Vegan MoFo Day #15!

It was my friend and former flatmate from Prague Andrea’s birthday today and her and her boyfriend Vojtech were visiting us in Berlin for a long weekend. Yesterday Vojtech and I schemed a secret birthday cake plan every time Andrea went to the bathroom, so today we woke her up and ambushed her with cake. We are so sneaky. It came out pretty well and I learned that while I have no desire to drink instant coffee, it is quite awesome to add to baked goods! Coffee frosting for the win!

The recipe is just a combination of two other ones I’ve already posted, plus an improvised coffee frosting. We ate it for brunch, so I thought the coffee flavor was extra appropriate! Started us off with a boost!

Brownie Cheesecake With Coffee Frosting

Bottom brownie layer

– 1 batch Finally Fudgy Vegan Brownies

Cheesecake layer

– 1 batch of the cheesecake filling part of Russian Chocolate Cheesecake (Russischer Zupfkuchen)

Coffee frosting

– 2/4 cup margarine at room temp
– 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
– 2 Tbsp. soymilk
– 1 Tbsp. instant coffee
– 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk together the soymilk and instant coffee until the instant coffee is dissolved. Add the margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat with a beater (we got one for free!!!) until whipped together. Add more margarine or powdered sugar until it’s the texture and flavor you want. I honestly didn’t really measure.

To make the whole thing, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Make the cheesecake layer and set aside. Make the brownies and pour into the bottom a greased pan . We used an oiled 9 inch spring-form pan. Pour the cheesecake on top. I tried to make a marbled effect, but it didn’t really work because the brownie batter was a lot more dense…any tips? Bake for about 35-40 minutes. The cheesecake should be set so it’s not liquidy anymore, but it will still be soft. While it’s baking make the frosting and put in the fridge. Take out the brownies and let cool, frost, and enjoy.

Here’s the birthday setup with our attempt at “birthday candles”. Hey, they last longer and don’t get wax on the cake! Happy birthday Andrea!