Miyoko's Creamery!

Miyoko is the Queen of Vegan Fancy Cheese. Her cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese, flipped the vegan script, y'all. Before Miyoko, we purchased pre-made block cheezes for our fancy wine parties. And they were good (still are), but they weren't artisan cheese. They weren't aged, and they didn't compare to the stinky cheeses our omni friends eat. If we were feeling really fancy, we'd create vegan hippie cheeses using nooch and agar, a la Jo Stepaniak's Ultimate Vegan Cheese Cookbook. And those classic recipes are great too!

Miyoko at Seattle VegFest!

But just as there's a difference between the dairy cheese blocks you get in the fridge case by the butter and milk and the dairy cheese in the expensive case, there's a difference between aged nut cheese and other vegan snack and sandwich cheeses. I've used Artisan Vegan Cheese to create homemade aged cheeses a number of times, and though the recipes are simple, they're also very time-consuming. I mean, aging doesn't happen in a day, folks. So thank freakin' goddess for Miyoko's Creamery!

You can now order Miyoko's cheeses online. There are various sampler packs so you can try multiple cheeses, and there's even a holiday sampler pack with limited edition flavors (in case you're wondering what to get me for Christmas!).

Miyoko and I were both presenters at Seattle VegFest this past March, and she mentioned that her cheese-making business was opening soon. Oh my gawd, I couldn't wait! Having had Miyoko-made cheeses before in Portland — when she made all the cheeses for the Vida Vegan Con 2013 gala —I knew things just taste better when Miyoko makes them.

Well, the Creamery finally opened for business a few months ago, and Miyoko sent me a sampler box to review. But there were eight cheeses in this box! And one girl can only eat eight cheeses so fast. It's taken me quite awhile to work through them, but I'm proud to say that I've finally eaten all my nut cheese. Each cheese comes in a cardboard package, and inside they're wrapped either in wax paper or cellophane, depending on the style of cheese.

It's like a little present just waiting to be ripped open!

Although I hoarded most of this cheese for myself, I did manage to share two wheels at my October dinner party for our soon-to-come Veggin' Out webisode series. I brought out the Fresh Loire Valley in a Fig Leaf and the Aged English Smoked Farmhouse.

The Fresh Loire Valley in a Fig Leaf was impressive as hell. This cheese is seriously wrapped in a wine-soaked fig leaf! At first, we weren't sure if we should eat the leaf, but I braved a bite and realized it had a mild flavor that actually complemented the soft, tangy wheel. Great with crackers! Several dinner party guests declared this to be their favorite of the two.

But my fave of the two was the Aged English Smoked Farmhouse. In fact, this was probably my second favorite cheese of them all! This semi-hard cheese was much more firm than the Loire Valley cheese, so slices held together well. And I'm a fan of anything with a smoky flavor. We enjoyed it on crackers, but this would also be lovely sliced and served on a vegan turkey sandwich.

A few days after that party, I opened Country Style Herbs de Provence. This is a tangy semi-hard cheese that's completely coated in herbs. There's lavender, maybe some oregano and thyme. I'm not really sure what combination of herbs were used, but there's a LOT of them.

I thought maybe this cheese would be best enjoyed crumbled over a salad, and I think I was right. Here's a simple salad with Field Greens, Country Style Herbs de Provence, and a Raspberry Balsamic-Olive Oil Vinaigrette. The tangy cheese paired perfectly with the bitter greens and tart-sweet dressing, and since the herbs got coated in balsamic vinegar, they were a little softer and easier to eat than dry herbs.

One thing I didn't pay attention to when prioritizing which cheeses to try first was the expiration dates. My package arrived in early October, and a couple of the cheeses expired earlier than others — one by the end of October. Others are good through January. Well, sadly, the French Style Winter Truffle was coated in mold when I opened it past the date. Of all the cheeses, it has the shortest shelf life. But never fear!! I just cut that mold right off, and hiding underneath was perfectly good cheese. Waste not, want not.

After cutting off the mold, I enjoyed the French Style Winter Truffle (on the left) and the Double Cream Sundried Tomato Garlic (on the right) with crackers, vegan pate, wine, and grapes one night for dinner. I love simple meals like that. Look! They're like little Pac-Mans!!

