In the lead up to Valentine’s Day, the Share Lawyers staff took part in a Baking challenge, with proceeds going to a good cause.

With many of us working remotely, the staff of Share Lawyers is always looking for ways to participate in fun activities together. This year, like in several years past, we had a baking challenge to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The only rules given were to create something festive for the holiday – no store bought desserts allowed! We asked the bakers to share the recipes that inspired them.

We received eleven tasty treats, with money for each submission to be donated to Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program. Jumpstart helps kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. We couldn’t be more proud to support this kind of endeavor.

To create some friendly competition, we also gave the bakers a chance at winning one of three prizes for the best submissions. Congratulations to the top three winners!

Check out all of the desserts below, and use the recipes to try them out for yourself.

Trish’s Chocolate Cake – FIRST PLACE WINNER!

Cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg – at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water

Frosting
6 tablespoon unsalted butter – softened to room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder – Dutch process or unsweetened natural
3 teaspoons milk

1. Crumble cake into sand-like texture and add 2 spoons of buttercream.
2. Mix all together until cake sticks together.
3. Melt Chocolate chips and add a lawyer to the heart mould and refrigerate.
4. Then add some cake pop dough into the mould and top with more melted chocolate.
5. Once the chocolate has set, remove from the mould and decorate.

Zee’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (from tasty.co) – THIRD PLACE WINNER!

½ cup sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup refined coconut oil, melted
¼ cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 oz vegan semi-sweet chocolate, chunks
4 oz vegan dark chocolate, chunks

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt, and coconut oil until combined.
2. Whisk in non-dairy milk and vanilla, until all sugar has dissolved and the batter is smooth.
3. Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula, being careful not to overmix.
4. Fold in the chocolate chunks evenly.
5. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
7. Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between cookies and the edges of the pan so cookies can spread evenly.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies just begin to brown.
9. Cool completely.

Sarah-Beth’s Black bean brownies (from The Hungry Girl)

One 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/4 cup (about 2 large) egg whites
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup Truvia spoonable no-calorie sweetener (or another natural brand that’s about twice as sweet as sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. mini (or chopped) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray an 8” X 8” baking pan with nonstick spray.
3. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor.
4. Puree until completely smooth and uniform.
5. Fold in 1 tbsp. chocolate chips.
6. Spread mixture into the baking pan, and smooth out the top.
7. Evenly top with remaining 2 tbsp. chocolate chips, and lightly press into the batter.
8. Bake until a toothpick (or knife) inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 25 – 30 minutes.
9. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. 

Shoshana’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – SECOND PLACE WINNER!

1 c flour – half whole wheat, half white flour
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4  tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites or 1 egg
1/4 c canola oil
1/3 c maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray or use parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.
5. Drop from a teaspoon 2” apart onto baking sheet. Press slightly to flatten.
6. Bake on middle rack of oven at 375 degrees about 9-10min until set and golden.
   
7. Remove pan from oven and let cool. Cookies become crisp on standing.

Nathalie’s Sugar cookies:

¾ cup soft butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour

1. Cream butter/sugar-add egg and vanilla.
2. Once all mixed, slowly add flour.  
3. Chill dough in the fridge for 1 hour
4. Cut into desired shapes and bake at 350 for 10-12 min.
5. When fully cooled, decorate as you wish.
   

Sule’s Heart “Cake Pops” 

1. Bake cake of choice
2. Once the cake is cooled, mix in icing of choice and combine with cake to eventually form a playdough like consistency
3. Melt chocolate of choice – chocolate wafers work best for this!
4. Pour chocolate into mould to cover with a thin layer
5. Place mould in fridge for a few minutes
6. Fill the mould with cake and icing mixture
7. Place in fridge for a few minutes
8. Pour chocolate to cover the back
9. Place in fridge for 5 mins
10. Pop the treat out of the mould and decorate as you would like

Christine’s Strawberry cake roll (from Tara Teaspoon)

eggs
sugar
neutral oil like canola
all-purpose flour
food coloring
salt
almond extract
butter
confectioners’ sugar
cream cheese
heavy cream
strawberry jam
Strawberries

1. Line the bottom of a jelly roll pan (10-by-15 inches) with parchment.
2. To make the heart pattern batter: with an electric mixer, whip egg white and sugar until soft peaks form. Mix in oil and then fold in flour by hand.
3. Divide batter in half and color half red and half pink with food coloring. Place each color in a small ziptop bag and snip a small hole in one corner.
4. Pipe hearts, dots and designs onto parchment and freeze the pan 20 to 30 minutes.
5. To make cake batter: heat oven to 350º F.
6. With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, whip eggs and salt until very light and fluffy, 10 minutes with a hand mixer, 6 minutes in a stand mixer.
7. Gradually add the sugar while mixer is going and then beat another four to five minutes.
8. In a small bowl, stir about ½ cup of the egg mixture into the melted butter with the almond extract.
9. Stir butter mixture back into the mixing bowl to combine with the rest of the fluffy egg.
10. Stir the flour into the batter until just combined. Immediately removed pan from the freezer and gently spread cake batter over the frozen heart designs.
11. Bake until cake is light golden brown and is just firm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
12. While cake bakes, prepare a clean dish towel by lightly dusting it with confectioners’ sugar. Have a second clean towel on hand.
13. When cake is done, let sit in pan about one minute and then run a knife around the edges to gently loosen.
14. Turn cake onto prepared towel. Remove parchment and lay second towel over the top of the heart designs. Carefully flip cake over in the towels.
15. Remove the towel from the plain side of the cake, then roll the warm cake inside the second towel from one short end to the other. The heart designs should be facing outward. Let cake roll cool for about 20 minutes.
16. To make the filling, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth. Add heavy cream and almond extract and whip until mixture if fluffy and stiff, about 2 minutes.
17. Unroll cake and spread the plain inside surface with a thin layer of strawberry jam. Gently spread cream cheese filling over the jam, it will be about ¼–inch thick. Roll cake back up over filling.
18. Wrap cake roll in the towel and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Trim ends and serve on a platter with strawberry slices as garnish if desired.

Thanks again to all of our incredible bakers. Please note that credit for the recipes has been given where possible.

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