Simply Vegan Baking by Freya Cox

Baking Simply Vegan

TAKING THE FAFF OUT OF VEGAN CAKES, COOKIES, BREADS AND DESSERTS

FREYA COX

Photography by Clare Winfield

INTRODUCTION

I have always been a very passionate person, so when I first got into vegan baking, I automatically fell in love with it. I am a massive foodie: it’s something that not only brings me joy personally but allows others to come together and enjoy one another’s company. The way a loved one’s face lights up when they are given something homemade is a feeling I will never tire of. I initially learned to bake with my gran when I was young. I would leave her house on a Sunday with boxes full of cakes, devastated the weekend was over. We would bake gifts for birthdays, Christmas and pretty much every occasion. That’s where I fell in love with it.

I went pretty much head first into the vegan diet once I made the connection between animals and food and I struggled to look back. My dad has been vegan for around seven years and has played a huge part in helping me with the transition. He has always been an inspiring person; I owe him a lot for encouraging me in the right direction. It’s fair to say I couldn’t have written this book without him. My mum has always pushed me to do what I love; I feel incredibly lucky to have had her support from day one. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so creating recipes isn’t always smooth sailing. I also have Maggie, a fellow GBBO contestant and now close friend, to thank for testing lots of my recipes.

I am very understanding that it isn’t possible for everyone to make the change to eating completely vegan straight away. Veganism is a big lifestyle change, and not something I believe should be forced upon each and every one of us. Small changes also have a big impact and help move towards a more sustainable view of veganism as a whole. We need to build a society where making an effort is praised. In turn this makes veganism less daunting to those who may be interested in making the change. Throughout this book I have included key tips and tricks that I have found helpful throughout my transition to vegan baking, with the hope of making it a little easier for others. The recipes throughout vary from simple bakes like fruit crumble slices and chocolate fudge cupcakes for those who are looking for a recipe that is completely faff free, to more elaborate celebration cakes to impress any crowd. A key thing I wanted to be sure of when writing these recipes was that all the ingredients are accessible in large supermarkets. I still feel there is an assumption

Cookies

Cookies are one of my favourite things to make as they are so easy to share with friends but don’t take too much hassle. Throughout this chapter there are recipes for every type of cookie, and the majority of recipes you can change up with your favourite ingredients or things you generally have in the house. The recipes all include the yield, but it is entirely up to you how big you make the cookies. The gingerbread dough can even be used to make a gingerbread house at Christmas – all the cookie doughs are extremely versatile. You can also double up the quantities of these recipes without the fear of things not coming out the same: they will be just as perfect.

NEW YORKSTYLE COOKIES

I had never had a thick NYC-style cookie before my friend asked me to make some for her. They are not readily available in the UK, so these are exactly how I imagine they would be if I’d had a real one. I like to fill them with a teaspoon of spread, like vegan chocolate or Biscoff spread.

1. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

2. Scoop a teaspoon of the spread for each cookie and place it on a small plate. Pop this in the freezer whilst you make the cookie dough.

3. Put the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one – or into a large mixing bowl if you are using an electric hand whisk – and cream together until light in colour and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Add all the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chunks and mix to a rough cookie dough. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until evenly distributed.

5. Divide the cookie dough into eight balls. Flatten the ball of dough, then take one of the frozen teaspoons of spread and form it into a ball. Place it into the centre of the cookie dough and enclose the dough around it so that no spread is visible. Repeat to fill the remaining seven cookies.

6. Place all the dough balls onto a lined baking tray and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) fan.

7. Split the cookies between the two lined trays so there are four on each. Bake for 15–18 minutes until lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the trays. To finish you can drizzle the top with some melted spread. Enjoy!

Bake

it Simple You could also fill the cookies with a small biscuit of your choice if you don’t have any spread.

vegan chocolate spread or Biscoff spread, plus extra to drizzle

150g (5½oz) vegan butter

100g (3½oz) soft light brown sugar

75g (2½oz) granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g (9oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

50g (1¾oz) cornflour (cornstarch)

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

2 tbsp plant milk

½ tsp salt

200g (7oz) vegan chocolate chunks

Makes 8

CRANBERRY, PISTACHIO AND CHOCOLATE WREATH

This is a show-stopping enriched bread, perfect for sharing. Cranberries, pistachios and dark chocolate are a match made in heaven, but you can use your favourite flavours, if you’d prefer.

1. Line a large baking tray with a baking parchment. Put the milk and butter into a pan over a low heat until the butter is just melted. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm – it doesn’t want to be cold, but if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast. Add the yeast to the milk, stir, then leave to the side for 10 minutes to get foamy.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, lemon zest, salt and sugar. If you don’t have a mixer, use a mixing bowl and wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed, or by hand, until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take around 10 minutes to knead by hand. If you hold a piece of the dough up to the light, you should see the light through when you stretch it without it tearing. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, then mix in the vanilla extract.

