of Vegan Baking
My Weekend
This month, content writer, Paisley
tries to fulil her bake-of dreams
in a plant-based style...
“If a record-
breaking 250,000
people could sign
up to Veganuary,
I was sure I could
cobble together
one vegan cake for
my friends”
F
or as long as I can remember,
I’ve loved to bake. Some of my
fondest memories consist of
sitting on the worktop with
a wooden spoon and bowl ‘helping ’ my
mum. My passion has only grown over
the years, and my colleagues are regularly
required as ‘taste-testers’ – which they’re
always happy about.
Some, however, have not been as eager
as others. Three of my colleagues are vegan,
so they’ve never tried my bakes, and have
urged me to give
dairy- and egg-free
baking a whirl. I was
sceptical; the idea of
being thrown out of
my comfort zone was
scary – especially
when I had an audience
to impress.
Although, if a
record-breaking
250,000 people could
sign up to Veganuary,
I was sure I could
cobble together one
vegan cake for my friends. The reservations
were still there though – after all, I had
a reputation to uphold! I decided to take
a walk to the supermarket to get some
inspiration. Lo and behold, however, there
was not a single vegan cake to be seen! The
mission went up a notch; this had to be a
success. Not only for my reputation, but for
the sake of the poor vegans in my oice.
I set of to gather ingredients at the
nearest superstore, and was in for a real
shock. If I hadn’t already been surprised
to see a lack of ready-made vegan cakes,
I was really labbergasted at the cost of
ingredients. The store ofered just one
type of vegan chocolate, and to get the
quantity required cost almost £7: add that
to the other ingredients, and the cake costwell over £15 to make – which seemed
crazy, given you can pick up a chocolate
cake for as little as £2 over the counter.
I felt angry that costs could put people
of a diet that has so many beneits...
all I was doing was baking a cake; what
must it be like having to fund every meal
as a vegan?
I carried on though, following the
recipe for the Two Layer Chocolate Fudge
Cake from Lucy Watson’s cookbook,
Feed Me Vegan. I nervously stayed in the
kitchen as it cooked.
Would it rise? How
embarrassing would it
be if it was a complete
fail?! As the timer
went of I was a bag of
nerves with a slice of
excitement – imagine
if this does come out
perfect? Would I be
good enough for
Bake-Of? I thought
of shaking hands with
Paul Hollywood as
I eased the skewer in.
It came out clean, and it looked okay –
it was deinitely a chocolate cake!
Overall I was happy with the result- but how would it taste? I waited with
baited breath until Monday at work
before giving slices away, and... it was
ine. The cake was dense and heavy,
which isn’t something I’m used to.
I may not be Bake-Of ready yet, but
the icing was a triumph, and I’m over
the moon with that. My friends were
happy that I’d persevered, and now
I’m keen to practise, so I can not only
be the oice cake queen, but take the
vegan crown, too.
Have you tried vegan baking? Share
your photos and stories with us
@veggiemagazine #VeggieReaderRecipe
Flora Dairy-Free Spread,
£1.80, ocado.com
This is so important – for
my cake it was only used
in the icing but it’s worth
having some on hand to
practise with, or to grease
your cake tins. The icing on
my cake was really popular,
so I think Lucy Watson’s
recipe can share the glory
with this ‘butter’!Divine 70% Dark
Chocolate, £2.20,
ocado.com
This wasn’t available where
I shopped, so I used an
alternative. But, having tried
Divine before, I know it’s
a trusty brand, and you’ll
definitely get your money’s
worth – whether you’re
using it in baking or as
a Friday night treat.Lucy Watson Feed
Me Vegan, £5,
amazon.co.uk
There are so many
recipes I’d like
to try in here,
and for anyone
experimenting with
veganism, it’s a great
place to start. Lucy has
alternatives for all of
your favourite meals, and
makes the whole process
really simple.1
2
3
3 ESSENTIALS TO
GET YOU STARTED