Black Sesame Cake!! (I've only wanted to do this forever)

My room-mate's birthday came up unexpectedly!  I had to innovate... it helped that I could peek into her side of the pantry and note the favoured ingredients... and remember that she has a yen for spicy food and japanese (similar taste much!)

I essentially made her the cake I secretly hoped someone would make for me someday (but shh, it works here, too).

I made a half recipe of a cake I found online here, sliced it into 4 rectangles and sandwiched them with a full recipe of the Vegan Cupcakes take over the World chocolate mousse recipe, but with a bunch of wasabi and ginger added, yes!

Top it with some pretty kiwis and champagne grapes and white pearls and call it an ideal job.  Just about exactly what I was aiming for - it's elegant and spicy and rich.  If I did it again I might add some cashew cream layers, or some strawberry jam, but really it's perfect just the way it is right here.  Roomie even professed to get a wasabi high off the mousse!  Ha ha, couldn't ask for more.

Black Sesame Cake

(from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert (veganized), via Dessert First)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup soy yogurt

3 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil*

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup soymilk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup toasted black sesame seeds

- Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a cake tin and dust flour inside it.  Set aside.

- Add the vinegar to the soymilk and set aside to curdle.

- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  

- In a large bowl, beat together the soygurt, sesame oil, vanilla, canola oil, and sugar until it's smooth and caramell-y, about 2-3 minutes with a whisk.

- Add 1/3 of the flour to the liquid ingredients and stir to combine.  Add half the curdled soymilk and stir.  Add another 1/3 of the flour (stir), then the rest of the milk (stir), then the last of the flour (stir).  Make sure not to overwork the batter, but it should be smooth and pourable.

- Pour into the greased cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is glossy, firm and golden, and a toothpick/knife inserted comes out clean.  Let it cool for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack, then let it cool completely before frosting.

* the original recipe called for butter, and you would probably get spectacular results with Earth Balance, I just didn't have enough this time.  Follow the recipe the same, but cream the margarine with the sugar with an electric mixer until it's really white and fluffy, before adding the other liquid ingredients.

Wasabi Ginger Chocolate Mousse

(adapted from Vegan Cupcakes take over the World)

12 oz. package of medium firm tofu, drained

1/4 cup soy milk

2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

1 tbsp wasabi paste (or more ;)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ginger powder

8 oz. chocolate chips (or higher quality chocolate if you'd like)

pinch of salt

- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then gently add your tofu, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes.  Drain carefully and let it cool.

- Once cooled, put the tofu, syrup, wasabi, vanilla and ginger in a blender and blend it until it's completely smooth.

- Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave then add it to the blender and whip everything together.  Add salt if you like salt (I do), then stash it in the fridge for at least an hour to become firm enough to work with.  Ice your cake!