Not my best cake in the picture above (read the story here), but the frosting was to-die-for. You do the real food math:

Real butter + real cream + real mineral-rich, tasty unrefined sugar
= really super good real food frosting

It is even better than frosting made from white sugar and “white” butter. (My butter is yellow, yellow, yellow.)

I advise caution. You won’t be able to stop licking your fingers, the bowl, the cake and anything this frosting touches.

Unless you’re like my sister, who would turn down cake for mashed potatoes and gravy any day. Nah. You’re not, right?

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) — softened, but not melted
• 3-1/2 cups powdered rapadura or sucanat*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ~4 tablespoons cream or whole milk

*Whiz in blender until fine, fine, fine. It being fine is very important so you don’t have crystals in your frosting.

Cream butter in mixer or food processor. Sift together the sugar and cocoa powder, then add to the butter. Blend to mix in. Add salt, vanilla and cream. Blend for a few minutes until smooth. Add cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time for a thinner and smoother consistency. Add more sweetener for a stiffer frosting.

Use immediately, or refrigerate for later. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature to spread more easily. Delicious atop the Sourdough Chocolate Cake.

This time of year, many are looking for treats made from real, whole foods. Thus, I give you our homemade hot chocolate.

This winter, Haniya’s been making this just about every day. There’s no turning down the steaming cups she hands out!

She uses the scant amount of honey because our Jersey milk is already sweet. I have her add the coffee sub to make the chocolate pop. (You’ve probably seen it in my chocolate sourdough cake and the chocolate mousse cake.)

Real Food Hot Cocoa

• 6 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• scant 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• *1/4 cup instant coffee substitute (Dandy Blend, Caffix, Pero, Roma, etc.) — optional

*Not grain-free.

Whisk all together over medium heat. Stir continuously until warmed to desired temperature. Top with whipped cream or a dusting of cocoa powder. Enjoy!

I hope you’re having a blessed week.

This was my birthday cake. Twice.

On Wednesday, my friend Brenna and her family surprised me with it. It was so good that I called Brenna yesterday morning — my birthday morning, the day I turned 37 (just when did I begin to approach 40? I feel like I should be edging toward 30). I asked her for the recipe so I could make it again for myself. “It was so good and I want more of it.” That about sums it up.

Since I’ll probably take the leftovers as little squares to a Christmas party tonight, I might have to make more of it on the weekend. You might have to make some, too. You just might.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Dense, smooth and sort of fudgy, the original recipe is in a Betty Crocker cookbook. I’ve added a pinch of sea salt and vanilla, plus the coffee substitute to make the chocolate “pop.”

• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup honey — mild flavor preferred
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• *2 tablespoons instant coffee substitute (Dandy Blend, Caffix, Pero, Roma, etc.) or 1 tsp. ground chicory root or finely ground coffee — optional
• 8 eggs

*Use the chicory for grain-free (thanks, Rosalyn!). The others are derived from roasted grains. Some grain-free folks drink these anyway. I’m not sure why. If you’re grain-free and you know why, please let me know in the comments.

Makes (1) 8″ x 11″ pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-by-11-inch cake pan and set aside.

Over low heat, melt butter with honey, cocoa powder, sea salt, vanilla and coffee substitute (if using). When ingredients are smooth and butter is melted, remove from heat.

Lightly beat eggs in a mixing bowl. While whisking, add chocolate mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour into buttered cake pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Chill thoroughly. Cut and serve. Optional: Spread with whipped cream before serving.

Have a blessed weekend! Got any special plans to which you could take this cake?

Halawa (also called halvah) is my absolute favorite Middle Eastern treat. I usually make it around Easter-time. The sweet honey and sesame tahini match my celebration of the Savior’s resurrection and the coming of Spring.

Halawa is more sweet a dessert than I usually serve, which is why I don’t make it too often. A little goes a long way. You might have seen bars of Halvah candy sold in stores or Middle Eastern markets. They taste delicious but sure stick in the teeth! They are usually the crumbly, nut-butter based kind. The other way to make halawa is flour-based.

My recipe is the flour-based variety, which I adapted for whole-grain sprouted flour. You’d never know it, though. I have tried some non-flour recipes but haven’t got them right yet. This one works every time.

Halawa — Halvah (Middle Eastern Honey-Sesame Candy)

I highly recommend using roasted sesame tahini. Roasting is another means of reducing phytic acid in seeds, and it adds another dimension of flavor to this dessert.

