Strawberry Shortcake

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using your hands, work the coconut oil in until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, and milk and mix until just combined. The dough will be more moist and pliable than traditional biscuit dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper and pat into a ½-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds and pat or roll again until 1-inch thick. Freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and use a 2½-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 3 to 4 biscuits. Re-roll the scraps as necessary to cut out 8 1-inch thick biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet. If desired, brush the tops of the biscuits with a little almond milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Assemble the strawberry shortcakes with the biscuits, strawberries, cream, and mint, if desired.

Peach Crisp

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla and toss to coat. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Using your hands, work in the firm coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly. Scoop the peach filling into the prepared skillet. Sprinkle with the topping and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, dates, coconut oil and salt together until crumbly. Line an 8x4” loaf pan with parchment paper allowing 1 inch of overhang on each side. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Freeze for at least 15 minutes or as long as it takes to get the next layer ready. In a high-powered blender, blend the cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and salt until completely creamy (about 1 minute). Pour the filling over the crust and smooth until even. Freeze until this layer is completely firm, at least 2 hours. (Alternatively, use a regular blender and blend the ingredients from Cheesecake Option 2, above) In the blender, combine the raspberries, lemon juice, maple syrup and chia seeds. Blend until smooth. Pour the raspberry mixture on top of the frozen cheesecake layer and smooth until even. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and let it thaw for at least 20 minutes. Using the sides of the parchment paper, carefully lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice it into 8 to 10 slices. Let the individual slices thaw for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until fully thawed so that the middle layer is creamy and the raspberry layer is less icy. Re-freeze any remaining slices.

Blueberry Cobbler

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Form a well in the center and add the coconut milk and grated butter. Use a spatula to fold and form the mixture into a cohesive ball of dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll it out into a ½-inch-thick circle. Use a 2¼-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 9 to 11 biscuits, rerolling the scraps and dusting the surface with more flour as necessary. Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the filling. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla and toss until the fruit is well coated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and arrange the biscuits evenly on top. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Ice Cream Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5” loaf pan. Prepare the cake batter according to the directions in this post. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and flip the pan over (bang it onto your work surface) to remove the cake from the pan. If desired, use a sharp serrated knife to slice off the domed part of the cake to create a flat surface for the next layer. Wash and dry the loaf pan, lightly grease it, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Place the cake back into the pan. Freeze for at least 3 hours. When ready to add the first ice cream layer, allow the pint of ice cream to soften, then scoop into a bowl and stir until it’s evenly spreadable. Pour the softened ice cream onto the cake and use a spatula to smooth it. Freeze for 4 hours. Repeat with the remaining 2 ice cream layers, freezing 4 hours between each layer. Top the final layer with the raspberries and freeze overnight. When ready to serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then flip it over and bang it out onto a large baking sheet. Use a second baking sheet to flip the cake right side up. Slice and serve right away or freeze.

Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) springform baking pan with a little olive oil and line the base with parchment paper. Sift the cocoa into a medium bowl and whisk in the boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla, then set aside to cool slightly. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, olive oil, and eggs until you have a light, fluffy cream, about 3 minutes. Turn the speed on the mixer down and pour in the cocoa and vanilla mixture. Slowly add the flour mixture until it is evenly incorporated, stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sides are set and the top of the cake still looks slightly moist. A cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. While the cake is baking, in a chilled metal or glass bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add the cardamom and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and release the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Sprinkle with more flaky salt. Serve each slice with a dollop of the cardamom cream and a sprinkling of rose petals, pistachios, and flaky salt.