Praline Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I bring you an iced double-decker vegan praline pumpkin cake.  Say that three times fast!  😉

I made this cake a few weeks back to take to a friend’s house, and it was a hit!  At the end of the night, we only had two slices left…whether it was because there were that many people eating cake or because it was that good…you’re guess is as good as mine! 😉 Either way, we were the lucky ones and brought the extra cake home!

Originally, I was going to just make pumpkin cake with the icing, but that seemed a little boring.  I’ve been snacking on praline almonds, so my wheels started turning.  Praline almonds?  Not for this cake.  Praline pecans?  Perfect!  There’s something about butter, brown sugar, and pecans that just seems oh so right.

While pulling out spices for making the cake batter, I remembered that I had just received a shipment of new oils in the mail.  I got a little excited and pulled out some of my new “spicy” essential oils, using a combo of cinnamon bark, clove, and ginger.  The smells—oh the smells!  This is my absolute favorite time of year to whip up fall scented treats, and this cake did not disappoint.  And let’s not forget about the icing—pumpkin whipped cream?  Absolutely!

 

• Difficulty: medium
• Print

For the Praline:
½ cup Earth Balance Butter
¼ cup almond milk
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup chopped pecans

For the cake:
4 cups flour
3 ½ TBSP baking powder
1 ¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup cane sugar
1 ¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
1 ½ TBSP vegetable oil
3 ¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp caramel extract
6 drops Young Living Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
3 drops Young Living Nutmeg Essential Oil
2 drop Young Living Ginger Essential Oil
1 drop Young Living Clove Essential Oil
2 TBSP Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 3 TBSP water to fold into the batter

For the icing:
2 cans full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge overnight)
8 oz pumpkin puree
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
2-3 droppers vanilla stevia drops
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut two round pieces of parchment paper to fit into two ungreased 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper (this will make it easier for the cakes to come out of the pans).
2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the Earth Balance butter, almond milk, and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the butter is melted.  Pour evenly into the two round cake pans.  Sprinkle evenly with pecans.
3. Combine the dry cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss well.
4. Combine the wet ingredients, except the Ener-G egg replacer, and fold into the dry ingredients.
5. Fold the Ener-G egg replacer into the cake ingredients.
6. Spread the batter into the two prepared cake pans, smoothing out the top. The batter is a bit thick, so be sure to smooth it out.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
8. Cool the cakes completely before turning out on racks or cake plate.
9. Prepare the Pumpkin Whipped Cream: Without shaking or disturbing, remove the chilled cans of coconut milk from the fridge.  Using a small can opener (the “old school” kind that is a pointed triangle) to puncture a drainage hole in the bottom of the can.  Do this over a separate bowl!  Allow the coconut water to drain out of the bottom of the can.  Once all of the water is drained, flip the can over, open and scoop out the thick coconut cream to a large bowl.  Repeat with the second can.
10. Whip the coconut cream until it starts to firm up. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, sweetener, and salt.  Whip until you have soft fluffy peaks.
11. If you haven’t already, place one cake round onto your cake plate. Layer half of your pumpkin whipped cream on top of the first cake round, and then place the second cake round on top of the cream.

We loved this cake so much that I’ll be making it to bring to Thanksgiving this year!  We do have some allergies in the family, so I’m working on a nut-free cinnamon swirl version…spoiler alert family members!  🙂

What are you making for dessert?

Why? How? Joining Young Living Essential Oils

My family and I started using Young Living Essential Oils earlier this year. Aaron can be a bit of a snorer, and I was tired, frustrated, and about to send him to a doctor of some sort. Right before I got to that point, a friend recommended that we try an essential oil on his big toes each night. We figured anything was worth a shot, so we gave it a try—buying a bottle of Young Living Valor Oil—and we haven’t looked back since!