Hands down, the French Style Winter Truffle was my favorite cheese of all!! I'm so glad I took a chance and cut that mold off. Miyoko did not skimp on fancy truffles in this cheese. They're peppered throughout, and this cheese boasts a strong truffle flavor. It's soft, woodsy, earthy, magical. I will be ordering this one again!

The Double Cream Sundried Tomato Garlic was great too! It's a creamier cheese but still very sliceable. The sundried tomatoes add a rich umami flavor and a tanginess that's accented by the garlic. This cheese is made with chickpea miso, which adds to that deep flavor. I enjoyed both cheeses on crackers, but the sundried tomato cheese was just calling for something more. Something like this!

That's kamut elbow noodles coated in melted sundried tomato garlic cheese! I just melted the cheese in a saucepan with a bit of almond milk, and it made a creamy, rich sauce in no time. I would highly recommend that with this cheese.

The Classic Double Cream Cheese Chive is like a plain version of the sundried tomato, and IT IS SO GOOD! I'm a sucker for any creamy cheese sub with chives mixed in, and this one is loaded with chives. It's super soft and spreadable.

So of course I had to try it on bagels! My favorite way to enjoy this cheese was schmeared on whole wheat bagel thins with little blobs on roasted garlic & onion jelly.

Just this past week, I've been enjoying my last two cheeses — High Sierra Rustic Alpine and Aged English Sharp Farmhouse — with multigrain crackers, dolmas, and wine. But I wanted to try them other ways too.

The Aged English Sharp Farmhouse is very similar to the smoked farmhouse, only minus the smoky flavor. It's sort of your basic straight fancy sharp cheddar. It's a harder cheese that's great on a cracker. But it also makes for a damn fine cheesy bread topping. I broiled some over slices of multigrain baguette this week to eat with some bean soup. It didn't get super melty as I'd hoped, but it sort of melted in your mouth when you bit in.

The High Sierra Rustic Alpine is a semi-hard nutty cheese with a sweet buttery flavor. It's a bit hard to describe, but if you can imagine the flavor of a cheese that seems suited for a risotto, that's it. It'd be nice with fruit, and I enjoyed it with crackers. But I just kept thinking, "Risotto!" So I made some.

This was definitely the best risotto I've ever had. I melted half a package of the High Sierra Rustic Alpine in it, and it made for the absolute creamiest, dreamiest risotto ever. I know asparagus is so not in season, but it seemed like a veggie that would pair well with this cheese, so I added that, plus some fresh thyme and lemon juice.

It wouldn't be fair if I didn't share the recipe, right? I used this recipe from Eating Well as a guide, but I veganized it. Here ya go.

High Sierra Rustic Alpine Risotto with Asparagus & Fresh Thyme
Adapted from Eating Well
Yields about 7 cups

6 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and discarded, cut into bite-size pieces 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry arborio rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
Half package of Miyoko's Creamery High Sierra Rustic Alpine Risotto, grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh lemons juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering.

Put the asparagus in a steamer basket and turn the heat on high. Steam for about 7 to 10 minutes or until asparagus is just tender but still firm. You want it to have a little bite. Remove from heat when it's done and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and salt and stir to coat.

Stir 1/2 cup of the hot broth and a generous splash of wine into the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to cook on medium-low, adding broth in 1/2-cup increments followed by a splash of wine, and stirring frequently after each addition, until most of the liquid is absorbed. The risotto is done when you’ve used all the broth and wine and the rice is creamy and just tender, 25 to 35 minutes total.

Remove from the heat. Stir in nut cheese, asparagus, thyme, lemon juice, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Crunk for the Holidays: Tofu Scramble Giveaway!

I'm back with my weekly holiday pimpin' of my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk: Eatin' Vegan in the Dirty South. Buy it for yourself if you don't already own it! Or buy it as a holiday gift for that fried tofu-lovin', waffle sandwich-eatin', green tomato-cravin' person in your life. Here's the link to buy a copy on Amazon. It's filled with 150-ish recipes of comfort food dishes I grew up eatin' in the dirty-dirty.

