The Joy of Vegan Baking
Posted by faunablues on Oct 20, 2007 · Member since Aug 2003 · 9655 posts
Anyone try this cookbook? Or planning on buying it?
After VCTOTW and this site, I don't know if I really *need* a new cookbook on desserts... but... well, anyone?
I could no longer stand reading all the recipe reviews from this book. I was going to borrow it from the library but I was in Barnes and Noble and I just bought the damn thing. I think I'll start with the lemon cake. Thank you AC for the great compilation.
I could no longer stand reading all the recipe reviews from this book. I was going to borrow it from the library but I was in Barnes and Noble and I just bought the damn thing. I think I'll start with the lemon cake. Thank you AC for the great compilation.
;D ;)b
When I read:
I was like :gasp:, jkl hates the reviews! ::)
You are so welcome. I will be glad to add ALL your reviews! It's a great book.
I could no longer stand reading all the recipe reviews from this book. I was going to borrow it from the library but I was in Barnes and Noble and I just bought the damn thing. I think I'll start with the lemon cake. Thank you AC for the great compilation.
Do you mean the Light Lemon Bundt Cake?? :drool: That's still my favorite, especially with blueberries added & drenched with the Lemon Sauce. I made it this past weekend & almost ate the whole thing myself.
I was like :gasp:, jkl hates the reviews! ::)
OH NO! AC, do I really come across as that mean? Because I'm pretty nice in person.
Do you mean the Light Lemon Bundt Cake?? :drool: That's still my favorite, especially with blueberries added & drenched with the Lemon Sauce. I made it this past weekend & almost ate the whole thing myself.
Yes! That is the one that clinched the sale for me. I was planning to try it without blueberries the first time. And I also was going to skip the sauce since I was going to use it as more of a snack cake. Is it still tasty without it? And how much blueberries do you add when you do use them? Frozen are okay, right?
OH NO! AC, do I really come across as that mean? Because I'm pretty nice in person.
No! I just needed to read the rest of your post. You do not come across mean. You come across as I want to know more about jkl!
The lemon cake would be good without the sauce, but the sauce is good, too. I don't think it NEEDS the sauce, but you'll need to make the sauce at some point. I've never made it with blueberries, but..you weren't asking me, anyway!
:)
Do not make the raspberry oatmeal bars and think you're cool, and replace the earth balance with peanut butter. IT. DOES. NOT. WORK.
Do not make the raspberry oatmeal bars and think you're cool, and replace the earth balance with peanut butter. IT. DOES. NOT. WORK.
Peanut Butter may not work, but it sure sounds good.
I make these Raspberry Oatmeal Bars often. Definitely use Earth Balance. You can sub 2 or 3 tablespoons with applesauce if you like but they could get goopy and lose thier firm crust if you replace all EB with applesauce.
Also, zapping the raspberry preserves in a bowl in the microwave for 5-10 seconds makes it easier to spread.
Ay dios mio! The Hearty Spiced Cocoa Muffins offer quite a kick if you include the optional cayenne pepper. Next time I think I will use a little less since the strong flavor overwhelmed the other spices and cocoa a little.
Having said that, you should know that these muffins were a hit at the potluck event I brought them too. I thought they were OK, but I had people ask me about them and requested a recipe during the event.
Per earlier suggestions, I subbed all but two tablespoons of Earth Balance for applesauce. They still came out moist and rose nicely.
I modified the recipe so they are more like Mexican Cocoa Spice Muffins. I stirred in Mexican chocolate for the chocolate chips. I also used the Maple Glaze recipe in the book adding a teaspoon of vanilla, a couple teaspoons of Kahlua and 1 Tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into the glaze and drizzled it all over the tender muffin domes. Vive las muffins!
Ok, since I don't have the book yet, I went onto her website and pulled the chocolate cake recipe from it. Decided to make them as cupcakes since I was craving them...and now, after eating one, its a little blah imo. HOWEVER, I think its my fault for making too many substitutions: instead of all-purpose flour, I used whole wheat, instead of oil I used applesauce and I also cut it down to 2/4 c. sugar. They taste really bad! The texture is too tough (from the whole wheat) and there is no sweetness at all. I don't have any shortening to make frosting, so dusted them with powdered sugar...not much better. I frosted one with Nutella, and that helped, but not much. Ugh...do I try again and use the real ingredients or toss this recipe? :(
Ok, since I don't have the book yet, I went onto her website and pulled the chocolate cake recipe from it. Decided to make them as cupcakes since I was craving them...and now, after eating one, its a little blah imo. HOWEVER, I think its my fault for making too many substitutions: instead of all-purpose flour, I used whole wheat, instead of oil I used applesauce and I also cut it down to 2/4 c. sugar. They taste really bad! The texture is too tough (from the whole wheat) and there is no sweetness at all. I don't have any shortening to make frosting, so dusted them with powdered sugar...not much better. I frosted one with Nutella, and that helped, but not much. Ugh...do I try again and use the real ingredients or toss this recipe? :(
That definitely does sound like too many substitutions-especially the whole wheat flour. Try whole wheat pastry flour. A lot of people do half ww pastry, and half AP, but I always use all ww pastry, and it works out perfectly. Although, I wasn't a huge fan of this chocolate cake recipe. It's fine, but not my favorite. Have you seen the review compilation for the book? It's here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23836.0
I love that chocolate cake recipe. I say, try it once as is. A white flour cupcake won't kill you. They are really good and rise well.
