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Showing posts with the label Desserts

Vegan Brandy Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 18th of December 2023 I discovered this by accident and I am so glad that I did! Although it is not a traditional seasonal cake, it can and does make a great addition to any festive season. For a vegan cake, it is surprisingly firm.  Although firm, this cake has a light texture and is moist with a good flavour that more than hints at the brandy.   Notes I used a kebab skewer or even a metal thermometer as a cake tester.   Works just as well.  I used almond milk because it goes well with the brandy. I'm using metric cups.   The vinegar is to react with the bicarbonate of soda.  It helps the cake to rise as does the baking powder, which also help to keep it soft and light.  Wait t'ill you see how to make the brandy frosting!    Makes a cake with dimensions of 22 cm x 11 Time, about an hour. Ingredients  Some vegan butter to grease the tin Wet ingredients 2/3 cup plain vegan yogurt 1/2 cup of vegan milk 1/3 cup rapeseed oil (any vegetable oil wil

Vegan Stollen

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of December 2023   This is something I have heard of, but never tried before.  Usually, we have traditional Christmas cake in my house, but last year I wanted to try something different and this was it.  Rest assured, I will be having it again this year too! At first, it seems like a lot of effort, but you will soon see that it is straight forward to make and definitely worth it.  However, it will need proofing and the dried fruit will need soaking, which will all take time, so plan ahead.  Notes I used French Brandy Marzipan and so used brandy to flavour the raisins and cranberries. I used almond milk. A good tip is to dust the soaked fruit with a little flour before adding the dough. You have 3 options with the marzipan:  Roll it out  Chop it up Have a thick bar of it running through the centre I soaked the dried fruit in brandy, but you can make it without the alcohol is you wish or use rum instead. I used a silicon baking sheet to save on the

Baked Pears

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of December 2023   I love a nice juicy pear, but today I wanted it to be a bit different, so I decided to bake some with a few spices. The pear came out delightful and soft with plenty of flavours to excite the taste buds.

Vegan Christmas Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of November 2023 Christmas is just around the corner and you need to start your Christmas cake now!  Yes, it needs time to soak and feed.  You will have to soak the dried fruit for a week or so and once the cake is baked, you will need to feed the cake with more brandy.  Don't worry, all will be explained in this post.  This cake is completely vegan and has an amazing taste.  Holds together perfectly.  

Strawberry Sauce

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 6th of November 2023      This is a handy little sauce to have in your repertoire because you can use it in so many ways.  It adds something different to the desserts other than just cream or custard.  You can use it in cake fillings too.  Simple to make and great tasting.

Apple Crumble

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16th of October 2023 I learned to make this in my Nan's kitchen as a boy.  It is so easy to make and yet yields such splendid results.  It takes little time to prepare since all you have to do is peel the apples and stew them with some other ingredients for a bit the most time consuming part is baking it in the oven.  So, if you are looking for a popular dessert that is straight forward to make, this should definitely be on your short list.  Notes Self raising flour is fine if you have nothing else.  For some extra fun, add a small glass of sherry! Makes 1 medium sized dish (about 700 g) Time – 15–20 minutes to prepare and 35–40 minutes to bake.  About 1 hr in total . Ingredients Apple filling  Cooking apples x 2 large Sultanas x 5 tbsps Cinnamon x 2 tsps Lemon x 2–3 tbsps Vanilla extract x 1/2 tsp  Brown sugar x 2-3 tbsp Salt x 2 pinch   Water x 100 ml Crumble Plan flour 120 g Vegan butter 40 g Sugar 40 g + more for sprinkling on top Salt x 1/4 t

English Apple Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of October 2023   What better way to celebrate a festival or just the weekend than with a slice of English apple cake?  This cake is flatter than most cakes, but is spread out more in a larger baking tin.  You can cut it into squares or into fingers. Notably, it is very easy to make and so tasty!

Orchard Apple Pie

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of September 2023 I love a great apple pie!  This is easy and tasty.  So simple to make and so easy to eat.  Admittedly, I used the pre made pastry from a superstore because it is vegan relatively cheap and very convenient for me.  The apples come from a local orchard, which I stewed with sugar and spices to bring out the flavour.  I used dark brown sugar, which gave it a distinct flavour and its dark colour.

Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 22 of May 2023     I loved this cake as a boy, but never got to have it much.  How things have changed!  This cake has a pineapple topping often with cherries.  I love the different textures and sweet tastes this cake has to offer. It is great warm or cold.  You can have it with cream, ice-cream, custard or just on its own.  Ingredients For the topping 5 – 6 pineapple rings, fresh is better. 50 g softened vegan butter 50 g light soft brown sugar 7 glacĂ© cherries For the cake Wet Ingredients 2/3 cup plain vegan yogurt 1/3 cup of vegan milk 1/3 cup rapeseed oil (any vegetable oil will do)  1/3 cup of pineapple juice 1 tbsp of white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract Dry Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups of self rasing flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 and 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1/4 teaspoon salt  Method Mash the light brown sugar and vegan butter together into a paste. Spread this over the bottom and up the sides of the cake tin.