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a rectangle measuring roughly 45 x 35cm (18 x 14 inches). Spread the filling evenly across the dough, going right to the edges, then sprinkle over the cranberries, pistachios and chocolate, reserving a little of each to sprinkle on the top later.

5. Roll up the dough from the long side into a log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log almost in half lengthways, stopping about 2.5cm (1 inch) from one end so the pieces are still connected at the top. Twist the two lengths together, so you have a two-stranded plait, then bring the ends together and seal them to create a round wreath shape. Gently place this onto the lined baking tray, cover and leave to prove for a further 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) fan.

6. Bake the bread for 20–25 minutes until golden in colour. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

7. For the icing, mix the icing sugar with 2–3 tablespoons water until it is thick but still pourable. Once the bread is cool, move it to a serving board, drizzle over the icing, then sprinkle over the remaining cranberries, pistachios and dark chocolate. Enjoy!

For the dough: 250ml (9fl oz) plant milk (I use soya) 50g (1¾oz) vegan butter

7g (¼oz) fast action dried yeast

500g (1lb 2oz) strong white bread flour zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

50g (1¾oz) caster (granulated) sugar oil, for greasing

For the filling: 80g (2¾oz) vegan butter, softened 160g (5¾oz) soft light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract

75g (2½oz) dried cranberries roughly chopped

75g (2½oz) pistachios, roughly chopped 100g (3½oz) vegan dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the icing: 100g (3½oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

Serves 16

Bake it Simple Don’t worry if some of the filling seeps out of the bread when it is in the oven – once you move it onto a serving platter, you’ll never know!

Desserts

A few of the recipes in this chapter, pavlova being one of them, use aquafaba – the liquid from a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). There are a few key tips to working with aquafaba, one being that the bowl and whisk must be completely clean and grease-free for it to whip up properly. To ensure this, I always get a little apple cider vinegar on a piece of kitchen paper and wipe it round the bowl and the whisk to remove any dirt. Secondly, some aquafaba is thicker than others. The ideal liquid is a thick, light brown colour, so if you have access to a slightly fancier brand, I would recommend you try that. You can also buy aquafaba that is pre-packaged, which I tend to buy if I’m making a pavlova as I know it is nice and thick. If you do find your aquafaba is too liquid, you can place it in a pan over a medium heat and reduce it down a little to remove some of the excess liquid – just make sure you let it cool again before using. Finally, cream of tartar really helps the aquafaba to whip to stiff peaks and is generally available in all supermarkets.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CHEESECAKE

Generally, people make a cheesecake with a digestive biscuit base, but you can in fact use any biscuit you like. I think the chocolatey flavour of the Bourbon biscuits elevates this cheesecake. The gentle orange flavour throughout gives the silky-smooth filling a little something extra.

1. Start with the base. Line a 20cm (8 inch) loose-based cake tin with a circle of baking parchment. Alternatively, if you don’t have a loose-based tin, you can place two strips of baking parchment overhanging the cake tin for easy release.

2. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan over a low heat. Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb, either in the food processor or by putting them in a sandwich bag and bashing with a rolling pin, making sure there are no large lumps. Mix the melted butter with the crumbs until fully combined. Tip the mixture into the cake tin and press down until there is a flat, even layer of biscuit over the base. Place in the freezer whist you make the filling.

3. Put the cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one – or into a large mixing bowl if you are using an electric hand whisk – and whisk on medium–high speed until smooth and there are no lumps. Once smooth, pour in the cream and mix on low to start, then increase the speed and whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy but thick. Sift in the cocoa powder and icing sugar and mix until fully combined.

4. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave in short bursts or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, pour the chocolate into the cheesecake mixture and mix until a smooth and thick mixture is formed.

5. Take the base out of the freezer, pour the cheesecake mixture over the base and smooth the top with a spatula. Place in the freezer for 3–4 hours to set, or alternatively overnight in the fridge.

6. To make the candied oranges, put the sugar in a saucepan with 200ml (7fl oz) water and set over a medium heat. Add the orange slices to the pan, bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the slices look transparent. Remove from the pan and allow to dry out on a piece of baking parchment. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the slices.

7. To decorate the cheesecake, sift cocoa powder over the top to give a light covering, then arrange the candied orange slices across the top. Enjoy!

For the base: 100g (3½oz) vegan butter

200g (7oz) Bourbon biscuits (or other chocolate cream sandwich biscuits)

For the filling: 200g (7oz) vegan cream cheese 250ml (9fl oz) vegan double (heavy) cream

20g (¾oz) cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting the top 40g (1½oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

100g (3½oz) vegan orange chocolate (I like the Rhythm 108 dark cocoa orange bar)

For the candied oranges: 200g (7oz) granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling 1 orange, thinly sliced Serves 12