Since I launched this weekly blog series before Thanksgiving, I've already given away a copy of my cookbook (Hey Amber, your copy is in the mail!). I've posted my beloved coconut icebox cake recipe, and I've shared an ideal holiday meal created from Cookin' Crunk recipes.

But tonight, I want to give away something totally weird! I'm giving away tofu scramble! Okay, okay, I'm not actually going to send bean curd through the mail. That might get nasty. Instead, I'll send one lucky winner a jar of my tofu scramble seasoning. It's the same seasoning I used to make this delicious scramble.

My recipe is for Tofu Scramble is in Cookin' Crunk, of course. And it's posted right here on my blog, so if you don't win, you can still get scrambled this holiday season. But if you win, I'll do all the measuring for ya. And the jar holds enough mix to make multiple scrambles. Plus, I'll make it all cute and gifty.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment here about your favorite scramble add-ins. Do you like it plain? Do you prefer greens? Other veggies? Vegan breakfast meats? Chocolate chips? Jk! That's gross.

Also, please LEAVE YOUR EMAIL address in your comment so I can contact if you win. I'll pick one winner next Monday night.

My First Half-Marathon!!!!!

I finally finished a half-marathon!! Last year, I set a goal to run a half in 2013 and a full marathon in 2014, and then halfway through training for the October 2013 half-marathon I'd signed up for, I got a stress fracture in my foot. And even though it wasn't terribly painful, it was apparently a pretty bad break because it took six months to heal. I even wore a walking boot for several months and had to use a bone stimulator for 10 hours a day! My running dreams were smashed —at least for awhile.

And that made yesterday's personal victory of finishing the St. Jude Half-Marathon all the more special.

Before I broke my foot, I looked at my half-marathon goal as a mere stepping stone to my bigger goal of running the full 26.2 miles. But after my foot healed, I had to start completely over. We're talking couch to 5K. It took me a lot longer to get to the 13.1 than I'd ever dreamed it would. But I'm nothing if not stubborn, and if my body tells me I can't do something, I try even harder. While my injury really sucked at the time, it made me appreciate the stepping stones. It made me all the more grateful that I was able to finish yesterday's race.

It took me 2 hours and 48 minutes to run 13.1 miles, and that's really slow. But my goal was simply finishing. I didn't care how slow I was. I'll work on my fast game later.

Here's a little half-marathon weekend recap. It started on Friday night with the St. Jude Expo, where Cassi, her co-worker, and I picked up our race packets and shopped for new running supplies! I got two new running shirts and some YurBuds headphones, the first headphones I've ever worn that do not fall out of my tiny ears.

Then I went home and had some dinner. I'd always heard about "carb-loading" the night before a big race, but from what I've read in Runner's World over the years, that's sort of a myth. So instead, I opted for a balanced meal with whole grain carbs, protein, healthy fat, and greens. I used some of the Target brand Simply Balanced Miso Mushroom Meatless Turkey (Have y'all had this yet? It's awesome!), Himalayan red rice, sauteed Swiss chard, and a homemade miso-tahini sauce to create this Greens & Grain Bowl.

Yum! This was nice and filling, but it didn't leave me feeling bloated or anything the next day. I woke up at 5 a.m. on Saturday since my race began at 8 a.m. I read somewhere that you should have a light breakfast two hours before the race and then a banana one hour before. So at 6 a.m., I had Sprouted Grain Toast with Sunflower Seed Butter and Bee-Free Honee. On short runs, I usually just eat dates, but for my long training runs, toast with nut butter and honee always did the trick.

And then I drove downtown to AutoZone Park, where we were supposed to check our bags and stuff. Around 7 a.m., while milling around the park and trying to stay warm (I'd already checked my bag with my hoodie in it. Oops!), I enjoyed this banana.

Then it was time to line up for the race! There were 15 corrals, and you picked which one you should be in based on your average pace per mile. I run about a 12-minute mile, so I picked Corral #12. At around 8:22 a.m., my corral was off!

