Vegan Chocolate sandwich cake

Vegan chocolate cake

#dairyfree #soyafree #eggfree #vegan #glutenfree #nutfree

Ingredients

300g/3 cups gluten free self raising flour
75g/3 quarters cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
150g/4 quarters cup caster sugar
30ml/5 tblsp flavourless oil (sunflower/vegetable/rapeseed oil)
300ml/1&quarter cup milk (rice milk is best in vegan baking)
30ml/2 tblsp/45g golden syrup or maple syrup or honey

Method

Preheat fan oven to 180C/355F.
Sieve flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together. Add the sugar.
In another bowl whisk the milk, oil and syrup together.
Add the liquid to dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into two lined or greases tin – 8 inch circular tins
Bake for 30 minutes, be careful not too over bake as it will dry out.
Leave to cool in the tins for at least 30 minutes, remove from tins and put on wire tray to cool fully.
When fully cool put buttercream in between cake layers.

Moist apple muffins

****Dairy free, soya free, egg free and gluten free ***

Really moist buns

** Ingredients **

1 cooking apple – finely chopped

50ml/3 tblsp golden syrup/maple syrup/honey

80ml/third of a cup of milk (any alternative milk)

60ml/quarter cup of any flavourless oil

125ml/half cup yogurt

180g/1&half cup self raising gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

** Method **

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Whisk the syrup, milk, oil and yogurt together. (This is an important step)
Add to the flour and baking powder.
Mix well but don’t over mix.
Fold in the fruit.
Put in bun cases and bake for 18 minutes.

Alternatives
– Add 50g strawberries

– Add 50g blueberries

– Add 50g dairy free chocolate

– Add 50g grated carrot

– Replace 50g of the flour with cocoa powder

Golden syrup

A question regularly asked is what is golden syrup? The following information is taken directly from Wikipedia.

Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made in the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance similar to honey and is often used as a substitute where honey is unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

It is not to be confused with amber corn syrup or amber refined sugar. Regular molasses, or dark treacle, has both a richer colour and a strong, distinctive flavour.

A common brand used is Lyle Golden Syrup.

Condensed milk – hob

https://freefromyummies.ie/2019/10/07/vegan-condensed-milk/

*** Vegan coconut condensed milk ***

Ingredients

1 can of full fat coconut milk (400g)

100g/½ cup sugar

50g/¼ cup dairy free butter

Method

Place the tinned coconut milk in fridge over night to it will raise to the top of the can.
Take the coconut cream from the canned milk and put in saucepan. You do not need to be exact. It doesn’t matter if some of the water form the can is added as it will evaporate.
Place all ingredients in saucepan and put on cooker at a medium/low and leave lid off. Do not allow boil, simmer.
Cook for 1 hour, mix every 15 minutes. It should have reduced in volume.
Mix well at the end of the time and pour into jar to cool and thicken. Place in fridge overnight.

Alternatives

Can be made using alternative milks creams. It may require a longer time depending on fat content of milk been used.
Works well with soya cream or oat milk cream.

Chocolate chip loaf

*** Ingredients ***

25ml golden syrup/maple syrup/corn syrup.
100g brown sugar
80ml milk (any alternative milk)
60ml oil
125ml yogurt (I use koko yogurt)
180g self raising flour (I use gluten free self raising flour)
1 tsp baking powder
100g dairy free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

** Method **

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Whisk the syrup, milk, oil and yogurt together.
Add to the sugar, flour and baking powder.
Mix well.
Carefully fold in the chocolate.
Put in loaf tin and bake for 45/50 minutes.

Chocolate mallowcake

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits (read ingredients)
80g dairy free butter (melted)
1 tbsp milled flaxseed
3 tbsp warm water
130g plain chocolate
20 Marshmallows
4 tbsp chickpea aquafad
240ml (1 cup) double dairy free cream

Method

Crush biscuits. Add melted butter and mix well.
Put into a lined cake tin and press down. Put aside to set.
Mix the milled flaxseed to the warm water and beat well with fork. Set a side for 10 minutes.
Melt chocolate in bowl over saucepan of hot water. When chocolate is almost melted, add marshmallows. Mix well until marshmallows are fully melted and combined.
Add flaxseed to chocolate mixture and mix well.
Place in fridge to cool.
Whip aquafad until stiff, it’ll take about 10 minutes. Add cold chocolate mixture.
Whip cream and add to chocolate mixture.
Spoon over biscuit mixture and place in fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

Alternative

Any biscuits can used including gluten free biscuits.
Add chocolate chips after whip cream.
Add chopped nuts to chocolate mixture.
Decorate with strawberries.