 We’ve been able to treat migraines, sleeplessness, allergies, illnesses, and we’re even working on hair loss (sorry honey!). Really, my list could go on and on, but my point is that knowing that we are able to take care of ourselves without medical intervention has been so empowering! Making healthy choices has become very important to us, and we love to share our experiences with others. I get a little giddy each time I hear a complaint from someone—my motto has become “There’s an oil for that!” and seeing the pleasant surprise and amazement at each success has become my reward.

As I become more and more educated on the many uses for the oils, we have been able to make changes to our medicine cabinet. Prior to Young Living, I was taking a preventative medicine for migraines daily as well as migraine response medication 3-4 times a week—I’ve been off of both for months now, using Young Living Peppermint Oil if I get a twinge in my head. Within minutes my head is clear and I feel invigorated!

I love all of the testimonies that we have as a family and from our friends, but you may ask what about Young Living makes them superior? Young Living owns their own farms and distilleries worldwide so that plants can be raised in their native environments, and if a farm is a co-op that Young Living uses, that farm must meet the same quality standards as Young Living farms. Only plants that are free of chemicals are used, and Young Living oils are steam-distilled in stainless steel chambers at low pressure and low temperature, while citrus oils are cold pressed from the rind. Young Living also does all of their own bottling, ensuring that the contents of the bottles are pure essential oils—no added chemicals or dilution. Talk about quality!

Given the successes that we’ve experienced within our family and friends, as well as the research I did around the superior quality of Young Living Essential Oils, I signed up pretty quickly.   I respect the company, their pure oils, and the opportunity to expand and grow within their organization—even by just sharing our successes!

If you are even slightly curious and interested, here are some of the most common questions I have received:

Why should I become a whole sale member?

Signing up as a wholesale member is a great opportunity that gives you 24% off of retail price! As a wholesaler, you also have the option to share the oils with others in order to earn monthly commissions and promotions for free oils. As a wholesaler, you are not required to have a Young Living business—but it’s a great opportunity if you’re interested!

Is there a monthly order minimum?

No—you can simply order when you need it. To maintain your wholesale status, you only have to place one 50PV minimum order per year—that’s roughly $50 per year in product, and trust me—you’ll be ordering!

What kit do you recommend?

I recommend the premium starter kit with the diffuser. It may seem like a lot of money on the front end, but if you do the cost comparison, you’re truly saving money! The diffuser alone retails for over $90, and the box of 10 oils alone retails for over $160. With the premium starter kit, you receive the diffuser, the box of 10 oils, an additional oil, and other sample products. What a savings!

Do I get anything for signing up?

When you sign up, you are given your own member number, and I will send you your own special link to share with others who may be interested in Young Living. Additionally, when you sign up as a wholesale member under me, I send you an Essential Oil Pocket Reference book. FYI though—there is NO WAY this book can fit in your pocket! It has that much information! J

Is there anything else I should know about?

Yes, Essential Rewards is a program that offers reduced shipping, credit for free oils, and there is a new promotion each month to earn free products when you place an Essential Rewards order. But don’t worry—this is an added feature that you can participate in if you’d like.

Steps to join Young Living:

1. Click here to start the enrollment process. As a default, Wholesale Member will already be selected. If you switch to a Retail Customer, you will not receive the 24% discount.
2. Make sure my member number (1813034) has been filled into both the sponsor and the enroller ID spots.
3. Complete your contact information, to include an email address so that I can contact you. In the contact information, you are asked to supply your SSN. This is only for tax purposes, so that if you make over $600 per year selling products, Young Living will send you a 1099 form. I will not see your SSN, and Young Living does not share it with anyone.
4. Choose the kit that you want—again I highly recommend the Premium Starter Kit with Diffuser.
5. You can skip the Essential Rewards portion unless you would like to sign up for that right away. If you don’t want an Essential Rewards kit, simply check the “No thank you” button at the bottom.
6. Proceed through checking out, ensuring that you complete your order.