Ok, since I don't have the book yet, I went onto her website and pulled the chocolate cake recipe from it. Decided to make them as cupcakes since I was craving them...and now, after eating one, its a little blah imo. HOWEVER, I think its my fault for making too many substitutions: instead of all-purpose flour, I used whole wheat, instead of oil I used applesauce and I also cut it down to 2/4 c. sugar. They taste really bad! The texture is too tough (from the whole wheat) and there is no sweetness at all. I don't have any shortening to make frosting, so dusted them with powdered sugar...not much better. I frosted one with Nutella, and that helped, but not much. Ugh...do I try again and use the real ingredients or toss this recipe? :(
That definitely does sound like too many substitutions-especially the whole wheat flour. Try whole wheat pastry flour. A lot of people do half ww pastry, and half AP, but I always use all ww pastry, and it works out perfectly. Although, I wasn't a huge fan of this chocolate cake recipe. It's fine, but not my favorite. Have you seen the review compilation for the book? It's here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23836.0
Yeah, I think the ww flour was a bit too 'much' for this kind of recipe, so I'll definitely try them again with reg. ap flour and (probably) the oil. The cupcakes came out with more of a bran muffin-y texture, not what I was hoping for! lol
Hey, Iowa Chick! I just wanted to say that I rarely use the full amount of oil or sugar in most recipes, and I hardly ever use all AP flour (I usually sub about half whole wheat). HOWEVER, when I want a cupcake, I want it to taste like a cupcake. :) I eat pretty darn healthy most of the time, and I'm willing to bet you do, too. So, I try not to feel guilty when I indulge in a dessert. I might replace a tiny bit of oil with applesauce or smashed banana sometimes - but for the most part, these cupcakes are perfect as is & messing with the fat/oil/sugar/flour ratios too much will make it taste muffin-y instead of cupcake-y, as you said. I suggest trying the recipes as written (maybe cutting the sugar by 2 or 3 Tbsp. if you need to, then tweak more from there if you want). If you eat one cupcake every now & then, you don't have to worry too much about indulging in too much fat or sugar, you know? :)
Hey, Iowa Chick! I just wanted to say that I rarely use the full amount of oil or sugar in most recipes, and I hardly ever use all AP flour (I usually sub about half whole wheat). HOWEVER, when I want a cupcake, I want it to taste like a cupcake. :) I eat pretty darn healthy most of the time, and I'm willing to bet you do, too. So, I try not to feel guilty when I indulge in a dessert. I might replace a tiny bit of oil with applesauce or smashed banana sometimes - but for the most part, these cupcakes are perfect as is & messing with the fat/oil/sugar/flour ratios too much will make it taste muffin-y instead of cupcake-y, as you said. I suggest trying the recipes as written (maybe cutting the sugar by 2 or 3 Tbsp. if you need to, then tweak more from there if you want). If you eat one cupcake every now & then, you don't have to worry too much about indulging in too much fat or sugar, you know? :)
Thanks, JessaCita! You hit the nail on the head! ;)
I need to come up with something good and tasty or else my BF will think all vegan baked goods are disgusting! (He took one bite out of the cupcake and was like, 'is this healthy or something?') lol
Is there no banana bread is this book? Am I crazy? What the heck?!
Is there no banana bread is this book? Am I crazy? What the heck?!
I think there's just the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. You could probably make them as a bread, though, if you preferred.
I mean, I can find a different recipe, but I was just surprised to look through the book and not see one. It seems like one of the basics for a baking book. Oh well!
I mean, I can find a different recipe, but I was just surprised to look through the book and not see one. It seems like one of the basics for a baking book. Oh well!
i thought the same thing when i was looking for one.. weird.
For anyone who hasn't made the Waffles I yet (WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!), do it now. It's my favorite recipe of the book, and they are always perfect. Crispy, tasty, perfect. I always use ww pastry flour, and usually EB (oil works fine, it's just not quite as flavorful), and I've done all flax, all Ener-g, and a mixture. I think the best waffles, ever.
I made the Lemon Cheesecake the other day and it was awesome! Devoured by a bunch of omnis who were amazed it didn't taste like tofu. :P The only modifications I made were that I didn't use lemon zest and I cut the sugar down to 3/4 c, which was plenty sweet. I chopped up some strawberries and cooked them up with a little agave nectar and spooned it over the cheesecake. Delicious!
The only downside to this is that you need 24oz of vegan cream cheese, which can make for a pricey cheesecake. But hey, we all have to indulge ourselves once in a while, right?
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