Just in time for Sunday brunch – I needed bread that would go great alongside eggs and mimosas. Strawberries are available everywhere so they were my first choice to flavor a bread. A short search of my files revealed a recipe for a vegan quick bread that incorporated these lovely berries.
For altitude I reduced sugar and baking soda. I added milk, although there was none, to help with dryness at altitude.To make it a little healthier, I took out some regular flour and put in whole wheat. The last change was substituting ginger for cinnamon, but that was merely to please my own taste buds. Add vegan cream cheese and fresh strawberries to a slice, and you’re set.
Strawberry Tea Bread adapted from Strawberry Quick Bread
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cups canola oil
1 TBS arrowroot powder
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 TBS unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 1/2 cups mashed strawberries with their juice
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp powdered ginger
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 3 cavities of a mini loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix sugar and oil. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and applesauce, then add to large bowl and stir. Stir milk and strawberries with juice into sugar mixture. Add baking soda, baking powder, and lemon juice, and whisk to combine evenly, without lumps. Stir in vanilla and ginger. One cup at a time, add flours and stir to incorporate into a smooth batter.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30-33 minutes until tops turns golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and run a knife around the edges of each loaf. Allow loaves to cool for at least 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely on a wire rack.
Once people hear that I bake vegan at high altitude, I am often asked if I also bake gluten-free. My baking style is complicated, and using gluten-free flour can have it’s own challenges. But I am nothing if not crazy for a challenge (or, perhaps, a glutton for punishment). So, when I discovered Otto’s Naturals cassava flour I went in search of a new recipe.
First I examined the flour. Cassava flour seemed like an interesting alternative flour in that it is grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, and allergen-free. I found a recipe that made brookies with almond flour, another alternate in the baking world, and I looked into almond flour to see how the two differed so I could tweak the recipe. You would have thought I should take it slow, never having tried the recipe or cassava flour. No, I jumped right in. I should have known better.
The first attempt was an absolute failure. But I had done my scientific research! I found out that cassava flour should easily replace all-purpose flour, but almond flour was more grainy and oily. So I made adjustments, but didn’t listen to my instincts. It was too dry. As in Sahara Desert dry.
For the second attempt I turned to my Chewy Vegan Brownies. The layers weren’t to be chewy, so I dialed back on that aspect. The new brookies were less dry and tasted better yet they were somewhat rubbery. It was time to delve further into my own past bakes.
My Brown Butter Blondies had good texture and baked well, so I used them as a modified template. Next I adjusted for the starchiness of the cassava flour. A little of this and a dab of that and I achieved a measure of success. The next, and final round, had a little more of this and a bigger dab of that to create a tasty vegan brookie that was also gluten-free.
The lesson here — to say no to gluten-free vegans? No, definitely not. What I really learned was that I am allowed to try, and try, and try again. Also, that I should listen to that inner voice and start experiments with something simple, like a cookie.
Vegan Brookie - where brownies meet chocolate chip pan cookies
Once people hear that I bake vegan at high altitude, I am often asked if I also bake gluten-free. My baking style is complicated, and using gluten-free flour can have it’s own challenges. But I am nothing if not crazy for a challenge (or, perhaps, a glutton for punishment). So, when I discovered Otto’s Naturals cassava flour I went in search of a new recipe.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Baking, Bar Cookies, Blondies, Brownies, Chocolate, Gluten Free, High Altitude, Recipe
Servings: 8people
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker
Equipment
1 8 x 8-inch baking pan
Ingredients
for the chocolate chip cookie layer:
3/4cupcassava flour
1/8teaspoonbaking powder
1/8teaspoonbaking soda
1/8teaspoonsalt
1/2cupfirmly packed organic light brown sugar
3/4teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4cup+ 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/4cup+ 1 tablespoon refined coconut oilmelted
5tablespoonsvegan chocolate chips
for the brownie layer:
3/4cupcassava flour
1/4cupdutch process cocoa powder
1/8teaspoonbaking powder
1/8teaspoonbaking soda
1/8teaspoonsalt
1/4cuporganic sugar
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
1/8cup+ 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4cup+ 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/4cup+ 1 tablespoon refined coconut oilmelted
1tablespoonsvegan mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper with a bit of extra paper on two opposite sides. (This helps to remove the baked brookies from the pan). Set aside.