So, are you ready to take the plunge into the wonderful world of oils, ditching the drugstore remedies? If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message—I’d love to help you out!

Click here to order your premium starter kit 

 

Peppermint Cream Brownies and Young Living

It all started with a snoring hubby. Several months ago, I talked about not sleeping well because of the hubsters snoring, and a friend recommended that we try using some essential oils on his big toes at night. We (I) were at the point where we (I) were willing to try just about anything, so we gave it a try and purchased our first bottle of Valor essential oil. I don’t know who was more excited to open that little box…me or the hubs (okay…okay…I’m sure it was me! 😉 )

Two drops on each big toe…three nights later…no snoring! We couldn’t believe it! So, me being me, I got to thinking…what else is out there? I started researching and looking into essential oils, and I really found so much great information about Young Living Essential Oils—they are therapeutic grade and are only made from chemical free plant material—umm—yes please! I’ve had some oils before, but as I compare them, there is a definite difference in quality, smell, and effect.

So, for my birthday I talked to the hubster about really getting more involved with Young Living Oils and in expanding my collection beyond the Valor. We got the premium started kit, and we haven’t looked back since! I use the peppermint oil (one of my faves) for headaches/migraines—gone within minutes and I haven’t had to take migraine medicine in months—lavender for scrapes and bites on the kids—redness and swelling goes down/is gone within minutes—and the kids will ask for either some Joy or some Peace and Calming depending on their moods! It’s so great to have this be a family affair!

Now, you may wonder why I’m going on and on about these oils when this is supposed to be a blog about what I bake? Well…I bake with my oils too! Remember my Lemon Blueberry Glaze Donuts? The lemon part of the donuts comes from my Lemon Essential Oil. This time I wanted something a bit different, so, using Peppermint Essential Oil, I whipped up a batch of Peppermint Cream Brownies! O….M….G!!!!

I thought I made them for other people (ummm…I think I ate four), my mom intended to eat ¼ of one (first of all…who does that…second of all…she had two), and my aunts took some home for later! I think that they were a hit! The brownie is moist and chewy, and the peppermint cream? Oh…the peppermint cream! It just melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more….and more…

I’ll be honest—I wasn’t entirely sure about the brownie part as it was baking up. It was a little bubbly and I was convinced it was never going to bake all of the way through. I gave it extra time and then hoped for the best…and I was not disappointed! The brownie came out slightly fudgy and chewy—the best kind of brownie if you ask me!

Peppermint Cream Brownies

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Adapted from the Sweet Vegan cookbook

Brownie Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups evaporated cane juice sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Peppermint Cream Ingredients:
½ cup Earth Balance butter at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
8-10 drops Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil
2-4 TBSP almond milk

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
6 TBSP Earth Balance butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. Using a stand mixer combine the flour, cane juice, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Blend on medium speed for 1 minute or until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then cool in the pan on a wire rack for one hour.
3. Once the brownies are cool, make the peppermint cream. Using a stand mixer, whip the Earth Balance butter until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the powdered sugar and the Peppermint Essential Oil and blend for 1 minute. Slowly add the almond milk, one tablespoon at a time until you get your cream to a nice, spreadable consistency. Once you get the peppermint cream nice and creamy, spread it evenly on the top of the cooled brownie.
4. To make the chocolate Ganache, melt the chocolate chips and the Earth Balance in a microwave safe bowl for one minute in the microwave. Stir the mixture until it is completely melted and pour it over the top of the peppermint cream. Spread the Ganache evenly over the peppermint cream (this is best done with an offset spatula).
5. Cover the brownies with plastic wrap and immediately place in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
6. Cut the chilled brownies into squares with a sharp knife. When cutting the brownies, it is easier to warm the knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the brownies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you’re interested in more information about Young Living and the positive impact essential oils can have on you and your family, then click here for more information or simply contact me below.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

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Lemon Blueberry Cake Donuts with Lemon Glaze Icing

I got some! Donut pans that is! 😉 Now I’m in the big leagues baby—no more mini bundt cakes or mini heart shaped donuts. It’s my b-day weekend, so of course, I had to ask for some donut pans (amongst other things), and of course, I had to put them to use immediately! As soon as I opened the gift, I knew what I’d be doing the next morning and I instantly started thinking about what was in the pantry and what I could make—because let’s face it—I wasn’t going to be running out to the grocery store first thing in the morning.

