A Wednesday and a Challenge!

Today is B.'s first birthday.  I am trying to figure out what to do about Lenten and fasting birthdays because we have 4 lucky winners at our house.  I adapted Martha Stewart's Darkest Crepe Cake for your fasting enjoyment. 


B. said his first phrase today: happy birthday!  It was amazing the girls were singing to him over and over to him, so he joined in.  Very the cute.


N. proposed a Challenge to his brother D.  


D. at 7 has tremendous anxiety where loose teeth are concerned.  For the past month his tooth has remained loose, but in place.  Yesterday, he whacked it on the slide at school (yowch!) and it became substantially looser, but still well attached.  So N. talked D. into biting a cover or a pillow (this is blurry) and began to pull the opposite side away and Voila!  The tooth is out.  Unfortunately, D. misplaced the tooth almost immediately and now the Tooth Fairy has a hunt.  Well, if she can stay awake, she has a hunt.







Vegan Black Forest Crepe Cake


Crepes:

    2 1/2 cup unbleached flour
    1/2 cup cocoa powder
    1/3 cup of sugar
    2 cups soy or almond milk
    3 TBSP Ener-G (Ener-G Egg Replacer) mixed with 3/4 cup of water
    1/4 cup earth balance or vegetable oil
    dash of vanilla

Filling:
    2 jars of Dark Choco Dream
    1 can unsweetened coconut milk refrigerated (NOT LIGHT)
    2 tablespoons sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 tablespoon corn starch
    1/2 cup frozen dark cherries cook with 2 tablespoons of brandy
  
Glaze:
    1/4 cup of Silk Original Soy Creamer
    1 tablespoon light corn syrup
    pinch of salt
    10 ounces of dark chocolate chips


Directions:

Crepes:

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend.  Strain for lumps.  Over medium high heat, lightly oil a crepe pan or a shallow nonstick skillet.  Pour 2-4 tablespoons of patter into the pan a swirl.  Let it cook for about a minute on one side and with a thin spatula and flip.  Let it cook 45 more seconds (it should look dry). Put on a plate and repeat. 




Filling:


Put the unopened can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (I usually leave it in overnight.)  Open can and scoop out only the cream that has risen to the top. Discard the coconut "water" or use for another purpose.  On high speed, whip the cream until tracks show where the beater has been.  Scrape down with a rubber spatula.  Add the remaining ingredients (except cherries), one at a time, scraping down after beating each one in. Reserve brandied cherries for assembly.


Glaze:


Bring "cream", corn syrup, and salt to a boil in a medium-heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; swirl pan to cover completely with cream. Let stand about 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool completely.


Assembly:


A crepe, some filling, some cherries, a crepe, some filling, some cheries . . . top with last crepe and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Remove from fridge and spoon glaze on.  Put it back in the fridge for 2 more hours and serve.  Put a couple of cherries on top.  Voila.