The JOY of Mockingbird cake

Okay…so I just opened the number 12 on my Advent Calendar and the news said today was the busiest shipping day of the month. Thanks all of you who get our packages where we want them to be for Christmas, but I’ve been baking instead of shipping. Before I tell you about the recipe…here is how it came to be! Remember how I told you about how I walk everyday???? Well, since early Spring last year, my walking buddy and I have been watching a hawk that circles our neighborhood. It is a beautiful sight as it catches an air current and glides across the sky. It’s a red-tailed hawk that has a piercingly loud cry that has a descending pitch that is immediately recognizable. We always turn to one another and say, “Oh…there’s the hawk!” So, last week as we walked we heard the hawk. We stopped and looked up through the trees. The hawk cry was quite close…like right above our heads. We both searched, looking for this large beautiful bird. Nothing! We heard the cry again…no hawk, but again the hawk cry. Then, fluttering across the limb above me…a mockingbird. A mockingbird making the exact call of the red-tailed hawk AND WE LAUGHED, AND LAUGHED! What big sounds to come out of such small bird. Here’s one that visits my backyard. Sometimes I get the entire standup show with a rapid-fire string of all the sounds this little bird likes to imitate.

This same bird also does a mean cardinal imitation! One little female listens too!!

So last night, I needed a cake to take to our choir Christmas party and I thought…what would be a good Christmas cake to celebrate! I immediately thought…hummingbird….no…..pig pickin’…no….coconut, nothing says Christmas cake like coconut. And then it hit me! Mockingbird Cake will be the one I will make. I will do a little imitation of all THREE of these and make a cake that cries…CHRISTMAS!!!! Thanks to you little mockingbird for your inspiration and a new cake for Christmas!

Mockingbird Cake

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Prep two 9 inch round cake pans as follows:

(for those who have asked how to line cake pans with paper easily)

Tear two sheets of wax paper the width of the pans. You can fold both sheets together and fold in half long wise and then bring ends together to create a square.

Fold square into a triangle two times creating an arrow shape.

Measure by holding the arrow of paper and from the center of pan to edge and using scissors, cut across the wide end of the arrow.

Unfold!

You now will have 2 circles that will fit the cake pans.

Spray the pans and place the wax paper in the bottom. Spray paper again and then dust pan and paper with unbleached all purpose flour.

Now, measure ½ cup of dried cranberries into a microwaveable bowl. Pour 1/3 cup of peach brandy on the cranberries and place in the microwave for 1minute. (You could certainly use orange juice, or apple juice…the peach brandy just adds another layer in the fruit flavors of the cake) Allow the dried cranberries to macerate while making the rest of cake.

Drain small can of mandarin oranges and save the juice.

(Get the oranges packed in pear juice or another juice, not heavy syrup.)

Finely chop enough of the well drained oranges to measure ¼ cup.

Sift the following dry ingredients into a large bowl:

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 ½ cups natural granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. all spice

Stir in 1 cup of finely chopped pecans and mix dry ingredients well.

Measure 3 tsp. of EnerG (dry egg replacer) and whisk in 4 T. of the juice from the drained mandarin oranges. Allow EnerG to fully dissolve while measuring the remaining ingredients.

Smash 1and ½ to 2 bananas (enough to measure ¾ cup)

Combine:

½ cup unsweetened applesauce (jarred or homemade)

1 (8 oz.) can of crushed pineapple do NOT drain

¾ cup smashed banana

¼ cup finely chopped mandarin orange segments

½ cup plumped dried cranberries (this includes any juice or brandy not absorbed by dried fruit…most all liquid will be absorbed)

Add fruit into bowl with dry ingredients.

Then add:

½ cup canola oil

½ cup almond milk

2 tsp. of pure vanilla

Stir well by hand…no need for a mixer with this cake. EASY!!!

Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans. Smooth top and place in the pre-heated 350 degree oven. I like to place the rack in the middle of the oven to bake cakes. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. The cake will be firm to touch in the center and a toothpick will come out cleanly. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a cooling rack. Peel off the wax paper from the cake bottom gently.

I have small square racks that allow me to then right the cake so the top of the cake is up and the bottom is against the cooling rack.

