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Spinach Banana Bread (Vegan)

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5 from 1 vote
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Spinach Banana Bread (Vegan)

A recipe for moist banana bread that is vegan and has a healthy dose of spinach for a vibrant green and healthy loaf. 

Course Brunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

  • 4 very ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter (earth balance)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup raw spinach
  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped or chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a loaf tin with parchment paper

  2. In a blender combine vegan milk, vinegar, spinach, bananas, vanilla, and blend. Once spinach is finely broken down, pour in sugar and blend to combine further. Add 1-3 tsp more milk if needed to loosen mixture if unable to blend. 

  3. Melt vegan butter and pour into blender and mix until combined, about 10 seconds. 

  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the medium bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Batter should be smooth with no flour streaks or lumps. 

  6. Mix in dark chocolate and pour into loaf tin. 

  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes depending on your oven, when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean remove to cool. 

  8. Let cool in loaf tin for 15 minutes before flipping onto a cooling rack to cool fully before slicing to avoid crumbling. 

This recipe is the solution to all your problems.

That’s possibly an overstatement…

This recipe is the solution to your overripe banana problems.

Seriously though don’t you hate when you buy a bunch of bananas and you think you have plenty of time to eat them all before they ripen and then all of a sudden days have passed and you forgot to eat your bananas and they’re spotted all over and there’s no way you can eat four bananas in one day and you have a mini crisis in the kitchen but then remember that having more food than you need is a good problem to have and thankfully you live in the developed world with no shortage of food.

Or is that just a me thing??

 

Having lots of overripe bananas happens to me far more often than I’d like to admit especially considering I’m such a nutcase about food waste. My solution is usually one of two things:

a) slice the bananas and put in a bag in the freezer for using in smoothies or ‘nice cream’ at a later date

b) toss them in the freezer whole to use for vegan banana bread later

I realize as I type these two solutions out it’s basically just one solution – freeze them. The difference is that I find it easier to use chopped banana for blending and am sometimes too lazy to chop them so the whole ones get tossed in the freezer now and again. If I am going the banana bread route, I find it easiest to take the bananas out of the freezer first thing, start gathering all my ingredients together and preheating the oven etc then by the time the recipe calls for the bananas they are soft, a little warm, and ready to go into the batter.

Blending magical ingredients

As do most of my recipes, this one uses a blender to sneakily get a healthy dose of spinach in there. These could be the perfect baking project for St. Patrick’s day since the banana bread slices have a nice green hue to them! I promise you everyone will think you’ve just added food coloring you do not taste the spinach at all.

This banana bread is vegan and uses vegan butter, I love earth balance when available, but any vegan butter or vegetable oil spread will do, the butter has a certain flavor to it that adds a hint of saltiness but this will be delicious either way. You do need to melt it a bit or let it soften in order for it to mix well into the other ingredients. You’ll want to give your blender an extra good cleaning after as blending with butter can leave a little oil residue behind.

This is a great banana bread recipe and a wonderful reminder that you don’t need to use animal products to get a delicious moist dessert! Go look for some ripe bananas in your freezer and try this one out.



Banana bread loaf with banana bunch

 

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

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Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

5 from 9 votes
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Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

A warm wintry spice cake made healthier with parsnip and pear with no dairy or animal products and a vegan swiss meringue buttercream from aquafaba.

Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grated parsnip
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pear
  • 2 sticks vegan butter room temp
  • 4 chia eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325F degrees and lightly grease two 8" baking tins

  2. In a medium bowl beat together the butter, sugar, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, and chia eggs until combined.

  3. In another medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and pour into the bowl with the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate being careful not to overmix. 

  4. Stir in the parsnip and pear gently to evenly distribute throughout the batter.

  5. Divide batter evenly between both pans (I use a kitchen scale to be precise) and put in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out of the middle clean. 

  6. Let the cakes cool for at least an hour before frosting. 

It’s the moooost wonderful timeeee of the year! Or so they say…

I think that it’s the most…busy/hectic/stressful time of the year! Not to imply that I focus on the negative at all, in fact I would say I am usually quite the optimist.

Something about this year just felt so crazy, December flew by so quickly I feel like I barely had time to enjoy the festiveness of it all. I suppose it comes down to the fact that I moved this fall and also managed to catch the worst cold ever that lasted for weeks! Add that on top of all the holiday parties, gift buying (while trying to avoid the masses of people also doing their gift buying), busy days at work – it all really wore me down.

I took what I realized was the longest number of days off since college and I’m so glad I did. The much needed respite was really appreciated and deserved! It also allowed for plenty of time in the kitchen baking up a storm!

