So it has been a long time since I posted…I know (tsk tsk). Believe me when I say I’ve been cooking, I’ve got the Instagram posts to prove it; however, consistently blogging is much harder than I anticipated. Hate to be one for excuses but I truly have had a lot going on that has unfortunately made it hard to keep up. Being a full-time working mom with a one year old is no joke, and to top it off I continue to have those crazy migraine headaches that make it a real challenge to get to blogging. That all said I apologize, and being one who’s indifferent to New Year’s Resolutions want to start getting better at these posts beginning December. I am openly inviting any and all who are interested in keeping me accountable to do better. In return I would love to reciprocate the same to any who would like to be involved. Just shoot me a quick note at thisafricancooks@gmail.com to connect further.
And kuddos to all the moms out there who do it all, especially those single moms! Ava has two parents at home and it’s still difficult. Toddlers require a lot of time and attention is an understatement. I see why the rich have nannies and housekeepers LOL. Anyways we are still in the fall season, which means apples, pumpkins and all things warm and fuzzy i.e. my Bearpaw Boots (haha I know, I know they are just so comfy). 
Now back to the point, I’ve been making mainly pies and cakes lately. Per a number of local requests, yesterday I made a vegan cake. As one who is far from vegan you may ask why? Well the long of the short is that it was Michael’s great idea to suddenly try a vegan diet for one week. He had spoke with a number of larger guys at the gym that had shed some serious pounds simply by going the vegan route with their diet. But back to his request you should have seen my face…like whatttt?! No cheese, meat, fish, turkey bacon, or honey. You gotta be kidding me. Power to the Vegans out there as it is such a restrictive diet to me, or so I thought. So crazy enough for me I decided to go for it.
Make it publicly known, This African Cooks very first vegan recipe (yes, in life) was a vegan cake with pumpkin puree. It was so darn good! I mean I couldn’t tell the tell the difference between this and regular dairy filled cake. To top it off, Michael said it was the best cake he had ever ate! And if Michael says it then it must be true, because after all he thinks he’s a food critic LOL (now I’m going to hide and hope he doesn’t notice that I’m talking about him on here). Sadly, however, my vegan diet lasted only one meal…so pitiful, I know. Reason being my pantry and fridge were not really prepared for it (haha). This meant both a lack of non-animal byproduct foods and too much animal byproduct foods, including meats. I’ve heard for many it has to be a gradual process, where you go from eating everything (except pork of course…yuck!) to pescatarian, to vegetarian, and finally vegan. I’m quite certain this is how it will need to go down in my household if it is ever going to stick long term. Additionally, it goes unsaid, but the next time I attempt going vegan I need to make sure I have all the necessary ingredients available…duh! Also know I will be trying to incorporate more vegan and vegetarian meals to my recipes on this blog. I am well aware that there are many out there who follow these wonderful diets and I want to make sure you can also enjoy the flavors I create. Anyways, everyone seriously needs to try this cake; it is divine.
| Prep Time | 30 min |
| Cook Time | 60 min |
| Servings |
people
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- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 cup Dairy free vegan butter Earth Balance Vegan butter or 2 sticks
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree I use Libby's
- 1 cup Light brown I use Simple Truth Organic
- 1/2 cup cane sugar I use Simple Truth Organic
- 1 cup Coconut milk I use Califia Toasted Coconut Almond Milk
- 3 tbsp Rye whiskey I used Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp Vanila extract
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon Ground
- 1/2 tsp all spice Plus another pince
- 1/2 tsp Lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp White vineger Or apple cider vineger
- 2 tbsp Rye whiskey same as above
- 1/2 cup brown sugar light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp Dairy free butter
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp Corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp Lavender extract You can use vanilla if you don't have lavender
- 1 tsp Water
Ingredients
Batter
Glaze
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- Always be sure to gather all of your ingredients beforehand. Combine coconut milk and vinegar to give it the sour taste of buttermilk. Then add 3 tablespoons of whiskey, mix and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and spray a bundt pan, set aside.
- Cream together both sugars and butter until smooth.
- Next add 1 cup of pumpkin puree, plus one additional tablespoon of the same. Add vanilla extract and cream.
- Add cinnamon, all spice, and lemon zest and continue mixing until well incorporated. In a bowel mix salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour with a spoon. Add flour mix to creamed ingredients, and slowly begin to mix while adding milk. Mix until creamy.
- Once batter is ready, pour batter into bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes. Oven may vary by 5 minutes or more, so keep an eye on the cake.
- A few minutes before baking is completed make your glaze: melt batter in a small pan on medium to low heat, add brown sugar and continue to stir until sugar starts dissolving. Add whiskey and lavender extract so that the glaze will bubble, then stir in corn syrup. Cook for 1-2 minutes, continue to stir and turn off stove.
- Once the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the cake and make sure its dry when you pull it out. If not it may need to bake longer. If dry then pull out of the oven and poke holes all over the top so that the glaze can seep in a bit. Next add half of the glaze and let cake cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes flip cake onto a serving plate or cake stand, and pour the remaining glaze on top of the cake. As with all upside down cakes the previous bottom then becomes the top of the cake, where there is usually a design. Sprinkle with vegan confectioners sugar and serve with homemade vegan cool whip, vegan ice cream or by itself. Tip: The other half of the glaze thickens up when waiting for cake to cool. To make it more liquid-like, just add water to glaze, stir and then place on stove to heat. Stir in cane sugar to dissolve, and pour glaze on top of cake like the directions state.
- Enjoy to all my vegans and non vegans alike! dust with confectioners sugar, top with vegan ice cream! It should be pretty delish and moist for everyone. Please rate and comment 🙂 Thanks, This African
I made this last year for my Outlander premier party. It came out AMAZING. It’s a great fall recipe and I plan on making it again this year! Thank you so much for creating this delicious dessert!
Oh gosh thank you so much, I’m so glad you liked it 😀. Fall is a favorite season, all the apples and pumpkins. I can’t wait to come up with more fall recipes.