Chocolate always wins. It really isn’t fair to everything else – the noodle soups, the sides, the dips, the salads – always take second at best. Poor fried rice, you can come to my house any day.

Ok, so what am I on about? You see, I have an enormous backlog of posts… While I do enjoy the picture editing and post writing, I’d rather create and cook and photograph over anything else, and as I’m at home during the day most of my meals get styled and propped before being eaten.

So over the weekend I posted this pic with a comment that in honour of reaching 350 Facebook likes, 1200 Twitter followers and 400 Instagram followers everyone else got to choose what I would post next.

#1 won, so per usual dessert is being served first and I must admit, I’m not complaining.

Second place was taken out by #9 – Sweet Potato Fries and third by #8 – Asian Mushroom Soup, so among others not even included in the collage, these will be coming soon too. You are more than welcome to put in your vote down in the comments – it’s a moveable feast round these parts, quite literally.

The old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade – or curd, or cake or tea for that matter – but what about when life serves up a big’ol seized, split mess intended for an Australian twist on Nutella?

First, you start again, twice, to figure out how on earth to make the spread work, then you stick the double batch of messy yet delicious mass into the fridge and think about it later.

The first thought was a twist on Vegan Cheesecake, but a combination of being out of macadamias and having both raw truffles made with chickpeas and brownies made with black beans floating around in my brain, sent me to the cupboard in search of legumes.

Into a food processor everything went and before I knew it this fudge was born. In the meantime I discovered that when the seized mess is re-blended once cold it turns smooth and creamy – I’ve updated the Choc Macadamia Spread recipe as this means rice syrup will work every time!

Ironically the bowl of kitchen fail was turned into a wonderful creation however I’m not remotely happy with the photos, figures. But they’ll do for now… sometimes you just have to roll with it!

For the recipe: Vegan Chocolate Fudge, PLUS 11 flavour twists

Source: 84thand3rd.com

A month ago, I was unprepared to take on vegan baking. As a traditional baker (and purveyor of butter and cream), it was a sincere challenge for me to alter everything I thought I knew about baking. I complained about it loudly to anyone who would listen, as I scraped attempt after attempt into the trash. It wasn't that I didn't do enough research before creating recipes; I simply didn't have the experience with vegan baking to make the recipes my own.

I was unreasonable and, as a few of you pointed out, unfair to take my frustration with my own inadequacy at vegan baking out on a lifestyle choice. For this, I apologize.

After two weeks of struggled baking, a switch finally clicked. The cakes and cookies that came out of the oven no longer went into the garbage can, but were proudly shared with family and friends. My goal to create vegan recipes that did not use hard-to-find or unusual ingredients was becoming a reality and I couldn't be happier. The recipes were not only dairy-free and egg-free, but absolutely delicious in their own right. It was an inspiration.

Even though my vegan challenge is over, I confess I haven't gone to the store to buy butter or eggs just yet (gasp!). When I find myself faced with a warm oven, I don't feel like I'm done creating and experimenting with vegan recipes. Over the next couple weeks, you might spot a few more popping up (and I think you'll fall in love with them as much as I did).

Recently, I had several pounds of cherries resting in the refrigerator. They were an impulse buy at the market when I saw the price tag had considerably dropped. I ate my way through half the sweet fruit before I realized they were going to go bad before the rest would get eaten. One of the downsides to living alone is that when you buy pounds of several varieties of fruit at once, there is no conceivable way you'll be able to eat them all by yourself (note to self: lesson learned). With a chocolate craving in the back of my mind, and a love for cherries and chocolate, a cake seemed to be in order.

I honestly could have eaten half of this cake in a single sitting. It seems only fair to advise you, this cake should come with a warning label.

For the recipe: Chocolate Cherry Cake

Source: pastryaffair.com

I can’t even.

I’m currently writing to you knee deep in chocolate covered creamy peanut butter Oreo mania right now. Do NOT send help. I’ll find my way out.

Reese’s Peanut Butter White Chocolate Bark’s darker twin sister is ready to be shared with the world. Warning: this stuff is messy, addicting, and decadent – in every wonderful way.

I adore making bark.  It’s a mindless, no-bake way to literally add anything you want to chocolate.  All the little do-dads hiding in your pantry.  Chocolate bark is a cry from heaven when you have some holiday treats to make without all the time in the world.

Or when you just need a chocolate break – and you need it fast.

The same idea goes with fudge too.  The fudge world is your oyster – a wonderful chocolate base to add in anything your heart desires. Like cookie dough, cake batter (oh yeah), and candy canes.