You can ice the cake the same day that you make it, but I prefer to allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap it well in film wrap and then ice it the next day. The important thing is to allow the cake to COOL COMPLETELY before icing.

While cake is cooling I make the garnishes for the cake. I sugared some fresh cranberries and fresh rosemary. I picked some rosemary out in the garden…it is feeling like December, but this hearty herb is as green as ever. I just love having my fresh rosemary and thyme when the other herbs have died out from the cold.

The other bit of joy comes in seeing the camellia’s blooming. How lucky are we to have beautiful flowers in spite of the chilly temperatures.

Joy!

So I took the fresh rosemary and coated it in some of the EnerG dissolved in water like it was egg white. I then sugared the rosemary with some natural sugar and allowed it to dry. I did the same for the cranberries only I used some colored sugar I had in the cupboard.

It looks just like a snowy Christmas card when complete!

But back to Icing the cake…..

Icing Recipe:

I always make more icing than I need. I cannot stand barely having enough icing and making it stretch to ice the cake properly. You will have enough to put on additional cupcakes during your holiday baking. Just put leftover icing into a container and keep it in the refrigerator.

2 sticks of Earth Balance (room temperature)

8 oz. of vegan cream cheese (room temperature)

(Allowing the earth balance and vegan cream cheese to come to room temperature allows it to be creamed more easily and smoothly!!!!)

Zest of 1 medium size orange

Juice of ½ of the orange

2 tsp. of pure vanilla

2 lbs. of confection powdered sugar

Cream the earth balance and vegan cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add zest, juice, and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing until smooth and the spreading consistency you like. It may not take all of the sugar or it might take a bit more – it’s all about the day!! I like the frosting a bit stiffer so it is easy to spread, but loose enough to be fluffy.

Now take cooled cake, either fresh or next day after being wrapped, and level it with a thin, serrated knife. This cake is very level, but I like to take off a VERY THIN layer from the top of all cakes. I then place the first cake layer on the cake plate and slide strips of wax paper under the bottom edge of the cake. (It takes 4 strips) Do the same leveling to the second layer.

Put several large spoonfuls of icing onto the first layer, and carefully spread icing from the center to not quite the edge of the cake. When placing the second layer of cake on the filling, it will squish to the edge. The amount of icing depends totally on how much icing you like. I like about ¼ of an inch, but again it is up to your preference when eating cake. Now top the icing with the second layer of cake.

Ice the sides of the cake first. This cake is so moist and because it has a denser texture (like a carrot cake) a crumb, skim coat of icing to hold the cake crumbs in place is not necessary. Just carefully ice the sides using an off-set spatula.

Then Ice the top and smooth the icing on top and sides again. It does not have to be perfectly smooth.

BECAUSE….coconut snow is now going over all the icing. Just carefully pat it all over. I place the cake plate on a baking sheet to catch any wayward coconut so I can easily scoop it up and use it for the next sprinkle of coconut. Continue until all the icing is covered with coconut flakes!

Now using a knife, carefully push the knife against the bottom edge of the cake and pull out the wax paper that is protecting the plate from being covered in icing and coconut. Continue until all four pieces are out and you have a clean edge. I use the knife to push everything back in place. I piped an edge around the bottom of the cake, but it is just fine to leave it as is…totally up to whether you like to pipe icing. Just takes a little practice with the bag and piping tips and gives the cake a finished look. Add the sugared cranberries and rosemary made earlier.

I placed some around the bottom….

And some on top…..

Oh….what a little mimicker mockingbird cake…hehe!!!

Don’t you just LOVE cake!!! We love cake here in the South, especially at Christmas. It brings joy to the party…it just does! Which brings me to my word this week, JOY! Yes, the third candle we lit yesterday on our Advent wreath was the pink candle…the JOY candle.

