Non-Dairy Pumpkin Cake

This is a delicious pumpkin cake made from scratch (that means no canned pumpkin!), with the added bonus of being non-dairy! ~Pardon my amazing photography~

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups pumpkin Purée (or canned) 

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit -  

Cut raw "pie pumpkin" (Sugar Pumpkin, Baby Pam, etc.) into fourths. 

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy parts, but don't throw away those seeds!

 Place pumpkin fourths on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender/soft. 

Step 2:

Use a knife and peel the skin off of the pumpkin fourths. 

If this proves difficult, you may want to throw the pumpkin back into the oven for another 10 minutes!

Next, chop up the peel-free pumpkin into cubes. 

Step 3: 

Throw those pumpkin cubes into a blender.

Add a few table spoons of water (or milk) and blend up until completely smooth. 

Alternatively you could use a food-processer in shifts. 

When the Purée is all smooth, you are all done, and now it's time to start that cake!!

Step 4:

I lied. First we have to deal with those pumpkin seeds! 

Separate stringy insides of the pumpkin from the seeds (those orange globs in the picture). 

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and distribute seeds on the sheet. 

Drizzle seeds with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste!

Roast in oven for 3-5 minutes, or until they begin turning golden brown. Let cool a few minutes and enjoy! ~ NOW we can start the cake!

Step 5: 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. 

Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and apple sauce. 

Step 6: 

Blend in vanilla and pumpkin.

Then beat in eggs one at a time.

Step 7:

Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

You could add some nuts into the batter at this point -- I personally prefer the cake to be even in texture.

Step 8: 

Pour batter into either a 12x18 inch pan, or two cake pans.

Bake in the preheated oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean! 

Step 9: 

The cake looks delicious, but it's missing something... Icing! 

Measure out 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar to a cup and add a few tablespoons of water. 

Mix with fork until its a smooth texture. Drizzle or spread onto cake. 

Tadaaaa! All done!
~ Enjoy ~ 

Source: 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-cake-iii/

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Everyone loves chocolate dipped strawberries! This is a little tutorial on how to do it right.

What you will need:

1. Strawberries
2. Bakers chocolate (or regular chocolate)
3. Two bowls
4. A wooden spoon
5. A colander 
6. Parchment paper 

Got everything? Good! Lets get started!

Step 1:

 Rinse strawberries and let them drip dry. Do NOT remove the leaves!

Step 2:

Prepare a place for you strawberries to land after

 you dip them using parchment paper.

Step 3:

Wipe off any remaining water from your strawberries BEFORE YOU DIP THEM.

**This step is extremely important, if you don't make sure they are 

completely dry, the chocolate will not stick well to the strawberry.

Step 4:

 Create a double boiler by boiling water in one bowl, and placing another bowl on top of it. 

Fill the second bowl with chocolate chunks. Make sure to use enough to coat all of your berries. 

**If you didn't melt enough chocolate, fear not, you can melt more chunks!

Step 5:

Use a wooden spoon to gently push the chocolate chunks around and help them melt.

You must mix them constantly or else it will burn.

Step 6:

Mix your chocolate until it is silky smooth.  

Step 7:

 Now time to dip the strawberries! Hold the strawberries by the leaves, 

and dip the strawberries into the chocolate at an angle. 

Then rotate the strawberries around until you have an even coat. 

Step 8: 

 Be generous with the chocolate, you want a healthy layer of

chocolate to balance out the flavor of the strawberry.

Step 9:

Place the dipped strawberry on parchment paper to cool. 

Step 10:

When your strawberries are cooled, put them in the refrigerator to harden 

and create a nice shell. 

Viola!

Amazing, delicious chocolate dipped strawberries!

Serve alone or on top of a cake (that's what I did) or something creative!

**Extra chocolate? Have no fear! Feel free to dip other foods into the chocolate, like bananas! Just go nuts. (Heh, that was a pun.)