Ok, let's get one thing straight. I am not a Vegan, though I do embrace certain aspects of veganism. My body no longer deals well with Dairy. It has taken me a while to come to this conclusion, but I have finally accepted that Dairy is now my frenemy. I say frenemy, because I really wish it could be my bestie. I love ice cream, cheese, chocolate, and all that dairy goodness. I wish I could enjoy it without the consequences! So I have decided to lower my dairy intake. I suppose I should cut it out altogether, but realistically, I can't. I drink almond or coconut milk and only drink dairy if its unavoidable. I cut out cheese whenever possible. I don't consume camembert or brie or any other specialty lovely or artisan cheese that I once enjoyed. I limit my chocolate intake and I am proud to say I am good at this. I avoid butter where ever possible. I am not allergic thank goodness, though I haven't had this tested by a medical professional. I just know from my own experience and experiments that dairy no longer has a good influence on me and I have to limit my contact to benefit both of us. It was a hard break up, but I am surviving!
There are some great benefits to the Vegan diet, but I still enjoy my eggs, and I can't exist without meat, though I do limit my intake, much more than I used to. I also try to include more fish into my diet, which again is a no no for Vegans. So while I can't be a fully fledged Vegan, I still enjoy the vegan recipes I come across. This cake I made the other night came about because a Vegan friend of mine, shared her discovery of whipping chickpea brine, with some sugar to replace eggs. The guy behind this all is Goose Wohlt, who now has a blog. This was insane! How could chickpea brine with sugar be whipped to look just like whipped egg white? But I do not lie. Check the links for yourself and see the Facebook group for more experiences. This concept is so revolutionary because cans of chickpeas or any beans apparently, replacing eggs or egg whites for baking is simply genius! Its so easy to store cans of beans in your cupboard and have them on hand. There are countless ways to use chickpeas and beans for your cooking and now, you can reserve your brine for cooking too! I know some of you are saying, "Grosse me out" and my kids would too, had I told them I used cannellini (white beans) brine to make the cake, but I didn't, and they liked it!!! I found the cake had good texture and was pleasantly moist. While I used pineapple, I think canned apricots, pears, peaches, mangoes etc could be used. Just as long as the syrup/juice is pleasant. This is a great food storage recipe to keep on hand.
Piña Colada Cake
2 cups SRF
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cup full fat coconut cream (no need to refrigerate)
1 can canallenni bean brine (or chickpea)
1 Tbsp icing mixture
400g pineapple pieces or crushed with juice
2 Tsp vanilla extract
1.Oven to 180C, line cake tin with baking paper.
2. Whip brine and icing mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla until soft peaks form
3. Mix SRF into whipped brine. Stir in coconut cream, caster sugar, tin of pineapple pieces and juice, and 1tsp vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour into tin and place in oven for 30-35mins. Test with skewer if centre is cooked through. Allow to cool a little before serving.
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