Like peace, joy has nothing really to do with life circumstances. Joy is a gift that is within…it is this byproduct produced from just fully enjoying the moment. Don’t you find that when you truly enjoy something like a beautiful song – joy just wells up from within you??? That so happened while the choir was singing yesterday. A beautiful, college student sits next to me in choir. We were singing, “Joy to the World”. The organ was full, and the brass was soaring. Our voices joined in this grand final phrase, “And wonders of His love” and Allison whispered, “NOW, it’s Christmas!” Thankfully, it isn’t quite, but I fully understood that feeling. This young woman’s finals were over, she was about to go back to her hometown and be with family.  The swelling experience that surrounded us up in that choir loft can only be described as pure JOY. We were taking in and enjoying that moment. Joy came like a wave over, and around, and within us! Everyone was smiling. Joy is a way of experiencing life. Joy is seeing the glass ½ full, looking at the silver lining, not giving into despair. Joy makes smiles spontaneously appear. Like what happened when we were trying to get the pugs to dress up in their Santa hats.

Hope’s eventually became a beard.

So I smile and laugh! I am so filled with joy, even from two little Santa pugs.

When I woke up this morning…the full moon was just going down and the pink ribbons of a new day were woven across the sky. A new day! 

I took the picture and then looked at the rocking chair on the front porch...the pillow says, JOY!!!!!

Like I’ve said…you can always find a sign. You only must stop and look!

Look for joy this week! Eat cake and take in some JOY!!

Thoughtful living moment today: Take in all of life and enjoy each moment…it is there…deep within you...that joy will be born!

The Tree and Veggie Sausage

It is that last week of November, when the flurry of having Thanksgiving co-exists with the beginning preparations for Christmas at our house. Every year, I seem to have pumpkins, corn, autumn leaves, and the Christmas tree all decorating my house during this last week of November. I’ve learned through the years though, that if I don’t start pulling out the decorations from the attic on the Friday following Thanksgiving, our family gathered for Thanksgiving misses putting “their” ornaments on the tree. I get excited about re-visiting every ornament as it is brought out of the box. Each story of how… or when…or where…gets re-told as it ceremoniously is hung on a branch.

Even the dogs help…or better yet…

 sleep as we decorate!

Some families have very posh, designer trees right out of a magazine. I think these coordinated trees are very beautiful. Our tree is not one of those trees. Our tree is simple, ordinary, 

but OUR living history.

 A remembrance of people we have known.

A treasured collection of creations crafted by our children’s hands.

Our tree holds now 29 years worth of memories.

It is the most beautiful tree to me in the entire world! We all stand back when we are finished and "oooo" and "ahhh"!!

Then we go outside once it gets dark and view it from the street. The white lights twinkle 

through the picture window!

We then eat breakfast. Don’t you just love breakfast?? I LOVE eating breakfast for supper. Unless it is the weekend, or a holiday, we never have a big breakfast. Yes, I know it is the most important meal of the day, but we always just have simple breakfast meals, so to go all out and fix a big breakfast meal is a treat! Here was our menu: pumpkin waffles with apple cider/cranberry syrup, fried apples, tofu scramble, and “sausage”. I was again STUFFED!  I rationalized how hard we had worked carrying boxes down from the attic, putting up the tree, and exerting ourselves out of our usual Post-Thanksgiving prone position. I enjoyed every bite!! I told you I would share with you my sausage recipe. Here it is for your upcoming holiday breakfasts to come, or to use in other recipes in your entertaining days ahead. It makes great sausage balls, stuffed mushrooms, or to use to make my meatball recipe instead of the 

pre-made sausage.

To be honest with you, I said a little prayer to my grandfather Mohler (my mother’s father) when I created this sausage. He was a sausage maker by trade. He worked in a meat packing plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas and his recipe was never written down. A loss…probably one of the reasons I am writing down my recipes. I ate his sausage as a young girl every time we visited him and that spicy taste is still in my mind. I always remembered the red pepper flakes and so this has that same kick. If you don’t like things as spicy, just back off on the pepper, but it is really good and so much like his sausage – without the meat! Thanks, Grandpa Mohler!! (He looked just like Santa without the beard…

REALLY :-))

It seems a bit…well…overwhelming to make your own sausage, BUT in timing this, it goes together in 15 minutes. Cooks in just 14 to 16 minutes, so really you have no excuse to say making this sausage takes too much time! It is quicker than you think...and so worth it!!!

