Cookbook Club: Black Girl Baking by Jerrelle Guy

It’s time for an installment of Cookbook Club, and this month, we’re pulling Black Girl Baking off the shelf. Nominated for a James Beard award, Jerrelle Guy’s book offers “wholesome recipes inspired by a soulful upbringing.” 

Jerrelle introduces the book by saying, “The collection of recipes I’m sharing are a mishmash of my life: my black roots, the Chamorro food my mother prepared throughout my childhood, the Caribbean islands that were my neighbors, and the places my love for food has taken me to, including Italy, Texas, New York, [and] Boston.” 

A New Way of Cookbook Organization

What I find most unique and inspiring about her book is the way the book is organized by the senses: 

Sight: Shapes, Colors and Patterns
Aroma: Scents and Cinnamon
Sound: Snap, Crunch and Music
Touch: Textures and Mouthfeel
Taste: Spice, Heat and Flavor

For this installment, we’re baking from the Sight chapter, and with a bold and bright raspberry glaze, it’s easy to see why this vegan chocolate cake lands in this section. I’m not one for vegan fakery, so I love Jerrelle’s whole-foods approach to vegan baking. If you’re not vegan or not feeding a vegan, you can swap traditional yogurt and butter where appropriate. If you’re traveling down the vegan path, I recommend a coconut-based non-dairy yogurt and Miyoko’s organic vegan butter, which is made from organic coconut oil and organic cultured cashew milk.

Shop Local

Don’t forget to support your local bookstores when buying your copy of Black Girl Baking. My favorites are Riverstone Books, White Whale Books, and City of Asylum. 

[Not An] Easy Bake Cake with Raspberry Glaze Recipe

Yields one 9-inch cake or about 10 mini cakes/cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For the chocolate cake:

1 ¾ cups (210 g) white whole wheat flour
½ cup (60 g) cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
⅔ cup (160 g) yogurt, dairy-free for vegan option
1 cup (225 g) packed light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup (60 ml) melted coconut oil or olive oil
2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (235 ml) hot brewed coffee

For the raspberry glaze:

1 cup (120 g) raspberries, rinsed and drained
¼ cup (50 g) pure cane sugar 
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ cup (120 ml) vegan butter (recommended: Miyoko’s Organic Vegan Butter)

For the topping: 

Naturally-colored sprinkles (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-inch springform cake pan or line a regular cake pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease a muffin tin or mini cake mold.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the brown sugar, yogurt, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the yogurt mixture, and whisk to combine.
4. Pour in the hot coffee, and stir to combine.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake time will vary for cupcakes or mini cakes, about 18-21 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling. In the meantime, prepare the glaze.

For the Raspberry Glaze:

1. In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, cane sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries break down into a sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, and strain it through a sieve to remove the seeds.
2. Combine the vegan butter and the seedless raspberry sauce in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until the butter is melted and incorporated. Transfer to a heatsafe bowl, and refrigerate until chilled and thickened.
3. Once the glaze has thickened, spread it over the cake, or dip cupcakes into it. Top with sprinkles, and enjoy!

Story and Photography by Quelcy Kogel / Recipe by Jerrelle Guy

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