Posted on 06/23/2013 4:30:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
When she couldn’t find "yummy" vegan baked goods, 12 year old Clara Polito took matters into her own hands and started baking her own. Now, at 16, Polito has her own baking company called Clara Cakes.
In the kitchen in her Atwater Village home, Clara Polito pulls out ingredients to bake chocolate cupcakes, one of the first recipes she wrote. Soy milk, cocoa powder, and flour sit on the counter waiting to be poured into metal mixing bowls. "I basically started baking when I became vegan because I wanted to have yummy tasting vegan baked goods, because I couldn't really find any otherwise. So I kind of created a vegan bakery in my kitchen, which was fun," says Polito about her start.
As she bakes, Beastie Boys blast in the background. There are iPod speakers on the dining room table. Concert posters cover her bedroom walls. Music plays a big role in Polito’s life. She started selling baked goods in 2010 at The Smell, an all ages venue in downtown L.A. It was a record release show for the band No Age. Her mom has supported her since the start, driving her to bake sales and concerts.
In her all white 50s inspired kitchen, Polito taught herself through trial and error. She read dessert cookbooks and watched vegan cooking tutorials online.
"I remember making cakes that would constantly taste like bananas because bananas are a common egg replacer, and so that always bummed me out,'" says Polito. "It definitely took a lot of practice to finally get everything tasting how it needs to taste."
Now, Polito has perfected her trade and has a range of original recipes that will make your mouth water. She plays on Girl Scout cookies with her “Not So Thin Mint” cupcakes, makes S’mores Bars, Lemon Pows, and her most popular dessert - The Inception Cookie, an Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie.
Clara Cakes does custom orders, pop-up shops, and now has desserts sold at Pizzanista in downtown L.A. Polito dreams of opening up a bakery. She says,"It’d be cool to open a bakery before I’m 20. I definitely want to be a teen. I want the timing to be right."
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe Ingredients (makes 1 dozen cupcakes): 1 cup soy milk 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 cup flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Pour 1 cup of soy milk in a large bowl and whisk in vinegar. Let it curdle (it’ll take a few minutes and eventually will look like cottage cheese). While waiting for soy milk mixture to curdle, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sugar, oil and extracts to the soy milk mixture and whisk until foamy. Add the flour in two batches. Beat until just smooth. Spoon the batter into the liners. Bake for 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Place on cooling rack until cool, then frost.
Vanilla Frosting Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegan butter or margarine 1/2 cup shortening 2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 4 tablespoons soy milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions: Combine ingredients and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
Will read this after I finish my ribeye.
Good for her, I really wish her well.
If she cane make a taste desert nice.
I have tasted vegan deserts....and well um the only thing that comes to mind is gross.
Because it's an oxymoron.
Wow, a potential liberal vegan, with conservative values.
I bet she’ll be a political conservative once regulations and taxes (and Obamacare) come into play.
Don’t hate on vegans, I actually respect their self control.
The world never has enough desserts.
Like I really need all estrogen from the soy!
Meat actually has a lot of estrogen, and soy only has plant estrogen.
Most Western "vegans" are worthless,Marxist scumbags.Maybe not all of them,but the overwhelming majority.As for those that aren't perhaps they'd like to do some reading on human dentition.If they do they'll understand that human beings are designed to be omnivores.Meat,fruits,vegetables and grains.I'm a proud omnivore myself.I love most veggies (except lima beans and Brussels Sprouts),most fruits,grains,beef,chicken,lamb,pork...and potato chips.
She needs to give up her veganity.
Send in the FDA to shut her down.
I loved meat and cheeses as much as anyone and went vegan for health reasons. Even though I’ve been a vegetarian before, eating a virtually fat free vegan menu is something else. Claras cakes use too much fat, so I’ll have to pass.
I have to say, other than the obvious weight loss benefits.. a weird side effect was my eyesight improving. About six weeks after I started... I no longer needed my progressive lens glasses. I’m basically following a Mcdougal/Essestyne eating regime.
She’ll soon find out that giving away the recipe is lousy for business.
Not sure that is true. I think some successful ventures give away the recipe, and it benefits them. Do you buy most your food because you couldn’t make it yourself? Or because of the time/convenience, or maybe you couldn’t make it that good. Open source baking. Paying at the point of value.
The world never has enough desserts.”
Had an excellent one last night. Huge macademia nut cookie still warm from the oven, topped with two dips of cinnamon ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Yum yum!
Did share though since I had already had a sizeable portion of off some wonderful roast beef with brown gravy and mashed potatoes.
What’s so vegan about sugar ?
Hold on...what a bunch of hypocrites....this young woman is a true capitalist..she saw a need in the market and she grabbed it. Just because you don’t like what she’s selling doesn’t mean that she should be ridiculed. Don’t buy it.
I agree with you.
I agree with you.
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