Recipes

Name: Vegan Quick and Easy Red Pozole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 lb (452g) soy chorizo; 24 oz (680g) baby portabella mushrooms, sliced; 2 30oz (850g) cans of hominy, drained; 64 oz (1.8L) vegetable broth; 3.25 oz (92g) menudo spice mix; Cilantro; Finely chopped white onion; Thinly sliced radish; Shredded cabbage; Fresh limes

Koala Macaron Template & Tutorial

January 13, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

To support ongoing bushfire relief efforts in Australia

Printable pdf macaron template and tutorial page. All profits will be donated to The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund via Celeste Barber’s fundraiser on Facebook.

Name your own price, but donations of all sizes are appreciated – no matter how small. To adjust the price, simply edit the amount in the field below. Once you purchase, you’ll receive an email with the download link.

Use this template and tutorial to make your own koala macarons (also can be used for meringue cookies or royal icing transfers). Be sure to share your creations on social media and tag @cookingoncaffeine and #baking4bushfires.

Tune in to Dream Confections, LLC’s Facebook this Saturday, January 18 to watch her create them live! Click here to view the event.

Get all of my product recommendations in my Amazon Shop.

Grab all my macaron recommendations on the Macaron Recipes & Resources page so that you can feel fully prepared to make some awesome koalas and spread the #baking4bushfires love!

Allergy-Friendly and Vegan Pastry Recipes:

Silk Vegan Heavy Whipping Cream Review

January 3, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// 33 Comments

Wondering if the new dairy-free, vegan heavy whipping cream alternative from Silk is perfect? I asked the questions and found the answers.

First of all, this post is NOT sponsored by Silk or any brand other than myself – Cooking on Caffeine. What you’ll find here are my own personal, honest opinions, based on how I use the product and my own tastes.

I stumbled on this product at my local Walmart today while looking for my favorite oat milk creamer (which they didn’t have, and I am upset). It was next to the dairy whipping cream, and was flanked by their new dairy-free half and half (which I didn’t purchase).

Of course it caught my attention, and of course I bought it. I have so many questions! I have so many recipes to test! Does it go well in coffee like cream? Does it actually whip up (and stay whipped)? Does it make perfect, luscious ice cream? How does it cook? Does it give a silky mouthfeel like dairy cream? Does it separate like dairy cream? Can I overwhip it?

Whew. So many questions.

The most important question is obviously whether it’s good in coffee or not.

And I’m sure you have the same questions I do, so I’ve decided to do all the testing and post the answers here because we all need answers!

Let’s get the dairy-free whipping cream party started!

What’s it made of? Is it safe for my allergy or diet?

According to the packaging, it’s certified gluten-free, so that’s the one allergen you can be 100% sure you’re safe with here.

Unfortunately, there is a cross-contamination warning for dairy, soy, and tree nuts. What does that mean? It means this product is made in the same building that houses those allergens – they aren’t included in the whipping cream, but they can’t give a guarantee that particles haven’t found their way into it.

Super special thanks and shoutout to Raechel Carr from the Deliciously Dairy Free Facebook group for sharing the screenshot below of her email response from Silk regarding cross contamination with us!

Silk's email response regarding cross contamination risk

If you are extra sensitive and risk anaphylaxis if you consume dairy, tree nuts, or soy – this isn’t the product for you. if you are allergic to coconut, this is not safe for you as coconut is a main ingredient. It also contains fava bean protein, which is a legume – so avoid if you’ve got a legume issue. It also contains guar gum and sunflower seed oil and lecithin – so avoid if needed. See the email above for more info.

The bottom line is that if you’re avoiding animal products, this is safe. If you’re dairy-free by choice, you’re safe. If you’re only mildly intolerant of dairy, tree nuts, or soy, you make the call but you should be ok.

If you don’t have to avoid cross contamination, this is an exciting product because it’s made without soy ingredients! It has historically been very difficult to find whipped cream alternatives that are soy-free – so now the soy-avoiders can rejoice!

It’s also sugar and carb-free, so the keto/low carb community will rightfully be dancing for joy when they find this product!

You will also notice a complete lack of carrageenan – which is nearly unheard of for dairy-free alternatives.

Beyond just ingredient items, this vegan whipping cream is Non-GMO Project Certified, which will put a lot of minds at ease who are concerned about that sort of thing.

Guess what’s also missing? Palm oil. It’s pretty much a win win win win.

What does it look like?

It’s pure white and thicker than milk.

How does it pour? What’s the viscosity like?

It isn’t as thick as I imagined it would be – more like a half and half type consistency than heavy whipping cream – but definitely better than any plant milk I’ve come across, except for super fatty canned coconut milks.

What does it taste like?

It tastes like.. nothing really. It’s not sweet at all, but there are no bitter or sour notes either. It’s completely neutral.

Is it great in coffee?

Um, YES. I absolutely loved it in my coffee!

Back in my dairy days, I drank my coffee with half and half – and this is exactly like it.

I was afraid it was curdling as I poured it into my hot coffee (which I brew quite strong) since most plant milks separate right away. It looked like it was doing it, but as soon as I stirred it all smoothed out.

And guess what? It stayed that way! It didn’t separate at all over the 45 minutes I had it sitting. Huzzah!

Does it whip?

This answer is a little more complicated.

Yes, it whips. But not well. I used a cold bowl and cold beaters and cold whipping cream, and I added some pure powdered sugar since whipped cream should be a little sweet, but could only get it to very soft peaks. It would be perfect for dolloping over hot pie or fresh fruit. (Note: I was using my humble four-speed Kitchenaid hand mixer. Something more powerful may have been able to get to stiff peaks)

After mixing for a little more than five minutes on high speed, it started to separate – badly. Just like dairy whipping cream (which I guess could be considered a good thing? It’s like dairy except that I couldn’t get it to stiff peaks).

HOWEVER! I drained off the liquid “whey” (I poured the contents of the bowl into a fine mesh sieve and stirred it around with a rubber spatula, pouring out whey as I could) and whipped what was left AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. It was super stiff, fluffy, smooth, creamy, and delicious. I put some on my coffee and it was amazing.

The only issue here is that there is the faintest aftertaste of coconut since it’s concentrated, now. It isn’t bad though. I dislike coconut and it’s not enough to bother me. Other than that, it’s just like fresh dairy whipped cream!

So does it whip? Yes, no, yes.

As for the “whey”, I’m going to try using it as milk in a cake recipe. (Update: I ended up using it in my coffee as creamer and it was darn delicious)

It’s kind of disappointing that half of the whipping cream is going towards “whey”, but the quality of the concentrated whipped cream is high enough that I may just keep buying it for things like flavored butters.

Can I overwhip it?

Yes, yes you can. See the above paragraph. 😉

Does it stay whipped?

It will if you fridge or freeze it immediately. Within an hour, the room temp whipped cream was already super soft and melty. Because of this I don’t recommend trying to put it between cake layers unless the cake layers are absolutely frozen, going straight into the freezer, and going to be served while cold. To see the before and after freezing, check the paragraph below – but here is a before and after of the room temp whipped cream:

And here is a before and after of my refrigerated whipped cream, two hours between photos:

Does it freeze well?

After being whipped, YES! Here is a before and after photo of it being whipped, separated, and whipped again (as outlined above) as a small sample:

**I have a bit of un-whipped in the freezer overnight and I’ll test it in the morning and update here with results** I’ll also be testing homemade ice cream with it in the near future. (Update: it whipped up fantastically!)

Does it heat/cook well?

Oh, does it.

It’s a thing of beauty, y’all. Even if you have zero interest in trying to make whipped cream, you’ll love cooking with it! I made a five minute alfredo to test if it would 1) heat without curdling, and 2) tolerate an acid (lemon juice) being introduced and still hold up. It also has salt, and a handful of other seasonings for testing.

I’m happy to report that it passed with flying colors! And it was delicious. I’ll get the recipe up soon!

Does it curdle/separate?

In coffee it does not (YAY!) but it does while whipping after soft peaks. You’re safe to cook with it, though!

