When I asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday, he gave me a list of a his favorite foods and current cravings. I, of course, had something else in mind based on the delicious looking berries at the farmer's market and grocery store. I decided to combine his requests with my inspiration. Thus, we ended up with a vegan vanilla strawberry shortcake tower.
For anyone who knows me, birthdays are my favorite celebration. I enjoy going all-out for birthday weeks, and gifting one request each day, except of course, the main event - the birthday - which gets the majority of the fun. My husband knew I was still struggling with exhaustion, head pain, and other brain trauma effects, so he kept his requests small and manageable. I, however, had a different idea.
While I still had healing on my mind, I wanted to make my husband's birthday special. No, it wouldn't be the talk of the block like some past birthdays, but it would be more special than an ordinary week.
The Birthday Menu:
Potato Soup
Strawberry Shortcake Tower with Raspberry Cheesecake
The Festivities:
Local Bakery
Walk in the Park
Picnic Under a Waterfall
Dancing
Presents
For the birthday dinner, my husband requested I make the same potato soup that we made for our friend gathering we had a couple of weeks before. Since we went overboard on the potato shopping for our friends, I was perfectly happy to oblige.
Flashback: My husband purchased 20+ pounds of potatoes in preparation for a dinner with friends (apparently, no one questioned him when he bought a cart load of golden potatoes at the store). When he got home, I realized my previous mistake: asking, for "a crap ton of taters, please" for needed ingredients. And, oh boy, did he take me seriously! You got to love him.
If you are interested in making the potato soup, here is the recipe: A Delicious Creamy Potato Soup Any True Hobbit Will Love (PO-TAY-TOES)
The dinner was done and decided. I made made the recipe only a few short weeks prior, so I had the recipe down and the prep time managed. Next, was to tackle the dessert. My husband requested a Raspberry Cheesecake with delicious berries we got from the farmer's market....but, he also requested a Strawberry Shortcake (I unknowingly planted that seed thinking out loud one day). So, I combined them!
How to Make a Vanilla Strawberry Shortcake Tower
Prep Time: 8 HOURS and 15 MINS (you can do a 1-hour quick soak cashews for reduced time)
Cook Time: 25-30 MINS
Cool Time: 10 HOURS (6-8 hours for cheesecake and 2 hours for cake)
Assembly: 30 MINS
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Total Time: 19 HOURS and 15 MINS
Tools: Stand Mixer, Blender, Grinder, Biscuit Cutter (preferably three different sizes), Pie Dish, 9x13 Baking Pan, Parchment Paper
Vanilla Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients:
2 1/12 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup room temperature vegan butter (I like Melt for baking)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 fresh vanilla bean (scrape from the pod)
3 flax eggs (3 tbs freshly ground flax seed + 9 tbs water)
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup walnut milk + 1 tbs apple cider vinegar)
Crustless Raspberry Cheesecake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted cashews soaked (overnight or quick soak)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemon juice - freshly juiced medium lemon (or two small lemons)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup full-fat coconut cream (avoid the liquid as best as possible)
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
~2 tbs to 1/4 cup maple syrup (start small)
1 pint fresh raspberries
* To keep thing easy, I used So Delicious Coco Whip for the whipped cream, but you can make your own delicious cream! It's easy and only requires 1-can chilled full-fat coconut cream, 1/4-3/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla powder. Use a whisk and whip with mixer.
Directions:
For the Crustless Raspberry Cheesecake:
Place the cashews and salt in a large container (I use an 8-cup pyrex) and cover with water. Cover and place in the fridge. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. * I prefer to soak the cashews overnight, but if you are in a time crunch you can quick soak the cashews. Place the cashews and salt in a large container (I use an 8-cup pyrex) and cover with boiling water. Let soak for 1 hour.
Line a pie dish with parchment paper.
Once the cashews have soaked, strain and rinse.
Juice one fresh medium lemon.
Melt the coconut oil in the microwave. I tend to break up into 15 second increments, so I don't begin to boil the oil.
