Rachel Demuth

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IN THE KITCHEN WITH

Rachel was chef-proprietor of the

award-winning Demuths vegetarian

restaurant in Bath for 25 years, and is

now dedicated to running Demuths

Cookery School. She is the author of

four vegetarian cookbooks, including

the Green Seasons Cookbook.

World Vegan Month is here, with many people choosing to try a vegan diet. So to help, resident chef Rachel offers her guide to vegan baking for the novice cook.

Baking is everywhere at the moment, on TV,

in magazines, even on chat shows, but the

featured recipes are usually laden with butter,

eggs and cream, so how does this baking

frenzy fit into a vegan lifestyle?

Adopting any kind of free-from diet,

whether by choice or necessity, can be

challenging at times, but I would argue that it

also makes you a more creative cook. Baking

vegan cakes and desserts is easier than you

might think, and is really rewarding. But for a

new vegan, the challenge is sourcing the right

ingredients to replace eggs, dairy and honey

in your cakes and bakes, and experimenting

with delicious alternatives, such as mashed

banana, flax seeds and coconut oil.

A trip to your local health food store is

often essential for vegan baking, as you’ll

find a better choice of ingredients and

knowledgeable staff on hand to give advice

on substituting. But you can sometimes find

what you need in the supermarket too, just

look out for the vegan symbol on packaged

products or read the labels carefully as the

traditional ‘V’ for vegetarian symbol doesn’t

mean it’s also vegan. Look carefully for

hidden milk products, such as casein or whey,

and remember that E numbers may contain

animal products – these are often found in

margarines, crisps and biscuits – while gelatin

is often found in yogurts and desserts.

Eating baked goods and sweet treats in

restaurants is also a minefield for vegans,

as desserts are often not even labelled

as vegetarian, let alone vegan. Hidden

ingredients such as gelatin in pannacotta,

cheesecake, jelly in trifle and mousses, honey

as a sweetener and even dark chocolate

(which often contains dairy), mean that

vegans have to be vigilant when eating out in

non-specialist restaurants.

At Demuths, which was my restaurant

for 26 years, two vegan desserts stayed on

the menu for over 20 years as they were so

popular with everyone – the chocolate fudge

cake and the sticky toffee pudding. You can

find recipes for both on the Demuths website.

But with Christmas around the corner and

‘stir up Sunday’ on the fifth Sunday before

– traditionally the day to make Christmas

puddings and cakes – vegans don’t need to

miss out on any of the baking fun, as puddings

and cakes are still utterly delicious without

eggs or butter.

Beginner’s guide to vegan baking

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FROM THE PANTRY

AGARAGARAgar agar is derived from seaweed (Gelidium) and is a vegetarian setting agent and an alternative to gelatin. I like the agar flakes rather than the powder.

To make a fruit jelly with agar agar flakes: add 250ml fruit juice to a saucepan, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of agar agar over the surface and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the flakes dissolve. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then pour the jelly into a mould to set.

At Demuths Cookery School we run vegan courses on baking, gourmet and Christmas cooking, plus longer four-day courses. Check out www.demuths.co.uk, and join our newsletter for monthly cooking tips, recipes, competitions and offers.

www.vegetarianliving.co.uk | 53

Chef’stableFind out more at www.demuths.co.uk; Facebook: demuthscookery; Twitter: @demuthsFor weekly seasonal recipes, follow Rachel’s blog at www.demuths.co.uk/rachels-blog.

ESSENTIAL TIPS…

BAKING ALTERNATIVESl EGGSYou can buy egg replacer products, but I

much prefer natural alternatives.

Try soya yogurt for a slightly sour taste

and light texture – great for muffins,

scones and soda bread.

Mashed banana and soaked puréed

dates both work well as egg substitutes in

cakes, puddings, pancakes and muffins,

also adding flavour and sweetness. They

are good binders, giving a moist texture to

your baking.

Flax seeds can replace egg when you

don’t want added flavour or sweetness. To

replace 1 medium egg, use 1 tablespoon

of golden flax seeds ground to a powder,

mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. The

mix will turn into a mucilaginous gloop and

act as an excellent binder.

Eggs act as a rising agent too, so if

you’re omitting them, increase the amount

of baking powder you use.

l BUTTERReplace butter with sunflower or soya

margarines, but choose varieties made

with non-hydrogenated fat. Most

supermarket brands contain milk and lots

of additives and artificial colourings, so

look in your wholefood store for a natural,

dairy-free margarine. For a fat that sets

hard like butter, try cold-pressed coconut

oil. It’s expensive, but does have a gentle

flavour and is cholesterol free, so a good

choice when replacing a small amount of

fat in a recipe.

l MILKReplace milk with soya, almond, rice, oat

or quinoa milk. For cooking, I like soya or

almond best.

l CREAMReplace cream with soya cream, coconut

cream or cashew or almond cream.

To make cashew or almond cream, soak

cashew nuts or whole blanched almonds

in plenty of water overnight, then blitz in a

blender the next day until smooth and silky.

l YOGURTUse soya yogurt, but for savoury dishes

you’ll need unsweetened, and annoyingly

most brands now have added sugar, so do

check the labels. Or try coconut yogurt.

l CHEESESoya yogurt is also excellent for making

delicious labna, a creamy yogurt cheese.

Pour a tub of soya yogurt into muslin

or a clean tea towel over a sieve, with a

bowl underneath to collect the liquid.

Put a weight on top and leave in the

fridge overnight. Next day, scoop out the

labna and either eat sweet or savoury.

Sweetened it makes a wonderful carrot

cake topping; for savoury, try rolling in

herbs and use as an alternative to cream

cheese – it’s also far healthier!

If you’re feeling adventurous, have a

go making your own cheese with soaked

ground cashews flavoured with Rejuvelac

and matured over a few days.

l HONEYFor a liquid sweetener, I like to use apple

juice concentrate or syrups such as maple,

date and agave.

l CHOCOLATENot all dark chocolate and cocoa is dairy-

free, so check for the vegan symbol. You

can also now buy vegan

white chocolate!

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Chocolate and coconut mousse This is a lovely silky, rich chocolate mousse,

a really decadent vegan dessert!

Serves 6 | Prep 10 mins

Cook 30 mins + cooling and setting

100g water

50g caster sugar

75g vegan dark chocolate

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp vegan cocoa powder, sieved

3 tbsp espresso coffee

130g coconut cream (Blue Dragon brand,

chilled for 1 hour)

1 Put the water, sugar and dark chocolate

together in a pan and heat gently until the

chocolate has melted.

2 Mix the cornflour and cocoa together in

a small bowl with the espresso coffee, to

make a thin paste. Mix a spoon of the hot

chocolate mixture from the pan into the

cornflour mixture, then add the cornflour

mixture into the pan and simmer very

gently, stirring continuously until it forms a

thick cream. Sieve the whole mixture into a

bowl to remove any lumps.

3 Leave to cool to room temperature, but

not until it sets. Either stir the mixture over

a bowl of iced water for a few minutes or

put in the fridge. It will take about an hour

in the fridge.

4 Whisk the chilled coconut cream until

thick and doubled in volume. Put the

cooled chocolate mixture into a mixing

bowl and add a quarter of the coconut

cream. Whisk to loosen the mixture,

and then gently whisk in the rest of the

coconut cream.

5 Pour into little pots and chill in the fridge

for an hour until ready to serve.

COOK’S TIP You can make these puddings

the night before and keep them in the

fridge, as they will set firmer.

n PER SERVING 275 cals, fat 19g, sat fat 15.5g,

carbs 24g, sugars 18g, protein 3g, salt 0.1g,

fibre 0.5g