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 made the Chocolate Cake (into cupcakes) with a Chocolate/Buttercream Frosting hybrid, and I'm not very impressed..
The cake is ok...but a bit dry and crumbly (I did use a little less oil than called for -1/4 instead of 1/3 cup..so that might be to blame). I've had quite a few great vegan chocolate cakes though.
I started out making the buttercream frosting.....but I was just missing the chocolate...so I added some cocoa powder. The problem here was I make my own powdered sugar, but it never gets quite ground up....so it's very grainy (I've decided I might just have to buy powd. sugar for frostings).
Overall, it was just ok. As you can see in the crappy picture, the cupcake is crumbly and the frosting is weird...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/allychristine/SFMfF0XewaI/AAAAAAAAE3U/TfKeiIq3vMw/choccup.JPG
How thick is the batter? Pancake? Crepe? Cookie? Brownie? Trying to figure out how much extra liquid to add.
I'm thinking like cake batter...you know? Maybe close to pancake? I don't remember exactly...
Has anyone tried the Date Bar recipe in this cookbook? I've been wanting to try a vegan date bar recipe for some time now?
Has anyone tried the Date Bar recipe in this cookbook? I've been wanting to try a vegan date bar recipe for some time now?
I haven't! ???
Well....after some searching and thinking, I guess I was remembering the light lemon bundt cake from JOVB! I believe it remains to be the only white/yellow/lemon cake that I've liked at all. It had a great texture...
I would think that it could be made into a vanilla cake..just leaving out the lemon? You might just have to add more water or soy milk? I don't know..but it might be worth a try.
Thanks Allychristine. I'm going to try making one of the chocolate cakes from veg web a vanilla cake. If that doesn't work out, I will try the lemon cake from JOVB.
Thanks Allychristine. I'm going to try making one of the chocolate cakes from veg web a vanilla cake. If that doesn't work out, I will try the lemon cake from JOVB.
Yeah, I tried that too....I did the super moist choc. cake, and just made it vanilla (with extra vanilla), and added some cinnamon. It didn't turn out well....but I think there are reviews (which I didn't see) which recommend using...vanilla pudding mix? Or something? I've been told there are several reviews/suggestions for making it vanilla.
I made the Brownies and I thought they were horrible. They were not fudgie,instead I thought they were gummy. yuk, yuk ,yuk.
I think I will stick to my old recipe and try egg replacer and use earth balance spred and see how that will turn out.
In fact I think I will do that right now. Will let you know how they turn out.
I made the Brownies and I thought they were horrible. They were not fudgie,instead I thought they were gummy. yuk, yuk ,yuk.
I think I will stick to my old recipe and try egg replacer and use earth balance spred and see how that will turn out.
In fact I think I will do that right now. Will let you know how they turn out.
I wasn't a huge fan of these brownies, either... I think it might be the only thing in the book I haven't loved! These: http://vivaciousvegan.blogspot.com/2007/08/best-vegan-brownies-ever.html are the best vegan brownies ever, if you're interested in trying! They're awesome.
Thanks for letting me know about the Brownie disappointment, and also the follow-up response with the link for the Brownie recipe that did work.
For the most part, Joy of Vegan Baking recipes have been great, with the exception of that Coconut Macaroon one ... the exact name escapes me ... which didn't really look or taste to me like the macaroons I remember. I never tried the JOVB Brownies recipe but will keep your input in mind when my brownie craving kicks in.
As I've already said, we thought the brownies were great. I don't remember if I did any subs....but it's somewhere in here. Just let them cool before you taste! Don't discard the thought of them!
As I've already said, we thought the brownies were great. I don't remember if I did any subs....but it's somewhere in here. Just let them cool before you taste! Don't discard the thought of them!
OK. Thanks for that. Good to hear both sides.
So..I put off making the babka again...
BUT
I made the chocolate brownies, and they are amazing! When I first tasted one (still warm from the oven)..I was thinking...'meh'..it tasted too apple saucy, and just..ok.
I left one for my husband while I went to class, and he said they are the BEST brownies he has EVER had..and this says a lot b/c brownies are his favorite..and he's had lots of 'em! Oh, he just said "those words don't do my pleasure justice."
I had one cooled..and they are fabulous! ;)b
I followed the recipe except for using whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP.
Here's my brownie quote!
I have to agree with what you said about the brownies, AC. They are 100% flavorless when you take them out at first. But they have awesome fudgy texture, and when they cool, they are much better. I am not sure if I like them better than the plain "Brownies" recipe here on VW though. They both have their merits. I do think the JOVB brownies are missing a certain.....je ne sais quoi. An extract or more sweetener or something. I might fiddle with them.
.....je ne sais quoi.
What the....
is this something I should know?
Oh, "I don't know what.."
I didn't know that..
It's French. Like....."juh nuh say kwah." But with a French accent. I don't know. I don't speak French.
It's French. Like....."juh nuh say kwah." But with a French accent. I don't know. I don't speak French.
Yeah, I know that now..I looked it up! It was just like BAM, KMK-French. 8-)
I made the Chocolate chip banana muffins the other day and they are delicious. I used half WW and half AP flour and added a touch of cinnamon but followed the recipe otherwise. Perfect texture - moist, light and fluffy. This will be the recipe I use from now on for banana muffins.
I made the Drop Biscuits because we are EXTREMELY low on food/ingredients, and I wanted some bread. These seemed so easy, but I was apprehensive b/c I remember reading a review (here?) that these were not good. I used all whole wheat flour (only thing I had), and melted EB. I really loved the fact that all of the main ingredients were in 1/3 cup measurements (made it that much easier). I added garlic powder to the dough (just sprinkled some in), and added some EB and minced garlic to the biscuit tops after 5 minutes. Then I finished baking them, and added...some more EB to the top, with a little salt. We really liked them! So simple, few ingredients, and tasty. I recommend the garlic....and the whole wheat flour wasn't an issue at all.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/allychristine/SF8M7BmQumI/AAAAAAAAE8I/fLe7-Fc6Bqg/dropbisc.JPG
another vote of praise for the brownies here! they are definitely better after the cooling down period though. also, they bake up pretty thick in an 8x8 pan, so the last time i made them i baked them for 20 minutes in a 9x13 and then put a layer of mint frosting on top and a chocolate ganachey layer on top of that.. they were the perfect thickness.
I've haven't tried any of the cake recipes yet, but my favorite yellow cake recipe is actually the 'white cake' recipe on vegweb found in the 'weddings' section.. just add more vanilla to make it yellow.. it's delicious - totally light and fluffy.
forgot to add that i just made the No-Bake Peanut butter Pie last week. It was my no-bake adaptation to the smlove pie from v-con. I topped it with the peanut butter caramel from the smlove recipe and put some sliced bananas on top of that. I didn't let it chill for long enough so it was very pudding like but it was awesome.. and then the leftovers were even better after they got to chill in the fridge to set up.. the texture of the pie got very truffle-y. It was very rich and had a melt-in-your-mouth quality. i would consider using the filling to make truffles for sure.
even my super meat-loving roommate who is always saying that vegan desserts can never be as good/flakey/decadent/creamy/etc as 'traditional' desserts said that i won this round and then he finished off the last piece.
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