Just like with most of my training runs, the first five to six miles were a breeze. Plus, we ran through the St. Jude campus (they offer free medical services to children with life-threatening diseases) around mile 4, so that was pretty cool. There were people lined up all along the course cheering us on with signs. And there were random drum corps bands, bag-pipers, and other cool attractions along the way.

Oh, and I designed a GENIUS playlist, if I do say so myself, with inspirational poppy songs carefully selected for each mile. Iggy Azalea's "Impossible Is Nothing," Eminem's "Lose Yourself," Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger," and DJ Snake & Lil' Jon's "Turn Down For What" to name a few. Crazy things were happening with that playlist! "Eye of the Tiger" came on right as we ran past the Memphis Zoo! I paused Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" to use the porta-potty at mile four, and when I hit play again as I was taking back off, it was right at the line where she says, "I'm lightening on my feet."

Anyway, Paul was able to take off long enough to cheer me on at the halfway point. He snapped this shot.

Shortly after that pic was taken, I realized my tummy was grumbling. Luckily, I'd stashed a Huma Strawberry Energy Gel in my sports bra. It was a little sweaty, but I didn't care. Love these gels! They're made with chia seeds, real fruit puree, evaporated cane juice, and brown rice syrup.

That kept me going until about mile 10. And then I realized I was hungry again. But too bad! I'd only stashed one gel. So I just powered through. The last couple miles were pretty rough. But another crazy thing happened as I approached the finish line. I was listening to Katy Perry's "This Moment," and right as I spotted the finish, this lyric played: "And when you get to the finish line/Will you wish for more time?" I remember thinking, "No! I will not wish for more time. I want this race to be over!"

But I crossed that line and IT FELT SO GOOD! Queen's "We Are the Champions" came over my headphones, and I took my medal and just basked in it for a few minutes. Once the fuzzy head "I just ran a long way" feeling wore off, I headed to the food and beverage tent. But I wasn't impressed with their very non-veg options — pizza and potato soup. I did score some fruit and crackers there, but I put those in my bag for later. I needed protein, and fortunately, I'd stashed one of these NuGo Organics Dark Chocolate Almond Bars in my bag.

Then I went to find Cassi. She ran her first 5K on Saturday, and she stayed at the after-race party waiting for me. She got a 5K medal, and she was very excited about that. I'm quite proud of her because she hadn't trained for it at all. She hadn't even run about a year. But she made it to the finish line!

Our race bibs included coupons for free beers, so we enjoyed some Wiseacre Tiny Bombs!

By that point, it was freezing outside. While I was running, I got pretty hot. But about 15 minutes after the race, I realized just how cold it was. I believe the temps were in the low 50s, but they were steadily dropping all morning. I used my heat blanket to try and stay warm, but after our beers, we decided to head home and get into the warm car.

About an hour after the race, I snacked on the Peanut Butter Crackers and Mixed Fruit Cup I picked up in the food and beverage tent. I don't typically eat crap like this, but it was free. And deep down, I love those peanut butter crackers. I was just craving something salty.

My real post-race treat came at dinner time! I knew months in advance that I'd order Imagine Vegan Cafe's Vegan Chicken and Waffles after the race. And I did!

And it was damn delicious. I don't order this often because it's so decadent. But I earned it. For good measure though, I did request a side of Garlic Kale.

Of course, I had to get another post-race beer — Big Pants Brewery's Chocolate Oatmeal Porter. This is my favorite beer of the season.

Typically, I think that meal would have made me miserably full. But after dinner, I felt just right. I burned about 1,000 calories in the race, according to my FitBit, so I needed that.

I'd planned to go out to a trivia night on Saturday night, but by 8 p.m.-ish, I was beat. All I wanted to do was sit around and rest my weary legs. So we rented Maleficent, and I made some Quinn Olive Oil & Herbs Microwave Popcorn. Love this stuff! It's plain popcorn in an eco-friendly bag, and after it pops, you mix in a packet of olive oil and a packet of noochy herbs. I guess I did my carb-loading after the race! Whoops! Sorry not sorry.

