Dining In - New York-Style Crumb Cake

New York-Style Crumb Cake - Chloe's Vegan Desserts

In honor of the place I now call home, I made this recipe for New York-Style Crumb Cake. It was very simple to prepare, in fact more time was spent baking it than making it! The smell that filled my kitchen was an intoxicating buttery, cinnamon scent and if this had been a batch of cookies you can be sure they'd have been gobbled up. Sadly I had to leave the cake untouched so my boyfriend could bring it to his office for a potluck. Verdict from the group was the now common disbelief that it was vegan, meant as a compliment of course! I made this once before with the help of my mom for a Sunday breakfast and it was delicious; sweet with a balance of salt throughout, a moist cake layer covered with a divine buttery crunch. This beats anything premade sitting on a grocery store shelf and I bet it could hold its own against a traditional New York Style-Crumb Cake! You can find the full recipe from Chloe's Vegan Desserts (buy your copy here). 

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted

Cake:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for garnish



To Prepare the Crumb Topping:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 8-inch square pan.

In a medium bowl, prepare crumble by first combining flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon. Then pour on the melted margarine and use two forks to toss the mixture together. You don't want to stir and combine it too much so the tossing method helps to keep it a crumble. 

This...

turns into this!

To Prepare the Cake:

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together almond milk, canola oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.

Pour wet mixture over dry and stir together to combine, but don't overmix the batter. 

Pour batter into the pan evenly. Sprinkle crumb topping over the batter to cover completely. 

Bake for about 40 minutes. I checked mine a couple of minutes early using a toothpick and noticed it was done. 


Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar (now doesn't that look like something from an Entenmann's box!?) then cut into squares to serve!

Freshly Baked Crumb Cake

Dining In - Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies - Chloe's Kitchen

'Tis the season for cookies! Here is another delicious, easy recipe. It's a little more indulgent and gourmet than your basic chocolate chip cookie and won't please most kids, nor is it recommended you give them to youngsters, given the heaping tablespoons of espresso powder blended into them. These don't include some of the common baked good ingredients like oil or vanilla or even much white sugar, but they have a richness from the margarine and generous amount of chocolate chips, and if you flatten them they are crispy, reminding me of Tate's Cookies (not vegan, but famous for that thin, crisp texture). 

This recipe comes from the vegan baking queen Chloe Coscarelli and was included in her first cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen. I made these a few years ago when I started cooking my way through that book (posts of those cooking experiences here). She shared this recipe with a handful of online publications so you can also find it here, here, and here. I was excited to see that this cookie recipe has come to life in Chloe's new restaurant in NYC called by CHLOE (my post on that here), where she displays stacks of these huge, flattened crispy delights next to the registers. 


Makes about 24 medium-large cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet diary-free chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup granulated sugar for coating

To Prepare Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.


In a separate larger bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to beat the margarine and espresso powder together. Next add in powdered sugar slowly, then add brown sugar and continue to blend with mixer until well combined. Add flour mixture to this about 1/2 cup at a time. Batter will be on the drier side and thick. If batter seems too dry and hard to stir add 1 tablespoon of water. 



Using large spoon or spatula fold in chocolate chips. 

Scoop about two tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets leaving at least one inch between cookies, as they will expand. Press down on each one to flatten the cookie for a crispier finish. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top. 

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Let cookies cool completely (otherwise they will fall apart!) and then remove from sheet and serve!

Dining In - Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - Post Punk Kitchen

I love the fall! I enjoy the change of the season into more mild weather with crisp, cool air and brightly colored leaves...whenever I can find them in the concrete jungle, that is! It's also the return of one of my favorite fruits, pumpkin. Feeling festive for the week leading up to Halloween, I decided to make these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies to bring into work. I did a quick search online to find a vegan recipe and recognized the credible source PPK (or Post Punk Kitchen, an online vegan cooking and baking community), so I went with the first recipe I looked at. This was made by Isa Chandra, posted back in 2008! You can see the full recipe here, as well. It's a versatile recipe that you can change to your liking (gluten-free, chocolate chips instead of raisins, add ginger, etc.), as demonstrated by the many comments below it.

Sadly I couldn't get the baking times quite right so my first batch was slightly dark and the final batch was a little too soft, but those that I gave a chance to rest to cook more on the baking sheet came out just right. I preferred these over traditional Oatmeal Raisin cookies! They had the subtle sweet pumpkin flavor and a nice chewy texture with some of the sugar caramelizing in the cooking process. The chopped walnuts gave a light nutty, buttery taste to the cookies that balanced out the sweetness and brought in some healthy fats and fiber. 


Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Dry Ingredients for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

To Prepare Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies:

Grease two large baking sheets with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl sift together flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.


In a separate large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin, vanilla extract and flaxseed. Stir until well combined. Add dry ingredient mixture in 1/3 of it at a time, by folding into the batter. Finally, fold in raisins and walnuts. 

Use a tablespoon or large spoon to scoop out batter onto baking sheet. Leave about an inch between cookies. Flatten cookies with a fork (this got a little too sticky for me to do easily) or use your palm to gently flatten each cookie. 

Bake cookies for 15 minutes and if using both levels of your oven at the same time, switch the sheets halfway through baking time. 

Batter Without Walnuts & Raisins

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool completely. I even put them in the fridge to firm them up quickly. 

Share with friends and family and enjoy the fall flavors!

Dining Out in London - Food for Thought

Spinach Cauliflower Dal with Brown Rice & Potato Salad with Garden Salad
Food for Thought

Dinner Crowd at Food for Thought

I'll keep this one short and sweet, because sadly Food for Thought will be closed by the end of June after more than 40 years in business. It happened to be my favorite vegan food in London and the most conveniently located, close to both my office and my hotel, in Soho. Tucked away on a small cobblestone street, it always attracted a crowd in the early evening. People just like me enjoyed their delicious savory, hearty meals. It tasted like home cooked food and the servings were always generous. Not everything they served was vegan, but they had a few vegan entrees to choose from every night and for a combo meal adding a daily salad option was easy as all of them were vegan. 

One of my favorite entrees was the Spinach Cauliflower Dal with Brown Rice. I ordered salad to go with it and got a mix of vegan potato salad and garden salad with a yummy tomato dressing. The Dal dish was creamy, perfectly seasoned and fresh. On other visits, I also tried the Stir-Fried Vegetables with Brown Rice, the Pickled Vegetables, an Avocado, Corn and Black Bean Salad. One more stand out was the dessert I tried on my last visit. The Apple Pear Crumble was jam-packed with fruit and deliciously cinnamon-spiced. Every meal I enjoyed was takeout, but as shown in the photo they do have a few tables to dine in for a small price increase.

Stir-Fried Vegetables with Brown Rice
Food for Thought

The limited, constantly changing menu might frustrate people, especially when you find a favorite, but considering how good the various options were, I enjoyed the surprise and variety! It was cash only, but this is far more common in London than back in the states so I was used to it. If only a place like this existed in New York, where you could get a vegan meal that tastes like home and satisfies you like no other! 

Butterbean Pie - Food for Thought

Taste the Rainbow!

Food for Thought

31 Neal Street

Covent Garden

London, UK WC2H 9PR

Food for Thought Website

Dining Out in London - Cookies and Scream

Cookie Dough Balls Shake - Cookies and Scream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Cookies and Scream, because it's just that good! I had this spot on my list for must-visit vegan spots in London and it was reconfirmed when my London-based friend said how delicious it was. I went to the Camden Lock Market after my slight disappointment at Borough Market for the lack of vegan options. Camden was a lot more crowded and dirtier than I expected. It's got a sort of punk rock vibe going on and the streets are overrun with souvenir shops and wandering tourists. I shuffled around in the food tent area for a while searching for Cookies and Scream until I finally had to ask for help. Turns out it's actually tucked away inside, with a permanent stake in a small building called the Dingwalls gallery area. This dessert bar is not only vegan, but also gluten-free! When I discovered them I realized I wasn't alone in my excitement. The other customers were equally overwhelmed by the looks of the freshly baked, heavenly treats for sale. The staff works in a tiny kitchen area right behind the counter and I commend them for working wonders in such small quarters.

Tiny Kitchen Space at Cookies and Scream

I ordered a Chico Cookie, which was a large peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips. It was super moist, gooey, and rich. I greedily also ordered a liquid dessert, the Cookie Dough Balls Shake thanks to a tip from Fat Gay Vegan and got a Gosh! Brownie to-go, which of course lasted a total of four hours post-visit. As I was drinking my shake all I could think was how unhealthy it must be because of how incredibly sweet and creamy it was, and I got a kick out of the "low-fat" label on the menu board. The huge chunks of cookie dough made it a more exciting and indulgent treat. Excluding my minor stomachache from all the (unrefined) sugar, my only complaint was that the baked goods were a little too moist and fell apart pretty easily. 

It was worth it, whatever damage Cookies and Scream did to my diet. Thank you for the delightful desserts, I will miss you back in the states!

Low-Fat Shakes?! Don't mind if I do...

