Introduction:

 

I would like to thank my friends and family for being my test kitchen tasters. It really helps to have a diverse range of taste preferences sampling my kitchen creations, so that I may continue to grow and master flavor and texture profiles in the dishes I create.

 

Next, I’d like to include some vegan baking tips for those who may be new to the art of vegan cooking and baking, as well as to others who may not be aware of some tips and tricks that help make vegan cooking and baking more successful.

 

First and foremost, just like any other type of baking or cooking, always read a recipe all the way through before starting. This way, there won’t be any surprises, and you’ll know not just all the ingredients a recipe calls for, but also any potential ingredient swaps or substitutions you may choose or need to make.

 

Always take into consideration altitude and types of cooking appliances. Higher altitudes require baking and cooking time adjustments (typically longer), and certain ovens and stoves are more efficient than others, which means that you’ll typically need to shorten the cooking or baking times. Know your appliances and altitudes, and be prepared to watch and adjust cooking and baking times accordingly.

 

Don’t ever feel that however a recipe is laid out, that it is set in stone. Please always feel free to adjust a recipe, and make it your own. If you have a food allergy, by all means, either swap out a particular ingredient for a comparable one, or try just omitting it all-together from the recipe. Feel free to add or delete some of the called for spices, or swap out sweeteners, flours or recipe add-ins. Do remember though, that if you’ve made adjustments to a recipe and it doesn’t turn out to your liking, it is most likely due to you either making too many substitutions, or one of your substitutions was an integral ingredient in the original recipe. If this happens, go back and try the recipe exactly as it calls for, and try to pinpoint where you might have made too many alterations.

 

When baking and cooking, I always recommend using raw sugar over sucanat. Many people think that raw sugar and sucanat are the same, but they are not. Sucanat (which stands for sugar cane natural) is a minimally processed cane sugar product and has a lesser effect on blood sugar than regular full-processed sugar. However, when it comes to cooking and baking with it, I have found that sucanat tends to absorb too much moisture from the liquid components in a recipe, and has the tendency to cause a dish to become too dry. Additionally, sucanat doesn’t always dissolve readily. Raw sugar on the other hand, is very minimally processed, doesn’t overly absorb moisture from a recipe, and does dissolve readily in liquids. However, if you just want to sprinkle a healthier sugar on your fruits or other dishes that don’t require baking or cooking, then I would recommend sucanat over raw sugar, because the crystals are finer. I personally use ‘Sugar in the Raw’ brand raw sugar, but there are other quality brands available in your natural health food stores.

 

For recipes calling for pure maple syrup, do NOT substitute with pancake syrup. Real maple syrup comes in ‘grade A’, ‘grade B’ and ‘grade C’, and any of these grades of maple syrup will work just fine in these recipes. If you don’t have, or can’t find pure maple syrup, you can substitute with equal amounts of agave nectar.

 

When dessert recipes call for sea salt, do NOT omit it. Sea salt is not the same thing as commercially processed salt, which you should avoid like the plague. The purpose of sea salt in dessert recipes is to act as a flavor enhancer, helping to showcase and meld sweet flavor profiles from individual ingredients together. Additionally, adding sea salt to dessert recipes helps to ‘cut’ and balance out any acidic flavor tones, and when added to baked dessert recipes, sea salt also acts as a leveling agent.

 

When making any recipe that calls for tofu, always remember to drain, press and drain again before using. You always want to squeeze out the excess moisture in tofu before using, because it can be substantial enough to either alter the measured liquid components of a recipe, or the excess water will prevent the tofu from combining and melding with other called-for ingredients. You can either do this by hand, or purchase a tofu press. I simply place a block of tofu onto a cutting board after I remove it from the package, and using a spatula, gently press out any excess water. I then gently pat it dry with paper towels, and then the tofu is ready to use.

 

When recipes call for vegan margarine, I will sometimes specify to use vegan margarine in stick form instead of tub form. The reason is because tub margarine is whipped and has a high air content, whereas stick margarine is more dense, and in certain recipes you specifically need the density of the stick margarine. You can always use either, but it may affect the final outcome of your dessert.

 

And, lastly, have fun! Cooking and baking should always be fun, expressive and infused with lots of love.

 

Bon Veggie Appetit!

Gina ‘The Veggie Goddess’ Matthews

Chapter 1 – Vegan Cakes and Cupcakes

 

3 Layered Sinful German Chocolate Cake

(preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease and flour 3 round cake pans, then line each greased and floured cake pan with parchment paper)

 

Ingredients:

(cake)

6 ounces dried apricots

6 ounces water

3 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer

¾ cup water

3 cups raw sugar

3 cups flour (all purpose)

1-1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1-1/2 cups oat milk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

(icing)

2 cups oat milk

2 cups raw sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

5 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

2 cups coconut flakes

2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

 

In a bowl, soak the dried apricots in the 6 ounces of water until softened, and then transfer them to a blender and puree. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Ener-G egg replacer and ¾ cup water until frothy. Add in the apricot puree and sugar, and using an electric mixer, blend on medium-low speed until light in color and ingredients are well incorporated.

 

In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add dry flour mixture into the bowl with the moist ingredients, and blend on low until all ingredients are well blended, then set bowl aside. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the 1-1/2 cups oat milk, vinegar and vanilla extract, and let stand for 10 minutes to ‘cure’. After 10 minutes, pour the ‘cured’ milk mixture into the bowl with the batter, and stir well. Pour batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes. (Toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.) Remove from oven, and allow cakes to COOL COMPLETELY before removing from pans.