Flourless chocolate brownies

*** Dairy free, Soya free, Egg free and Gluten free ***

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (400g) in liquid

125g/half cup of peanut butter/any nut butter

4 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp flavourless oil

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

100g/half cup chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/355F. Line a 8 inch square tin.
Put chickpeas with aquafad in food processor and blend until smooth
Add all other ingredients, except the chocolate, in the food processor and put on at medium/high until fully mixed.
Fold in half the chocolate.
Spread mix in tin.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate across top of mixture.
Bake for 25/30 minutes. It should be soft but golden brown on top.
Leave in tin to cool down.
Cut in squares – should make about 9 blondies.

Alternative

Add half cup of chocolate nuts
Add 2 tbsp dried fruit
Add 1 tbsp chocolate spread

Vegan pancakes – using milled flaxseed

Ingredients

2 tbsp milled flaxseed
90ml/6 tbsp warm water
1 cup/130g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup/250ml milk
1 tbsp oil
Dairy free butter/margarine to fry

Methods

Mix water and milled flaxseed and beat with fork. Set a side for 10 minutes.
Mix all ingredients together, mix well. If you have time, it benefits from been set a side for 30 minutes.
Fry on medium temperature until golden brown. Use butter/margarine to fry.

Alternatives

Add a handful of blueberries.
Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder for chocolate treat.
Buckwheat flour is a great option for pancakes
Can be made using ground oats.

Flourless blondies

*** Dairy free, Soya free, Egg free and Gluten free ***

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (400g)

125g/half cup of peanut butter/any nut butter

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp flavourless oil

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

100g/half cup chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/355F. Line a 8 inch square tin.
Drain the chickpeas.
Put all ingredients, except chocolate, in food processor and put on at medium/high for 10 minutes. (Mixture will be thick and sticky)
Fold in half the chocolate.
Spread mix in tin.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate across top of mixture.
Bake for 20/25 minutes. It should be soft but golden brown on top.
Leave in tin to cool down.
Cut in squares – should make about 9 blondies.

Alternative

Add half cup of chocolate nuts
Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Add 1 tbsp chocolate spread

Aquafaba – liquid from the tinned chickpeas

The aquafaba can be used as an egg replacement. It makes really good meringues.

Meringues

Vegan condensed milk – slow cooker

*** Vegan coconut condensed milk ***

Ingredients

1 can of full fat coconut milk (400g)

100g/½ cup sugar

50g/¼ cup dairy free butter

Method

Place the tinned coconut milk in fridge over night to it will raise to the top of the can.
Take the coconut cream from the canned milk and put in the bowl of your slow cooker. You do not need to be exact. It doesn’t matter if some of the water form the can is put in the bowl as it will evaporate.
Place all ingredients in slow cooker and turn on high and leave lid off.
Cook for 2 hours, mix every 30 minutes. It should have reduced in volume/
Mix well at the end of the 2 hours and pour in jar to cool and thicken. Place in fridge overnight.

Alternatives

Can be made using alternative milks creams. It may require a longer time depending on fat content of milk been used.
Works well with soya cream or oat milk cream.

Vegan vanilla fudge

A can of vegan condensed milk (320g can) or Homemade Condensed coconut milk

75g/⅓ cup dairy free butter

75g/less than ½ cup caster sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup (maple syrup or corn syrup can alternatively be used but these will alter the flavour)

2 tsp vanilla essence

*** Method ***

Put the condensed milk, caster sugar, syrup and butter into a saucepan.
Stir constantly over a low heat until sugar melt. Stir constantly to prevent burning. this will take approximately 10/15 minutes.
The mixture will thicken as the sugar and syrup melts.
Continue stirring over medium heat until colour changes to a ‘caramel’. This will not take very long so watch carefully as it can easily burn.
Put in moulds to set or spread on line tray to set. Leave overnight before removing from moulds or cutting.
The fudge will keep for up to a week in a air tight container.

*** Alternatives ***

Add chopped nuts once you get the caramel colour.
Line moulds in chocolate prior to adding fudge
Role fudge into balls and cover in either icing sugar or cocoa powder