• 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
• 2 to 2-1/4 cups sprouted flour, spelt or soft wheat are lightest — learn to make your own here
• 1 cup roasted sesame tahini
• 3/4 cup raw honey

Warm the oil in a large heavy skillet over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the oil and flour are thoroughly combined. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to turn pale brown. Add the tahini and stir until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency. Turn off the heat.

In a separate small saucepan, bring the honey to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Immediately add the hot honey to the flour mixture. Stir until the honey is completely incorporated.

Spread the mixture into an ungreased loaf pan and pack the mixture down with the back of a spatula. Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours or until the pan feels cool. It will shrink back slightly from the edges of the pan as it cools, and should therefore unmold easily when the pan is inverted. Cover tightly (in or out of the loaf pan) and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To serve, cut into thin slices.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Happy Resurrection Day — He Lives!

Do you have any special treats you serve in the Spring or at Easter? I’d love to hear your traditions.

We can eat oatmeal year-round, but I have to say that baked oatmeal definitely crosses seasons. You can eat it hot or cold, as breakfast, snack or lunch — and with eggs and milk baked in, you’ve got a high-quality protein boost. When my husband goes out of town (thankfully not often) I send along a tray of this and a jar of raw milk for his breakfasts on the road.

This is our apple-cinnamon baked oatmeal, and I also make a yummy 5-spice variation!

Apple-Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal (Soaked)

• 6 cups thick rolled oats
• 1/2 cup acid, such as whey or raw apple cider vinegar (or sourdough starter, to improve the effectiveness of the soaking)
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts (or any other nut/seed — I often add a handful of raw sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 cup butter, lightly melted
• 2 cups whole milk
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup rapadura, sucanat or palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 apple, diced finely or shredded
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)

Yield: 1 9” x 13” pan or 2 8″ square pans.

Combine oats, acid (or sourdough starter*), water, and nuts/seeds in a big bowl. Cover and let soak overnight.

*Sourdough starter improves the soaking’s effectiveness by adding phytase to reduce phytic acid — which otherwise the oats lack — as well as organisms to accomplish an overnight fermentation. Don’t worry, it won’t be sour — if you rinse well the next morning!

In the morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain the oats through a fine sieve. Rinse and allow to drain again.

In a big mixing bowl, whisk together butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add oats and mix well. Add the apples, raisins and coconut and mix in gently.

Transfer to a greased 9” x 13” baking dish (or two 8” square cake pans). Smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven to a cooling rack. Allow 15 minutes to rest before cutting into bars. Eat in a bowl with yogurt, kefir, or milk. Or as a bar with maple syrup and fresh fruit. Store leftovers in refrigerator, though I usually leave them out for a day or so first.

Do you make baked oatmeal? What are your favorite add-ins and flavors?

In the Fundamentals eCourse or Fundamentals eBook, we go in depth on the topics of soaking, sprouting, and fermenting grains optimally for digestion and nutrition. Please check us out for videos, print tutorials and/or hand-holding.

Looking for something healthy-er to serve your loved ones on Valentine’s Day? While super delicious, these 17 desserts are just healthy-er because they are still sweet. (Upgrading the grains and fats and adding secret ingredients only does so much.) I’m all for infrequent indulgences, as long as we greatly reduce our day to day sweetening. You’ll find something to love here!

My Healthy-er Treat Picks

I pulled these family favorite treats from my archives. Enjoy!

This marbled fudge is very, very good and makes excellent use of coconut butter.

Have you tried my chocolate sourdough cake with (probiotic) cream cheese frosting?

If you haven’t yet tried Erin’s soaked chocolate torte with citrus yogurt cheese frosting, you should. (The frosting is probiotic!)

My spelt lemon cake can be made with sprouted or soaked flour (I recommend spelt or whole wheat pastry). It may look plain, but take note: once the cake is baked, you pour a fresh lemon juice syrup over all and it soaks in, permeating the cake with ribbons of slightly tart lemon syrup. So the delicious drizzle is inside and boy, is it ever scrumptious! This is my favorite cake ever.

And not on this blog, but definitely one of our favorites: Avivah’s Peanut Butter Cups. I double the chocolate layer and omit the nut meal entirely. Also, I keep the honey at about half what’s written. There’s nothing like these!

That’s it for my selections. Visit my Desserts category for more!

