baking Archives - Feast of Plants

The Best Vegan Lemon Curd (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 16:00:33 +0000

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, instead I tend to crave sour sweets and citrus flavours. Fizzy cola bottles always used to be my favourite treat before I went vegan (anyone happens to find a good vegan version, please let me know!) so I don’t think you’ll be surprised when I say this lemon curd isn’t that sweet. Instead it’s delightfully tart with rich undertones. This was actually one of the first recipes I came up with when I first turned vegan. I started by trying to veganise recipes that my family would appreciate. My father’s favourite dessert always used to be lemon meringue pie and a good curd is essential. This isn’t quite the curd I’d use for that but it is perfect for toast and take at look on Wednesday for the baking I recommend with this. Makes: 400ml Ingredients 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest 120ml Lemon Juice 100g Sugar 120ml Coconut Milk 1/4 tsp Saffron 1 1/2 Tsp Cornflour 20g Vegan Butter Directions Crumble the saffron into a small dry pan and place onto a medium heat. Gradually toast the saffron until it darkens in colour. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar and cornflour. Now add in the coconnt milk, lemon juice and zest and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Place back onto a medium heat and stir until the curd thickens to a smooth curd. The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the butter to the curd and stir until melted and mix through to enrich the curd. Remove from the heat and pour the curd into a sterilised jar. Allow to cool before covering with a lid and placing into the fridge, as it cools the curd will thicken and should be stiff enough for the spoon to stand up. Notes Allergy Notes; this tasty curd is vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. If you have any problems with any ingredients I’ve used here then let me know and I can suggest substitutions.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 15:30:39 +0000

I must admit I don’t bake as much as I used to. Kenny doesn’t quite share my weakness for desserts and a lot of vegan desserts tend to centre around chocolate which I don’t eat. I never was much of a traditional cake person, to the point where we didn’t even have a standard wedding cake and most of my baking used to be done for other people, but I miss proper puddings. For those of you that aren’t British, by pudding I mean a hot, cooked dessert, something that should be smothered in custard and is both entirely comforting and indulgent. The calorie count on these things is off the charts so you feel slightly naughty eating them but they’re so tasty and reassuring, who cares about calories? Honestly, ice cream has nothing on these things when you’re having a bad day. So, in response I made my vegan, gluten free, sticky toffee pudding – without dates because my dad hates them and its hard enough to get him to eat plant based food as it it is. The basic sponge was amazingly tasty, fluffy and probably the easiest recipe I’ve done in some time with friends and family coming back for more but the toffee sauce has taken me much longer. Creating a sauce that tastes the same as a non-vegan version, is just as thick and satisfying, and can still be reheated in case of left overs took a little bit of work but the answer came in the form of a now pantry staple – cashews! (I’m so sorry to anyone with a nut allergy!). This gave the same texture as using double cream but I’ve found it’s much more stable and less vulnerable than dairy to burning. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Serves: 4 hungry people (or 6 with a little restraint) Ingredients For the Pudding: 100g Vegan Butter 175g Brown Sugar 200g Gluten Free Flour* 25g Chickpea Flour 1 Chia Egg** 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 3 tbsp Black Treacle 340ml Oat Milk For the Toffee Sauce: 160g Cashews 275ml Water 100g Butter 125g Light Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Black Treacle 1 tsp Vanilla Essence Directions Soak the cashews overnight in the water. When soft, blend to smooth cream. Put to one side till you start to pull together the sauce. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C Fan/350 F) and grease your baking dish, I prefer to use a nice square casserole dish that has a good 1.5 litre capacity. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the sugar, butter, treacle and chia egg until well combined, scraping the bowl to ensure no butter is left behind. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Beating continually, add the milk and dry ingredients to the batter a little at a time, alternating wet for dry, only adding the next spoon full when the last is mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until well combined. Pour into the prepared dish and bake for about an hour, it should be well risen, springy but still ever so slightly sticky in the middle. While the pudding is baking you can take the time to whip up your sauce. Pour all the sauce ingredients, including the cashew cream, in to a small pan. Place on a low to medium heat and stir continually until the sugar has completely dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to a boil, stir for a moment or two, allowing the sauce to heat through and the sugar to caramelise slightly before turning off the heat. Take a chopstick and poke a few holes in the freshly baked pudding. Pour over halve the sauce and allow to soak in for 5-10 minutes before serving with extra sauce on the side. This works well served with some vanilla ice cream or just with the toffee sauce, either way its the perfect way to end a meal. Notes * Check your gluten free flour blend – if it doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum then I recommend you add some for this recipe but be careful, you should only need 1/4 tsp here ** Chia Eggs are an egg substitute – 1 chia egg can be made by mixing 1 tbsp of ground chia seeds (measure after grinding) in 3 tbsp of water and leaving to stand for at least 10-15 mins to allow the moisture to be absorbed. You’ll be left with a grey, jelly like substance which works very well in baking Allergy Notes; This is gluten free and vegan – if nuts are an allergen for you then try substituting a soy based cream for the cashew cream.

