For many across the UK, January is a month for new beginnings and implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Whilst a ‘healthier’ diet is on the top of most Brits’ agendas in January, there are also plenty of Brits taking part in the challenge of only eating a plant based diet throughout the month, also known as Veganuary.
With so many plant-based recipes to choose from, Baking Expert, with a whole range of vegan bakes and Founder of Candy’s Cupcakes, Candice Bannister, reveals the five top tips to help you create the perfect vegan bakes, at home, this Veganuary.
- Use banana and chickpea water
Egg is a key ingredient when it comes to baking. Whilst there are many options of egg replacement in supermarkets, you can also create your own version, using at-home ingredients. Mixing together banana and chickpea water will make the perfect natural ingredient for an egg replacement and not only is it easy to put together, but costs as little as 71p to make.
- Use unsweetened milk
There are plenty of alternative plant based milks to choose from, however, try and stay away from any sweetened or flavoured alternative milks when baking. This is because the flavoured milk will most likely overpower the flavour of the bake you’re making, resulting in it tasting too sweet. Soy milk or unsweetened almond milk is always a good choice for homemade vegan bakes.
- Increase the baking powder
Baking powder is a vital ingredient, when it comes to vegan baking, and you’ll probably find that you use more baking powder in a vegan recipe compared to ‘non-vegan’ recipes. Sometimes vegan cakes struggle to rise, as they are missing some of the key ingredients, however using plenty of baking powder will give your vegan bake the boost it needs, helping it to rise more.
- Choose your colours wisely!
It goes without saying that when you’re vegan baking you must always check the ingredient label of any food products you’re using as there can be many hidden ingredients that are not vegan friendly. If you’re looking to add some colour to your vegan bakes, then be careful of the colour you’re choosing. Many red food dyes contain carmine, which is produced from beetles, therefore making it not vegan friendly. As an alternative, try adding foods that have a natural dye to your bakes, such as beetroot or strawberries.
- Don’t experiment, stick to the recipe
It might sound obvious, but stick to the recipe! This means ensuring you use the correct amount of ingredients and not overdoing it. Many people will often experiment with ingredients when baking and go off on a tangent. However, this isn’t the same as cooking a meal, with baking there is a higher risk of the finished product going wrong if you don’t stick to the exact metrics, and even more of a risk with vegan baking.