Is it everything I’ve been dreaming of?

Well, maybe not everything. I wish it whipped up stiffer right out of the carton, but apart from that I am super impressed! I’m having visions of all kinds of pasta sauces, flavored vegan butters, and of course – delicious coffee.

If you want whipped cream though, you’ll have to work for it and chill it right away. And if you don’t want to do all that work, I suggest trying my American meringue buttercream recipe and letting it whip for 15 or so minutes. You’ll get a light and silky faux whipped cream that’s much more stable than this one.

Overall, I think this is a quality product and I will definitely be purchasing it again. I hope that they can get rid of the cross contamination risks so more folks can enjoy it. Despite its shortcomings though, it’s exciting that we have things like this becoming commercially available, and I can’t wait for them to get better and better!

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Allergy-Friendly and Vegan Pastry Recipes:

Vegan Quick and Easy Mexican Red Pozole/Menudo (Instant Pot)

January 1, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// 3 Comments

Deep, rich, spicy, and flavorful red pozole is a classic comfort food in Mexico – especially during the winter holiday season. It’s a chili based hominy soup and usually simmered all day with cuts of pork or chicken (or beef tripe for menudo). My version is vegan, easy, and can be made in less than an hour thanks to the Instant Pot.

Pozole: a brief

First of all, pozole is pronounced poe-SO-lay.

Traditional red pozole (pozole rojo) is made by slow simmering pork or chicken in a rich broth made of blended red chili peppers and onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and a host of other herbs and spices that change based on who is making it and how their abuelita taught them. The same dish, but made with tripe instead of meat is known as menudo.

White or yellow hominy is added and it’s garnished with cabbage, radish, cilantro, onion, and lime juice. Avocado and tostadas (baked or fried corn tortillas) are also frequently enjoyed with pozole.

It can be simmered for hours to days, and is a labor of love, and a holiday tradition passed down through generations of Mexican families. It’s a beautiful dish rich in both flavor and history, and once you’ve tried it you know you’ll be craving it again and again.

As beautiful as the thought is of simmering it for days according to an ancient family recipe, I ain’t got time for that. Plus, I want it to be vegan. So I’m gonna make it convenient with quick ingredients, pre-ground and mixed spices, and an Instant Pot to cook it in less than an hour.

Ingredients:

Here’s a breakdown of our ingredients for this quick and easy vegan pozole:

The first ingredient I use in my quick and easy vegan pozole is soy chorizo. Yup. I know. That’s weird. But trust me.

Chorizo actually has a ton of the same spices and flavors as traditional pozole: chili, garlic, some acidity, and lots of gorgeous natural red. Yes, red. That’s important because we are making red pozole. Your red pozole should not be lacking in red.

Can’t do soy? No worries! Just skip the soyrizo. 🙂

The second ingredient is portabella mushrooms. Or portobello. Or giant creminis. Whatever you want to call them, they’re meaty and absorb all the pozole flavors wonderfully. Slice them thickly so they give plenty of chew.

I use baby portabellas because they give smaller chunks that are more manageable.

Before slicing your mushrooms, please please please wash them. The brown stuff you see on your mushrooms isn’t dirt. And trust me, you don’t want to eat it.

Next is veggie broth. I love that the manufacturer has already slow-simmered this for hours and hours so that I don’t have to! Yay! Complex flavors in an instant. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

The most important ingredient of all is menudo spice. Menudo spice is an intricate and balanced mixture of a TON of herbs and spices. You can definitely mix your own, and there are thousands of recipes online if you decide you want to give it a go. I don’t. Lol. I’ve been there, done that, inhaled way too much chili pepper, and I don’t want to go down that road again. So I buy pre-made.

There are a lot of different brands out there! Fiesta is the most popular where I am, but La India and Gebhardt are very good, too. Actually, I’ve never tried one I didn’t like – so find what you can, check the ingredients for anything you’re avoiding, and use what’s safe. I’m using Gebhardt in this because I went shopping for it ON NEW YEARS EVE (when everyone is making pozole) and literally all the menudo spice was sold out except for this one because it was hidden on an end cap on the opposite end of the store.

Lastly, hominy. Humble hominy is a larger and tougher variety of corn than what most Americans are accustomed to. It’s actually the corn used to make grits! There is a yellow and a white variety, and either one will work wonderfully here. Find it close to the canned corn or in the Hispanic section of your grocery store.

Cacique is my favorite brand of soy chorizo because the flavor is amazing, so is the price, and the meatiness is scary convincing – all while being gluten-free

INGREDIENTS: WATER, SOY FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL, DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, PAPRIKA, SALT, MUSTARD POWDER, SPICES, GARLIC POWDER, CARAMEL COLOR AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS).

Let’s get started!

Step one: Turn your Instant Pot on sauté on medium heat and gather all your soup ingredients. First, add the chorizo and give it a good stir. Add about two cups of broth as needed to keep it from burning.

If you have whole mushrooms, you should cut them into about 1/2″ (about 2.5cm) slices. They don’t have to be exact. If you have sliced mushrooms, just toss them in!

Add your mushrooms to the pot.

Stir the mushrooms to coat with chorizo and juices.

Add about two cups of broth (16oz, 480ml) and stir well. The broth will keep it from burning on the bottom.

Open your hominy and drain it.

See? Corn! really ugly corn, but still corn.

Dump your drained hominy into your pot and stir well.

Now it’s time for the menudo spice! Hold your breath as you dump this in. You don’t want to breathe in chili powder. Use whatever brand you can find and tolerate. And use the amount indicated for 2-3 pounds of meat.

Delicious flavor and color, coming right up!

Stir everything really well.

IMPORTANT INSTANT POT INFORMATION!!!

My Instant Pot is a 6 quart Duo. It has a line inside that marks 2/3 capacity with a note that says “PC Max”. This is the max fill line for pressure cooking. DO NOT FILL YOUR POT UP PAST THIS POINT. If you have a smaller pot, are using any dehydrated ingredients that will increase in volume during cooking, or you are not confident about filling yours up to this point, stop here, cover, and cook now.

If you’re ok filling it up, go ahead and add another four cups of broth or until you reach the max fill line according to your Instant Pot instruction manual.

Close your lid and turn your valve to the sealing position.

Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on normal/medium pressure for 20 minutes. It should come to pressure rather quickly since the pot is full and it’s already hot.

Once it’s done, let it natural release for ten minutes before carefully turning the valve to ‘venting’. Allow it to vent until the button drops and it’s safe to open.

If you opted to not fill your pot to the max fill line earlier, go ahead and add the four remaining cups of broth now and stir well.

Stir and serve your soup! Top with cilantro and chopped white onion, shredded cabbage, radish slices, and plenty of lime juice. It can also be enjoyed with avocado and tostadas.

Store it in the fridge for up to four days and reheat portions rather than the whole pot for best food safety.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t fret! Follow the instructions but in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours, or on a stovetop over a medium simmer for 1.5-2 hours.

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Recipe:

Yield: servings 8-10

Vegan Quick and Easy Red Pozole

Deep, rich, spicy, and flavorful red pozole is a classic comfort food in Mexico - especially during the winter holiday season. Mine is vegan, and cooks quickly in the Instant Pot.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb (452g) soy chorizo
24 oz (680g) baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 30oz (850g) cans of hominy, drained
64 oz (1.8L) vegetable broth
3.25 oz (92g) menudo spice mix

Garnishes

Cilantro
Finely chopped white onion
Thinly sliced radish
Shredded cabbage
Fresh limes

Instructions

In the Instant Pot on the sauté function, stir together the chorizo, sliced mushrooms, and two cups of broth
Drain and add the hominy, and stir well
Add the menudo spice and two more cups of broth and stir well
If you’re worried about overfilling your Instant Pot, you can seal and cook now. I have a 6qt Duo and this recipe fills it exactly to the 2/3 max fill line. DO NOT GO OVER YOUR 2/3 MAX FILL LINE. SEE YOUR INSTANT POT’S INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Add the remaining four cups of broth now (or after cooking if you’re worried about overfilling the Instant Pot)
Pressure cook on medium for 20 minutes, and allow to naturally release for 10 minutes before venting, stirring, and serving
Garnish with fresh cilantro, chopped white onion, shredded cabbage, sliced fresh radishes, and fresh lime juice

Notes

Please use caution while using your Instant Pot, and follow the user’s manual exactly.