Veggie Sausage:

1 Cup TVP (Textured vegetable protein) 

(This is found near the dried beans in our grocery store –  Bob’s Red Mill brand)

1(scant) Cup boiling unsalted vegetable broth 

(I just heat broth for 1 minute in microwave oven)

(Allow TVP to absorb liquid while getting additional ingredients together)

1 15 oz. can of pinto beans (drain and rinse)

1 T. of vegetable broth

2 T. olive oil

1 T. maple syrup

1/8 tsp. liquid smoke

(Place all of the beans and liquids in food processor and process until smooth. Scrape sides down and process again to achieve a smooth consistency)

Add the beans to re-hydrated TVP.

The seasoning to make all of this taste like “sausage”!!!

(I know it looks like a lot of different herbs and spices, but you are making sausage out of vegetables so…TRUST me!! These are seasonings you should have on hand at all times, but especially during the Holidays!!

1 tsp. rubbed dried sage

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. fennel seed – (grind in mortar and pestle)

½ tsp. black ground pepper

½ tsp. red pepper flakes 

(again you can back off the pepper if you choose – but I highly recommend the heat if you can – sooo good!)

Mix  the spices into the mixture to distribute evenly.

½ cup vital gluten 

(This is used in bread making – found in the section with flour and yeast in our grocery store and also what is used to make seitan…wheat meat)

Mix vital gluten into the mixture.

Dust bench or counter with additional unbleached all purpose flour and knead lightly. Knead this mixture for 3 minutes or so to develop the gluten strands. I keep dusting with flour and scraping with bench scraper. The technique is like making bread. I use (depending on day and moisture in the air) about ¼ cup of all purpose unbleached flour to knead the veggie sausage.

The veggie sausage becomes firmer to the touch and I roll it into a log. The diameter is up to you, but I usually make it about 2 to 2 ½ inch diameter…like a roll of pork sausage.

Wrap in wax paper like a giant caramel – yum!

Refrigerate until you are ready to cook. With it chilled, you can slice it like pork sausage into small patties. You can also use it right away and the slices are a little more organic in shape. I do think the texture improves if given a bit of chilling time.

When ready to cook – pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

Place a couple of Tablespoons of oil into a non-stick skillet. Allow oil to get hot and then place patties into the hot oil. Brown 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

A nice crust will be formed, but the middle will still be a bit soft and not completely hot, SO…place patties on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. If your skillet is oven-proof (and handles) you can drain grease and place skillet in oven. It is important that the grease is removed or the bottom of the patty will continue to brown and be too overly browned…learned the hard way…that is what I am here for… to help you not make my mistakes - hehe! I place veggie sausage patties on a baking sheet and then use that flavored veggie sausage oil to make the tofu scramble, but that is just what I do…you do as you wish.

The patties will become firm in the middle, hot, and ready to add to your breakfast meal in 10 minutes!!!

I started off this week’s blog by talking about putting up our tree. I want to share with you my gift today (my Christmas a..ha…moment) as I walked with our dog Grace and my neighbor from across the street. We walk almost every morning and last year about this time when we walked, we noticed a little tree in a yard in our neighborhood. It looked just like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. The little tree was crying out to be decorated. The tree just needed a little LOVE. So each morning when we walked, my neighbor and I took turns taking an ornament and placing it anonymously on the little tree. It was so much fun to sneak the ornament onto the tree. Day by day, the little Charlie Brown tree looked better and better. As Christmas day came near, my neighbor added a tree skirt just like Linus adding his security blanket in the story and the look was complete. Well, to our amazement, this morning – the little tree was decked out with our cast off ornaments and looking like a real Christmas tree!

Is it not the perfect Charlie Brown tree???

On Sunday, we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath that is in the center of our dining room table. This first candle is the candle of Hope. Each evening we light this single candle and have a reading.

So all of this has been dancing in my head today. I guess the little Charlie Brown tree decorated today was my sign of Hope for the Day! Like Charlie in the Christmas story, I was drawn to a baby tree, a real tree! It represents for me today the Hope of Christmas. What is the baby tree in your life that needs a little love??

Thoughtful living moment today: Even the smallest acts of love done in the past are not forgotten. They return and remind us that Hope is REAL! 

 May Hope be your word this week too! 

Look for a tree!