So there you have it! Race day fun! Now I'm rewarding myself by taking this whole week off of running or cross-training. I'll do some yoga here and there, but mostly, I'll be sleeping in and chillin'.  No early morning workouts this week!

Vegan Holiday Nog Protein Smoothie!

It's nog time!! Growing up, I never had real egg nog because my parents told me it was gross. I missed out on a lot of things for that reason — pumpkin, winter squash, and all kinds of seafood. But later in life, when I finally tried pumpkin and hard squash, I realized that both were freakin' delicious. But as for egg nog and seafood, I'm pretty grateful that I never tried those. The less meat and dairy in my childhood, the better, right?

After going vegan, I quickly learned that I loved vegan egg nog! It's got all the good stuff — cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg — without the eggs. I never allow myself to have nog until the day after Thanksgiving, and nog season officially ends on New Year's Day. And when I enjoy a glass during the proper season, I typically spike it with spiced rum, like you do.

But sometimes, you want nog right after a long run, early in the morning before work. And spiked nog might not be the best idea. Enter the Vegan Holiday Nog Protein Smoothie!

It's perfect for post-run muscle recovery. It's filling enough to serve as a weekday breakfast. And it's freakin' delish. For this one, I used So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog, but Silk Soy Nog or Califia Farms Almond Milk Nog would work as well. The Vega One Vanilla Chai protein powder is perfect for this because it has the same nutmeg-y flavors as the nog.

I had one earlier this week after a run, and I'll definitely have another after Saturday's St. Jude Half-Marathon! I've been training all year for my first half (since dreams of finishing a half last year were squashed by a broken foot), and knowing this smoothie awaits me will get me to that finish line.

Here's the recipe!

Vegan Holiday Nog Smoothie
Serves 1

1/2 cup vegan holiday nog
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other plant milk)
1 frozen banana
1 scoop Vega Vanilla Chai Protein Powder
Handful of ice cubes
Rice Whip for topping
Cinnamon for topping

Add the nog, milk, banana, protein powder, and ice cubes to a blender. (If using a Vitamix, set the blender to the "smoothie" setting). Blend until smooth.

Pour into a glass and top with Rice Whip and sprinkle with coconut milk. If you're not headed into work, hell, throw in some rum too.

Memphis Vegan Food Trucks: Hot Mess

There's a new burrito truck in town, and they're serving up some dope-ass vegan burritos! It's called Hot Mess, which is a fine name for a food truck if you ask me. I recently caught up with the Hot Mess truck at the grand opening of Memphis Made Brewing Company's taproom in the Cooper-Young neighborhood.

Because what goes better with delicious craft beers than massive mission-style burritos? Nothing. That's what. Here's my burrito and pint of Memphis Made Junt, a dark Belgian farmhouse ale brewed with a dash of cumin and a touch of smoke. The perfect burrito pairing beer.

Here's the menu.

I ordered the Veggie Burrito with Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Onion, and Pepper. It doesn't come with a side, but that's okay because this thing is huge. The veggies were perfectly seasoned, and they were generous with the beans. I added bonus avocado and roasted tomato sauce. Oh, and the burrito is vegan by default. There's no asking folks to leave off the cheese! Love that. But the very best part of this burrito was the soft homemade tortilla. Nothing beats a homemade tortilla.

You can find Hot Mess all over town, but they're often parked at Memphis Made during taproom hours. To see their daily schedule, check out their Twitter page.

Vegan Life Magazine

There's a new vegan magazine, y'all! It's called Vegan Life, and it's the real glossy mag deal. Only catch? It's a UK-based magazine, so getting your American hands on a physical copy may prove expensive. But there's a good news for us vegans living across the pond. There's an app! And you can read Vegan Life on your smartphone or tablet.

I was recently invited to download an issue onto my iPhone for review. At 116 pages, this is one serious mag. And it's loaded with content. You know how, with some magazines, it feels like there are more ads than stories? That's not the case with Vegan Life. Sure, there are ads. And they're for British vegan products, so it's kind of neat to see what they've got over there. But most of the magazine is filled with informative, well-written articles.