This can also be prepared in a slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours, or on the stovetop over a medium simmer for 1-2 hours - until the mushrooms are cooked through.

If you're avoiding soy, omit the soy chorizo and check the menudo spice mix and veggie broth well for it. If you're avoiding corn, swap the hominy for chickpeas and check your menudo mix for cornstarch and your veggie broth for corn.

Easiest Vegan Meringue Cookies Ever with Aquafaba

December 23, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

Vegan meringue cookies are super easy to make, with ingredients you probably have right now.

Thanks to aquafaba, vegans and other egg-avoiders can now enjoy meringue whenever they want again. Here, we are making the ever-loved crispy meringue cookies enjoyed by people around the world, but with a twist that makes them easier than even egg-white meringues.

What is Meringue?

Meringue (pronounced murr-ANG, with a soft g like in “sang”) is the product of whipping egg whites (or in our case, the vegan alternative aquafaba, which is the water from cooked or canned beans and other legumes).

Black bean aquafaba pour — Any legume’ll do. Garbanzos are the most commonly used, but any bean will give you whippable aquafaba!

When you whip them at high speed they turn foamy, then fluffy, and then the fluff firms up and can be baked or torched, or folded into batters to make super light and airy bakes.

Meringue has traditionally been used for a plethora of different recipes and applications: Angel food cake is made using it, macarons and macaroons are made with meringue, meringue buttercream and royal icing are both meringue-based sweets. It is used to cover baked Alaska and meringue pie and to make marshmallows. It’s even used to top some types of cocktails!

And then there is the humble meringue cookie.

What is a Meringue Cookie?

The meringue cookie is, at its simplest, dehydrated meringue. The fluff is prepared with sugar and sometimes different flavorings, then dolloped or piped onto a lined baking tray (or dehydrator tray) and baked at a very low temperature until all the moisture evaporates out.

What you’re left with is a crispy, sweet cookie that melts in your mouth in an instant. It’s basically the crunchy version of cotton candy/fairy floss.

They can be enjoyed on their own, made into “pops”, or used to adorn other desserts.

What can I add to it?

Unfortunately, meringue is a very unstable mixture. It won’t hold on its own in raw form without stabilizers like agar agar and xanthan gum, and once it’s baked it needs to be kept absolutely dry or it will absorb any and all moisture in the air and turn into sticky marshmallows (which isn’t normally a bad thing, but when you want crispy cookies it’s not exactly a celebratory occasion).

Beyond that, oil will immediately deflate your meringue if it’s mixed in, or will prevent it from ever fluffing in the first place if introduced at the beginning.

The oil thing is important, because it severely limits us on what we can mix into the aquafaba for meringue: Flavoring oils can deflate it instantly. Even citrus peels have been known to do it because of their high oil content. Cinnamon and turmeric will kill it. Cocoa powder has enough oil that it will also destroy it. Butter and coconut oil are no-gos.

In this same token, you need to make sure that all your utensils and bowls you’re using to make the meringue are free from grease. I do this by wiping everything down with vinegar before I start.

Things you CAN add to your meringue include alcohol-based flavoring like vanilla and almond. You can also add citrus juice. I like to add drink powder like KoolAid or Tang. You can fold in nuts or chocolate chips or even candy cane bits for a minty treat during the holidays.

Just make sure that your additions are not oily/greasy and that they won’t release fats at low baking temperatures.

Feel free to add sprinkles, edible dust, or spray color before they bake (as long as they’re oil/grease-free) for some added pizzazz, as well.

Sprayed with silver before and dusted with gold after dehydrating for New Year’s treats.

You can also drizzle them, dip them, or coat them with chocolate after they’re dehydrated and it will keep the crispness safe.

Cute little Santa hat meringues made by dipping the dried meringue in white chocolate and sprinkles

Cooking vs Baking vs Dehydrating

There’s a difference between what we are doing here and baking/cooking the meringue. The meringue itself has already been cooked during the bean-making/canning process, so we don’t need to do it again. And if we did, we would melt it.

Cooking our meringue at temperatures higher than 210°F or 99°C will turn them to delicious, sweet, candy soup. The aquafaba will return to liquid form because the sugar melts and it has no structure to hold on to, anymore.

The sugar we add into the aquafaba crystalizes while whipping and gives us the framework for our meringue. The millions of minuscule bubbles formed as we incorporate air hang onto that sugar framework, and it’s what allows the meringue to stand. If you melt the sugar, the whole thing is going to go down with it.

Now, sugar itself doesn’t melt until 337°F/170°C so I’m not talking about the sugar melting from the heat. It melts because your aquafaba starts to boil. Water boils at 212°F/100°C, and our aquafaba is made primarily of water. So it boils, all its bubbles pop, it dissolves the sugar, and you get a puddle instead of crispy cookies.

So that being understood, we want to keep our temperature low and slow, here – under that boiling point of 212°F/100°C. We want to slowly evaporate the moisture out of the cookies rather than cook them.

If your oven doesn’t have a setting that low, you can turn it to the lowest it does have and keep the oven door cracked open. My favorite technique for this is just to stick a wooden or silicone spoon in the door to keep it from closing.

Apart from the oven, an actual dehydrator machine will work beautifully for these guys.

What equipment do I need?

For this recipe, you need a small saucepan and stovetop/burner. A silicone spatula will also be useful.

You’ll need a large mixing bowl, either glass or stainless steel (or the bowl of a stand mixer).

You’ll need a mixer, either a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer will work. You can use a regular whisk and do this by hand – but I don’t recommend it at all. I’ve done it and it took almost two hours and I was sore for days after.

You need a baking tray. I recommend light colored aluminum, but if all you have is glass or dark colored metal, just turn your temperature down another 10°F.

You need either parchment paper or a silicone mat to line your baking sheet with.

You need a large spoon or ice cream scoop if you want to make rustic-style dollop meringues, or a piping bag and large tip/nozzle if you want to pipe them.

Different ways of piping or scooping your meringue cookies

And you need either an oven or a dehydrator.

What ingredients do I need?

The ingredients here are really simple!

Aquafaba and granulated white sugar.

Everything else is optional.

For the optionals, I’m going to include a quarter teaspoon of something acidic to help the meringue fluff a bit. Acidity strengthens the structure, so you can add vinegar, cream of tartar, or even lemon juice and it’ll help the meringue to be more successful.

Oil-free flavors and colors are also optional. Just remember to forgo cinnamon, cocoa, turmeric, and other ‘strong’ flavors as they can melt your meringue. Vanilla is highly recommended though (if you’re not allergic) because it’ll make your meringue taste like marshmallows!

If your aquafaba is unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness a little.

The process: how to make the easiest vegan meringue cookies ever

Preheat your oven or dehydrator to the lowest temperature it will go. If it won’t heat lower than 210°F/100°C, keep them oven door ajar.

Line your baking sheets or dehydrator trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Shake your can of beans (or homemade beans) and pour your aquafaba into a small pan (make sure to thoroughly clean the rim of the can first).

Pour half the amount of aquafaba in sugar to the pan (pour the sugar in until it forms a small mountain whose ‘peak’ is slightly above the aquafaba).

Over medium heat, stir the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the sugar has fully dissolved, turn off the heat and pour the aquafaba syrup into your mixing bowl

Add a 1/2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar, or your acid-based drink powder now if you’re using them.

With your mixer with whisk attachment or beaters, whip on medium speed until the mixture is foamy, then add your vanilla.

Turn the mixer up to high until you get stiff peaks. This means that the peaks that form when you lift the whisk don’t bend or fall over, but keep their shape.