For the cookie layer:
Sift the cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar together into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, non-dairy milk, and melted coconut oil. Stir with a spatula until well combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated. Set aside.
For the brownie layer:
Sift the cassava flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and melted coconut oil. Stir with a spatula until well combined. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir until incorporated.
To assemble the brookie:
Dump the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Dump the cookie batter over the brownie batter and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the brookie is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool, then lift the brookies out of the pan by the excess parchment paper and place them on a wire rack. Let the brookies cool completely before cutting.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter for up to 3 days.
Can you believe we are halfway through 2024? I thought now would be a good time to collect the recipes that have gathered the most attention this year.
The Importance of Flour
The most viewed post in 2024 isn’t a recipe, but a helpful tip on how to choose flour for vegan baking.
I look forward to sharing many more tasty treats with you this year.
If you try a new recipe, or a golden oldie from the past, I’d appreciate your comments as to how it turned out. If you’re on Instagram, please post a picture and tag @decadentveganbaker
Summer is here, but so is the heat. Using the oven during really hot weather is not an option for me. Yes, this is a baking blog, but I cut myself a bit of slack when the temps soar.
Another way to keep things cool is to eat a dessert right out of the fridge. When that treat combines the best of summer’s red fruit with chocolate, then you have a real winner.
I saw a video of this gorgeous tart on social media. A bit of searching revealed the author’s website and original recipe. It has quite a few steps, and requires advanced planning, so I chose to use store-bought jam instead of making my own. With that it comes together quite easily.
Enjoy this beautiful tart in a big showy presentation, or make mini tartlets for a gathering. Either way, just remember that a baked cake can sometimes be a no-bake cake.
Summer is here, but so is the heat. Using the oven during really hot weather is not an option for me. Yes, this is a baking blog, but I cut myself a bit of slack when the temps soar.Another way to keep things cool is to eat a dessert right out of the fridge. When that treat combines the best of summer’s red fruit with chocolate, then you have a real winner.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Gluten Free, Raspberry, Raw, Recipe, Strawberry, Tart
Servings: 8
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker
Equipment
9” tart pan with removable base
food processor
Blender
Ingredients
for the crust
2cups250 grams coarsely chopped walnutstoasted (see note)
1/4cupcocoa powder
pinchsalt
200grams10 large, soft datespitted
1teaspoonvanilla extract
for the fruit filling
2cups280 grams raw cashewssoaked in water for 4 hours
1/4cupcranberry-pomegranate juiceat room temperature
1teaspoonrose waterfood grade, at room temperature
40gramscocoa butterfood grade, melted
for assembly
1/2cupseedless raspberry jamstirred
fresh red berries and nuts
Instructions
Use a parchment circle to line the bottom of a 9” tart pan with a removable base. Set aside.
Place the walnuts, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Add the dates and vanilla, and process until the mixture forms a ball. Test the mixture with your fingers. If it is too dry then add an extra date; if it is too wet then add more cacao powder.
Tip the crust mixture out into the prepared tart pan. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Flatten the crust by taking a clean water glass and pressing it into the bottom of the crust. Set the filled pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer and gently take the crust from the pan. Place the crust on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge while you make the filling.
To make the fruit filling, drain the cashews and add them to a blender along with the maple syrup, berries, juice, and rose water. Blend until very smooth and creamy, using a tamper as needed. Add the melted cocoa butter and blend again until smooth.
Remove the baking sheet with the crust from the fridge. Spread the jam in an even layer over the crust. Spoon the filling evenly over the jam layer. Decorate with berries and nuts. Set the sheet with the tart in the freezer for two hours.
Prior to serving, remove the tart from the freezer and place it in the fridge for at least six hours. Remove from the fridge, slice into wedges, and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
Notes
To toast nuts, preheat your oven to 325F. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and slightly browned, 5–8 minutes. Remove the baking tray from the oven and pour the nuts into a bowl to cool slightly.
Adapted from No bake raspberry tart https://panaceaspantryblog.com/no-bake-raspberry-tart/
To celebrate the year’s end, a bit of chocolate is nice with champagne. Truffles and bubbly make a great pairing, along with a touch of raspberry. It makes me look forward to popping the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine.
To keep the truffles from causing too much of a sugar rush while sipping champagne, I borrowed the idea of using dates as the sweetener and adding nuts for a protein hit. That may sound too healthy but, trust me, these truffles are also decadent. They are the perfect way to welcome the New Year.
