This vegan cherry Bakewell loaf is a very simple recipe that makes use of Coconut Collaborative’s plant-based cherry yoghurt alongside ground almonds and a homemade vegan buttermilk Top with more yoghurt, flaked almonds and fresh cherries. Bakewell Tart is one of England’s favourite baked puddings, hailing from the town in Derbyshire’s Peak District National Park, named after the word ‘Badequella’ which means Bath-Well (warm springs) from Saxon times.
Cherry stones are choking hazards to children and people with swallowing difficulties. Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (all fruit pips/stones are toxic to pets due to natural cyanide, as are some recipe ingredients). Keep fresh dough away from pets (and make your own pastry, to avoid palm oil).
Cherries are some our tastiest fruits, and it’s worth investing in a cherry stoner (so you can also use it to pit olives) to make food prep easier. Best in summer, our cherry trees are in danger of going extinct, so try to buy local, to support local orchards, to avoid imported cherries. Kent is where they grow best, and some people in the county now even hold ‘cherry fairs’ to try to encourage people to buy local. Years ago cherries would be sent to London, where people would sell them on the street.
Buy fresh cherries (they don’t last long) and avoid brown stems (they should be green). Wash them under cold water before use, then eat and cook, or drain (remove the stems) and freeze in a single layer until ready to use. If using glace cherries, check as some are coloured with dead beetles (carmine/cochineal).
a classic vegan Bakewell tart recipe
This classic vegan Bakewell tart (New Times Cooking) is made with cold vegan butter (Flora is free from palm oil) and contains a mix of fresh raspberries and blackberries and some aquafaba (‘vegan meringue’ made from leftover brine water from canned chickpeas). Serve with flaked almonds and organic powdered icing sugar.