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Toffee Apple Cookies (Vegan, GF)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:00:43 +0000

As someone who doesn’t eat chocolate, I’m always on the lookout for sweet snacks that fill a similar hole. So heading into October I felt inspired by autumn weather to make autumn cookies. Stuffed with apples with chunks of toffee, and paired with warming spices. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, they warm the soul and make for the perfect autumn cookie. Makes: 8-10 Cookies Ingredients For the Cookies: 1/4 cup Dried Apple Pieces* 300ml Strong Tea 225g Gluten Free Flour 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum (only if your blend doesn’t already include it) 14g Cornstarch 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Soda 3/4 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 120g Sugar 140g Light Brown Sugar 140g Vegan Butter, room temperature 1 Chia Egg** 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 150g Vegan Chewy Toffees, chopped For the Sugar Coating: 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar 2 tsp Cinnamon Directions Place your apple pieces in a small bowl with the strong tea to soak until soft, about 15 minutes, before draining well. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine, making sure to break up any clumps in the brown sugar. Now add in the butter, chia egg, and vanilla, mix well until fully combined into a very thick dough. The dough is very stiff so I tend to use a stand mixer but it will work equally well if mixed by hand. Finally, add in the toffee pieces along with the apple chunks and mix until evenly combined with the dough. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours to allow it to firm. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160 degrees (325 F), and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the sugar coating and place to one side on a plate. Divide the dough into even balls, between 50g to 60g in size each. Toss each ball of dough in the spiced sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheet. Well space each ball of dough as they will expand. Bake until a deep golden brown, with a tender centre, 30 – 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before tasting or until fully set, molten toffee isn’t fun. Enjoy with a tasty hot drink while snuggling up in front of a fire. Notes * I buy dried apple chunks that are already trimmed into small cubes. If your pieces are larger than chop into small pieces before soaking. ** If you’re not familiar with the process to make a chia egg it’s really very simple and makes a great binder. Mix together 1 Tbsp of ground Chia Seeds with 3 Tbsp of water and set to one side for at least 10 minutes. This should make a thick sticky paste, very similar in texture to a beaten egg. Allergy Notes: This recipe is designed to be vegan, gluten free, soy free, and nut free.

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Mum’s Meltaway Lemon Cookies (Kitchen Basics)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:00:06 +0000

My mother is one of those women who seems to have endless energy. Even with all the demands on her time she still finds time to bake, making sure she always has a few treats in the house for any unexpected visitors. These wonderful cookies started life in mum’s collection as shortbread before she had a bit of a fiddle with it. It’s one of those few recipes that’s designed to work best with gluten free flour – it’s meant to be a little crumbly. If you want to use normal flour you can but to get the same texture will actually be a lot harder, and that’s not what this recipe is about. This recipe is about being able to pull together delicious, allergy safe, cookies in less than 20 minutes. So we’re adding this to our collection of kitchen basics, even if you’re new to cooking you won’t struggle with these. They’re made with gluten free flour so they can’t be over worked. Don’t have patience to rub in the butter? It’s fine, they work equally well in a food processor. My mum has always believed that anyone can cook and these cookies prove it. Makes: 20 Cookies Ingredients 250g Gluten Free Flour* 150g Vegan Block Butter 90g Caster Sugar, plus more for sprinkling 2 Lemons, zest only Pinch of salt Directions Preheat oven to 185 Degrees (175 Fan/365 F). Rub together the flour, butter and zest until well mixed and resembling bread crumbs. Add the salt and sugar and mix before forming into a cylinder. Remember we’re using gluten free flour so you don’t need to worry about over working the dough, just push it together. Cut into 1cm rounds and place onto a baking tray that’s been prepared with grease proof paper. Dredge with extra sugar before baking for 10-15 minutes. Cool well before eating (seriously, these aren’t made to be eaten warm) and enjoy! Notes These should keep well in an air tight container for a week or so. *Oddly enough for gluten free flour, make sure your blend doesn’t contain any xanthan gum. The cookies will come out stodgy if it does. Allergy Notes; This recipe should be naturally vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free.

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