Sometimes the best recipes come out of a cooking disaster. Case in point: I made the Pumpkin Cake with Hazelnut Ganache from the Millenium cookbook, and it was literally a flop. For some crazy reason I decided to add fresh figs to the cake, and it didn’t rise. Sadly, it was more like a flat pancake. But the hazelnut ganache filling was about the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. And because the recipe called for twice as much ganache as was needed, I had a lot left.

I had guests coming for dinner, so I needed a quick solution to my dessert crisis. So I jumped online and found a foolproof vegan chocolate cake recipe courtesy of Moosewood.  I spread the ganache in between two layers of the chocolate cake, and voila – I had the most decadent vegan cake in the universe. My guests loved it, and my friends at the office were blown away when I served them the leftovers the next day – no one could believe it was vegan.

One word of warning – the Moosewood cake is a bit difficult to cut into two layers.  I ended up using a flexible plastic cutting board to cut through the middle and lift the layers onto the plate.  An easier option would be to bake two of the chocolate cakes and use those as your layers. The recipe below if for one cake, so double it if you want to go that route. If you do, there’s no need to double the amount of ganache – this recipe makes a nice thick layer.

I have to admit, this cake certainly doesn’t qualify as health food. While it contains no butter, it’s incredibly rich and fairly high in fat due to the chocolate and hazelnuts. So this is a “special occasion” cake, to be sure. But it’s so worth the splurge.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with  Chocolate-Hazelnut Ganache
(adapted from The Millenium Cookbook and Moosewood)

For the ganache:

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup soy milk or almond milk
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted (be sure to use a high quality semisweet chocolate here, such as Dagoba or Scharffen Berger)

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 cup cold  water or coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

To make the ganache, grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Add the soy/almond milk and process to thoroughly combine with the nuts. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and process until fully blended. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or more. Before using the filling, let sit at room temperature for one hour.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients for the cake. In a smaller bowl, mix the oil, water or coffee and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir with a whisk until smooth. Quickly stir in the vinegar.

Oil and flour a 9-inch spring form pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper (use the removable bottom of the pan as a template to cut your circle.) Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely. Remove the sides of the pan and cut the cake into two layers (see note above.) Transfer the bottom layer to a cake plate or stand, and spread the ganache on top. If the ganache is too stiff to spread, put the bowl in a hot water bath briefly. Top with the second layer of cake. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with raspberries.

Serves 10-12

The minute the leaves start changing, I just have to make apple crisp. It’s like the official announcement of autumn. I also love experimenting with different types of apples. This time I used a mixture of incredible heirloom apple varieties from Montgomery Orchards, including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Pink Pearl and Swiss Gourmet.

My crisp topping, of course, doesn’t include butter – it’s made with organic canola oil. I also sometimes use macadamia nut oil, which is one of the heart-healthiest oils available. Some lowfat crisp toppings aren’t actually crispy, but I’ve figured out a solution: if you add a little water to the mixture just before cooking, it creates a crunchier texture. This time, I also took a leap and tried using steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. My friend Renee really loved the crunch factor, and I happily devoured it, too. But I still think regular oats make for a more comforting dessert – so while the photo shows the steel cut version, I’ve provided my “usual” recipe which always draws raves. So put on a sweater and get baking – fall is here!

Apple Crisp

2 ½ pounds apples (about 7), peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Small pinch cloves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick cooking)
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup organic canola oil
2 tablespoons water

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the apples with the next seven ingredients (through lemon juice).

In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle the organic canola oil over the dry mixture and combine with your fingers until crumbly. Add the water and stir briefly with a fork.

Put the apple mixture in an 8×8” baking dish, then sprinkle on the crumbly topping. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the apples are tender.