 I personally love (read: loooove) peanut butter and Oreos together.  I know I’m not the only one who spreads peanut butter on top of Oreos. The combination of peanut butter and Oreos is what dreams are made of and you’re getting a whole lot of both in today’s recipe.

The bark was inspired by FOUR of my recipes.  A delightful plethora of my finest work, if you will. The whole bark-layering ordeal came from my Reese’s Peanut Butter White Chocolate Bark – I made it for absolutely no rhyme or reason, literally threw white chocolate, peanut butter, and Reese’s Pieces together. 10 minutes later? Amazing.

For the recipe: Cookies n’Cream Peanut Butter Bark

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com

The very happiest of holidays to all of you. The past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind due to an insanely busy work schedule and all of the holiday planning and preparations, so I haven't been able to post much. It wasn't until yesterday that I finally had a chance to start some holiday baking. And by holiday baking, I mean my annual attempt at creating a beautiful Bûche de Noël cake. My past attempts have been less than successful - the cake was too dry, it cracked/fell apart, the frosting looked ugly, etc. But finally, finally, this year I managed to make one that I am proud to share with you.

The Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log, is a big tradition in France and when living in Paris I always loved gazing upon the gorgeously-decorated creations in all the bakeries at Christmastime. I've adopted this tradition as my own, and once you taste this cake, you might too.

For the recipe: Orange Spice Bûche de Noël with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Ganache

Source: vegangoodthings.blogspot.ca

In the raw foods community many people believe in raw cacao, or raw chocolate (not the roasted, processed cousin known as cocoa) as a superfood for health and vitality. Nobody is claiming that the sugar and various other ingredients that usually accompany chocolate are also good for you, but what about the raw cacao, raw chocolate bean itself?

Recent research studies have shown a link between cocoa and cardiovascular health, with reduced risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks.
Cornell University food scientists discovered that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea.
Raw cocoa has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods in the world!

Cocoa also appears to have anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties. And cocoa is a good source of the minerals magnesium, sulphur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, and manganese; plus some of the B Vitamins. When heart problems occur, magnesium is the most likely mineral to be missing in the person’s diet.
Cocoa has a high content of the “beauty” mineral, sulfur. Sulfur helps build strong nails and hair, promotes healthy and beautiful skin, helps detoxify the liver, and supports healthy functioning of the pancreas.

For the recipe: Buckwheat and Hemp Bark + Raw Chocolate Bar with Goji Berries, Raisins and Nuts

Source: blog.wagashi-net.de

Does chocolate cake ever need an introduction, or is this pretty self-explanatory? Fine, I will spell it out for you: I was craving chocolate cake! And I wanted something supermoist, you know, the kind of cake that melts in your mouth and melts your heart and makes you forget about the snow outside that might not ever melt!

I’ve been on a Bundt kick lately, because they’re so casually fancy, and I’ve just been too busy for anything more than one bowl and one baking pan. I threw in some chocolate chips and dusted with powdered sugar to at least give the appearance of effort. And if you’ve got a bushel of strawberries burning a hole in your produce pocket then now is a good time to use ‘em.

So there you have it! A deeply delicious and chocolatey cake that you never need a special occasion to bake. Tonight I’m going to share it with my writing group because another bonus? You can eat it with one hand!

For the recipe: Chocolate Yogurt Bundt Cake

Source: theppk.com

It's my birthday and I baked myself a cake. Actually, cupcakes… and technically I baked them last night so I could make this little b-day post today. I'm thirty-four today (ouch, that hurts to type). It's the age that you start to forget what age you are… the age when you realize how silly you were when you felt old at 28. And it's the age that you have to start taking really good notes because you just can't keep "it all" in your head anymore.

They say avocados and chocolate are brain foods right? (I don’t know who says, but it seems like something I might have read somewhere). I know it sounds weird and maybe a little gross to put them together but it actually works to make really thick and rich chocolatey frosting.

But here’s a tip – don’t let your husband watch you put the green stuff into the blender. Of any recipe I’ve made, this was perhaps the one he was doubting the most. But, of course, he loved it in the end.

For the recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting

Source: loveandlemons.com

A simple, no bake vegan chocolate pie filling recipe. The pie firms up nicely and is silky and chocolatey. Top with soy whip or toasted almonds.