Blog Friends’ Healthy-er Treat Picks

I gathered these treats for you by asking some of my blog friends to share their favorites. Mmm… I wish I could host a real-life sampling, don’t you?

Michele at Frugal Granola suggests her Chocolate Nut Truffles. She says to use real cream — it makes a difference! Use soaked crispy nuts to minimize the enzyme inhibitors.

Wendy, The Local Cook, shares her Secret Chocolate Cake, reportedly rich and decadent with two surprise ingredients.

Sarah from Heartland Renaissance offers her classic gluten-free, flourless chocolate brownies which can use alternative sweeteners. (Pictured above, photo credit Sarah Warren.)

Sharon — Keeper of the Home contributing author — created a Sweetheart’s Breakfast of healthy oatmeal-whole wheat pancakes and homemade pancake syrup. This would be a wonderful love gesture first thing in the morning!

Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa says this Naturally Sweetened German Chocolate Cake is her husband’s fave. I think my husband would agree… Her cake uses coconut flour, making it gluten-free.

Kate, the Modern Alternative Mama, has three suggestions for you: a grain-free chocolate fudge cake, GAPs-friendly chocolate almond coconut candy, and GAPs-friendly and grain-free white bean vanilla cake.

Donielle of Naturally Knocked Up brings you her grain-free brownies and vanilla kefir ice cream. I make my kefir ice cream just about the same way — you’ll get to see it in the Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eCourse. (Ice cream pictured above, credit: Donielle Baker.)

And last but not least, Marillyn Beard from Just Making Noise — she’s an ice cream queen — gives you: Chunky Strawberry Chocolate Ice Cream. But she makes other sweet treats, too, like these Double Chocolate Velvet Pancakes and Sweet Chocolate Pudding (raw, gluten-free, and contains a surprise creamy ingredient!).

What are your favorite healthy-er Valentine’s Day treats? Feel free to link to a blog post in the comments, or add your recipe right here. Have a blessed weekend, everyone!

Reminder! Just three more days to enter the TWO giveaways for the Healthy Pregnancy Super Foods eBook! You can enter both: #1 is here on the blog, and #2 is here on Facebook. The entries on the Facebook giveaway are woefully light at the moment — you have very good chances right now if you add a comment there!

My kids think I’m the best mom in the world. Not just because of this clementine ice cream — though that helps. My husband, on the other hand, is not a fan. Don’t let that scare you, unless you — like he — do not favor fruity desserts. He much prefers something chocolate-y instead. To each his own. More for the rest of us!

This ice cream is best served right away or after chilling for up to an hour. Otherwise, it is too icy from the water content in the juice and chunks of clementines. I don’t suggest using Rapadura or Sucanat, as their strong flavor can overpower the citrus. Maple syrup is just right. Feel free to substitute mandarins or oranges for the clementines.

Makes 2 quarts

• 2 cups cream — raw Jersey is best, of course
• 2 cups strained, fresh clementine juice (or orange or mandarin) — about 12 to 15 clementines
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 clementines, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Combine all ingredients except the clementine pieces in a blender. Blend until mixed. Don’t over blend, so you don’t whip the cream. Chill this mixture until quite cold.

Freeze in ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the mixture is still soft, add the pieces of clementine (about the last 10 minutes of churning). Serve immediately, or freeze for up to an hour to harden. Enjoy!

Christmas Resources

Need ideas for using up Christmas leftovers? This week’s real food menu plan features two meals for just this purpose: an incredibly delicious scalloped potato meal as well as a turkey pot pie. Plus, more that’s worth mentioning: chicken enchiladas, breakfast sandwiches, lacto-fermented carrot chutney, and sprouted spelt oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. Check out the details, download a sample menu, or sign up here. No need to commit; try us out for a month to test whether you find the service helpful. We think you will, but it’s okay if you don’t.

50% off today only! Save 50% on Michele Augur’s eBooks, including her brand-new A Natural Noel, a guide for savoring the 12 days of Christmas (December 26 through January 5). Yes, December 26 was yesterday, but you’re never too late! The activities and recipes (sample pages), including gluten-free, are wonderful any time. Use code MERRY50 when purchasing A Natural Noel or Herbal Nurturing. I am a friend and affiliate of Michele’s; your purchases support GNOWFGLINS, too. Thank you!

How was your Christmas? Are you going to try this dessert? It would make a lovely New Year’s Eve treat!

