No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake

Silken tofu is the wonder ingredient in most vegan chocolate mousse cakes, tarts and pies, cheesecakes, puddings, custards, triffles, even ice creams. Certain factors make it almost irreplaceable in these desserts:

• it has a creamy, silky texture;
• it makes a great egg and whipped cream replacer;
• it sets very well in the fridge;
• having a neutral flavour, it absorbs the flavour of anything it combines with, leaving no vegetable aftertaste;
• it is ready made and requires only a quick blend.

Tofu makes the cake preparation so easy, it almost feels like you're cheating. In the interest of stimulating my creativity further, I've decided to try and replace it in future similar desserts. Now, you may well be aware of the endless soy debate, but this post isn't about promoting it, it is rather about sharing a truly amazing cake recipe.

Potato Frittata (Tortilla de Patatas)

Frittata is a traditional rustic Italian omelette, very easy to prepare and typically made by mixing eggs with leftovers from the day before and either frying or baking it in a skillet until firm (the name comes from fritto = fried). The Spanish tortilla is very similar, but it generally contains only potatoes and onions. Both omelettes are staple dishes in home cooking, although there are many restaurants that offer them.

Date Walnut Pancakes (no added sugar)

It took me years to understand the difference between pancakes and crêpes, partly because ages ago when I started to use the internet finding recipes or translators was hard. In Romania we typically make crêpes, but for some reason their name "clatita" (crêpe) is translated as pancake, hence the confusion. Even now we still don't have different words for them, so, to make the distinction, we call a pancake "American clatita". Come to think of it, we also don't have a word for muffins and cupcakes. We call them "madlene" (madeleines), even though they're quite different.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie

Just when I thought my Cheesecake Brownie couldn't get any better, I found out it actually can. The addition of homemade raspberry preserve makes this dessert an instant winner. With fresh raspberries available all year round, there's really no need to wait for summer, although, of course, raspberries are best when in season. To make this cake, just follow my previous recipe, but use a full tub of cream cheese and omit the hazelnuts and coffee. Reserve 1/2 cup brownie mix and drop teaspoonfuls of batter and preserve all over the cheesecake layer, then create the swirls.

Cheesecake Brownie

Cheesecake and Brownie, who would have thought? Two of the most famous desserts in one fascinating combination. Luckily, making a vegan version is simple enough and the result...heavenly. I'd already made a cheesecake which came out great, so all I needed was the brownie to go with it. I found a great eggless brownie recipe on Chow Times and adapted it to make it richer and more fudge-like. Not all the recipes I try come out perfectly in the first attempt, but with this one everything was just right.