Baking Safe in my Mother's Kitchen

It's time again for another friendly Daring Baker Challenge.  The recipe is Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream from Great Cakes by Carol Walter,  chosen by our Daring Baker hostess, Chris at Mele Cotte.  This recipe was a nut/egg/butter laden cake, and virtually impossible to tweak for a kid allergic to all of the above.  I actually considered skipping this challenge, because the Opera Cake nearly pushed me into OCD territory with all the manic wiping and washing of everything while baking.  

You know you've crossed the line when you hear yourself yelling "Kid, if you step one foot into my kitchen while I'm Baking Dangerously, you'll be in time out...with no Princesses....I mean it!"   

Hazelnuts manufactured in an Allergic Swamp and Softasilk flour with egg and dairy,  I really was Baking Dangerously!

But Daring Bakers find a way!  So to save everyone the emotional scars, I decided to take the cake on the road, and bake in my mother's kitchen...and it was really fun.  My mom totally saved my bacon with the carmel praline, I was so impatient that I burned the caramel... twice.  She had the nerves to do it right. The worst part for me came when it was time to pour the ganache over the finished cake.  I nearly fainted from nerves.  The dialogue in my head went something like this:

Brain: Pour the ganache

Me:I'm scared it will clump

Brain: Pour the ganache you wimp.

Me: But what if I mess it up?

Brain: You are a serious freak. You've delivered over a dozen babies, helped dead kids come alive, stuck needles into heads and backs of babies weighing a mere pound...and you're scared of  some chocolate!  Pour the stinking chocolate!

Me: Okay, but I think I'm going to be sick...

The final result was pretty good, all things told.  The praline buttercream is something I'll probably revisit sometime again.  If you want to brave the recipe, please visit our fearless hostess' site.  Many thanks for this challenge!

Mom used patience to make a proper praline, Dad used Red Rider to scare off the squirrels...

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For little Speedbump, I had to completely change gears.  This recipe just wasn't well suited to substitutions...so I made something that looked close enough. So here is her Boston Cream Petite Pie, free of eggs, dairy and nuts...of course!  I made a 6 inch version (and loved the excuse to buy a new pan!), there was enough cream filling and ganache to make a 9 inch...you just need to make a full batch of the cake

Boston Cream Pie

Cake

1/2 Recipe Vanilla Cupcakes from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"   Baked in a 6 inch pan, cooled and sliced in half

I'm not posting this recipe!  Do yourself a serious favor and buy a copy, it's only $10 on Amazon and you will thank me forever.   If you want to pad your cart to get the free shipping at $25,  do yourself another favor and add fellow Daring Baker Hannah Kaminsky's My Sweet Vegan.

Double Vanilla Cream 

3 Cups Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla ( or 1/2 vanilla bean if you really love your kid)

Dump everything in a medium saucepan, whisk well and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring nearly constantly until thick.  Strain and chill before using in pie.

Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces safe chocolate chips chopped in  a food processor ( I used Divvies)

1/4 cup plain or vanilla soy creamer

1 T corn syrup

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring the soy creamer and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan.  Pour the hot liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, then stir gently to remove all lumps.  Let it cool to a thickened consistency, good enough to pour thickly over the cake.  

To assemble the cake, slice the cooled cake into two layers and spread a layer of vanilla cream in between the layers.  Using a pastry brush, brush a super thin layer of vanilla cream all over the cake, sealing up the holes and crumbs.  Chill for 1/2 hour while making the ganache.  When the ganache is cool enough to pour, place the cake on a cooling rack with some parchment below.  Pour the ganache over top and quickly spread it around before it sets.  Refrigerate another 30 minutes before serving.  Decorate as you like!