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

Parsnip – not just for dinner

While I was home I made something preeeeeeeety tasty. Parsnips seems to always appear on the menu in my parents house exclusively around the holidays. I suppose winter is the time to eat root vegetables seasonally, but this winter I realized I’d only ever had roasted or mashed parsnip and felt I needed to branch out.

Parsnip has a funny spongy texture which makes it quite absorbent meaning it takes on the flavor of the seasonings and spices you cook it with quite well. Why not add some sweet flavors and make it into a dessert!

Carrot cake has been done time and time again but why was its cousin the parsnip always left out of the dessert fun?

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

Parsnip and pear – the ultimate combo

The addition of pears to the cake was largely due to the fact that my parents had received a gift basket in the mail that included a lot of pears. I figured pears would add a lovely moisture to the cake but was concerned that they were also a little mild on the flavor side, hence the addition of a healthy dose of warming wintry spices! Cardamom makes a guest appearance in the spice mixture, I’m quite partial to cardamom and I think it pairs really well with the pears (pairs with pears ha).

This cake is made vegan by using chia (or flax) eggs in the batter and by using aquafaba in the frosting which is a vegan swiss meringue buttercream. I am a HUGE fan of swiss meringue buttercream and I love that aquafaba yields an amazing vegan version! If you haven’t already tried aquafaba you can check out my other posts featuring it to make vegan fluff and vegan pavlova!

This is the perfect cake for these cold winter days and a great way to use seasonal parsnip and pears! It comes together pretty quickly and adorned with some dried orange slices is the perfect centerpiece for a winter feast!

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

Parsnip Pear Spice Cake (Vegan)

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream I use this vegan version made with aquafaba found over on the blog Gretchen’s Bakery

Cake with white frosting and dried orange slices on top with one slice cut out and fresh parsnips in the bakcground

Aquafaba Chocolate Pavlova (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)

Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)
4.58 from 7 votes
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Aquafaba Chocolate Pavlova (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

A vegan version of the popular chocolate pavlova cake using aquafaba. Naturally gluten-free this delicious dessert is a crowd pleaser!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1 cup sugar (I've used white and coconut)
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
  • 1 tsp vinegar (I used ACV)
  • 1 tsp vanilla powder
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder (can sub cocoa) optional
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 can coconut cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees and prepare a large baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Combine the sugar and arrowroot powder in a small bowl, stir to incorporate

  2. Pour the chickpea brine and vinegar into a large bowl and start whisking on low for a few minutes then high. You'll start to see soft peaks forming after about five minutes.

  3. On medium-high if your electric whisk has that setting (otherwise keep it on high) add the sugar/arrowroot mixture two tbsp at a time, whisking until well incorporated after each addition and continuing until all the mixture is added. Add in the salt and continue to whisk. 

  4. Whisk on high for about 5 more minutes or until you see stiff glossy peaks forming. 

  5. When the aquafaba is whisked enough that you could turn the bowl upside down and it wouldn't move or fall out, whisk in the cacao and vanilla powder. Mixture won't look very dark, just speckled. 

  6. Using a soft spatula, create and fill three even circles with the whipped aquafaba on your parchment paper of about 7-8 inches in diameter each. You should use up all of the aquafaba from the bowl.  

  7. Immediately place in the oven and reduce temp to 250F. Leave them in the oven for 2-2.5 hours or until the outside is dry and the middle looks firm. 

  8. Turn off the oven and let the pavlova cool (in the oven if possible). 

  9. Make the whipped coconut cream: Scoop the cream into a medium sized bowl and whip for about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add one or two teaspoons of powdered sugar if you'd like (I find it too sweet with the meringue), and put cream between each layer of meringue right away. If cream is left sitting out it'll become hard to spread, you may want to refrigerate and re-whip when ready to use. Top with whatever you'd like, nuts, fruit, chocolate shavings, and eat immediately! 

Pavlova is a beautiful thing. Not necessarily beautiful to look at (unless you’re great at making perfectly even meringue layers), but beautiful to taste. The chocolate meringue is crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, with enough sugar to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Between each layer of meringue is a healthy spread of cream, (coconut cream in this case to keep it vegan) and nestled in between the layers of cream and meringue you can hide all sorts of things, my favorite being fresh berries!

If you look closely you’ll see that this particular pavlova has a layer of my beet berry jam spread for an extra hidden veggie boost and a pop of color!

Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)

The first time I had a proper pavlova was in Croatia a few years ago. I won a free flight on a KitKat wrapper (story for another day) and so I hopped on the plane right after I finished college exams with my mom! It just so happened that our trip fell around her birthday so I made sure to contact the Airbnb we stayed in and asked the owner if she’d be able to have a birthday cake there for when we arrived.

You can probably guess that it was a pavlova cake and oh my god was it amazing! I still think about that cake today – I remember sitting outside in the sun in Dubrovnik taking in the old city architecture trying to not totally devour the delicious pile of meringue and cream and berries. Not sure if the cake or the city made more of an impression on me.

It was perfectly light and decadent at the same time, exactly what you want for a cake in warm weather!

Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)

Pavlova is a naturally gluten-free dessert and by using coconut cream in place of traditional heavy cream, the filling is vegan making it a winner for restrictive diets. Want to know my favorite part about this dessert? The meringues are made with aquafaba!! That’s right, those pillowy meringues are whipped up from chickpea brine – no eggs involved!

If you’ve been following my blog for a few weeks now, you’ve probably grown tired of my incessant droning on about aquafaba, but once I get excited about something cool I can’t stop talking about it!

Please go get a can of chickpeas, and pour the liquid into a bowl, whip it up and just watch the aquafaba magic happen if you haven’t already. Truly a genius vegan innovation.

Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)

This pavlova is chocolate because I had some cacao powder on hand when I was making it and am one of those chocolate lovers, but you can also keep it classic vanilla by removing the cacao powder, or you can experiment with a variety of flavors. If you want to keep the simple vanilla meringue base you can always add flavors in the coconut cream or using your favorite jams/spreads/fruit/nuts between each layer (nutella anyone??) to jazz it up a bit.

If you have never had one before or are turned off by all the time required to make the meringues, JUST MAKE IT! It’s worth it! This recipe technically takes a lot of time from start to finish, but most of it is just the meringue sitting in the oven, it’s verrrrry minimal hands-on time. You could do lots of things while it’s in the oven, you could read a book, paint your nails, water your plants, do some yoga, clean your room, it’s basically a great opportunity to do an at-home chore since it does tie you to your house for a couple hours.

Pavlova will always remind me of my mom and I will never forget the memory of my first bite of pavlova in Croatia (genuinely scary how much I think about that cake…). I hope you try this recipe and it brings you as much joy as my first bite of a pavlova cake brought me!

Things that are key for this chocolate vegan gluten-free pavlova:

  • You’ll want to make sure you have a great electric whisk as the aquafaba really needs to be beat like crazy in order to maintain good meringue form, otherwise a kitchenaid mixer will do the trick
  • You need coconut cream, not coconut milk, for the cream filling. If you can’t find coconut cream (available at most asian supermarkets),  you can get a can of coconut milk and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. When you open it, the white part on top is the cream which you’ll want to scrape out leaving the liquid behind for another use
  • Don’t skimp on the time for whisking otherwise your meringues will not stay risen in the oven, they’ll get sad and droopy and no one likes a sad pavlova

Vegan Chocolate Pavlova (Aquafaba, Gluten-Free)

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy something from a link I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I love and use, thanks for supporting Fiona’s Forbidden Fruit!

 

Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

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Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)
5 from 1 vote
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Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

A very easy gluten and dairy free spinach avocado based cake with oat flour and aquafaba fluff made in your food processor or blender. 

Course Dessert
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 half avocado
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups gluten-free oat flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

  2. Add avocado, spinach, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and zest to blender or food processor and blend until pureed and there are no more pieces of spinach visible. It should be a solid creamy green mixture.

  3. Add the dry ingredients to the blender or food processors (giving it a quick stir with a spoon to ensure it doesn't blow to the sides when you turn it on) and blend until combined. You don't really have to worry about over-mixing since it's gluten-free.

  4. Pour batter into two 8" cake pans either greased or lined with parchment paper.

  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on how hot your oven is, insert a knife into the center and it should come out clean when ready.

  6. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. I used this time to clean up and prepare my frosting.

  7. For the frosting, I used 1/3 cup earth balance vegan butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla powder, a pinch of lemon zest and 1 cup of aquafaba fluff (you can find the link to the recipe in this blog post) 

Spring is here! Can you feel it? Can you see it? Everything is green, the trees are sporting pretty little buds, the tulips are blooming, and the air has that spring-y smell in it that makes me sneeze!

Unless of course you live in a city in which case you are probably at that brief seasonal sweet spot in between sidewalks covered in questionably dirty snow and the air smelling faintly of hot garbage.