Kicked up with the Chinese 5-Spice Blend, lacto-fermented apple chutney has been rocking our house lately. I can’t keep enough of it on hand for the kids. They love to put a scoop of it in a bowl of kefir. We just went through 1/2 gallon of it in 3 days — and that was with me telling them not to take so much!

If you’ve not heard of Chinese 5-Spice, you’ll want to listen up, and then get or make some. (And then make the chutney, too, of course.) It is an amazing blend of five spices. Truly, the person who combined them was inspired.

You’ll find 5-spice in nice herb/spice departments, or you can easily make it yourself by mixing together equal parts of (all ground) anise, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel. We often use it instead of cinnamon in oatmeal during the winter (see my 5-spice oatmeal), or muesli during the summer. People say that 5-spice is wonderful in marinades and rubs for meat. Delish!

Update Saturday 8/28/2010: I just made up a new batch of 5-spice, this time using spices from Mountain Rose Herbs. Oh, my! The best mix yet — very fragrant. I wish you could smell my kitchen!

I’m helping to host the Nourishing Jams, Jellies, Preserves and More! Blog Hop, along with Pamela and Diana.  My contribution is the following recipe for 5-spice apple chutney. Please visit the blog hop post where you’ll be able to see other preserves using natural sweeteners and/or natural methods of preservation.

Even though I’ve done my fair share of jams over the years, this year I really wanted to experiment more with chutneys and lacto-fermentation. At the moment, apples are pretty much the only chutney-suitable seasonal fruit available, so… apples got me started! We selected a box of local Gravenstein apples grown near the Umpqua River from a man who follows natural, beyond organic, growing methods. Oh, his apples are wonderful, worms and all! Don’t worry, there weren’t actually that many worms, and none of them got in the chutney.

I’m pretty much hooked on lacto-fermented chutneys. Talk about easy and satisfying. Nothing easier than doing some chopping, mixing, packing in a crock or jar, and waiting. The waiting is the hardest work. I’m eager for the pears, plums, and cherries to come in season so I can make other chutneys.

Why lacto-fermented? Lacto-fermented foods offer beneficial organisms to keep our guts healthy and our digestion optimum, and increased vitamins and enzymes. Foods preserved through lacto-fermentation are more nutritious than in their raw or cooked state. With canned and cooked produce, enzymes and vitamins are lost, and beneficial organisms are not given an opportunity to culture.

The downside with lacto-fermented fruit and vegetables is that they require cool storage after the fermentation stage is over. After that, the lacto-fermented fruits last only a few weeks. One must freeze them for long-term storage. Don’t despair, though! This is not so much a reason to avoid making lacto-fermented foods, but instead is an encouragement to embrace the seasonal opportunities that come our way. In other words, think not of extending the seasons, but rather embracing what the seasons offer.

Let’s get to the recipe.

5-Spice Apple Chutney (Lacto-Fermented)

Makes 1/2 gallon or 2 quarts.

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup whey
• 1 cup water
• 6 cups coarsely chopped apples*
• 1/4 cup Rapadura, Sucanat, palm sugar or other natural sweetener
• 1 cup chopped pecans or other nut**
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons 5-spice blend

*Wash, quarter, and core the apples, then coarsely chop by hand or in the food processor.

**I don’t believe the nuts need to be soaked ahead of time, as the fermentation should neutralize enzyme inhibitors.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Transfer to one clean half gallon jar, two quart jars, or a crock. Pack down so all ingredients are covered in liquid, and at least 1/2″ below the rim of the container. Add more water if necessary to submerge all ingredients. Cover tightly. My crock doesn’t have a lid, so I covered it with plastic wrap and secured it with a rubber band.

Let sit out at room temperature for two to three days. Daily, or as necessary, check for any mold growing on the surface and skim away, repacking carefully. Taste for desired texture. If the weather is very hot, fermentation may only take a day or so. Burp the jar if necessary (to prevent explosions). When you’re happy with the taste and texture, transfer to the refrigerator in an airtight container. Will keep for a few weeks.

Enjoy — I suggest a scoop in a bowl of kefir. Or alongside a grilled meat, or atop pancakes or waffles. Mmm…

Repack the storage container carefully after each dipping. Now wasn’t that easy?

