My Husband's Birthday

The birthday cake


Vegetarian Chocolate Raspberry Cake


Happy birthday, honey!


Sharing the celebration with Korean grandma (Gerritt can hardly hold back from blowing out the candles)


Make a wish!

On Sunday, February 28th, we've celebrated my husband's 38th birthday. We packed the kids & headed to Tacoma to visit Korean grandmother since she cooked all-Korean traditional holiday meal for us: kim chi; pickled fern sprouts, zucchini, bean sprouts & lotus root; ox tail soup with seaweed & brown rice; salmon soup; & thinly sliced sauteed marinated beef with rice cakes. I took all of the necessary ingredients/bakeware with me & baked an egg-free & dairy-free chocolate cake while both of the kids were napping. This cake turned out to be a hit (especially with Gerritt) & was gone within 2 days!

Lena's Vegetarian Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ingredients:
One 18.6 oz organic Arrowhead Mills Organic Chocolate Cake Mix
2 Tbsp of flaxseed meal (I like to use Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal) mixed with 6 Tbsp of water
1/2 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil (or 4 oz. butter)
1 1/4 cups of milk (rice/almond/coconut) or water
12 oz frozen organic raspberries mixed with 1/2 cup of water (may use cherry cider instead)
2 Tbsp of Agar Agar seaweed gel (I like Eden's brand)
Two 3.5 oz Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Truffle bars


Preheat over to 350 degrees.

To make a great egg substitute, mix flaxseed meal with water in a small bowl & let sit for 2 minutes.

Lightly oil & flour two 8 or 9" round pans.

Place wet ingredients (oil, milk, flaxseed mixed with water) in a medium mixing bowl, mix for about 2 minutes. Add cake mix & beat 2-3 minutes until well combined with a smooth texture.

Pour batter into pan(s). Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

In the meantime, prepare raspberry filling by mixing raspberries with 1/2 cup of water & Agar Agar flakes. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes until Agar Agar disolves. Pour hot mixture into a 8 or 9" glass round pan. Cool (it is faster in the refrigerator).

Remove the cake pans from oven & allow to cool on rack.

Melt chocolate on very low heat taking care not to burn. Cool slightly until melted chocolate is pliable but not runny.

Remove the cakes out of cake pans. Place the solidified raspberry gel mixture between the two cakes. Cover outside of the cake with melted chocolate. Cool in the refrigerator.

Note: For those of you unfamiliar with it, Agar Agar is a vegetable gel used in Asia for over 1000 years. It is made by boiling seaweeds & then pressing them into a gel that is dried into flakes. Agar Agar flakes dissolve in hot liquids & then thicken as they cool to room temperature or below.