(City dwellers don’t be insulted, I love city-living and have many fond memories of my time in various ones, however, I am currently enjoying rural heaven with the salty sea air and the lush gardens I get to romp around in daily)

Whether you live in a concrete jungle or a real one, this recipe is a great way to usher in the spring vibes in the air thanks to its vibrant GREEN hue!

Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

In the wake of St. Patrick’s day the internet was awash with green recipes to celebrate the shamrock-clad leprechaun who freed Ireland of snakes (that’s what the holiday is right?) jk I’m super Irish and know what St. Paddy’s day is all about.

One thing that struck me about all these recipes was that they were filled with green food coloring. I don’t know about you but I am no scientist and I certainly don’t understand what it is in food dyes nor do I have any inclination to ingest them. I have this imagery of eating something with food coloring and it turning all of my internal organs green which seems very unnatural and I can’t imagine my body would enjoy that.

Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

I set out to find a way to make a naturally green cake and turned to my favorite green vegetable – spinach! Before you say ‘yuck!’, drop your computer, and run away from this webpage, I swear to you that you can’t taste it. Try to approach putting spinach in this cake the same way you might approach adding some spinach to your fave fruit smoothie. I made this for my brother’s birthday and didn’t tell him what the secret ingredient was until he ate a slice and he said it was tasty! The tangy lemon outshines anything else going on flavor-wise.

Popeye popularized the amount of iron in spinach but its health benefits don’t stop there, it is high in Vitamin A, K, and even calcium! You can put a decent amount in this cake without tasting it at all so throw in as much as your palette desires! One and a half to two cups is my recommendation to keep it on the sweeter side.

I am a huge spinach fan if you can’t tell. Maybe it is no surprise that I am a St Patrick’s day baby what with my love for all things green…

Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

This cake doesn’t use just one green ingredient, it also includes the creamy goodness of avocado in place of any butter/oil. That was a nice little treat for you since I didn’t include avocado in the title of this recipe! Wasn’t that a good surprise?

Spinach, avocado, a few eggs, and some gluten-free oat flour – this cake is BASICALLY a salad, so go ahead and make it, then devour it.

Did I mention how easy this cake is to make? I didn’t. I can’t believe I didn’t say that right off the bat. This cake comes together in seconds as it’s all thrown into your blender or food processor then poured right into the pan! That’s right, minimal cleanup, healthy cake, seriously what is your excuse for not trying this right now.

Easy Spinach Lemon Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

For this cake I made a vegan vanilla frosting with earth balance, powdered sugar, and some aquafaba fluff I had leftover. If avoiding dairy isn’t your thang you can use your favorite buttercream frosting but this simple lemon vanilla one I made was pretty delish.

Now it’s time to go outside, take in a deep breath of that delicious spring air and run/bike/walk/drive to the store to get some spinach so you can make this cake tonight. I’m sorry to be so bossy but really you’re missing out if you don’t try this easy spinach lemon cake!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy something from a link I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I love and use, thanks for supporting Fiona’s Forbidden Fruit!

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy Free)

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Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)
3 from 2 votes
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Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

A deliciously moist dairy-free pumpkin banana cake with a date caramel.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 16
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • CAKE
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 ripe banana mashed
  • 5 medjool dates chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 oz can pumpkin 15
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • FROSTING
  • 1/3 c coconut oil shortening
  • 3/4 c powdered sugar
  • DATE CARAMEL
  • 1 c almond or coconut milk
  • 8 chopped medjool dates
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Using a non-stick spray of your choice, grease 3, 8-inch round cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix coconut oil and sugar (recommend electric beaters), until well incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, banana and pumpkin, add in the chopped dates. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.
  4. Divide batter while pouring into the greased pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife in the center comes out clean.
  5. While the cakes cool, heat the ingredients for the date caramel in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer and stir for 5-10 mintues until the dates lose their shape and the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool.
  6. Combine the shortening and sugar in a small bowl and mix until combined (frosting will be stiff). Spread on one of the cake layers Divide the date caramel up in half and spread on top of the other two of the layers.I used a little leftover date caramel on top of the regular frosting around the rim, this is optional!

Fate is a tricky thing.

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

Whether or not you believe in everything having a certain path or reason, it’s undoubtable that when things fall into place you get a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. Fate can bring things together that may have otherwise forever been apart.

There is plenty of speculation and frustration over whether or not we have control of our own fate, or if there is some kind of higher force that picks and chooses the things that end up together and the things that don’t. If two things are meant to be together, sometimes it’s clear to just one person, and is an oversight of everyone else.