  

Cookies and Scream

The Market Hall

Camden Lock Place

London, UK NW1 8AF

Cookies and Scream Website

Dining Out in London - Manna

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Manna

Manna is an all vegan restaurant located in Primrose Hill, a pricey more residential part of London compared to busier parts like Soho and Bloomsbury. I loved walking in this sleepy, quaint neighborhood with white townhouses and boutique shops. I met with a friend from the US who moved to London over a year ago, her vegan friend joined us for dinner. From my research I knew this historical (celebrating 47 years!) restaurant offered some of the traditional British fare, things I had never tried before even in non-vegan versions, like Bangers and Mash and Sticky Toffee Pudding, but even with the unknowns I was excited for a sit-down meal with good company. Manna is a small restaurant and although I called and couldn't get the reservation I wanted, there were empty tables throughout our dinner (a bit frustrating). 

Manna Mezze - Manna

Manna Mezze, Arancini - Manna

Baja California Plate - Manna

We started with the Manna Mezze to taste a variety of appetizers. I got to try the Arancini, Vegetable Tempura and Indian Pizza. All of them were delicious, though the Arancini and Indian Pizza were more unique and exciting. I enjoyed the sauces paired with each one. Though their menu changes often, the Organic Bangers and Mash is a constant. I ordered this dish for my entree, again I didn't have much to compare it to because I'd never tried the non-vegan version before. Sadly I wasn't in love with my dish, but it was good. It contained organic fennel and pumpkin seed sausages, on a parsnip and carrot mash with a red wine leek and thyme jus with onion rings. The vegan sausage had lots of seasoning and flavor, but the texture was a little too grainy. I of course loved the fried onion rings that topped the dish! My dining companions both ordered the Baja California Plate (sadly no longer on the menu) and really enjoyed it. Their meals were slightly more fresh and colorful than mine. Although already full, for dessert I had to get my hands on the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Luckily I was able to share it with my friend. It was presented beautifully with a flavor that was decadent and very sweet, certainly happy with this choice to end the meal!

Overall I enjoyed the appetizers and dessert the most. For this more relaxing, quiet dining experience compared to what I experienced in the city center, I would return here. The quality of food was high and service, despite being slow, was decent. In comparison to US prices, this wasn't a cheap meal, but I didn't feel like I was overpaying.

Organic Bangers and Mash - Manna

Manna

4 Erksine Road

Primrose Hill

London, United Kingdom NW3 3AJ

Manna Website

Dining Out in London - Ms. Cupcake

Jaffa Cupcake - Ms. Cupcake

I had this on my list of places to try thanks again to Chef Chloe Coscarelli. She did a cookbook tour in Europe and actually hosted a book signing at this bakery, the first vegan bakery in London! It was far from my hotel but I went along my route home from Paris. They recently started selling their products in Whole Foods so I'm sure many more vegan-curious folks will discover them soon. The baked goods were so fun and colorful! It was hard to pick what to bring home.

I had been indulging a lot already so I opted not to get a box of cupcakes, knowing I had very little self control! I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie for my friend (who excitedly reported back it was very delicious!) and for myself I got a Jaffa Cupcake, something I had never heard of before. It was a chocolate cupcake coated in an orange marmalade and then topped with vanilla-orange and chocolate frosting swirl, with a candied orange piece on top. The cupcake was moist, not overly sweet, frosting was plentiful and I enjoyed the sweet, tangy orange jam that gave it a more unique flavor than the average chocolate cupcake. Two thumbs up. I also saw on their website one of the more popular flavors is the Ferraro Rocher inspired cupcake, called The Ambassador, I was never a fan of those hazelnut chocolate balls so I decided not to grab the last one on the tray. Instead I ordered the Double Chocolate Cookie Sandwich, based on looks alone. My gut instinct was right, this was my favorite pick! I really liked the large, chewy cookies and the buttery, sweet frosting. I should know now that whatever I buy from a vegan bakery will get devoured in one day, just as these did. It's both a good thing, for my wallet (these were pricy) and waistline, and a bad thing, for my taste buds, that this place was outside of my central London location.

In the storefront they are stocked with loads of vegan products, from cheeses, meats, ice cream, snack bars, candies, milkshakes, to baking ingredients and decorations. The baked goods case included many cupcake flavors, brownies, cookies, scones, and muffins. The prices of the baked goods were a little steep, when converted to USD so I didn't stock up. I got a good sense of their product though, and agree this was a great pick! Not too many vegan bakeries exist here, so they take the cake :)

I LOVED Raisinets as a kid,
these made me so happy!

Vegan Cheeses for Sale in the Cooler

Ms. Cupcake

408 Coldharbour Lane

Brixton (in South West London)

London, United Kingdom SW9 8LF

Ms. Cupcake Website