Spoon, scoop, or pipe your meringues onto your lined baking sheets in whatever shapes you’d like

Put into your preheated oven or dehydrator and bake/dehydrate for two hours or until the cookies come clean off the baking sheet when cool and are dry all the way through.

How do I store them?

Store your crispy little cookies in an airtight container with either dry rice or silica packets to absorb any humidity. As long as they are kept like this, they will be good indefinitely.

If they happen to get sticky from humidity before you get a chance to put them away, just pop them back into the oven/dehydrator until they dry back out.

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Video Tutorial:

Coming soon!

Recipe

Easiest Vegan Meringue Cookies Ever with Aquafaba

Thanks to aquafaba, vegans and other egg-avoiders can now enjoy meringue whenever they want, again. Here, we are making the ever-loved crispy meringue cookies enjoyed by people around the world, but with a twist that makes them easier than even egg-white meringues.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/4-1/2 c aquafaba, any plain
1/8-1/4c granulated sugar, vegan

Optional

1 tsp alcohol based flavor extract (such as lemon, vanilla, or almond)
Gel or powder food coloring
1/2 tbsp citrus juice for flavor
2-4 tbsp chopped nuts, chocolate, or candy bits
1/4 tsp acidity: vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, etc.

Instructions

Preheat your oven or dehydrator to the lowest temperature it will go. If it won’t heat lower than 210°F/100°C, keep the oven door ajar.
Line your baking sheets or dehydrator trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Shake your can of beans (or homemade beans) and pour your aquafaba into a small pan (make sure to thoroughly clean the rim of the can first).
Pour half the amount of aquafaba in sugar to the pan (pour the sugar in until it forms a small mountain whose 'peak' is slightly above the aquafaba).
Over medium heat, stir the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the sugar has fully dissolved, turn off the heat and pour the aquafaba syrup into your mixing bowl.
Add a 1/2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar, or your acid-based drink powder now if you’re using them.
With your mixer and whisk attachment or beaters, whip on medium speed until the mixture is foamy, then add your vanilla.
Turn the mixer up to high until you get stiff peaks. This means that the peaks that form when you lift the whisk don’t bend or fall over, but keep their shape.
Spoon, scoop, or pipe your meringues onto your lined baking sheets in whatever shapes you’d like.
Put into your preheated oven or dehydrator and bake/dehydrate for two hours or until the cookies come clean off the baking sheet when cool and are dry all the way through.

Notes

Store your crispy little cookies in an airtight container with either dry rice or silica packets to absorb any humidity. As long as they are kept like this, they will be good indefinitely.

If they happen to get sticky from humidity before you get a chance to put them away, just pop them back into the oven/dehydrator until they dry back out.

Macaron Fillings

December 22, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

From buttercream to ganache and more, find all the dairy and egg free plant-based fillings you need to make your vegan macarons stand out in a crowd:

You can also browse my Amazon Store at www.amazon.com/shop/cookingoncaffeine where you can find all the supplies and ingredients I use and recommend.

American Meringue Buttercream (vegan)

My famous recipe that's no-cook, super easy, and the favourite of bakers around the world; American and Swiss meringue buttercream's perfect lovechild.

Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever

The easiest vegan buttercream you’ve ever made. Four ingredients and ten minutes gets you perfectly pipe-able frosting for any confection that needs icing!

Quick and Easy Vegan Ganache (Water Ganache)

With a minimum of two ingredients and just a few minutes, you can make delicious chocolate ganache that's both allergy-friendly and stunningly tasty.

Chili Lime American Buttercream (vegan, soy-free)

Spicy, sweet, sour, and salty: the perfect balance strikes in this Mexican treat inspired buttercream.

Easiest Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (with no cream cheese or nuts)

The perfect filling for your red velvet or carrot cake macarons. Or lemon or chocolate, or pretty much whatever. When is cream cheese frosting ever wrong??

Vegan Low Carb Almost-Instant Mug Brownie

December 16, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

Sometimes you need a sweet treat right now, without a lot of prep or waiting, and you don’t want to share. Whether you’re keto or just watching your carbs, or you’re diabetic and don’t want to throw your sugars off, or if you’re avoiding gluten or animal products, this brownie recipe is for you!

Is this recipe keto?

Keto seems to be defined differently by a lot of different folks. This recipe definitely can fit into a keto diet/lifestyle. Is it keto if you eat it 18 times a day? No, no it is not. Will I judge you for doing that? Again, no. No I will not.

For the sake of avoiding arguments from internet people, I’ve decided to label this recipe as being ‘low carb’, because it’s waaayyyy lower in carbs than a traditional brownie is. It is not zero (about 16 net carbs as is, 7 if you leave out the chocolate chips), but it is also meant as a special treat and not as an everyday thing (but again, I will not judge if you decide to make and eat it every day!).

So really, “is it keto” would be answered by how low you think it has to be in carbs to fit the definition. But I can tell you it’s darn delicious.

spoonful of brownie — Enjoy your brownie, guilt-free!

What do I need to make this recipe?

Equipment-wise, you’re going to need a microwavable mug or ramekin, and a second small bowl for mixing your wet ingredients. You’ll need a spoon to stir and measuring spoons to measure out your ingredients, and of course you’ll need a microwave to cook it in.

Ingredient-wise, this is what you’ll need to gather:

Dry Ingredients:

Almond flour
If you’re allergic to almonds, you can use another nut flour here like hazelnut or pecan. Allergic to nuts in general? No problem! Swap it out for sunflower seed or pumpkin seed flour and it’ll work just fine.
Cocoa powder
I really like Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder, but I’m a dark chocolate fiend. Any cocoa powder should work fine here, though!
Baking powder
NOT baking soda. Baking powder is a mix of base and acid in powder form, so that when it gets wet it fizzes and makes lots of tiny bubbles in your brownie so it’ll be spongey and won’t be a hockey puck.
Salt
Whatever kind of salt you want, as long as it’s salty. I use sea salt because it’s what I’ve got. It’s to balance out the sweetness of the brownie (plus, salt and chocolate are total besties and go SO well together!).

Wet Ingredients:

Coconut oil
Allergic to coconuts? Have no fear! Use palm oil, or even Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks instead.
Don’t want to use palm oil AND allergic to coconuts? Swap it for any oil of your choice and it should be fine! The oil is to up the fat content for the keto-ers, and also helps to keep the brownie moist and decadent.
Flax egg
Da heck is flax egg? GOOD QUESTION! Flax egg is when you mix together ground flax seed with water and let it gellify. It gets the same goopy consistency of chicken eggs, with 100% less animal protein. I actually keep a big container of it premade in my fridge and just scoop out 3 tbsp for each egg in a recipe, but if you need to make it on the spot it’s 1 tbsp of ground flax and 2.5 tbsp water per egg. No flax? Use ground chia seeds instead!
Almond milk
You can actually use whatever liquid you want here! So if you’re allergic to almonds or nuts, use your favorite plant milk instead – or even just plain ole water. I chose unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe because of the extra vanilla boost and the zero carbs.
Sweetener
Use whatever your favorite sweetener is here. Erythritol is a preferred sweetener by low carb/keto folks but it has a cooling sensation a lot of people can’t get past. Stevia is a good choice, but can be bitter. Monkfruit is a great choice, but hard to find (getting easier, though!) and is a little pricey. I find that mixing erythritol and stevia gives great results because there’s not enough of either to make your mouth go “ick”.

Other Ingredients

Lily’s dark chocolate baking chips are the crowning glory of this brownie. I love them (and they don’t pay me to say that) because again, I am a dark chocolate fiend, but also because I love that they’re super delicious and sugar-free so I can nom them and not feel bad about it. I also love adding them to all my kids’ breakfast foods because no added sugar. Yay!

That said, you can leave them out if you don’t have them or don’t like them, and your brownie will still turn out decadent and wonderful. Just add another teaspoon or two of your sweetener to make up for what Lily’s would have added.

Additionally, you can add chopped nuts or seeds to this and it’s amazing. Pecans, walnuts, or roasted seeds are all great choices.

