vegan - Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake

[Guest guest]

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake

 

Recipe By :

Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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Couscous Filling:

2 1/4 cups water

1 1/4 cup Sucanat

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup couscous

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Chocolate Cream Filling:

10 oz. dairy-free chocolate chips -- (1 1/2 cups)

2 boxes firm silken tofu -- (10.5 oz. each)

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

 

In a medium saucepan combine water, cocoa, sucanat and couscous. Bring to a

simmer, stirring occasionally and cook until thickened (10 to 15 minutes). Add

vanilla and stir. Spread mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (one that has a

removable side).

 

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. If unavailable, add water to a saucepan

and place a metal bowl over the steam to create a homemade version. Melting

chocolate directly over an electric stove will not work-the chocolate will

crystalize. Transfer chocolate to a blender, add tofu, and blend. Add maple

syrup and blend again until smooth.

 

Pour filling evenly over couscous. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold.

Top with fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries or kiwi. Pour filling evenly

over couscous. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold. Top with fresh

fruit such as sliced strawberries or kiwi. Pour filling evenly over couscous.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold. Top with fresh fruit such as

sliced strawberries or kiwi. Pour filling evenly over couscous. Refrigerate for

at least 2 hours. Serve cold. Top with fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries

or kiwi.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:

" http://www.tazarat.com/results.asp?id=29 "

 

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 125 Calories; 1g Fat (7.8% calories from

fat); 5g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 13mg

Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fat; 1/2 Other

Carbohydrates.

 

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

>

>

>Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. If unavailable, add water

>to a saucepan and place a metal bowl over the steam to create a

>homemade version. Melting chocolate directly over an electric stove

>will not work-the chocolate will crystalize. Transfer chocolate to a

>blender, add tofu, and blend. Add maple syrup and blend again until

>smooth.

>

 

Two comments about these directions (which are pretty typical. I'm

not being critical of Judy here, just suggesting improvements to

technique/understanding based on my 7+ years of vegan baking) -

 

Vegan chocolate chips come in 2 general varieties - cane sugar

sweetened (most commercial brands and Tropical Source) and malt

sweetened (Chatfields, Sunspire). The cane sugar sweetened chips are

easy to melt. You can melt them over simmering (not boiling) water

or in the microwave.

 

The malt sweetened chips are much more finicky. The sugars in them

will seize (crystalize and become gritty) very easily if they are

subjected to too much heat too quickly. Once this chocolate seizes,

you might as well throw it out because it will *never* smooth out. I

have had no luck trying to melt this chocolate over simmering water.

The uneven heat around the edges of the bowl will cause it to seize.

I find that any of the following three methods work well:

 

1) Put chocolate in a microwavable bowl or measuring cup and

microwave it carefully. I find that in my 900 watt microwave, it

takes 70 seconds on high to melt 3-4 cups of chips. They won't look

melted, but if you stir them, they will fall apart and then smooth

out. If you have a super-strength microwave or you're doing a small

amount of chocolate, try lower power or a shorter time.

 

2) Place chips in an oven-proof bowl and set them in a pre-heated 350

F oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Stir.

 

or

 

3) place chips in a heat-proof bowl and set them over a *very low

heat* (I used to set mine over the pilot light on our unheated

griddle at work) for an hour or so. They won't look melted, but they

will look a little soft around the edges and will fall apart when

stirred.

 

Regarding how to puree this tofu-chocolate mixture: most blenders

are just not large enough or powerful enough to do a proper job of

pureeing tofu without a lot of work on your part (or burning out the

motor trying to blend a stiff mixture). Here's the fool-proof method

I've come to rely after doing this several times a week for a couple

of years:

 

I put the tofu in a food processor, not a blender. The first couple

of times I tried this, I thought that the tofu would always have a

little graininess to it when pureed this way, but I found out that I

just wasn't processing it long enough. Let it run (stopping it a

couple of times early on to scrape down the bits stuck to the sides

of the bowl) for several minutes until it smooths out and BECOMES

GLOSSY. This is the indication that it is perfectly smooth and no

longer grainy. You can then confidently add your chocolate, maple

syrup, and vanilla, Kahlua, or whatever you prefer (I always add some

flavoring agent to this mixture to round out the flavor). When you

start the machine back up, it will throw chocolate on the lid and up

around the sides, so stop the machine and scrape this back down into

the bowl and process until the mixture looks homogenous.

 

This filling also makes a kick-ass cake frosting/filling. Chill it,

then put it in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix it to fluff it up and

make it spreadable. Yum!! My most popular cake is a chocolate cake

filled and frosted with this stuff. I coat the frosted sides in cake

crumbs and put swirls of this " mousse " on each slice.

 

There, I've given away one of my secrets!! (Actually, I use a bit

more chocolate in my " mousse " but this amount if probably plenty for

most folks!)

--

Lisa T. Bennett (ltbennett)

The Organic Goddess Vegan Bakery and Catering, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

 

" The animals of the world exist for their own purposes. They were

not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites, or

women for men. " --Alice Walker

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info!