Sometimes when I need a real ego trip, I go to the kitchen and I look at my ingredients and instead of making the same old usual recipe with them, I play with fate and forge a new path, cross-breeding desserts in some kind of mad scientist way to find a new and delicious combination.

This creation is the product of just that, I took bananas, that are usually fated into banana bread and pumpkin, that often becomes pumpkin squares, and brought them together to create one magical delicious dessert – pumpkin banana cake.

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

This delectable treat has all the wonderful moisture of pumpkin squares and the caramelized sweetness of banana bread brought together to delight your taste buds in what I think is safe to say a cake that can be had for dessert or breakfast!

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

While this is made with all-purpose white flour, contrary to my usual forays into gluten-free baking, it’s a very simply recipe and you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

A good thing to note is that because this is made with a gluten-full flour you have to be careful when mixing the batter not to over-stir, as this causes excess gluten formation and can yield tough and chewy baked goods. (One of the perks of gluten-free baking is not having to worry about that!)

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice handy, I would highly suggest buying some as it is probably my favorite spice for fall baking (and all year round baking if I’m being honest with myself). If you are just so inspired to make this right now and can’t wait to buy some online, you can make your own version by combining cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger (I would do 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 ginger and 1/4 each of nutmeg and cloves) or you could simply combine allspice and cinnamon which delivers a similar warm and spicy taste.

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

Have you been searching for a cross between banana bread and pumpkin squares? Look no further, this recipe combines the best of both in a date-sweetened, moist, pumpkin-spiced delight.

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

Pumpkin Banana Cake (Dairy-Free)

Vegan Carrot Cake

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It comes as no surprise that this recipe contains hidden veggies. In fact, I might go so far as to say that carrot cake may be the original hidden vegetable dessert!

Finding a version that is vegan isn’t always easy though, as they’re often laden with butter and eggs, but this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Vegan Carrot Cake

 

The crowd pleasing aspect of this recipe was truly tested as it was one of the desserts I made for my dad’s 60th birthday celebration. It was so popular that not everyone was able to try a piece! (or maybe I just didn’t make enough….sorry hungry guests)

If you aren’t concerned about eating vegan or dairy free, feel free to try this with your favorite cream cheese frosting. The cashew cream, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar combine wonderfully in this recipe to make a light vegan cream cheese-like frosting that I think compliments that cake quite well.Vegan Carrot Cake

You really do get a healthy dose of carrots in this recipe as it calls for a whole pound! These tasty orange veggies really do pack a nutritious punch. Growing up my mom put carrots in my lunch box for school every day and promised me that eating them would improve my eyesight. There was even talk of being able to see in the dark if I ate enough!

A few thousand baby carrots later, this ended up being my introduction to the harsh reality of false advertisement because at age 12 I got my first pair of glasses, despite my daily carrot intake. (I still eat carrots quite frequently though, probably with some subconscious notion that maybe my eyes still can improve)

Vegan Carrot Cake

Carrots do have a healthy dose of beta carotene and vitamin A which has been linked to eye health…They are full of fiber and antioxidants so feel free to tell yourself that a slice of cake is akin to a daily vitamin.

(I am 100% not a Doctor or any kind of medical professional so please don’t throw away your vitamins and replace them with cake based on my hyperbolic suggestions).

Carrot cake is one of those fun customizable recipes that everyone seems to have their own secret addition for. This recipe is just a basic no frills recipe, but feel free to add a handful of walnuts, raisins, or both if you’d like!

This recipe calls for chia eggs, if you haven’t used them before don’t be frightened, they are really quite simple. I buy these chia seeds and then put them in a cheap coffee grinder to grind them down to a powder and mix 1 tbsp ground chia with 3 tbsp water, refrigerate for 15 minutes. Be sure you don’t use the same coffee grinder for your coffee beans. I recommend having a separate one just for baking and you can use for chia seeds, flax seeds, etc. They’re usually $10-$20 and definitely worth not having bits of chia seeds in your morning coffee.Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan Carrot Cake
5 from 2 votes
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Vegan Carrot Cake