Tell me how! The process:

Making the brownie is actually really quick and simple – and gets quicker the more times you do it. 😉

Wet ingredients and dry ingredients, ready to be mixed

1. Measure together your wet and your dry ingredients separately. Also, if you don’t have your flax egg pre-made and waiting in the fridge, go ahead and mix that before you do anything else. Melt your fat and heat up your liquid to make sure you don’t get solid chunks anywhere.

I measure the dry ingredients into whatever vessel I will be microwaving the brownie in – in this case, a coffee mug.

dry and wet ingredients, mixed separately and ready to combine — Dry ingredients and wet ingredients, mixed separately and ready to be combined.

2. Stir together the dry and wet ingredients in their separate containers. I do the dry ingredients first, and then use the same spoon to do the wet ingredients. Fewer dirty dishes makes me happy.

Dry and wet ingredients combined into batter — The luscious batter made by combining the dry and wet ingredients.

3. Once everything is nicely mixed in their separate containers, go ahead and plop the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.

Batter with chocolate chips folded in and sprinkled on top — Fold in half of the chocolate chips and sprinkle the other half on top.

4. Once you’ve mixed the batter and everything is smooth with no giant lumps, go ahead and add half of your chocolate chips and all your nuts/seeds if you used them, and stir them in. Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top.

Finished brownie — Once microwaved, it turns dark and rich!

5. Microwave your mug on high for 90 seconds. It’s going to puff way up in the microwave (so make sure you’re using a mug or bowl that has plenty of headroom left in it) and then fall back down once done. You can see here that mine souffléd up to the rim of my mug before collapsing down to its final height.

It will be a bit like a molten chocolate cake while it’s still hot/warm, and will firm up as it cools (if you can wait that long!).

Enjoy at whatever temperature you wish! You can top it with some whipped buttercream made with confectioner’s Swerve instead of sugar, or some whipped coconut cream. Or eat it as is. 🙂 I eat mine still hot with a cup of coffee and nothing added on top.

Quick and Dirty Method:

You can totally do this ALL in ONE mug if you’d like to avoid a couple more dirty dishes. Results might be a little lumpier, but still delicious. So feel free to use this method if you are short on time or patience and just need some delicious brownie in your face rite nao:

Measure oil and milk into your mug and microwave for 30 seconds, or until it’s hot to the touch
Add the rest of your wet ingredients and stir well
Mix in your cocoa powder and stir well
Add the rest of your dry ingredients and stir well
Fold in your chocolate chips and nuts/seeds if using, and top with chocolate chips
Microwave and enjoy as usual

How do I store them?

Uhh.. In your belly? I suppose you could pop some plastic wrap over the top and save it for later, but this is meant to be enjoyed right away.

I have made them in silicone cupcake liners and transitioned them to paper for a Valentine’s gift in a cupcake box and they worked well like that. But I would really advise you to eat these the same day that they’re made.

What if I’m not low carb/keto?

If you’re not watching your carb intake and aren’t concerned about consuming sugar, feel free to use granulated sugar as your sweetener and regular chocolate chips instead of the Lily’s! It’ll work just as well for a quick single-serving treat!

Can I make these in the oven?

Yes! Give it a try at 325F for about 10-12 minutes.

Can I double or triple the recipe?

Yes you absolutely can. The photos you see here are actually of the recipe doubled (so you can actually see what’s going on). You’ll just need to microwave a bit longer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on after the brownie is cooked (so the chocolate doesn’t burn) and give it another 30 seconds to melt. Try cooking for two and a half minutes for a double batch, and three and a half minutes for triple.

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Recipe:

Yield: 1 serving

Vegan Low Carb Almost Instant Mug Brownies

Sometimes you need a sweet treat right now, without a lot of prep or waiting, and you don't want to share. Whether you're keto or just watching your carbs, or you're diabetic and don't want to throw your sugars off, or if you're avoiding gluten or animal products, this recipe is for you!

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Total Time 4 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

4 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

Wet Ingredients

1 flax egg (see recipe post for details)
2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk, hot
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tsp sweetener (erythritol, stevia, or monkfruit that measures like sugar)

Additions

2 tbsp Lily's dark chocolate baking chips, divided
1 tbsp roasted nuts or seeds, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Make your flax egg if you don't already have some waiting

2. Measure together your wet and your dry ingredients separately

3. Stir together the dry and wet ingredients in their separate containers

4. Mix everything together in your microwaveable mug, combining well

5. Fold in one tablespoon of your chocolate chips and all of your seeds/nuts if using

6. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the batter

7. Microwave for 90 seconds

8. Enjoy hot as a molten cake, or allow to cool for a firmer brownie

Notes

If you have allergies to any of the ingredients, or want to make it not-low-carb, see recipe post for substitutions

This recipe is inspired by the non-vegan 3-minute keto brownie recipe from Keto Daily

Vegan Cream Cheese Filling for Danishes

December 3, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// 7 Comments

The dairy-free cream cheese filling you’ve always wanted and needed for your puff pastry creations. Creamy, tangy, just sweet enough, and perfect for pairing with any fruit in all your vegan danishes!

One thing I don’t like to do is make recipes with prepared vegan cream cheese. Why? Well, for starters it’s kinda hard to find where I live. I mean, my local grocery store carries it but it’s always sold out. Always.

Beyond that, I know not everyone has access to it, or if they do they may be allergic to the contents – so I try to create my own with easy-to-find ingredients that can be just-as-easily swapped out depending on your dietary needs.

So today, after being inspired by someone in a Facebook group I’m in who had cherry turnovers last night (you’re a hero, Dara!), as well as all the leftover puff pastry in my freezer, I set out to make some. And then I thought: OH MY GOSH I NEED CREAM CHEESE FILLING.

But what can I make it out of?!

The Ingredients

Creaminess. I had vanilla soy yogurt in my fridge. Choose whatever yogurt best suits your needs allergy-wise.

Tanginess. I learned from my friend Kat over at 86eats.com that sauerkraut makes vegan cheese taste absolutely legit. Sounds weird, but I swear it’s magic. (If you want to make your own vegan cheese, you NEED to check out her recipes!)

Melty browningness. Is that a word? Probably not. Oh well. But you know what I mean. Dairy cream cheese softens and melts in the oven, and browns ever so slightly around the edges when baked – remaining luscious and smooth and creamy inside. Enter tapioca starch. It does these things.

Sweetness (if you want). I didn’t add any extra sugar to mine, but you totally can if you like it on the sweeter side.

The Process

It’s way easier than you’d think!

Empty your single serving of yogurt into a blender if you’ve got one, or a microwave safe bowl/container if you have an immersion blender and add the sauerkraut.

Blend it well! You don’t want sauerkraut chunks in your sweet cream cheese filling, trust me.

Add tapioca starch a half a teaspoon at a time, mixing in well between additions.

If using a blender, empty contents into a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave on high for two minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Heat activates the starch and will thicken up the mixture and get it stretchy and gloopy and cheesy like.

Add powdered/icing/confectioner’s sugar to taste.

Allow it to cool before adding to your puff pastry so that it doesn’t ruin the lamination in the dough.

Scoop or spoon your vegan cream cheese filling into each danish before baking

How do I use this glorious vegan cream cheese filling??

Immediately!

I scooped it into the centers of my danishes with a small cookie scoop. It was enough for all eight danishes I got out of my package of puff pastry. (You can also use crescent dough or any other dough your heart so desires!)

Then I topped the vegan cream cheese filling with some cherry cake filling – but you can use fresh fruit or pie filling, or even jelly/jam! Or plain ole cream cheese filling would be great, too. 🙂

Bake as directed by your puff pastry, but mine was 400°F for 20 minutes.

You can brush the pastry with aquafaba and sprinkle with course sugar before baking to give it a golden brown, crispy coating if you’d like. I’ll definitely be doing that next time. 🙂

Give them a try drizzled with my vegan royal icing or even some American meringue buttercream!

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for my full recipe for berry balsamic danishes coming soon!

