A lot of people believe that one of the most difficult courses for vegans to replicate is dessert. After all, how do you make delicious pastries and sweets without using any eggs or dairy products? Most dessert recipes are already vegetarian-friendly (unless they contain lard), but turning a dessert into a vegan-friendly treat is actually easier than you think. With only a few substitutions, you will have a cake and a pie on your hands that even non-vegans and non-vegetarians will be clamoring to eat.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
This delicious vegan cake recipe is pretty much nutella in cake-form. (Does it get better than that?) If you are vegetarian, not vegan, and want to enjoy this cake with dairy products and eggs, simply swap the almond milk and coconut oil for milk and butter, and the flax eggs for regular eggs. Don’t feel like you have to, though, because this cake is simply divine as is. Using almond milk, flax, applesauce, and vegan butter decreases the calorie and fat content of this cake, and using oat flour makes this cake gluten-free as well!
- 4 flax eggs (4 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 10 Tbsp water)
- 1 cup plain almond milk + 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or soy butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 cup plain almond milk
- 1 1/4 cups dairy free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or softened soy butter
- 1 1/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups roasted unsalted hazelnuts
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8" round cake pans. Dust the pan with gluten free flour, shaking out excess.
- Combine almond milk and vinegar and let curdle.
- Meanwhile, make your flax eggs in a mixing bowl, then let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add baking soda to the almond milk and vinegar mixture, and stir until combined.
- Add sugar, maple syrup, and almond milk mixture to the flax eggs, and beat until combined. Add applesauce, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and salt to the mixture, and stir until combined.
- Add cocoa powder, almond meal, oat flour, and gluten-free flour to the mixture and beat until combined. If the batter is too thick, you can add a couple drops of almond milk. It should resemble a semi-thick batter that’s pourable.
- Divide batter evenly between cake pans.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top appears dry.
- Let cool for 15-20 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and place on cooling racks. Let cool completely.
- For the frosting, add almond milk to a glass mixing bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
- Immediately add chocolate to warm milk and let it sit for 3 minutes, or until melted.
- Stir to combine, then add coconut oil or softened butter and cover. Let rest untouched for another 10 minutes.
- Use your mixer to beat the mixture together. Then add 1 cup powdered sugar, mix again, and place in the fridge to set for 20 minutes or until it’s slow to move when you tip the bowl.
- Remove from fridge and beat again. If it’s still too thin, add another 1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- Transfer the bottom layer of the cooled cake to a serving plate. Spread a thick layer of frosting on the top of the bottom layer and top generously with hazelnuts. Press the hazelnuts down to set them into the frosting.
- Carefully top with second layer and frost the top generously, then the sides of the cake.
- Add hazelnuts around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Slice and serve.
Peanut Butter Cup Pie
Missing Reese’s? Make this pie instead. Aside from the crust, this delectable treat is no-bake (and no-guilt because there’s no milk, butter, cream, or sugar included in it). Instead, you will be using natural sweeteners and other healthy ingredients that fit your vegan diet plan. Vegetarians, feel free to sub low-fat cream cheese if tofu isn’t your thing, and milk for coconut and almond milk if you desire. See, eating vegan or eating vegetarian doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your favorite sweets!
- 1 sleeve graham crackers
- 4 1/2 Tbsp melted soy butter or coconut oil
- 12 oz firm silken tofu, slightly drained and patted dry
- 1/2 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk or coconut cream, chilled overnight
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup almond milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a glass pie pan (8 inches x 1 1/4 inches).
- Add graham crackers to a food processor and process until ground. A little texture is fine, but remove any large pieces that don't get ground. Add melted butter or coconut oil, and pulse until combined.
- Add graham cracker mixture to greased pie pan and press down to flatten. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Add tofu, peanut butter, and maple syrup or agave to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Scoop out the cream of our coconut milk or cream and whip into whipped cream in a large mixing bowl. Optional: sweeten with a little powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Fold the peanut butter-tofu mixture into the whipped cream.
- Pour filling over crust and put in the freezer to chill. Once it's fairly chilled and somewhat firm (about 1 hour), prepare your topping.
- Add chocolate chips to a medium-sized bowl and heat your non-dairy milk in a saucepan to a low simmer. Pour milk over chocolate chips and don't touch for 5 minutes to allow it to melt.
- Stir gently with a rubber spatula until a smooth ganache forms. If it doesn't quite melt, you can also heat it in the microwave in 10 second increments until it is smooth.
- Spoon over the top of the pie and quickly spread in an even layer with a knife or spatula (ganache will clump if it sets too long).
- Top with crushed, salted roasted peanuts (optional) and put back in the freezer to set.
- Let chill 20-30 minutes, remove from freezer and serve.