You might also want to check out some jams I’ve posted in the past: Chunky Spiced Pear Jam and Blackberry Jam. Both feature Pomona’s Pectin as the non-sugar-dependent natural pectin. I look forward to your contributions in the Nourishing Jams, Jellies, Preserves and More! Blog Hop.

I’m also sharing this post with Fight Back Friday!

This divine, probiotic, cream cheese frosting is a less expensive option than the coconut cream frosting we love. And to boot, there’s no coconut taste, which will make many happy. I’ve been using it to frost both the spice cake and chocolate cake. I’m excited to offer this less expensive option for frosting in the sourdough cakes lesson of the Sourdough eCourse.

See all basic recipes.

It is a bit tangy, because I keep the sweetener low. Up the sweetener until you like the taste — which will make it more stiff, too. Other recipes I consulted called for 2 to 4 cups of sugar, which I think it is way too much.

Leave out the chocolate if you don’t want chocolate frosting. It will be lightly maple colored and look wonderful on either the chocolate cake or the spice cake. The plain frosting has a bit of a butterscotch taste from the natural flavors of the Rapadura/Sucanat, and it is more runny because it lacks the cocoa powder for thickening.

Cream Cheese Frosting — Chocolate or Plain

Makes about 1-1/2 cups, more than ample to frost an 8″ or 9″ square cake.

• 1 cup homemade cream cheese* (Fundamentals eCourse) or cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered Rapadura/Sucanat** (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (for chocolate frosting, otherwise omit)

*For a not-so-tangy homemade cream cheese, drip the whey out in the refrigerator. If you substitute store-bought, pasteurized cream cheese, this frosting is no longer probiotic. You can also use homemade yogurt cheese, but the frosting will be more tart.

**Put a few cups of Rapadura in the blender and whizz until it is a fine powder. The picture below shows powdered Rapadura (in front) compared to Rapadura as it comes (in back).

Cream together the cheese and butter. Add vanilla and 3/4 cup powdered Rapadura. Cream until smooth. Add more Rapadura to taste. Add cocoa powder (for chocolate frosting). Cream until smooth. Refrigerate until use. It may set up in the refrigerator, so you may have to bring it close to room temperature again in order to frost a cake. Frost an already cool cake for best results. Serve up!

I’m sharing this post with Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

The two winners of the Family Camping Handbook are… Kristi and Kelli. Congratulations! I’ll email you both so you can connect with Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship, the handbook author.

One of the best and most simple things I’ve ever done is make my own vanilla extract. And bourbon vanilla, at that. I used to buy it at Trader Joe’s and really liked what it did for our ice cream, so that’s the kind I wanted to make.

Using homemade vanilla extract, our raw Jersey ice cream (and many other dishes) are out of this world. Like 500 times better. Perhaps that is an exaggeration. But the point is, homemade vanilla offers much more flavor. Here’s an example of what it can do.

I had some frozen Jersey cream (a bit freezer burned), back in May, I think. I made ice cream, using vanilla extract from Trader Joe’s. Nobody liked it, no doubt because of the freezer burn.

What’s wrong with the ice cream, Mom?

I had more frozen cream (a bit freezer burned). I made ice cream in late July, using my bourbon vanilla extract. The ice cream was amazing.

Mom, what did you do to the ice cream? Its soooooo good. Did you get fresh cream?

See what I mean? The awesome, homemade bourbon vanilla was so good, it masked mild freezer burn.

Here’s how to make it. It couldn’t be simpler. I used this recipe to guide me in making up 1/2 gallon.

Homemade Bourbon Vanilla Extract

• 32 vanilla beans (mine come from Mountain Rose Herbs)
• 1/2 gallon of bourbon

Split the vanilla beans in half, lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds and beans in a clean half gallon jar and pour in the 1/2 gallon of bourbon. Cover the jar, then shake it gently. Put the jar in a dark cupboard. Shake it up every few days.

Start using it after a few weeks, though after 8 weeks it will be good and dark. Perfect. Use anywhere you would use normal vanilla extract. Below, I’m adding it to sourdough chocolate cake, in this week’s new video for the “pay what you can” Sourdough eCourse. Mmm.. See how dark it is? That vanilla is about 9 weeks old.

Continue adding vanilla beans and bourbon for an endless supply of vanilla — four vanilla beans for every cup of bourbon. This would make wonderful gifts, wouldn’t it — small, pretty glass jars for all your lovely people?

I’m sharing this post in Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Pennywise Platter Thursday.