I was also fortunate to get a kit of Young Living Essential Oils for my b-day. I’m in the very beginning stages of learning about all of the great uses and benefits to using the oils, and we’ve already seen some pretty neat results! Aaron has been a snorer (I’ve talked about that before), and a few months ago, a friend told us about an oil for him to put on his big toe. Weird, right? Well we tried it—and it worked! No more snoring! I was pretty much sold at that point! We did some more research, and since b-day time was coming, we waited to make any purchases. We’ve experimented with a few other things—I’m super prone to migraines…felt one coming on…put oil on my temples and back of the neck…within 5 minutes it was gone! Say what?!?! We diffused some oil during the kids “crazy” time of night, and I kid you not, without being prompted, they were calm, laying on pillows in the living room reading books. Pure magic, I tell ya!

My next “big” thing I wanted to try out was baking…could I bake something, incorporating the oils, that would be super scrumptious? Well, yes—yes I could—and did!

Enter the Lemon Blueberry Cake Donuts with Lemon Glaze Icing! I had no lemons in the house, so I opted for the Lemon Oil from Young Living Essential Oils. A few drops goes a long way, and they gave the right amount of lemony deliciousness while boosting the immune and digestive systems. Bonus!

The donuts and glaze are simple to make—another bonus! Since Jax says he doesn’t like blueberries, I opted to blend them with some sugar and melt them on the stove a bit to make a slight syrup to mix into the batter. When he realized that I was baking with blueberries, he started to get a bit sad. I explained that he wouldn’t be able to see them and that I baked them in. He was skeptical, but—drumroll—he loved them! Point for mommy! The others…well…they literally in-haled them! I barely had time to shoot any pics!

 

Lemon Blueberry Cake Donuts with Lemon Glaze

• Servings: 18
• Print

For the Donuts:
2 cups flour
2 TBSP baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)
¼ cup sugar
½ cup maple syrup
4 TBSP Earth Balance butter, melted
½ cup vegan sour cream
2 flax eggs (2 TBSP ground flax meal mixed with 6 TBSP warm water)
½ cup almond milk
½ tsp vanilla
4-6 drop Young Living Lemon Essential Oil*

For the Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 TBSP almond milk**
2-3 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil**

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly grease your donut pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
3. In a small food processor or blender, combine the blueberries and sugar until fully incorporated and some small chunks/pieces remain. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and stir on low heat until the sugar melts, creating a syrup of sorts.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, melted butter, sour cream, flax eggs, vanilla, almond milk, blueberry syrup mixture, and lemon oil drops.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
6. Fill the wells of the donut pan half full. The fuller the wells, the poofier the donuts, and the more likely the hole in the center will be filled in.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Allow to cool in the donut pan for 7 minutes and then turn out on a cooling rack to completely cool.
8. While the donuts are cooling, mix the powdered sugar, almond milk, and lemon oil to make your glaze.
9. Once the donuts are cool, dip one side in the glaze and set aside to let the glaze set.
10. Eat and enjoy! 

*If you don’t have the Lemon Oil for the donuts, you could try decreasing the almond milk to ¼ cup, and add in ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest.
**If you don’t have Lemon Oil for the glaze, you could use fresh lemon juice in place of the almond milk.

I hope to keep experimenting with the oils and seeing what I can create to share with you. If you have questions about or are interested in Young Living Essential Oils, shoot me a message. In the meantime, have you baked with Essential Oils? What are your favorite recipes?

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