Cuisine Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 15
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • CAKE
  • 2.5 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1-2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice depending how spicy you like it
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 pound carrots peeled and grated
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 1 c light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 chia eggs
  • 3/4 c coconut oil
  • FROSTING
  • 3/4 c soaked raw cashews
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1/4 c maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease 2 9" pans with coconut oil spray (or your favorite cooking spray)
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, salt, together until incorporated
  3. In a food processor, combine white and brown sugar with chia eggs until bubbly and combined, about 30 seconds
  4. Add in the coconut oil (may need to soften in microwave first if oil is too cold) and continue to process until mixture appears to become one color and no streaks of oil remain
  5. Transfer the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and incorporate without over mixing (too much mixing the flour makes it chewy).
  6. Divide the mixture between the two pans and bake in the oven for 25-30 mins or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. While the cake cools, combine all the frosting ingredients into a blender or food processor and combine until creamy and smooth.
  8. Add about 2 tbsp to the middle layer and spread with a spatula, pour the rest of the frosting on the top layer for a dripped frosting look. (frosting is not hard like a traditional buttercream)
  9. Optional: top with chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Sweet Potato Spice Cake (Gluten-Free)

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It’s that weird/wonderful/terrible time of year again! Summerfall.

Sweet Potato Spice Cake

I’ve found that most people tend to be at either end of the summer/fall continuum. Some people spend all their time talking about how they’re so sad summer is coming to an end, probably shedding a single tear each day, mourning the loss of that extra minute of brightness and still insisting on drinking iced coffee. Other people have already swapped out their flip flops for boots, their sunglasses for scarves and are spending their mornings hunting for the perfect fallen leaf to post on Instagram. (But for real, where is everyone finding these leaves, I have already seen photos of orange-leafed trees and I swear these people must be posting photos from last year or did some serious photo editing)

You don’t seem to find a lot of people who are simply indifferent to this season change conversation.

So whether you’re #TeamSummer or #TeamFall, time is one of those things we just can’t change (and our capitalist culture won’t let you forget it, I’m looking at you candy corn that’s been on the shelves since August) so get ready to embrace the apples and cinnamon and pumpkin because they are coming!

In fact, they’ve already arrived in my kitchen. This recipe was inspired by traditional German Apfelkuchen which is a simple apple cake. I’m not German and didn’t study abroad there or anything so not sure why the influence was there, but I’ve always been a fan of this style cake! The hidden vegetable surprise comes by way of Japanese sweet potatoes, which I used in place of apples to create the sweet crisp texture in each bite. They have a lower moisture content than their sister the traditional orange sweet potato, and they also are a bit starchier (closer to the texture of an apple!)

A combination of Oat flour and ground almonds helps this recipe earn the Gluten-Free badge. As long as you stick to gluten-free oat flour for the celiacs out there, you can enjoy this cakey treat worry free! (Pro tip: can’t find ground almonds? Buy some almonds whole or slivered and toss them in your food processor or blender and voilà, you have ground almonds)

Sweet Potato Spice Cake

Sweet Potato Spice Cake

I used an 8″ pan for this recipe and left the cake unfrosted because I was feeling a bit lazy and also didn’t want something too indulgent. Without the frosting, I found this cake perfectly acceptable to have with a cup of tea for breakfast – highly recommended as sweet potatoes are high in B Vitamins which are said to help with energy levels. (Though I can’t say I’ve tested this as the energy boost could have been from the tea…)

If you have a mandolin you should totally use it to slice your sweet potato. I don’t have one (on my wish list of kitchen appliances) so I just sliced them by hand, it took me less than five minutes to slice the 2 sweet potatoes I used to produce about 3.5 cups sliced.

If you have a mandolin, like the instrument, you should play a quick tune on it while the cake is in the oven.

Sweet Potato Spice Cake

I hope you enjoy this ‘welcome fall’ treat as much as I did – I swear it’s super easy to make and definitely worth it!

Sweet Potato Spice Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)
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Sweet Potato Spice Cake (Gluten-Free)

A gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free healthy and delicious autumn spiced cake sure to get you in the mood for fall.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Ground Almonds or almond meal
  • 1/3 cup Oat Flour
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup Applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Coconut Oil or vegetable oil
  • 3.5 cups Sliced Japanese Sweet Potatoes I left skin on
  • 6 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp slivered almonds optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease an 8" cake pan
  2. Whisk together almonds, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder in a small bowl
  3. In a separate bowl beat the oil, maple syrup, applesauce, and eggs together until well combined, should take 3-4 minutes.
  4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until combined.
  5. In your greased pan, pour about a third of the batter, then spread half of the sweet potatoes evenly in the pan. Cover the layer with batter being sure to reserve the last third for the top.
  6. Place the rest of the sweet potatoes on the second layer of batter before pouring all the remaining batter evenly spread on top. You may need to use a wooden spoon to move around the batter, don't worry if it doesn't seem like enough.
  7. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes (knife should come out clean from the center)
  8. Remove from oven when ready and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
  9. Flip over on a cooling rack (you may need to gently use a knife to separate the cake from the sides)
  10. Top with slivered almonds, slice and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Spice Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)
Sweet Potato Spice cake

 

 

Mocha Chocolate Beet Cake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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There is something truly therapeutic about chocolate.