1 cup raw cashew pieces pinch fine sea salt 1/2 cup datepaste 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1-2 teaspoons non-dairy milk 4 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces raspberry-flavored vegan jello mix (I used Simply Delish raspberry gel dessert)
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the cashews in a food processor and pulse until they have a fine crumb, similar to almond meal.
Add the processed cashews to a large bowl along with the salt, date paste, raspberry jam, and cocoa powder. Stir until a thick dough forms, adding non-dairy milk as needed. Place the dough in the fridge while you melt the chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. When the chocolate has almost fully melted, turn the burner off and stir the chocolate until smooth. If your kitchen is cold, leave the double boiler on the stove to keep the chocolate warm.
Remove the bowl of chocolate dough from the fridge. Scoop out small balls of dough and place them on the parchment lined pan. Place a truffle ball on a fork and dip it into the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off then place the coated truffle back on the lined pan. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle a bit of jello mix overtop the truffle. Repeat until you have no more chocolate balls.
Until next time, happy non-baking and a Happy New Year!
Pumpkin Spice season has arrived! Admittedly, I do not like pumpkin spice in my beverages, however unpopular my idea may be. Cinnamon yes, but not the blend. However, the mix of spices is delicious in baked goods.
Apple season has also arrived, and apples and pumpkin spice pair together perfectly. Spiced apples are lovely to cook up, but I wanted something more substantial to make. The idea struck to use applesauce cake as a backdrop for spicy warm apples.
In my search for an applesauce cake, I looked at many recipes for cakes, quick breads, and cupcakes. What I came up with is a vegan mashup of all of them. I hope you enjoy my Applesauce Spice Cake with Spiced Apples for dessert, breakfast, or whenever you want a snack. It is best warm because the smells and tastes come alive.
Applesauce Spice Cake with Spiced Apples
for the cake shortening, to grease the baking pan 1.5 cups all purpose flour 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup maple or coconut sugar 1.25 teaspoons baking powder .75 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce 3/4 cups apple juice 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 tablespoons canola oil for the spiced apples 4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced 2 tablespoon canola oil 1/3 cup maple sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans with shortening, then line them with parchment paper and grease the paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup maple sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice. In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, apple juice, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then whisk to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Set the pans on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the spiced apples.
Sauté the apples in a nonstick skillet set on medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon oil, 3 tablespoons maple sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to coat the apples. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the apples are tender, about 5 more minutes.
When the cakes have cooled, tip them out onto serving plates and top with warm spiced apples.
It’s that time of year when peaches are peaking. Where I live, fresh juicy peaches are in abundance and demand to be eaten in everything. They complement muffins and pretty layered cakes, but I like them best when added to an easy snack cake. No muss, no fuss.
The cake recipe that crossed my path was already vegan, and gluten-free as well. The first way I changed it was to add peaches instead of apricots, but you could even use plums or cherries here. The next swap was to use aquafaba instead of packaged egg replacer because aquafaba helps maintain the structure that can be lacking in gluten-free baked goods.
For high altitude baking, I reduced the baking powder and baking soda. I also swapped the water for milk, for more flavor, then curdled it with apple cider vinegar for a greater leavening effect that boosts gluten-free flours at altitude.
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup non-dairy milk 1.5 cups gluten-free all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt scant 1/2 teaspoon baking powder scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup vegan butter 3/4 cup organic sugar 2 tablespoons aquafaba, cold (the liquid from canned chickpeas) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 1 small peach, pitted and sliced
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Stir apple cider vinegar into the non-dairy milk and it set aside to curdle. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegan butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 2 more minutes. Whisk the aquafaba and add it to the mixer bowl along with the vanilla. Beat until incorporated.
Reduce the mixer’s speed to low and beat in half of the flour mixture then half of the curdled milk. Scrape down the bowl and repeat the sequence with the remainder of the dry and wet mixtures.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the sliced peaches and blueberries on top.
gluten free peach blueberry cake
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 33 to 38 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely before slicing.
The cooled cake can be covered in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Recently I posted on how I made a Moderate Midnight Chocolate Cake in a smaller-sized bundt pan. The conversion for that recipe was easy as all I had to do was cut the ingredients in half from the full-sized bundt pan recipe amounts.
I thought it would be fun to make another small bundt cake, but this time I looked at a recipe that used a loaf or a round cake pan. So, how do you go from one cake pan to a very different one and still make a successful cake? To start you need to know how many cups your pan holds.
