To Live and Eat in L.A. – A Vegan Food Photo Blog

So guess what? The results of Robin Robertson’s Couscous Cake contest are in and my recipe was awarded 3rd place! You have no idea how cool that is! Once you see all the other amazing submissions that she received, you’ll realize just what an honor it is to have been chosen for 3rd place… by a panel of judges no less! To see the other winners and rest of the top contenders along with their creative & delicious creations, please click on over to Robin’s Vegan Planet website. What follows is my submission for the contest… enjoy!

Apple Pie Couscous Cake (vegan)

1 cup drained silken tofu
1 cup baked apples *
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup apple juice
pinch salt
1 cup instant couscous

For frosting:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cream cheese (Tofutti)
1/2 cup light coconut milk

Ok, first things first. I am not a cook. Nor am I a baker or a dessert maker (or a candlestick maker for that matter). I’ve never baked an apple pie before. In fact, I’ve never baked any sort of pie. Or cake. That said, and having already successfully tried my hand at Robin’s no-bake Pumpkin Rum Couscous Cake (minus the rum), I thought I could probably pull off my idea for an apple pie inspired couscous cake for this contest. Here’s what I came up with, along with very helpful suggestions along the way from my mom (someone who actually does know how to cook).

* The first step was to bake the apples. I roughly chopped 3 large green Granny Smith apples and placed them into a baking dish along with 1/2 cup of butter (Earth Balance), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon. This was put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven. After 10 minutes I took it out to stir and realized now that the butter was melted that I’d used too much of it (1/4 cup should be more than enough). I wanted the apples and sugar to caramelize and that wasn’t going to happen with all this liquid, so I spooned out quite a bit of the butter, then put it back in for another 30 minutes (stirring every 10).

Next, I made the couscous mix as called for in Robin’s original recipe: In a medium sized sauce pan, combine apple juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and pinch of salt, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in the couscous. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.

While the couscous did it’s thing, I made the tofu mixture. Into the blender went 1 cup silken tofu, 1 cup of the baked apples, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. This was blended until smooth yet still slightly chunk with soft apple pieces.

Once the couscous was ready I transferred it to a large bowl and combined with the tofu and apple mix until well blended. This was then spread into a lightly oiled 9″ spring form pan, pressed in firmly and evenly. The rest of the baked apples were then spread on top of the cake. This was placed into the refrigerator and chilled overnight.

The next day I made the delicious frosting. I was going for a cashew cream sauce that I was going to pour along the top of the cake and have run down the sides, but what I came up with instead was a much thicker sort of topping which ended up even tastier than I’d imagined it would.

Into the food processor first went the cashews and dates, processed until the nuts were chopped and the dates in pieces. I then added in the cream cheese and coconut milk and processed until it reached a creamy, pasty consistency.

I then applied the frosting to the cake while it was still in the spring form pan. I spooned it on around the apples in the center, using my fingers to get it on firmly and evenly. I was afraid that the frosting would pull away when I took the sides off the pan, but thankfully it did not. I was also pleased and relieved that the cake did not fall apart :)

I then decorated the cake with a more cashew nuts and frosting.

The verdict:

It was really good! I was pleasantly surprised that it worked as well as it did. It was actually quite tasty and pretty close to how I’d envisioned it in my mind. Not exactly, but pretty close. I think it could have done with a bit more sugar and cinnamon, and my mom concurred. Mostly I think it’s the idea that’s a winner, if not the execution.

I think this concept of the apple pie couscous cake is a really good one, and in the hands of a real cook who already knows how to bake a mean apple pie… well, that person could adjust the flavors like a pro and probably make something incredible out of this. It sure was fun to try and make it though… and even more fun to eat it!

Tags: apple pie, couscous, couscous cake, recipe, Vegan Planet

That’s right comrades… you heard it here first at To Live and Eat in L.A…. forget about cupcakes… it’s the couscous cakes that are taking over the world!

Robin Robertson has just announced the “Creative Couscous Cake Contest” over at her blog. The grand prize winner will receive a free copy of her Proggy Award-winning vegan cookbook, Quick-Fix Vegetarian. See what I started? Now aren’t you glad I’ve been yammering on and on about these cakes?

The contest closes on May 10*. For more info on the contest and to find out how to enter, click here to read all about it. Good luck and viva la revolucion!

* = my birthday. I’m soliciting presents early.

Tags: couscous, couscous cake

Well, you know… I think I may have started something here with all my couscous cake talk. Couscous cake this, couscous cake that. It all started with my “Pumpkin Couscous Cake That No One Almost Ate” adventure. By the time I’d gotten done telling everyone who would listen about this yummy cake from Robin Robertson’s Vegan Planet cookbook, I’d received lots of great feedback and heard from a number of people stating that they were going to have to try this for themselves. Robin herself even stopped by and offered more great suggestions for the recipe in the comments (like using millet instead of couscous) and another cake based on the same concept for “Apricot Pineapple Couscous Cake“. Yum!