Not being a science whiz, I can’t tell you what magical properties have the chemical reactions in your body that make it so satisfying, but there are few things that something chocolately can’t cure.

If you ever have one of those days where everything is frustrating and nothing/nobody really seems to make sense, this cake will be there for you and act like the warm chocolately hug you really need. If you are someone who finds yourself in those kinds of moods often, this cake will still be there for you, AND there is no shame in indulging in it since you’re getting a healthy dose of beetroot.

Chocolate Beet Cake

What takes this cake truly over the edge, is the dark chocolate avocado frosting. That’s right, two vegetables, one cake.

Chocolate Beet Cake

I know a lot of people really aren’t big fans of beetroot and would prefer to silence the chorus of “what?” “really?” “are you sure?” from the beet lovers, but if you can get down with the earthy chocolately flavors in this cake, you just may be a convert. The toasted hazelnuts on top really round out the hearty fudgy flavors you get in every bite.

Chocolate Beet Cake

The mocha flavoring is optional and is done by simply adding a few teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee to the cake batter. Feel free to omit and welcome a richer chocolate flavor, or try substituting cinnamon for a warm and mildly spiced taste. If you aren’t in the mood to roast beets, feel free to substitute pre-cooked beets, like those vacuum sealed ones at Trader Joe’s, in this recipe (just make sure they’re not pickled!)

Chocolate Beet Cake

Make this cake and it’ll make everything better!

Mocha Beet Cake (Gluten-Free,Vegan)
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Mocha Chocolate Beet Cake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Course Dessert
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • CAKE
  • 1 1/4 cups roasted pureed beets about 3 small beets; roasting directions below
  • 4 medjool dates soaked in warm water and pitted
  • 1 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup GF oat flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 2 cups milk of your choice
  • 1 tbsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp espresso powder optional
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of himalayan pink salt
  • FROSTING
  • 2 avocados
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 medjool dates soaked and pitted
  • 2 tsbp melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Roast your beets wrapped individually in aluminum foil at 400F for about an hour, longer if your using larger beets, once cool enough to handle peel the skins off and throw into the food processor, measure out 1 1/4 cup and reserve the rest for your own use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan
  3. Add the beet puree, sugar, vanilla, dates, and coconut oil into the food processor, blend for about 30 seconds until combined.
  4. In a small bowl combine milk and cream of tartar, stirring until it starts to curdle, after a few minutes of stirring add into food processor and blend again about 30 seconds.
  5. Add in remaining ingredients and blend again until incorporated**
  6. Pour into bundt pan and cook about 45-55 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean (cake will be very moist)
  7. Remove and cool on cooling rack and flip onto your cake stand or plate
  8. In a high powered blender combine two avocados (pitted and skins removed), the cocoa powder, soft dates, coconut oil, and maple syrup until well incorporated. Be sure all the date pieces are blended in.
  9. Once your cake is cool, spread the frosting on top and top with the pan-toasted hazelnuts
  10. **If you do not have a large food processor (12-16 cup) do steps 4-5 in a medium bowl with a hand mixer.


Mocha Beet Cake (Gluten-Free,Vegan)

Cauliflower Chocolate Tart with Aquafaba Mousse (Vegan/Gluten Free)

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You may be asking yourself a lot of questions right now.

Why is the title of this recipe so long?

What is Aquafaba?

How is there cauliflower in this delectable dessert?

When can I eat it?

To address the first question…there were just so many elements to this. I even considered describing the edge as ‘oreo crust’ since it strongly resembles the color and taste (ish) of oreos!

Cauliflower Chocolate TartSecond question, Aquafaba. If you are guilty of spending your evenings scrolling through Pinterest healthy recipes, you have likely come across this mysterious word. For me it evoked visions of a fabulous life in the sea, perhaps the name of a mermaid, aqua, fabulaaaa.

Cauliflower Chocolate Tart

In fact, it’s just a nicer word for chickpea brine, aka that slimey goo that you drain out of cans of garbanzo beans and pour down the drain without a second thought. Who would have guessed that that goopy chickpea water stuff was actually something worth holding onto and a key part of vegan baking!

