Best Fudgey Brownies with Lavender Frosting

I've made lots of brownie recipes over the years. These originally came from a kid's cookbook, and they were the first brownies I ever made. I have re-made this recipe several times over since. I think the original recipe paired them with chocolate frosting, which is also a solid option. I made these for company the other day, and was asked for the recipe, so it occurred to me I should post it.

Brownies
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp freshly ground flax seed (use a coffee grinder to get them fine)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 cup semi-sifted stone ground whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease an 8x8 square pan
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil together. I do this by putting them in the microwave on the defrost setting for 30 second intervals, stirring in-between until liquid. Chocolate burns easily! Once melted, set aside to let it cool.
-  In a large bowl, beat together flax, water, sugar and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and beat together. Carefully stir in flour and nuts. Mix until flour is fully incorporated, but do not overmix.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean
- Cool completely before frosting

Lavender Frosting
1 tbsp dried culinary lavender (could also use lavender tea)
1/4 cup soy or almond milk
1/4 cup fairly firm margarine (such as Earth Balance) softened
2 1/2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
Food colouring (blue and red/purple) as desired - Apparently you can use cabbage for purple colouring. I should try sometime.
Finely ground culinary lavender, to taste (optional)

Heat the milk until it is steaming (microwave for 30 seconds works well). Put lavender in the milk and steep for 10 minutes. The milk will turn a bit purple or greyish from the lavender. Mix margarine and 2 cups powdered sugar. Add lavender milk, straining out lavender through a sieve. Mix frosting, adding sugar as needed until desired consistency for spreading (it will firm up a bit too when chilled). If you want a particularly strong lavender flavour, you can also grind dried lavender flowers in a coffee grinder and mix these in with the frosting as well. I like mine strong so I do this. I also add food colouring at the end because the lavender sometimes turns the frosting a greyish purple off-white which I don't find appetizing! Chill frosting.

When the brownies are cooled, frost with lavender frosting. Cut into squares. For extra fudgey brownies, chill before serving.

Microwave Molten Chocolate Mug Cake

Ever sitting around after dinner, maybe wanting to watch a movie, and having a craving for something warm, sweet and satisfying to snack on? But you don't want to take the time for the oven to heat up or for something to bake. Here is your solution! These are delish, and you can make them in about five minutes.

Makes 2 cakes.

1/2 cup soft whole wheat flour or white flour
2 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp corn or tapioca starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (optional - gives a deeper flavour)
1 tbsp mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup plain soy or almond milk
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Grease 2 microwave safe ramekins (preferable), tea cups or small bowls.

Mix dry ingredients (including chips) together in a small mixing bowl. Measure out milk in a 1 c. glass measuring cup. Add canola oil and extract to measuring cup. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients with whisk until just mixed.

Pour half of batter into each greased container. Batter should fill the container about 2/3 full. Put cups in microwave. Microwave on high for 1 minute.  The cakes may still look (and be) a little wet when you take them out. That's okay. You want them gooey, and they will also continue cooking a bit after you take them out. You don't want to overcook them and dry them out. Cooking times may vary depending on microwave: you may have to put them back in for another 10 seconds or so if they seem really uncooked. They will be hot when you take them out of the microwave, so be careful!. Let sit for a minute or two before enjoying still-warm!

I based my recipe on this one.

Phebe's Famous Chocolate Cake - My most requested recipe!

Here it is, at long last. I think pretty much anyone who's ever eaten this cake has asked me for the recipe, and many people have told me it's the best chocolate cake they've had. It is incredibly moist and not too sweet. I got the original version from a Sunrise Tofu Cookbook ages and ages ago (I don't even have the original book anymore) and have tweaked it since.

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix together:
• 1 c. cocoa powder
• 1 & 1/2 c. flour (see note)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• a dash of salt

In a separate bowl beat together:
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar (see note)
• egg replacer equal to 3 eggs (see note)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add to wet ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, top and end removed, with skin, finely grated.


In a blender or food processor, puree:
• 1 300 gram package of soft, silken or dessert tofu (see note)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Add pureed tofu mixture alternately with dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Line one 9 x 13 rectangular pan or 2 smaller (8-10 inch?) cake pans (if you want a layer cake) with waxed paper. Fill the pan/each pan to about 1 or 3/4 inch from the top.

Cake is done when inserted toothpick comes out clean (40-45 minutes).

Don't remove the cake from pan until it has at least partly cooled. It will fall apart.

Frost when completely cool.

I've used lots of different kinds of frosting on this cake. The most basic one is:

• 1/2 c. softened non-hydrogenated vegan shortening
• 1/2 cup softened non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
• 1 tsp pure vanilla or other  flavouring (adding a tsp of instant coffee granules is very tasty).
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (can use more or less depending on how chocolatey you want it)
• 3-4 cups icing/confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (soy, almond, coconut)

Blend the fats and flavouring with a whisk or electric mixer. Add in just enough sugar till the frosting texture is a bit dry and clumpy. Then add in the "milk." Add in more sugar if needed to bring frosting to a spreadable consistency.

 Notes:
• Typically, I use either unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour. For a gluten free cake (the one you see here that says "congrats Dr. Dilia" is gluten free) I use 1/4 cup bean flour, 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup quinoa flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour. These measurements are approximate, since I basically just spooned the different flours into two measuring cups until they were full. I don't think the ratios are as important as having a mix of flours. When I make a gluten free cake, I use flax as my egg replacer. See more gluten-free baking tips.
• I typically use granulated raw cane sugar but I have made this recipe successfully with white sugar or a combo of brown sugar and white sugar
• I have used several different things in place of eggs with success. I have used soft or dessert tofu, if I have a bigger package than the recipe calls for (3 Tbsp pureed tofu = one egg). I have also used ground flax seeds (1 Tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 Tbsp water =  1 egg). I have also used corn starch or pre-mixed starched-based egg replacer  (1 tbsp + 4 tbsp water for each egg). This is really a very forgiving recipe in terms of what binder you use, because the tofu, and possibly the zucchini as well, already provide some binding capacity.
• The exact amount of tofu isn't really that important, as long as you get it in the ballpark. I have used slightly smaller packages and slightly larger packages than the recipe calls for with success. And, as I noted above, if the package is a bit too big, you can use the extra as the egg replacer. If it's, say, a 500 gram package, just estimate a little less than half, scoop that our of the package and toss it in the blender. I've never had this cake fail on me, and I mess around with the proportions all the time.