For the recipe: Low Fat Chocolate Pie

Source: myvegancookbook.com

I come from a long line of dessert lovers. When I was growing up, my family ate dessert every night after dinner, and my parents still end each day with a bowl of ice cream (though my mother opts for an artificially sweetened one now). It’s a hard habit to break and one I’m afraid I’ve passed down to my daughter. But our typical dessert isn’t ice cream or even Soy Dream but fruit, plain and simple. Of course, if sugary vegan goodies are around, we’ll jump on them like a pack of starving dogs, which is why I try to keep them out of the house entirely.

Keeping the sugary stuff out of the house has been even more important since I resolved at the beginning of the year to cut out sugar and flour and increase the amount of vegetables I eat. If you’ve been following my KISSS plan, you know that I outlawed not just refined sugar but also dried fruit, such as dates. I’m going to say something that may be heresy to most proponents of unprocessed vegan diets, but I believe that dates, date sugar, and date syrup, especially in the large amounts that some recipes use, are only slightly less unhealthy than white sugar. Sure, dates contain vitamins and minerals and some fiber, but they are still a very concentrated form of sugar. If you’re like me and trying to eliminate your sweet tooth, moving from white sugar to date sugar isn’t going to stop your cravings.

For the recipe: Chocolate Chia Pudding

Source: blog.fatfreevegan.com

I don’t do normal particularly well – especially when it comes to recipes. I always have to go slightly left of centre, or right, whatever, but rarely straight down the middle. I make pies with beetroot or purple carrots, I make ice cream with avocados, I make sandwiches with fruit.

So when we chose ‘Nuts’ as the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop theme for July my mind started ticking away. Baklava did occur to me, as it had for our ‘Layers‘ theme in March, but the same thing that put me off of it then – namely the enormous amount of honey that gets poured over the top – put me off this month as well.

I love a good Orange & Almond cake, but that’s been done round these parts, and ever since I made the Vegan Chai Buttercream with hazelnuts I had been wanting to try my hand at a version of cashew cream. This amazing [if I do say so myself] ‘cheesecake’ was the result.

An expected touch of caramel from using dates instead of sugar to sweeten the cake. A crunchy crumbly crust with quinoa flour and cocoa powder. Coconut oil to hold it all together and a smidgen of chocolate to top it off. Not a hint of tofu in sight and as an added bonus I discovered a great blog while researching recipes – yum!

For the recipe: Vanilla and Chocolate Cashew Cheesecake

Source: 84thand3rd.com

When you've been an ice cream addict like me for 26 years, giving the stuff up is rough. I'd rather endure weaning all over again than try and shake my double scoop habit. Thankfully though, I've found something that satisfies my deepest, darkest most intense ice cream cravings – this Chocolate Brownie Batter Blizzard that doesn't contain one lick of dairy. Oh me oh my. oh.

The base is a spin off of my creamy chocolate breakfast shake, and the brownie should look familiar from earlier this week: my 5-minute espresso walnut brownies. Marry the two together and we have one insanely rich spoonable beverage on our hands.

Dare I say, worthy of the title “blizzard”? Yes, I do.

For the recipe: Chocolate Brownie Batter Blizzard

Source: minimalistbaker.com

Holy cow. If you like chocolate, you'll love this. It's like a mega awesome super chocolate party in your mouth which this results in an excellent, ethereal sense of well being. Don't worry if it sounds too intense - I know you can handle it. You're stronger than you think. Like an ant lifting 100 times your body weight. I will change the subject now because I feel this getting weird.

For the recipe: Chewy Chocolate Quinoa Cookies

Source: includingcake.com

This cake is a tribute to the much-missed spring here in Sweden (it's late this year). I'm trying to keep my spirit high by digging into a raw cake that pretty much has it all in terms of consistency, flavor, surprise effect and favorite ingredients, plus it was fun to make!

The base of the cake is a raw version of a bundt cake, moist from coconut oil and made with hazelnut flour. Inside hides a lemon cheesecake filling with crunchy cacao nibs and on top, melted dark chocolate. All together the cake managed to lift my mood and frozen body to a much higher state while eagerly waiting for spring.

For the recipe: Welcome Spring Raw Cake from Karolina Eleonóra

Source: golubka.blogspot.ca

Holy cow. If you like chocolate, you'll love this. It's like a mega awesome super chocolate party in your mouth which this results in an excellent, ethereal sense of well being. Don't worry if it sounds too intense - I know you can handle it. You're stronger than you think. Like an ant lifting 100 times your body weight. I will change the subject now because I feel this getting weird.

For the recipe: Raw Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes with Goji Berries

Source: thisrawsomeveganlife.com