Video Tutorial:

Pin it!

Yield: 8 danishes worth

Vegan Cream Cheese Filling for Danishes

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

1 5.3 oz container of vegan yogurt (150g)
2 tbsp fermented sauerkraut (the refrigerated kind, not in the jar)
3 tsp tapioca starch/flour
Powdered/icing/confectioner's sugar to taste

Instructions

Empty your single serving of yogurt into a blender if you’ve got one, or a microwave safe bowl/container if you have an immersion blender and add the sauerkraut.
Blend.
Add tapioca starch a half a teaspoon at a time, mixing in well between additions.
If using a blender, empty contents into a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave on high for two minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds.
Add powdered/icing/confectioner’s sugar to taste.
Allow it to cool before scooping onto your puff pastry

Notes

Feel free to add vanilla if you’d like (unless you plan to make a savory danish!) 1/2 tsp is plenty.

Make the vegan cream cheese filling as your puff pastry dough defrosts, just before baking.

It must be used immediately.

Easiest Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (with no cream cheese or nuts)

November 18, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// 15 Comments

Some desserts demand cream cheese buttercream – like carrot cake, spice cake, or red velvet. The flavor is unmistakable and deeply missed if it’s absent, but getting a dairy-free version that tastes great, has a good texture, and pipes well can be a struggle. Even more difficult is trying to find a vegan cream cheese that’s affordable and free from nuts, soy, or coconut (for those who avoid those) – or finding one at all depending on where you live.

So I made it my mission when I ran my bakery to get the same traditional taste of cream cheese frosting locked down, without the need for nuts or coconuts, as well as not needing commercially available vegan cream cheese since I was a Texas home baker and needed a shelf-stable option.

This is what was born out of that mission.

This is my “easiest” cream cheese buttercream – so what that means is that it comes together easily in just a minutes with no weird ingredients. It’s very similar to my Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever, but with flavor adjustments to trick the brain into thinking you’re eating a real deal cream cheese icing.

This frosting is thick, stable, and quite sweet. It’s perfect for layering cakes, frosting cakes, piping into cupcakes, or sandwiching cookies. It’s also great used as a dessert dip!

Red velvet macarons with cream cheese buttercream

I do have another cream cheese buttercream recipe that isn’t as “easiest” as this one, but comes out lighter and less sweet with even more authentic dairy taste to it (think of this as cream cheese buttercream 101 and the other is 201 – and I’ve even got a 301 I’ll share later!) – and I’ll publish that soon. But in the mean time, I promise this one is delicious! I’ve had folks drive hundreds of miles to have some carrot cake frosted with it, and always sell out of my red velvet macarons which are sandwiched with it.

Ingredients Overview

The products you choose here will depend on what ingredients you need to avoid – but whichever you choose, you’ll still get delicious “cream cheese” buttercream!

Fat

Choose your fats!

I recommend using a mix of veggie shortening and vegan butter here. Traditional cream cheese frosting is made with a mix of cream cheese and butter – so rather than go full butter and overwhelm the senses with the ‘buttery’ flavor, I like to cut it with more neutral shortening.

Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, candied carrot roses, and sunflower seed brittle

You can use all shortening if you’d like to avoid butter, or all butter if you’d like to avoid shortening – but the best flavor comes when you do a mix of the two. Please note that if you opt to use all shortening though, you’ll want to add a half a teaspoon of salt.

Acid

Get your tang!

Dairy cream cheese is what gives the traditional cream cheese frosting it’s distinctive tang. It’s because in order to become cream cheese, the milk is infused with bacteria that produces something called lactic acid as it eats the lactose (sugar) in the dairy. Now, lactic acid in and of itself isn’t dairy or a dairy product (the bacteria in lots of different non-dairy products produce it, too) – but it is what gives dairy products its notable tanginess.

Since we aren’t inoculating anything with bacteria here, or letting it ferment to get full of lactic acid goodness, we are going to fake it till we make it! And we are going to fake it with two other acids: citric acid and acetic acid. Sound scary and sciencey?? Well, sciencey yes – but not scary at all! Citric acid is in citrus fruits – and we are getting it from straight lemon juice. And acetic acid? That’s just vinegar. 🙂

Using the mix of these two acid sources will give your tongue the tang it craves without one flavor being strong enough to be really detectable. So we aren’t getting vinegar-tasting frosting, and we aren’t making lemon frosting, either. Instead, we are making perfectly tangy buttercream the brain will just relate to cream cheese.

Sweet

Gimme some sugar – or erythritol

Some of the most common questions I get regarding my buttercream recipes is whether any sugar substitutes can be used. Yes, you can use confectioner’s erythritol (Swerve) in my buttercream recipes and it works great! You might need to adjust the amount to get the right consistency, though – so add a little at a time until you get it as thick as you’d like.

Confectioner’s monkfruit (another sugar substitute which is popular among the keto, paleo, and vegan crowds) is also a thing, but I haven’t had the chance to play with it as of yet. Once I do, or if you do and let me know how it works, I will update here! Please note that advertises that it’s twice as sweet as sugar, though – so it may take some adjusting.

And regarding confectioner’s vs powdered vs icing vs pure vs starch added sugar: all of the above work! I use 10x powdered sugar with corn or tapioca starch added (depending on if I’m using organic or not), but plenty of folks use pure powdered sugar – even homemade – with great results.

Fondant, candy, and chocolate decorations stick to it perfectly.

Vanilla

It is dessert after all!

Vanilla is a mystical creature in the culinary world that pairs wonderfully with literally every other flavor that exists. And we’ve gotten to where if it’s missing from dessert, well, it just doesn’t taste like dessert anymore. And if you skip out on vanilla here, people will notice and they’ll say something is weird – and they’ll blame it on the frosting being dairy-free. But it’ll be because it’s flower-free!

So whether you decide to use pure vanilla, imitation vanilla, a baker’s blend, Mexican or bourbon vanilla, or even homemade – it doesn’t matter – just make sure you use it! As long as it’s not made from beaver butts, you’re good to go.

An Extra Boost

Totally optional

Depending on what ingredients you’re avoiding, you can skip over this entirely – but it helps a lot if you’re trying to sway extra anti-vegan judgmental minds: Commercial cream cheese frosting from a tub.

I KNOW, OK. DONT @ ME. JUST TRUST ME.

It holds up beautifully between cake layers

Both Pillsbury Creamy Supreme* and Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style cream cheese frosting in the tubs are free from animal derived ingredients as far as we can tell. I like to add a few tablespoons into the mix at the end because.. why? Well, these frostings have actual lactic acid added (*UPDATE: PILLSBURY NO LONGER CONTAINS LACTIC ACID, BUT CITRIC ACID INSTEAD. IT STILL WORKS AND HELPS WITH TEXTURE, THOUGH). And with just a small addition, it really boosts the cream cheese icing nostalgia feels when you eat it.

Feel free to skip this if you’re horrified at the idea, or if you’re avoiding soy – but I promise that if you don’t need to avoid it, it really does help!

Specific Products to Use

What to use in case you’re avoiding what

THIS IS JUST A TOOL TO HELP YOU – IT IS NOT DEFINITIVE AND WE REFUSE TO BE HELD LIABLE IF SOMETHING IS INCORRECT

I will try to keep this list updated, but please please please double check all ingredient lists before using if you have a medical condition that is your reason for avoiding these allergens. Companies change formulations all the time – even I check ingredient lists for products every time I buy them, no matter how many times I’ve bought them before or how recently. And please let me know if something here is incorrect and I’ll update it!

These are products I’ve worked with here in the United States, but I’ll also try to add more international products to the list as I get confirmation from reputable sources that they work well. For now, check out my Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever post for info on how to choose your vegan butter.

