DAY TWENTY SEVEN: 'Surprise me Saturday' Chocolate pillow cakes

We are nearly at the end of Vegan Mofo now…the month has flow by! I’ve enjoyed my oaty experiments and also following other vegan bloggers along the way. One last round-up of inspring recipes tomorrow but for now I give you chocolate!!

Just other day I was contemplating something chocolately, I was also contemplating whoopie pies…something I have not yet attempted to create.

The result of my kitchen experiment were these light as a cloud chocolate pillows, not a whoopie pie as such as they don’t have a frosting (no reason you couldn't whip up a batch of healthy banana frosting or this jam and cashew cream to sandwich between them) and anyway I wasn't really attempting a full on whoopie pie quite yet. I love the way they rose and cracked the surface as they baked.

The best thing about the these little flat sponge cakes are so versatile, much more so than a cupcake. They also have a healthy dose of fruit (you could also add some beetroot!) and are fat free. Healthy fats are an important part of any diet, but its sometimes nice to create a cake on the lighter side- plus you then have the option to dress these up with a slather of peanut butter…oh yeah!

I've used wholemeal spelt flour for these cakes as I've found it typically gives a lighter crumb than GF flours, particularly when baking fat free, but there is no reason at all why you shouldn't try substituting your favourite gluten free mix- you could add a little oil if you wished to ensure a good texture.

One of my variations for an afternoon snack was a light covering of sugar free raspberry jam with a handful of fresh garden raspberries on the side…yummy!

What variations will you be coming up with?

Recipe: chocolate pillow cakes

Makes approx. 12-16 pillow cookies (depending on size)

Ingredients

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour

½ cup cocoa powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

½ tsp chocolate extract (optional for a more intense flavour)

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup agave and a pinch (1/6^th tsp) stevia

½ cup apple puree

1/3 cup vegan yoghurt

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Up to 1/3 cup soy milk (or other vegan milk) to achieve required consistency

Method

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the dry and mix through evenly.

Add just enough soy milk to achieve a smooth batter, not to runny so that it flattens right out when spooned onto the baking sheet, but not so thick that the surface does not have a smooth appearance.

Bake at 180C for 10 mins or until just beginning to brown and the sponge springs back when pressed with fingertips.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.