yummy and satisfying that I'd recommend it even for those who eat cow's milk.
I made this shortcake with a gluten-free flour blend. I'm wary of trying to concoct my own blend, because GF baking is very new to me and I don't think I'll be doing a lot of it. I've been using
Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour for my few baking experiments. I like it okay, and it's not too expensive in comparison to other GF flour blends. You can certainly make these shortcakes with a regular whole-wheat pastry flour if you're not gluten-free.
It was pretty difficult getting four candles in that thing, let me tell ya. :)
Strawberries are not in season right now, but hey, the boy wanted strawberries. This would be an awesome treat in the summer, of course. Strawberries marinate in pesticides from seedling to harvest, so please choose organic strawberries if you can.
Isaiah's birthday was the same day that we left for California so Jeremy could interview for a position at the Waldorf school in Mendocino County. So it was a bit of a rushed day. We did blow up some balloons and I made one of his favorite meals. And he had a lot of fun with his gift, a wooden camera from
North Star Toys. (I am inserting their link because they are a wonderful company; we were very impressed with their service.)
Happy birthday to Isaiah!
ingredientsshortcake: 2 c. flour (you can use whole-wheat pastry flour or a GF blend; I needed to add another 1/4 c. of flour with a GF recipe, but it may not be needed with glutenous flour)
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. coconut oil, softened but not liquid
3/4 c. plant milk combined with 1 T. vinegar
3 T. agave nectar or maple syrup
strawberries: 2 pints of organic strawberries (about 4 c.), sliced thickly
2 T. agave nectar or another sweetener
pinch of salt
whipped coconut cream: 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
2 T. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
coconut water, as needed (I used a bit more than 1 T.)
instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Stir in the sweetener and the soured milk; combine well to make a dough that doesn't stick, adding a bit more flour as needed, one tablespoon at a time.
4. Spread out the dough to 2" thick. Slice out biscuits with the rim of a glass. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of milk or oil.
5. Bake the shortcakes for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
6. Combine the strawberries with the sweetener and salt and set aside.
7. To make the whipped cream, place a bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then open the lids of the cans of coconut milk and carefully scoop out the cream that has risen to the top. Place this in the cold bowl.
8. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk the cream until peaks form. A tablespoon or two of the coconut water that is left in the can may be added to make the cream more workable, but don't add too much or the cream will not hold up.
9. To serve, top a cake with cream and strawberries and enjoy! The cream may be refrigerated, though it may need to be briefly whipped again after chilling.
When I asked Isaiah what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said "strawberry." At first I planned to make a strawberry ice cream cake with a chocolate base, but I've never made anything like that before and I was concerned that it might not work out and then there would be no cake for his birthday. So I decided to make a strawberry shortcake instead, and thus have a chance to experiment with whipped cream made from coconut milk, which is something I've had in mind to try for a while.
I've never bothered suffering through any packaged vegan whipped creams. The ingredients are pretty disgusting and the reviews on various vegan websites have never been flattering. But you just can't have strawberry shortcake without whipped cream!
Since I've been working with coconut milk quite a lot, I've noticed that the cream has a consistency very like whipped cream and I've wondered if, with the addition of a stiffener like cornstarch, it might whip up just as deliciously. And indeed it does. It turned out perfectly! It's so easy to make and so yummy and satisfying that I'd recommend it even for those who eat cow's milk.
I made this shortcake with a gluten-free flour blend. I'm wary of trying to concoct my own blend, because GF baking is very new to me and I don't think I'll be doing a lot of it. I've been using Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour for my few baking experiments. I like it okay, and it's not too expensive in comparison to other GF flour blends. You can certainly make these shortcakes with a regular whole-wheat pastry flour if you're not gluten-free.
It was pretty difficult getting four candles in that thing, let me tell ya. :)
Strawberries are not in season right now, but hey, the boy wanted strawberries. This would be an awesome treat in the summer, of course. Strawberries marinate in pesticides from seedling to harvest, so please choose organic strawberries if you can.
Isaiah's birthday was the same day that we left for California so Jeremy could interview for a position at the Waldorf school in Mendocino County. So it was a bit of a rushed day. We did blow up some balloons and I made one of his favorite meals. And he had a lot of fun with his gift, a wooden camera from North Star Toys. (I am inserting their link because they are a wonderful company; we were very impressed with their service.)
Happy birthday to Isaiah!
ingredients
shortcake:
2 c. flour (you can use whole-wheat pastry flour or a GF blend; I needed to add another 1/4 c. of flour with a GF recipe, but it may not be needed with glutenous flour)
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. coconut oil, softened but not liquid
3/4 c. plant milk combined with 1 T. vinegar
3 T. agave nectar or maple syrup
strawberries:
2 pints of organic strawberries (about 4 c.), sliced thickly
2 T. agave nectar or another sweetener
pinch of salt
whipped coconut cream:
2 cans of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
2 T. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
coconut water, as needed (I used a bit more than 1 T.)
instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Stir in the sweetener and the soured milk; combine well to make a dough that doesn't stick, adding a bit more flour as needed, one tablespoon at a time.
4. Spread out the dough to 2" thick. Slice out biscuits with the rim of a glass. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of milk or oil.
5. Bake the shortcakes for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
6. Combine the strawberries with the sweetener and salt and set aside.
7. To make the whipped cream, place a bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then open the lids of the cans of coconut milk and carefully scoop out the cream that has risen to the top. Place this in the cold bowl.
8. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk the cream until peaks form. A tablespoon or two of the coconut water that is left in the can may be added to make the cream more workable, but don't add too much or the cream will not hold up.
9. To serve, top a cake with cream and strawberries and enjoy! The cream may be refrigerated, though it may need to be briefly whipped again after chilling.