The recipe I found originally called for a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Upon searching the internet, I found out that these each hold 8 cups so it made sense that they were interchangeable sizes. I knew from my research on bundt pans that my small pan holds 6 cups. Quick math told me that my pan was 75% smaller (or 6 cups divided by 8 cups). That meant I needed to multiply each measurement in the ingredient list by 75%. So far so good.
Next, I needed to throw in a few small tweaks for altitude, which gave me more flour and plant milk and less baking powder. After that I made an adjustment to the baking time to account for the overall smaller size of the cake. I began with 75% of the time used for the smaller pan in the original recipe, figuring I could add more time if needed. The reduced time was right on the mark, and the cake baked beautifully.
I was inspired to add lemon to complement the blueberry flavor. You could also make this with chocolate chips instead of blueberries to be more decadent. Or you can turn it into 6 cupcakes if that is what you prefer, but be sure to reduce the baking time by at least half because cupcakes are much smaller and bake faster.
shortening, to prepare cake pan 2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra to prepare cake pan 3/4 cup organic sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1.25 – 1.5 cups frozen blueberries (depending on their size), still frozen 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored 3 ounces canola oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract lemon glaze 3/4 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon non-dairy milk, if needed
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 6-cup bundt pan, making sure to get into every crevice. Set aside.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Remove 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and place it in a medium bowl. Add the blueberries to the medium bowl and lightly toss them to coat in the flour mixture.
Add the non-dairy milk, oil, and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until just combined. Add the flour-coated blueberries and fold gently to incorporate them into the batter. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Hit the pan lightly oil the counter to level the batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes away with a few crumbs. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan set on a wire rack, then gently loosen the center and cake edges from the pan using a small spatula. Invert the pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool for 20 minutes.
To unmold, pick up the rack with the pan on top and lightly tap both on the counter to loosen the cake. Remove the pan from atop the cake and place the rack on the counter to allow the cake to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by sifting the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice. Keep stirring until no dry sugar remains. If some dry sugar remains, then add the 1/2 teaspoon non-dairy milk and stir until incorporated. The glaze should be smooth and glossy but not so thick that it won’t pour.
Once the cake is fully cooled, pour or drizzle the glaze over the cake.
It’s cookie season! Well, to me cookies are always in season, but cookie baking seems to be at an all time high right now. Especially in my kitchen where I recently baked dozens and dozens of cookies for holiday gifts and cookie exchanges.
When making many cookies I love to try new recipes, but it’s nice to fall back on favored creations from the past that have already had the kinks worked out. And yet, sometimes it’s nice to riff on a favorite. That’s where this cookie sandwich comes in.
My Chocolate Roll-Out Sugar Cookies are vegan and gluten-free, but for this baking frenzy I realized I was out of gluten-free flour. So after swapping in all-purpose flour, and a few other ingredients for ones I was low on, I decided to create a cookie sandwich. With a simple peppermint filling I turned a nice cookie into something magical.
Chocolate cookies 1.75 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon + a pinch fine sea salt 1 cup organic cane sugar 1/2 cup unsalted vegan butter, softened 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon unsweetened non-dairy milk 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract Peppermint frosting 2 cups organic powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vegan butter, softened 3 teaspoons warm water 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
To make the cookies, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cane sugar and 1/2 cup vegan butter until creamy. Beat in the non-dairy milk, vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Split the dough into two discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Let the dough discs rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a flat surface, lay out a large piece of plastic wrap. Place a rested disc of dough in the center and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough is just under 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough using a festive cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second disc of dough until all dough, including the scraps, has been cut into cookies.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies firm up on the edges. Remove baking sheets from the oven and place on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the peppermint frosting by placing the 2 teaspoons vegan butter into a bowl. Smash the butter with a spoon to soften. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl, then stir together.
Gradually add the water, one teaspoon at a time, and stir until the frosting is smooth. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract until well combined. The frosting should be spreadable and slightly stiff. If it is too stiff, stir in more water. If it is too runny, stir in more powdered sugar.
To assemble the cookie sandwiches, spoon a dollop of frosting onto the bottom of a cookie. Place another cookie on top, bottom side down, and press lightly until the sandwich holds together. If the frosting starts to dry out during assembly, then stir in a few drops of water. Store the cookies in an airtight container.
