By LAURA E. GROSS-HIGGINS
Now that the heat of the summer has abated, my thoughts turn to baking. This article is not just about baking, but baking for those friends or family who are vegans. My daughter and son-in-law became vegans a few years ago.
I never minded when they were vegetarians; but baking for those on a vegan diet can be challenging. They use no eggs and no dairy products of any kind.
I can see the reasoning behind their switch. Our food production does not always treat animals well and can even be stressful for our climate. And if you can find recipes that are good without these ingredients, that’s a bonus. You will find that the internet and even cooking magazines like Bon Appetit are offering recipes that cater to vegan diets.
So I decided to meet my daughter and her husband where they were and looked for recipes that they could eat. And not just eat, but that we all could enjoy. And they were happy to share their recipes with me.
I am including here a recipe for a crumb cake which has graced the pages of the Enterprise before. This is a recipe I got from my daughter. It uses almond milk and vinegar for the egg replacement. I have used mango, blueberries and even rhubarb instead of peaches.
I also want to share one I got from Joanne Chang’s “Flour Too,” for Blueberry Strawberry Muffins. This one uses a vinegar/baking soda combination for the leavening. And it has an apple muffin variant, too.
The last recipe is a more complicated one that Tom, my son-in-law, made for their wedding. It is a wonderful concoction. Definitely worth making. It uses a cashew cream instead of mascarpone.
I must say that it is far easier to bake vegan today because of all the products available in our supermarkets. You can substitute almond milk for regular or soy milk, plant butter sticks or coconut oil for butter. And a flax seed mixture can help provide what eggs do in recipes.
So if you are expecting company and someone is on a vegan diet, here are a few recipes to make. Not only are they ideal for vegans, they are also good for anyone who is lactose-intolerant or allergic to eggs.
Or maybe try them for your family anyway. You will find they are delicious in their own right!!
Vegan Peach Crumble Coffee Cake
Serves 9 to 12
Cake:
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup peeled, diced ripe peaches
Crumble topping:
3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (can sub part of it with almond flour)
1/3 cup packed organic brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
4 TBSP coconut oil (melted or solid—either will work)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil an 8-or-9-inch square baking dish.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together apple cider vinegar and almond milk till mixture is frothy. Let sit for a few moments. Mix in sugar, coconut oil and vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ones and mix till they’re just combined, adding a little more almond milk if necessary. Fold in diced peaches; pour batter into baking dish.
To make topping, place flour, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small mixing bowl. Work in oil with fingers, one tablespoon at a time. Continue working till large crumbs form (may only need 4 TBSP oil, but good to have 5 handy). Or pulse ingredients together in a food processor. Distribute topping over coffee cake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is fragrant and toasty and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Vegan Vanilla Mixed Berry Muffins
Makes 12 or 13
2²/³ c /370 g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c/200 g granulated sugar (save out 2 TBSP of this cup for the topping)
3/4 c plus 2 TBSP/210 ml vegetable oil
1¹/³ c /315 ml plain soy milk (or almond milk)
2 TBSP distilled white or apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup/130 g fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup/ 150 g fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 350° F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line the cups of the muffin tin with paper liners or oil generously and flour them.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 c. plus 2 TBSP/175 g of the sugar and stir until well mixed. In a separate bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, soy milk, vinegar and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the middle of the well. Stir with a rubber spatula until well mixed. Add the raspberries and blueberries and mix until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Spoon equal amounts of batter into each cup (you can fill them to the top). Sprinkle the top with the reserved 2 TBSP of sugar.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the muffins are pale gold and the tops spring back when pressed gently in the middle. Let cool in the tin on a wire rack before popping them out. They taste best the day they are made but any uneaten muffins may be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. For best results, refresh them in a 300° F oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins: Omit the vanilla extract, raspberries and blueberries.
Mix in 1/2 tsp cinnamon with the flour mixture. Peel, core, and chop 2 Granny Smith apples and fold them into the finished muffin batter. Bake as directed.
Tom’s Vegan Tiramisu
Dry Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cup white sugar (Note: Tom said he reduced this to 1¼ cups)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
²/³ cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
¼ cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F (180C). Lightly grease two 9-inch square baking pans.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t overmix. Evenly divide batter the 2 cake pans. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the tiramisu:
For the espresso sauce:
4 shots of espresso (or very very strong coffee)
2 TBSP coffee liqueur (Tom used Kahlua)
water
For the cream layer:
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
3 TBSP agave or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 14-oz can premium coconut milk or coconut cream, chilled in the fridge overnight
1 TBSP cocoa powder
Make the cake as above. Let cakes cool completely and slice into “fingers” about 1 inch wide. Each pan should yield 18 to 20 fingers.
Make the espresso sauce by adding espresso and coffee liqueur to a measuring cup, and fill with water until you have 3/4 cup of liquid.
Make cream: First, soften the cashews by putting them in a medium pot and covering with water. Boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Add the cashews to a blender along with the non-dairy milk, agave and vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Open the can of well-chilled premium coconut milk and scrape out just the hardened coconut cream leaving behind any coconut water. Add the cream to a mixing bowl and beat until it softens and becomes fluffy. Lightly fold in the cashew mixture. If not using right away, store in the fridge until ready to use
Assemble the tiramisu: In an 8×12-inch or 9×9-inch dish tightly line up the ladyfingers in a single layer. Spoon over half of the espresso sauce then spread over the cream mixture. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, the remaining espresso sauce and remaining cream.
Cover and put in the fridge to set for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle the cocoa powder over the tiramisu through a fine sieve.
(You may have several ladyfingers left over which make perfect treats for snackers or for dipping into coffee.)