The Nov/Dec 2014 issue is filled with holiday recipes for chocolate fondant puddings, an avocado morning scramble (instead of tofu!), lemon & mushroom crumble pie, vegetable curry, and so much more. And I just love the cute little differences — like when they call zucchini "courgette" or dessert "puddings." The recipes are written using the metric system, but a little googling should help you convert.

Besides recipes, Vegan Life also has a ton of informative articles on everything from a first-person account of the life of a vegan athlete to an interview with comedian Sara Pascoe to the tale of Esther the Wonderpig. There's a fashion spread of chic vegan handbags and tips on having a cruelty-free Christmas.

But my very favorite (or should I say "favourite") piece in the latest issue is a story called "Naughty But Nice?" by Rebecca Bourne. It's all about those wretched vegan police who criticize other vegans (generally anonymously and online) for indulging in vegan junk food (Oreos, plant meats, etc.). Y'all know how passionate I am about my junk food. I'm in this for the animals, not my health. Sure, I'll eat healthy sometimes. But when I want Skittles and fried tofu for dinner, I eat some damn Skittles fried tofu.

And Rebecca hits the nail on the head in this piece. She even wrote a poem about the vegan police. Here's an excerpt: "Well judge and jury, time to stop interfering/ As questioning my lifestyle comes across as domineering/ Where I shop and what vegan foods I choose to eat are my choice/ As long as no animals are killed for it, there is reason to rejoice."

Isn't that great? If you'd like to check out Vegan Life, you can download the app in Apple or Android store. And then you opt to pay for a single issue download or subscribe. Support vegan media!

Crunk for the Holidays: A Crunk Christmas Cake!

I'm back with my weekly Cookin' Crunk pimpin' session. With the holiday season well underway, I figure it's a good time to push my Southern vegan cookbook for anyone who doesn't have it yet or for anyone looking for a crunk-ass holiday gift. So until Christmas, I'll do one Cookin' Crunk-themed post per week. And should you feel the impulse to buy a copy, you can get it on Amazon. Or you can score a signed copy by clicking on the PayPal link on the right side of this page.

Last week, I held a Cookin' Crunk giveaway! And the lucky winner was Amber Sproul! Congrats Amber!

Now let's talk Christmas/Solstice/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Whatever You Celebrate. This is the time for dessert, y'all. The Universe gave us December so that we could over-eat and make up for it in January, right?

Well, my very favorite Christmas cake (I celebrate Xmas and Solstice!) looks like a bed of coconut snow atop a moist sugar mountain. This is my Granny's Coconut Icebox Cake, and the recipe is in Cookin' Crunk. When I make it during the holidays, I love to decorate it with fun vintage cake toppers!

In case you don't have the book and need the recipe for your next holiday party, here ya go!

Coconut Icebox Cake
Yields one two-layer cake (about 16 servings)
Believe it or not, this coconut-covered yellow cake tastes better and becomes moister after a night of refrigeration. Of course, you don’t have to wait to dig in, but if you can tame your coconut cravings for a few hours, it’s certainly worth the wait.

Cake
Non-stick cooking spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup soy margarine
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1 cup soymilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
1 12-ounce container vegan sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and turmeric in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Beat together the sugar and the margarine using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer. Add the yogurt, soymilk, and vanilla and continue to beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two alternating batches, beating each time until just combined. Do not overmix. A few little lumps are okay.

Spread the half the batter into one cake pan and the other half into the other cake pan. Place into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake pans to cool for about 15 minutes. Then carefully turn each pan upside down on top of a wire cooling rack. Gently the pat the bottom of the pan to loosen the cake. If necessary, you may need to run a butter knife around the edges of the cake to loosen the sides from the pan. Once the cakes are removed, allow them to cool completely on the wire racks.

To make the frosting, stir together vegan sour cream, sugar, and coconut in a medium mixing bowl.

When the cakes have cooled, place one cake right-side-up on a serving plate. If the top is rounded, you may need to scrape part of the cake off with a knife to make a flat surface. Spread about 1/4th of the frosting on the top of that cake.

Place the other cake right-side-up on top of the bottom layer. Spread the rest of the frosting on top of the cake and around the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.