When I cracked open my review copy of Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking by Cara Reed a few weeks ago, the first thing I wanted to do was take it down to one of our local coffee shops where a year ago I had THE most disgusting GF vegan muffin I had ever tasted. Don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate any effort that restaurants and cafés make to provide vegan options – but this sad attempt left all my non-vegan company guffawing and looking knowingly at each other – “see, we KNEW vegan baking was gross.” Even worse, the said coffee shop still has the same lonely offering today – which means that people buy it thinking THAT’s what GF and vegan has to taste like – which is SUCH a disservice to wonderful vegan baked goods everywhere.
And so you see why I wanted to run straight down there and tantalize the management with this gorgeous book that would set anyone’s mouth to watering – vegan, gluten-free, or none of the above. I waited, because I wanted to try out a few of the recipes, to see if they would truly look and taste as amazing as the versions in the book. Well, so far so good!
This is truly a book that will make you look and feel like a GF-expert – even if you have never made a single GF recipe in your life. What I love about it is it’s NOT full of crazy ingredients you’ve never heard of. Cara includes a recipe for an all-purpose flour blend which might have some ingredients that are new to you, but they are all easy to get, and there are only four of them. The blend can be made in a batch and used in most of the recipes in the book. She also includes guidance on how to make your own GF blend, for those more adventurous or advanced bakers.
Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking includes all kinds of amazing goodies that you might have thought you would never see again as a vegan or if you eat gluten-free. The very first chapter is Childhood Favorites – including Samoas, Thin Mints, Churros, Oreos, Pop Tarts, and more. Cookies, bars, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, breads, donuts, muffins, scones, pastries – it’s all covered in this book. No one is claiming this book is low fat, but its recipes contain many healthier ingredients than the traditional versions of these recipes, and when you’re in the mood to treat your family or friends, this is the book you will want to pull out.
The Resource chapter at the end of the book is extremely informative and useful – especially for those who are new to vegan and/or GF baking. Cara not only gives substitution recommendations, but explains the ideas behind them. I love this type of information because it helps me to understand WHY I use flax eggs in one type of recipe and applesauce in another (to replace eggs), for example.
Cara Reed is our featured chef on the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club this week – all week we will be sharing recipes and ideas from Cara and Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking. Have a question? Be sure to join us and post it on the page. Without further adieu, here’s the first recipe we shared from Cara’s brand new book this week:
Pumpkin Streusel Bread
This is by far one of the tastiest quick breads I’ve ever made. If I could, I would make this every day. Not only is the flavor spot–on, but it is so super-moist it will melt in your mouth with each bite. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself.
Makes 1 loaf or 8 slices
DRY ??
2 c/330 g Cara’s All-Purpose Blend (see below)
½ c/110 g brown sugar, packed
½ c/100 g granulated sugar
2 tsp/7.5 g baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp/5 g xanthan gum
1½ tsp/2.5 g cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves (optional)
½ tsp salt
WET
1 c/245 g canned pumpkin pure?e (not the pie mix)
½ c/120 ml oil
½ c/120 ml hot water
ADD-INS
½ c/60 g walnuts, chopped (optional)
Raw pepitas for garnishing the top (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease an 8 x 4-inch/20 x 10-cm loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the wet ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the walnuts. Pour batter into the loaf pan (if garnishing, place pepitas on top of batter).
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until knife comes out smooth when inserted. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Cara’s All-Purpose Blend (makes 9 cups)
3 c/480 g superfine brown rice flour
3 c/538 g sorghum flour
1 1/2 c/288 g potato starch, not flour
1 1/2 c/288 g arrowroot powder
With a spoon, scoop the flours into a measuring cup. Level with a knife and throw everything into a gallon-sized plastic baggie, seal tightly and shake vigorously until well combined. Keep stored in an airtight container.
Cara Reed is the face behind the website www.forkandbeans.com–a place where you can find all recipes creatively gluten, egg, and dairy-free. It is her personal mission to understand and conquer allergy-safe baking because in her opinion, no one should ever have to skimp on the fun of eating simply because they must avoid certain foods.