Bake Your Own (vegan) Cakes and Biscuits

from Simply Vegan Baking

Rather than buying plastic-wrapped expensive ready-made cakes and bakes, it’s good to learn how to bake your own sweet treats, for special occasions. There are many baking books on the market but most (including many vegan ones) tend to be too complicated, with long lists of hard-to-find ingredients.

Good food is for everyone, so these books teach you how to create home-made baking treats, using affordable ingredients you can find in any store. Vegan baking is quite the science, so don’t just ‘sub with vegan butter and plant milk’, or you won’t like the results!

Also read our posts on zero waste baking tools, vegan butters (with no palm oil) and homemade pastry recipes (again, to avoid palm oil).

Safe Baking For Everyone

Keep ingredients like nuts away from young children, and keep all sweet treats away from furry friends, due to unsafe ingredients like nuts, chocolate, nutmeg, citrus fruits. Read more on food safety for people and pets (heating any cookware is unsafe near birds).

Due to acids, it’s best to avoid composting citrus fruits, tomatoes, rhubarb and alliums (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives), as they could harm garden creatures (just bin to break down naturally).

If using tinned ingredients, fully remove lids before recycling (or pop ring-pulls back over holes, to prevent curious wildlife getting trapped inside).

Tips for Successful Vegan Baking

England does not live with high enough elevations to worry about adjusting baking times, but do avoid overmixing your batter (or opening the oven too early) and store cooled cakes in an airtight tin (not the fridge) to hold moisture, to your cakes and bakes last longer.

Doves Farm is a good brand of organic and gluten-free flours, sold in shops and online. The range includes natural baking powders and quick yeasts.

Simple Vegan Baking Recipes by a Yorkshire Lass!

Simply Vegan Baking is a fun book by the first vegan contestant on Great British Bake-off. This Yorkshire lass is on a mission to show how familiar recipes can be made without eggs, dairy or butter.

From simple cakes and traybakes and bread to desserts and showstopping cakes, the faff-free recipes include many traditional favourites like:

Oat Cookies
Bakewell Tart
Carrot Cake
Banoffee Pie Slices
Lemon Meringue Pie
Cinnamon Rolls
Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Plus lots of chocolate recipes!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake
Black Forest Gateau
White Choc Raspberry Blondies
Vegan Choc Chip Brookies
Triple Chocolate Cookies

Freya has recently released a smashing range of ready-to-use vegan baking mixes for all your favourites (sticky toffee pudding and lemon drizzle cake!)

Free from palm oil, just mix with oat milk and vegan butter. Recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside does not recycle.