Sarah Hardy - Vegan Cakes: Dreamy Cakes & Decadent Desserts

Vegan cakes and desserts tend to get a bad rap. Ive had my fair share of dry and bland vegan cakes, and many people who are new to the concept of vegan food still have the misconception that vegan equals healthy. In this book I want to show you how vegan cakes and desserts can be just as indulgent and delicious as their dairy- and egg-laden counterparts, as well as being beautiful to look at.

As a self-taught baker most of my knowledge of baking has been acquired through experimentation and trial and error. There are always new ingredients and products that are being introduced to the market, which make vegan baking really exciting as its constantly evolving. If you are new to vegan baking there may be ingredients in this book which you have not heard of before, that I will go into more depth about later on. With the recent growth of the vegan food trend it should be easy to find all ingredients used in this book at your local health food store or supermarket, as well as online.

This book contains many veganized classics, as well as some more adventurous flavours and desserts you may not have tried before. I have also included step-by-step techniques and photo diagrams for all of the decorating methods used in this book, which should help you in creating your own dreamy cakes and decadent desserts. Share your creations with me on Instagram @hebe_konditori.

The following is a list of some tools and pieces of equipment that you will need to make the recipes in the book. Some things arent essential but will make the process much easier.

CAKE TINS

When making layered cakes its best to use simple cake tins with straight edges and without loose bottoms or springform releases this will ensure that your cake layers are as uniform as possible. Loose-bottomed tins are useful for things like cheesecakes or tarts that need to be carefully removed from the tin.

STAND MIXER

I specify using a stand mixer in recipes as they come with different attachments, making them very versatile. However, if you dont own one you can use an electric hand whisk for mixing cake batters. For doughs youll need to knead by hand and add around 4 minutes to the time it needs to be worked.

RUBBER SPATULA

I always use one of these for stirring and folding by hand. Theyre really good for getting every last scrap of mix out of the bowl and they wont scratch your pans. Make sure you purchase a heat-safe one.

MEASURING SPOONS

These are very handy as many recipes in this book call for teaspoons and tablespoons and it can be quite tricky measuring out ingredients without them.

CAKE TURNTABLE

This makes assembling layer cakes and covering cakes with buttercream much easier. Id recommend a metal one as theyre much sturdier and last a lot longer than plastic turntables. However, they are much more expensive so if youre not planning to make a lot of layer cakes then a plastic one will do just fine too.

CAKE SCRAPER

I like using a metal cake scraper as I find they get a really sharp buttercream edge on your cake, but plastic versions are available too. They are also great for cleaning your work surface after youve been working with dough or anything sticky.

SMALL OFFSET SPATULA

Useful for smoothing out buttercream on cakes and smoothing the top of cake batters before they go into the oven.

FONDANT SMOOTHER

This is literally just a piece of flat plastic with a handle on the back but its very handy for smoothing fondant and marzipan coverings.

PARCHMENT PAPER

Its really important to use non-stick parchment paper and not greaseproof baking paper as most of your bakes will end up getting totally stuck if you use the latter. You can also use silicone mats but the good-quality ones are quite expensive.

FOOD PROCESSOR

You will need one of these for quite a few recipes in the book. If you dont have one you could use a blender like Nutribullet youll just have to blitz things in batches.

SMALL BLENDER

This is just a smaller version of a food processor but its useful for blending small quantities of nuts, like when making . It will allow you to get super-smooth nut butters and creams, as well as smooth fruit pures.

ROLLING PIN

For rolling pastry, fondant and marzipan youll need a 20cm (8in) rolling pin without a handle a solid shape is ideal so that you never have to worry about making marks on your pastry or fondant.

DISPOSABLE PIPING BAGS

Readily available online and in cake decorating shops, these are pretty essential for decorating. They come in a lot of sizes but I tend to use small 15cm (6in) bags for royal icing and small detail piping, and larger bags of about 30cm (12in) for filling and covering layer cakes. You can also purchase reusable piping bags; however, I find it trickier to source nozzles to fit them. If using disposable piping bags, make sure they are biodegradable.

NOZZLES

These come in all shapes and sizes. I always use metal nozzles as the plastic ones dont tend to create as defined shapes. To use, simply cut a small hole at the bottom of the piping bag, just big enough for the tip to come through. See some basic using nozzles.

SUGAR THERMOMETER

Vital for Italian meringue buttercream and a few other recipes. You can use the water test instead but it isnt always completely accurate. To do this, use a clean spoon to drop a little sugar syrup into a bowl of very cold water then remove from the water immediately. If it is sticky and malleable it has reached the soft ball stage. If it holds together in a ball it is at hard ball stage and perfect for making the .

OVEN TEMPS

The oven temperatures given are for standard ovens. If your oven is fan-assisted (convection) please lower the temperature by 1020C/ 2030F.

Below are some basic ingredients that are my staples of vegan baking. If youre new to vegan cooking there may be some ingredients youre not familiar with yet.

SOAKED CASHEW NUTS

Soaking cashews lets them absorb water and become much softer. This makes them much easier to blend and turn into creamy textures. They also have a fairly neutral flavour, which makes them a great base for lots of recipes. To soak cashews simply place in a bowl and cover with cold water, then leave at room temperature for about 3 hours. You can also leave them overnight, but make sure you cover the bowl and place it in the fridge.

COCONUT OIL

Recipes will specify refined or unrefined coconut oil. Unlike unrefined coconut oil, the refined oil doesnt have a coconut flavour. It also has a higher smoking point, which makes it more suitable for baking and heating. Note that it is solid at room temperature so occasionally you will need to melt it before being able to use it.

UNSWEETENED MILK & YOGURT ALTERNATIVES

With any of the recipes that call for vegan milk or yogurt in this book, its important to use ones that are unsweetened and unflavoured, as added sweeteners and ingredients could affect the bake or finished outcome of your cakes and desserts. There are lots of dairy-free alternatives available now so use whichever one you prefer I tend to use oat milk for all my bakes but I will specify in the recipe when to use a particular dairy-free alternative if necessary.