Avoiding Soy:

Palm Oil Shortening
Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks (now contains a cross contamination warning)
Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Sticks
Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter

Avoiding Nuts:

Vegetable Shortening
Palm Oil Shortening
Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks – Except Almond
Earth Balance Baking Sticks

Avoiding Coconut:

Vegetable Shortening
Palm Oil Shortening please note that many people who are allergic to coconut also have issues with palm fruit
Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks
Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

Avoiding Palm Oil:

Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter

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Video

Coming Soon

Recipe

Yield: 3 cups (enough to frost a 6” double layer cake)

Easiest Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

The easiest dairy-free, vegan recipe to mimic the taste and texture of traditional cream cheese frosting without breaking the bank or your spirit. Follow recipe post for soy, nut, and coconut free options.

Prep Time 1 minute

Cook Time 29 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature* (one stick) (113g)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (113g)
4 cups powdered sugar (450g)
1.5 tbsp white vinegar (24ml)
1 tbsp lemon juice (15ml)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5ml)
OPTIONAL: 3 heaping spoons of Pillsbury or Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting - see recipe post for details (DO NOT USE IF AVOIDING SOY)

Instructions

Add butter and shortening to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer)
Mix on low/stir until completely incorporated
Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between each addition until incorporated
Add your vinegar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract
Mix on low until completely incorporated
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl
Turn the mixer to medium high and let it run for 15 minutes - or until you taste test and there’s no waxy mouthfeel from the shortening
Add the tub frosting if using, and allow mixer to run on low for ten minutes
Taste test! If it needs more tang, add more vinegar by the half tablespoon until your desired level of tanginess has been achieved.
Adjust the consistency by adding water by the teaspoon to thin, or more powdered sugar by the quarter cup to stiffen until desired consistency is reached

Notes

*if you use all butter, you can skip the fifteen minutes of whipping

*feel free to sift your powdered sugar if it’s very lumpy

*this frosting can be kept covered at room temperature for up to a week, in the fridge for a month, or in the freezer for six months

Allergy-Friendly and Vegan Pastry Recipes:

Chai Spice Cake (Vegan, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, One-Bowl)

November 8, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

Pumpkin spice needs to move over, because chai is the fall flavor that is going to fill you with autumnal warmth this year! Warm Indian spices including cinnamon, cardamom, anise, and black pepper turn my favorite hot latte from beverage to show stopping dessert.

Chai Spice?

First off, what the heck is chai?

Well, chai is my favorite tea! Lol. But it’s so much more than that. It’s funny because the word chai actually means tea in India. So my favorite flavor of tea is.. tea. In India this would be known as masala chai – which simply means mixed spiced tea.

But unlike here in the United States, tea in India isn’t just some black tea steeped in hot water – it’s full of warming aromatic spices, and prepared with hot milk and is served sweetened – hence it being masala – or mixed spices.

The spices used can vary, but generally include cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. I love the ones that also include ginger and black pepper. Some have orange peel and vanilla added. Even coriander and fennel can make appearances! And then of course, there is tea – black tea.

I love chai tea. But I do not mix my own. And I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on it here – because I’m not. I don’t even know 1/10th of 1% of Indian cuisine or culture or the significance of these ingredients to the wonderful people of the country.

I also don’t know anything about tea. What kinds of tea leaves? Heck if I know. Black. Lol. I also like green tea and jasmine tea. And hibiscus tea is wonderful! Those aren’t usually used in Indian teas as far as I know, but that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge there.

But I love chai tea.

If you want to learn more about Indian tea and how to prepare it authentically, my friend Anushree has an amazing food blog with a great post containing everything you could want to know about it. Head on over there if you want to give it a shot yourself. 🙂

So how am I going to make chai spiced cake if you’re not going to teach me how to make chai spice?!

Good question!

I let the experts do the mixing.

I buy chai tea from the store. I make some, with almond or oat milk, I sweeten it with a little sugar. And I judge – usually not harshly, because apparently I love all chai teas that exist on the market. And if I like the chai tea I’m drinking, I will use those tea bags in my chai spiced cake. With the same milk I used to prepare my tea, and the same sugar I used to sweeten it.

I literally transform my chai tea latte into a cake. And now you can too!

The Ingredients

The ingredients here are pretty simple and straight forward; nothing too fancy or hard to find.

Flour. The flour I use here is all purpose wheat flour. Not self-rising, not cake flour, not bread flour, not any of that. Just plain ole AP flour. You can substitute your favorite gluten-free alternative if you’d like – Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour is my favorite. The longer the name, the better the results. 😉 Follow the instructions on the bag.
Sugar. I use Zulka brand granulated sugar. It’s the same as traditional white granulated sugar, but it hasn’t been filtered through bone char – meaning it’s vegan (that’s right, most American sugars aren’t vegan). It has a slight amber color and gorgeous caramel notes in the flavor. You can use whatever your favorite granulated sugar is, though.
Baking soda. Also known as bicarbonate or bicarb, it’s much more than just for deodorizing you’re freezer or adding to toothpaste! And it is NOT the same thing as baking powder. So make sure to use soda and not powder here (that’s the number one mistake made in my recipes).
Salt. Use whatever. I add it to enhance the flavors and balance out the sweetness a bit. Pink, white, sea, kosher – pick your poison. You could even use black salt if you wanted to give the cake a bit of an eggy taste.
Chai tea! Like I said above, I use the same bags for cake making as I enjoy for drinking.
Milk. Whichever plant milk is your favorite will probably do great here. I love using almond milk and soy milk in my cakes – so I choose based on whether my clients want to avoid one or the other. I opt for unsweetened vanilla to amp up that flavor.
Vinegar. Any vinegar will do! I use white because it’s cheap, but I’ve also used apple cider vinegar and rice wine vinegar in a pinch. And if you can’t have vinegar, use lemon or lime juice! All we are looking for is an acid to react with the baking soda to fill our cake with tiny bubbles – turning it into a sponge.
Vanilla. Whatever your favorite is – either real or synthetic, just make sure it’s not made with beaver butts. Yes, you read that right.
Butter/oil. For cakes that will be stacked or carved, I recommend using your favorite vegan butter. It will give your cake a firmer structure allowing you to manipulate it without it falling apart on you. For cupcakes, oil is wonderful for giving them a light and airy texture – not great for stacking and carving, but perfect for cupcakes!

The Method

The first thing you’re going to do is pick out a chai tea that you like to drink. The best way to figure this out is to buy some, make it, and drink it. And my favorite way to do this is to steep it in hot almond or oat milk with a touch of sugar added.

Love the H-E-B brand Chai, but if you’re not fortunate enough to have an H-E-B near you, I really like the Stash brand Double Chai, as well (it’s made with cinnamon and clove oil that pops really well in the cake, though it doesn’t contain black pepper – so add some if you want it spicier).

One batch of this recipe is going to take five tea bags worth of tea. So get five envelopes out, rip em open, and pull the bags out.

Using a pair of scissors, snip off the top of each bag. Keep in mind that the tea bag might actually just be a folded tube, so make sure you hold on tight or you’ll make a big mess! Once you snip one, dump the contents into a coffee/spice grinder before moving on to the next.

If you don’t have a grinder, that’s fine – just dump the tea into your flour mixture as is. Your cake will just have larger flecks instead of a smoother color. And if you don’t want to do that, then steep ten bags in your hot milk instead.

Once you’ve unloaded the contents of your five tea bags into the grinder, give it one nice sniff before closing it and buzzing it into a fine powder.

After grinding the tea, I advise letting it settle in the grinder for at least five to ten minutes before attempting to open it. It’s going to be a spicy cloud that will likely make you cough and gag if you open it before that. Direct inhalation of cinnamon and black pepper is never a good thing, people.

In the meantime, whisk your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl – that would be your flour, sugar (yes, it counts as a dry ingredient in whacky cake recipes – which this is), baking SODA, and salt.

Once you’ve mixed your dry ingredients together and your chai powder has had the chance to settle, dump the contents of the grinder into your bowl.

Gently whisk your chai powder into your dry mix until it’s well combined.

Once your chai and dry are combined, make three wells in the mixture – one large and two small. Into the first small well, pour in your vanilla. The second small one will get your vinegar. And the large well is going to get your melted butter or oil.

Do not mix, yet!

