Chocolate-Coconut Cake

So...I know it's been a while since I did a blog post, and I apologize.  But I promise you, the wait was worth it because this recipe's a total keeper.  In fact, I even got to hear the words every vegan really hopes to hear from an omnivorous friend:  "I think this may be the best chocolate cake I've ever had, vegan or otherwise."  So yeah.  Life accomplished.  Thanks Alyssa!  But in all seriousness, part of the reason this cake is so wonderful is because of the places it reminds me of.  For example, when I first made this cake for my friends here in Norway, we were in the Lofoten Islands, a group of islands off the west coast of northern Norway, and we were staying in the coziest little red fisherman's cabin I've ever seen in my life.  And this was the view out my bedroom window: 

Photo cred to the wonderful Marissa Hojnacke!

So, if you can imagine spending four days north of the Arctic Circle, surrounded by mountains that literally rise straight out of the sea and curled up next to a wood stove with some fantastic people, then you can begin to imagine how wonderful this cake is.  

The Lofoten Islands, for anyone who's interested, happen to be one of the highlights of my semester here in Norway so far.  If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a trip - it was a little fussy getting there, but well worth the effort.  After taking the train from Bø to Oslo, we then had to fly from Oslo to Bodø before taking a three-hour ferry out to Moskenes and befriending a helpful fellow American who drove us the 8 kilometers to our home away from home in Hamnøy.  But, again, definitely worth it.  We spent a day exploring Lofoten's famed white sand beaches, complete with sandcastles and, unbelievably, swimming - the water was beyond cold, but the pictures of all of us in bathing suits, mittens, and scarves are priceless.  We also were fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights on our trip - the first time I've ever seen them in person!    

Of course, we also ate a fair amount of delectable food while we were staying there (chocolate cake included), so all in all Lofoten was a definite success.  However, the other reason this cake recipe is near and dear to my heart is because I learned it this past summer while working at one of the most incredible, happy places I have ever had the pleasure of being - Willamette University's Zena Farm.  This is a recipe from the coordinator of the Summer Session in Sustainable Agriculture, Dr. Jennifer Johns, and was featured in our end-of-the-program gift to each other: a collection of all of our favorite recipes from the summer.  In the cookbook that this recipe is originally from, it is referred to as "Six-Minute Chocolate Cake," which is something of a misnomer because it takes longer than six minutes to cook.  But I suppose "Thirty-Minute Chocolate Cake" doesn't have the same ring to it...

If this looks like my kitchen in Bø to anyone, that's because it is - I've already made the cake again!

Six-Minute Chocolate Cake (a la Zena Farm):

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp vinegar

This recipe is called "Six-Minute" Chocolate Cake because it really is that simple:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F

2.  Mix everything together except the vinegar in a 8"x8" pan.  Stir in vinegar just before baking.

3.  Bake for 30-35 minutes*

*I made a double recipe in a 9"x13" pan, which worked great, but you'll want to double the baking time

Super Simple Coconut Sauce:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1.  Refrigerate a can of coconut milk for a couple of hours.  Take it out of the refrigerator and scrape off the thick, creamy solids that will have formed on the top until you have roughly a cup.  

2.  Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to keep from burning the sugar

3.  Add the vanilla and the coconut milk and simmer for at least 10 minutes

4.  Let cool for at least 20 minutes, preferable in the refrigerator

5.  When the cake is ready, drizzle the sauce liberally over each slice for a super moist, super tasty treat!

Rutabaga Shepherd's Pie

   It is definitely fall here in Norway.  It happened almost overnight - one minute I was hot and feeling foolish for bringing almost exclusively sweaters and fleece, and then I left for the weekend and came back to a drastically more colorful landscape and a crispy chill to the air.  I'm not sure exactly how that happened, but it was certainly welcome because there is nothing I love better than fall.  Cooler days, cozy sweaters, crunchy leaves - the whole shebang.  And fall food is even better; pumpkins, cranberries, squash, apples, and all their hearty, autumn-inspired goodness are back in season!      

And this past weekend, something happened that fulfilled all of my wildest fall stereotypes from my Wisconsin childhood to my beloved Pacific Lutheran University on the west coast - Eplefest (Apple fest)!  A group of us trekked 7 kilometers to Gvarv, a small town close to Bø, and trekked back with packs full of produce - apples, vegetables, and, of course, some Telemark apple cider!  

Apple cider!

However, while the apple cider is divine and the apples have since become an apple pie (a delicious one at that), the pride of my Eplefest conquests was undoubtedly a vegetable I hadn't laid eyes on since my wonderful summer spent on an Oregon farm in the Willamette valley - a rutabaga.  Now before you knock it, I wholeheartedly assure you that rutabaga is one of the most delicious vegetables, and that's not just my Swedish heritage speaking.  It has a potato-like texture and a sweet, somewhat mild squash-y flavor.  And I have been craving it ever since my first rutabaga tasting this summer.  Anyways, I knew I had to showcase this rutabaga in the big way it deserved, so it became the star of this nouveau shepherd's pie, sitting atop other tender root vegetables in a cloud of vegetable heavenliness.  Okay, maybe heavenliness is a bit excessive, but it was sure darn good.    

Rutabaga Shepherd's Pie
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
dried thyme for garnish

For the mashed rutabaga topping:

1.  Peel and cube the rutabaga, getting rid of all the hard root-like stem parts.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the cubed rutabaga, and cook until the rutabaga is falling-apart tender.  

2.  Drain the rutabaga, reserving the cooking liquid, and place in a large bowl.

3.  Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil (maybe about a tablespoon or more, as desired) on the rutabaga and mash with a potato masher (or a fork if you're a poor international student) until the texture is creamy, adding small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid until the desired texture is reached.  Set aside

For the filling:

1.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent and tender.

2.  Add the potato and carrot and saute for a minute or two.

3.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the thyme and let simmer for about ten minutes until the liquid is thick and gravy-like.  

Assembly:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.

2.  Pour the filling into any small baking dish (8 by 8 would probably work perfectly, but I didn't have that so I used an individual portion sized glass tupperware).  Cover with a generous layer of mashed rutabaga, and sprinkle some thyme across the top (rosemary also works here).  Bake for approximately 35 minutes - the shepherd's pie should be bubbly and browned around the edges and the top should be slightly browned as well.  

Enjoy with a glass of warm apple cider!