Now it seems that I may have unleashed something great because Robins craving for sweet and luscious couscous cake has been newly re-awakened and inspired! She’s just blogged about some delicious new variations that can be made with this same basic idea, including the “Couscous Breakfast Cake with Pear and Dried Plum Compote” also from Vegan Planet, as well as (are you sitting down?) “Mango Couscous Cake“. Oh joy… mango is the king of all fruits as far as I’m concerned so I can only imagine how good this is. She even goes so far as to say that this mango version is the easiest one out of all of them to make… and I kid you not when I tell you that the basic recipe is beyond easy.

You can read all about it and find the recipes in her succinctly titled post: Craving Couscous Cake. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that couscous and dessert don’t go together… the revolution has only just begun!

Tags: couscous, couscous cake, Robin Robertson, Vegan Planet

For weeks now I’d been looking forward to attending the local PPK brunch meet-up that was being hosted by Your Vegan Mom. I’d planned to make the delicious sounding recipe from Vegan Planet for the Pumpkin Rum Couscous Cake. The recipe seemed super easy to make and I liked the idea of trying couscous as an ingredient in something sweet.

I realize couscous is not something you usually associate with cake, or dessert for that matter, but trust me… this cake is really wonderful and doesn’t taste weird at all. It’s not much like a cake actually, the texture is similar to thick pudding (like bread pudding) or a lumpy cheesecake. The flavor is a lot like pumpkin pie… so basically imagine a textured, pumpkin pie cheesecake. Yeah, it’s kinda like that… only better than it sounds. And vegan. As hoped for the recipe is beyond easy to follow… there is no cooking involved, the most complex things you need to do are boil water, measure out some spices and run a blender. Since there were going to be kids at this gathering, and because I’m not big into the hooch myself, I left out the rum (though I’m sure the rum in the recipe makes it that much more extra special).

Anyone who likes pumpkin pie, or cheesecake, or even just the idea of those two being in the same room together should like this cake-pie-pudding. I’ll also note that this cake makes for not only a delightful dessert, but also a perfect breakfast. No one needs to be told it’s vegan or even that it’s made from tofu and couscous. Just tell them to put it in their mouths & shut up until they are ready to thank you and ask for more (believe me, they will ask you for more). I’m not saying that the fact that it’s vegan needs to be a secret at all, but you know how some people are… they’ll turn up their noses and won’t even want to try it if they hear the words “vegan” or “tofu”, so with these types of folks it’s best to hook ‘em in first through their tastebuds before laying your cards out on the table.

Now back to this party and why I titled this post “the cake that no one almost ate”. The thing is, I’m a moron. I somehow got my days confused and thought the brunch was on Sunday (today) when it was actually on Saturday (yesterday). See? Moron. So after bragging all this time to the PPK folks about how my couscous cake was going to knock their socks off, I ended up being a no-show. What a dork! I’ve heard since that the gathering was a smashing and delicious success, so all’s well that ends well.

Thusly my cake was to remain mostly uneaten other than by myself, but thankfully my mom came to the rescue wanting to taste the thing (I told you I’d been bragging about it). Once she’d had a bite it was no work at all for me to convince her to take it home with her (the last thing I need is to be left alone in a house with an entire cake all to myself.. it wouldn’t end well for me, or the cake).

The moral of this story is twofold:

1. Always make a note of important dates so that you don’t miss events you’ve been looking forward to attending. Especially if you’re planning to make cake and are going to brag about it.

2. You should get a copy of the Vegan Planet cookbook because it rocks and is full of awesome recipes like this cake, and everything else under the vegetarian sun. The book is a mighty tome of all things vegan and delicious.

ABOUT VEGAN PLANET:

Vegan Planet:
400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World
by Robin Robertson

“Vegan Planet is a Joy of Cooking for vegans. Like that book, it is authoritative, encyclopedic, and complete.” -VegNews

Vegan Planet introduces a world of delicious choices to the millions of Americans who are vegans or non-vegetarians who have food sensitivities or are simply trying to eat healthier. A vegan diet contains no eggs, dairy, or other animal products but is chock full of delicious nutritious, and satisfying whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and proteins from plant sources.

In Vegan Planet, Robin Robertson shows how to make vegan cuisine exciting, flavorful, and full of variety. First she provides a complete rundown on the vegan pantry and the tremendous health benefits of eating vegan. Then she presents 400 tantalizing new recipes for breakfast (Pumpkin Pie Pancakes), lunch (Portobello Fajitas) and creative ideas for entertaining guests (Ginger-Scented Pot Stickers, Curried Cauliflower Pakoras). Taking advantage of the many cuisines around the world with large repertoires of naturally vegan recipes, Vegan Planet is truly global in its culinary offerings.
Buy Vegan Planet Cookbook…

Robin Robertson is also the author of a brand new vegan cookbook:

Vegan Fire & Spice:
200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes

Tags: couscous, couscous cake, Vegan Planet