Once you’ve made and filled your three wells, pour your hot milk over the entire bowl.

Gently stir the hot milk into your dry mixture until it’s just combined and you don’t see any dry patches anywhere.

Pour your batter into prepared cake pans or cupcake tins.

Bake cakes at 325F (162C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry (the time will depend on the size and depth of your cake pans, as well as your individual oven). Cupcakes take around 17 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely before decorating with your preferred frosting. My favorite is my American Meringue Buttercream with 12 drops of LorAnn lavender oil added.

The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to a week, or wrapped well (double wrapped in plastic film) and frozen for up to six months.

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Whacky Cake Recipe Tutorial Video:

This video is for my chocolate whacky cake, but the process is the same – just using chai tea powder instead of cocoa powder and hot milk instead of coffee.

Recipe:

Yield: 1 10", 2 8", 3 6" cakes, or 24 cupcakes

Chai Spice Cake (Vegan, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, One-Bowl)

Pumpkin spice needs to move over, because this is the fall flavor that is going to fill you with autumnal warmth this year! Warm Indian spices including cinnamon, cardamom, anise, and black pepper turn my favorite hot latte from beverage to show stopping dessert.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour (480g)
2 cups sugar (400g)
2 tsp baking soda (bicarb) (12g)
1 tsp salt (6g)
5 chai tea bags (10 if you don't have a spice/coffee grinder)
2 tsp vanilla extract (10ml)
2 tbsp vinegar (30ml)
3/4 cup of vegan butter/margarine, melted (you can use oil, see notes below) (175ml)
2 cups plant milk, hot (475ml)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325F (162C)
Prepare your cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment paper circles on the bottom
Empty the contents of your tea bags into a coffee/spice grinder and blitz until it's a fine powder and let it rest for five minutes without opening (see recipe notes if you don't have a grinder)
Whisk together your flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl
Gently stir your chai tea powder into the dry mix
Create three deep wells in your dry mix
To the first well, add your vanilla. To the second, add the vinegar. To the third, add the melted butter/oil
Pour your hot milk over the entire mixture
Gently whisk or fold your batter until it's well combined and no dry bits remain
Divide your batter evenly among your prepared pans
Bake for 45 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and it comes out clean (cupcakes only need about 17 minutes)
Remove your cakes from the oven to a cooling rack. Let it sit in the cake pan for five minutes before turning it out. Let cool completely before frosting.

Notes

*This can be made with your favourite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour if you want to make a wheat-free version.

*For a no-sugar-added version, use a cup-for-cup Stevia baking blend in place of the granulated sugar.

*Using melted butter is recommended for stacked or carved cakes. Oil is best for cupcakes as it results in a fluffier texture.

*For soy-free, use melted Country Crock Plant Butter sticks (avoiding the almond one if you have a nut allergy) or Miyoko’s butter if you’d like to also avoid palm-oil. Or use a non-soy oil instead.

*If you don't have a coffee/spice grinder, feel free to add the contents of the tea bags as is to the dry mix. It will leave larger flecks in the finished cake and won't give you as a smooth of a color. If you still want a smooth color, try steeping ten tea bags in your hot milk instead of grinding the contents of five.

Allergy-Friendly and Vegan Pastry Recipes:

American Meringue Buttercream (vegan)

October 28, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// 84 Comments

This frosting is quick, it’s easy, it’s no-cook, and just so happens to be vegan. It’s American Buttercream’s less teeth-shatteringly sweet, more refined, and just as perfectly versatile meringue cousin. Dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free, it’s allergy friendly and you’ll love working with it. Plus, the flavor and texture will have everyone who tastes it in awe.

While American Buttercream may be the quickest and easiest of the buttercreams to make, many people find it to be sickeningly sweet because it’s the sugar that gives it structure and body – and it takes quite a lot. So what could we possibly do to it to make that not the case?

Enter aquafaba.

Tips&Tricks Square — I usually use garbanzo/chickpea aquafaba – but any one will do!

Aquafaba is legume (beans, lentils, soy, peas, etc.) cooking or canning liquid – and it is the vegan egg white replacement for perfect meringues. It can be used to make macarons and top meringue pies, and even perfect little meringue cookies and royal icing. And it gets treated just like egg whites do in all of the meringue recipes out there.

And there are some amazing recipes by amazing bloggers for vegan meringue buttercreams like this recipe by Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery which is DELICIOUS and AMAZING, but they all involve a pan on the stove and I’m honestly quite lazy and don’t like to dirty extra dishes or turn the stove on unless I absolutely have to. So I had an idea.

Weighing sugar to make syrup. The bane of my existence.

One day, while making my easy vegan buttercream, I wondered how I could lower the sugar amount but still maintain structure within the frosting.. And I’ve made enough aquafaba meringue to know it COULD provide structure, but was worried it might deflate if I added it to a bunch of fat. Fats and oils kill meringue faster than you can blink your eyes, in case you didn’t know. Plus, aquafaba meringue usually deflates over time unless it’s stablized with something like agar agar. If you don’t add a stabilizer, it starts to melt and get weepy, and NO ONE wants a soggy cake due to deflating meringue.

But I decided to give it a chance anyway, and I did it the lazy way; I just cracked open a can of beans and dumped the liquid straight into the buttercream.

AND IT WORKED. WONDERFULLY. PERFECTLY. MIRACULOUSLY.

Smooooooth.

It fluffs up gorgeously, provides a silky texture and beautiful sheen to the buttercream, and takes the place of a whole bunch of sugar so that the frosting is only about half as sweet as what my original American buttercream recipe is.

Even being a meringue buttercream, it’s still stable enough to go between cake layers or macarons and not squish or slide out everywhere.

This cake traveled an hour by car, was unloaded and reloaded multiple times, and sat in 75-80° F heat for over three hours and did great! It was filled and frosted with American meringue buttercream.

It doesn’t deflate or weep, and colors and takes on flavors like a dream. And if you want a denser meringue, you can totally reduce your aquafaba down before adding it (I don’t because I’m happy with the way it is and I don’t want to dirty extra dishes).

If you want to check out some gorgeous cakes that use buttercream employing this method, check out @justsomethingfancy on Instagram – while she doesn’t use my exact recipe (because I’m just publishing it now, lol) she does add reduced aquafaba to her buttercream to make it lighter, fluffier, and less sweet.

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Pinterest image featuring cupcakes topped with smooth, white, meringue buttercream

As far as butters go, take a look at my Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever post to check out which ones work and how to make the ones that don’t bend to your will.

Tutorial Video:

So without further ado….

The Recipe

Yield: Enough to generously fill and frost an 8" cake

American Meringue Buttercream (vegan)

No thermometers, no cooking, no weighing, no timing, no fuss. The easiest meringue buttercream to ever exist - thanks to aquafaba. And it just so happens to be vegan. Smooth, pipeable, delicious, and super simple to make.

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups (4 sticks, 450g) vegan butter*, room temp
5 cups (550g) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2ish c (125ml) aquafaba, room temperature**

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream your butter on low speed until lighter in color and smooth, then turn off mixer.
Add all the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until completely incorporated. Turn off mixer.
Add in your vanilla and aquafaba and mix on medium high for five to ten minutes, until your preferred level of fluffiness has been achieved. Keep in mind that the fluffier it gets, the less weight the buttercream will be able to hold. I usually go about five minutes.
Mix on low/stir speed for five minutes to get rid of bubbles.

Notes

* Country Crock plant butter sticks or equivalent. For more on vegan butters and how to make them work, check out my Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever post (please note that Earth Balance and Miyoko’s are both too soft for this recipe alone. Use 50/50 butter and shortening if you’re unsure if your butter will work)

** I add my aquafaba straight from the can - no reducing. Feel free to reduce yours first if you want, though.

*** The perfect amount of aquafaba to use depends on your climate, your tastes, and your needs. If your buttercream feels too soft, reduce the aquafaba to about 1/3c and/or reduce whipping time. You can also add extra powdered sugar to stiffen it.

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