To ensure that you are using just the coconut cream, I prefer pierce a hole in the cream and pour out the coconut water/milk into a glass jar. I then measure the cream and the coconut liquid separately.
Place all the ingredients in a blender - soaked cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut cream, coconut milk, maple syrup, raspberries. I use a Vitamix.
Blend on high until creamy and fully combined. I usually run one full 50-second smoothie cycle, stop and taste.
Taste for sweetness. Add more maple syrup, if you need.
And then run another 50-second smoothie cycle.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the lined pie dish and place extra raspberries on top.
Set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
...and then...
For the Vanilla Strawberry Shortcake:
Make the flax eggs. Add 3 tbs of flax seed into a spice grinder, blender, or small food processor - I use a coffee bean grinder. Place the ground flax in a small bowl and add the water. Mix and set aside. * Grinding the flax makes it easier to digest. It's also fresher and is more nutritionally dense than store-bought, pre-ground flax seed (it tends to expire quicker).
Make the buttermilk. Place one cup of vegan milk (I used walnut for this cake) in a bowl and top with 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar. Set aside. ** The acid in apple cider reacts with the plant proteins and curdles much like a traditional buttermilk, which is essentially fermented milk. You can also use lemon juice or white vinegar.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a 9x13 dish with parchment paper (or two cake pans).
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream the vegan butter for about 1-2 minutes.
Scrape the bowl. Add the sugar and beat on high for about 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl again, as needed.
Add the vanilla extract and fresh vanilla bean. I slice the pod down the center and use the back of the knife to pick up the vanilla bean center.
Add the flax eggs and mix on medium. Scrape the bottom of the bowl, if needed.
Slowly add the flour mixture and buttermilk. I break up into about 4 small batches and alternate flour to buttermilk. Mix on low.
Once almost combined, remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and fold the rest of the batter. Being careful to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Avoid over-mixing.
Pour the batter in either a 9x13 pan or two cake pans. I used the 9x13 dish so that I could use biscuit cutters to make different sized circles for the towers.
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until there is no giggle in the center of the cake.
Once the cake is done, pull out of the oven and let cool, about 2 hours.
Vegan Vanilla Strawberry Shortcake Tower Assembly:
Slice Strawberries - I like to slice top to bottom instead of the width of the strawberry.
Use the large and medium sized biscuit cutter for the vanilla cake. Cut a large and medium circle.
With the small biscuit cutter, cut a small circle of the crustless cheesecake. You might need to push the cheesecake out, so I used a bit of parchment paper to avoid a fingerprint.
Place the large cake round on a dessert dish and place the sliced strawberries on the cake. I like to place the top towards the center and fan around to cover the cake fully. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
Next, add the medium cake circle and repeat with the sliced strawberries and whipped cream topping.
Option: Top with the small cheesecake round, of if your tower is a bit unstable, add the cheesecake on the plate and garnish with extra sliced strawberries at the foot of the tower.
Devour.
I hope you find this recipe incredibly delicious and the perfect celebratory treat for a summer day or birthday week. It never fails to be a crowd favorite, regardless of the flavor I choose (raspberries, key lime, or even chocolate)! And, of course, my husband thought this vanilla cake was a win, but I hope you find it the perfect combination of flavorful and light.
Please comment and let me know what you think, and most importantly what, if any, changes or additions you went for that filled your soul!
All my light. All my love.
Namaste,
Jordan
P.S - Here is a fun fact!
Why You Need to Soak Nuts and Seeds :
Nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, which during the body's digestion process stops nutrients from being absorbed. Soaking nuts and seeds in a warm salty-water solution breaks down phytic acid, making an easier digestible nut and seed with all the benefits.
The warm water increases the bioavailability of many nutrients, especially B vitamins. The salt helps activate enzymes which reduce phytic acid.
If you eat nuts raw, you can experience an irritable digestive system and a nutrient deficiency.
Gear:
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