Desserts

Boston Cream Pie
Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake
Candied Popcorn
Chocolate Tofu Mousse

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients
· 1 cup unbleached white flour
· 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 cup pureed white potato (room temperature)
· 1 tablespoon margarine (vegan)
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
· 1/2 cup plain soy milk (room temperature)
· Cooking spray
FILLING
· 1/4 cup raw cashews
· 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water
· 3 ounces (3/8 cup) soft tofu
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 4 teaspoons cornstarch
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon canola oil
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
GLAZE
· 3 tablespoons cocoa
· 1 tablespoon canola oil
· 1 cup sifted powdered sugar 2 tablespoons boiling water

CAKE
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
-In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
-In another bowl, cream together potato and margarine.
-Add sugar and beat until sugar is fully incorporated and mixture is slightly fluffy.
-Add vanilla and lemon extract and continue beating.
-Slowly add soymilk, beating until fully incorporated.
-Add flour mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, and beat until batter is smooth.
-Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
-Remove from pan and let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour.

FILLING
-In a blender, grind cashews with 1/4 cup water until smooth, about 1 minute.
-Add remaining water (washing down the inner sides of the blender) and blend on high for 2 minutes.
-Add tofu, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
-Blend on high until mixture is completely smooth.
-Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.
-Continue cooking and stirring until mixture is very thick, about 2 minutes.
-Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla.
-Cool, stirring occasionally.
-When mixture reaches room temperature, cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

GLAZE
-In a medium bowl, blend cocoa and oil.
-Add sugar and water and beat until smooth.

NOTE: A dusting of powdered sugar can replace the chocolate glaze if you prefer.

Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake

Ingredients
· 3/4 cup pecans
· 2 1/2 cups water
· 1 1/2 cups Sucanat (or other sugar)
· 1/4 cup cocoa
· 1 cup couscous
· 1 tbsp vanilla
· chocolate Cream Filling (see below for recipe)

-Preheat oven 300 degrees. Roast pecans for 30 minutes.
-When cool, grind pecans to a coarse meal (about 5-10 seconds in a food processor).
-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 spring form pan (or a 10" tort pan, if unavailable).
-Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans over couscous cake.
-Pour filling evenly over cake and top with remaining pecans.

Note: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold.

Chocolate Cream Filling

-10 oz. barley malt chocolate chips (dairy-free, available in natural food stores) 2 10.5 oz. firm silken tofu (at room temperature) 3 tbsp maple syrup.
-Melt chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.
-Transfer to a blender, add tofu, and blend until smooth.
-Add maple syrup and blend.

Candied Popcorn

Ingredients
· 1/4 cup of maple syrup
· 1 cup of popcorn

-Place the maple syrup and unpopped corn in a microwaveable bowl.
-Set to Hi, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
(Depending on your microwave, more than 5 minutes will burn the popcorn.)
-Remove bowl, and dump out uncooked popcorn.
-Return bowl to microwave, and nuke for another minute (approximate).

Chocolate Tofu Mousse

Ingredients
· 1 package of silken/soft tofu (16oz)
· 10 oz chocolate chips (preferably barley sweetened)
· 3 tablespoons maple syrup
· fruit (strawberries, kiwi, etc...)
· optional: graham cracker crust

-Blend tofu in food processor (or blender) just until smooth.
-Melt chips over double boiler.
-Add maple syrup to melted chocolate and combine.
-Put chocolate & syrup blend into processor and mix with tofu until creamy.

Optional: put into a graham cracker crust. Chill. Top with fruit.