In the vegan world it’s being touted as miraculous vegan meringue magic. (Now there’s a blog post title)

Cauliflower Chocolate Tart

All you have to do is treat the liquid like you would egg whites and whip them until stiff peaks form, then use it the way you would egg whites in most baking recipes! (I’m afraid to say ALL recipes because I don’t know that for a fact, but I believe it should work universally in place of egg whites). Oh and no, it doesn’t taste like chickpeas!

Cauliflower Chocolate Tart

This recipe isn’t very time consuming, you make it and let it set it your fridge or freezer then have a slice whenever you feel like getting in one of your five a day! It even provides a healthy dose of good fats from nuts.

(For the record most petite slices would not actually fulfill the daily requirements of a serving of vegetables)

In terms of taste testers, I gave a large piece of this creation to my friend who shared it with her family. She claims her mom told her via text and in person how good it was, multiple times. Unless she was just being a really nice friend, that sounds like pretty good feedback to me!

If you feel like you want to skip the aquafaba layer today, you can simply omit the mousse ingredients and steps. I would recommend serving with some kind of fruit compote or topping to give it another texture and flavor though! Enjoy

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Cauliflower Chocolate Tart with Aquafaba Mousse (Vegan/Gluten Free)

Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 16
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • CRUST
  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 medjool dates pitted and chopped
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • FILLING
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 3/4 cup steamed and cooled cauliflower about half a head raw
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 8 medjool dates pitted and soaked
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder optional
  • pinch salt
  • MOUSSE
  • liquid from one can of chickpeas
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 6 oz dark chocolate
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar optional

Instructions

  1. Line the bottom of an 8" springform pan with parchment paper
  2. Place walnuts in a food processor and blend until they reach a coarse, sandlike texture.
  3. Add in the rest of the crust ingredients and process until fully combined
  4. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan and using your hands try to distribute the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan and up the sides (or go for the uneven look, whatever you're feeling!)
  5. Place the pan in the freezer
  6. Wipe out your food processor to prepare it for the filling
  7. Process the cashews and walnuts until they reach a fine powder
  8. Add in the cocoa powder, dates, maple syrup, cauliflower, vanilla and salt and process again until you see the creamy filling start to form. Add the chili powder if using.
  9. Add in the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until a very creamy texture is reached, can be up to 4 minutes depending on the strength of your food processor (you can also use a high powered blender)
  10. Pour the filling over the frozen crust and even the top before placing in freezer again to set
  11. Melt chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler, stir until combined and then remove from heat
  12. Whip the chickpea brine and cream of tartart in a medium sized bowl with electric hand beaters until you form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. If using the powdered sugar, blend in also.
  13. Once chocolate has cooled until it is no longer warm to the touch, fold into the aquafaba peaks and stir until a chocolate mousselike consistency has formed.
  14. Now you can pour this thin mousse topping on your cauliflower chocolate layer and refreeze.
  15. Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving!

Cauliflower Chocolate Tart

Earl Grey Cauliflower Cake with Lavender Blueberry Frosting

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This recipe was a pretty exciting one for me to create. Not only does it highlight my love of hidden vegetable desserts, but it also is tea-flavored! Tea is one of my absolute favorite things in all of the world.

This floral cake is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring. For me it served as a nice light addition to today’s Easter feast!

Earl Gray Cauliflower Cake with Lavender Blueberry Frosting

Earl grey tea has that yummy bergamot flavor that is citrus-y sweet with a mild hint of spice. Making this cake gives you the chance to actually eat bergamot flavor, which is impossible to do via the bergamot fruit itself since it is inedible (fun fact). I personally am a huge fan of using cream of earl grey loose leaf tea in this recipe, but any earl grey you have will work just fine.

IMG_2419

Finishing the cake off with a lavender blueberry frosting gives it that delightfully purple look with no food coloring required, and adds to the soothing, floral flavors. Lavender and earl gray come together in this creation for the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea (or whatever daily occasion you use as an excuse to eat cake).

IMG_2436

These photos feature a fun new gift I got from my friend for my birthday last week – a beautiful cake stand and funky plate! Appreciate the cake stand in all its glory and keep an eye out for it, as it’ll be an up and coming star in my food photoshoots.

IMG_2432

This recipe is not gluten-free and it is not vegan and it is not dairy-free (wow I really let you down it seems!) Once I experiment a bit more with it I’ll try to come up with a version that satisfies all dietary preferences. I feel confident that it would work with your favorite 1-1 gluten-free flour but again, I have yet to try this myself.

For now be happy that it tastes like cake yet theres about half a head of cauliflower in there!

If you have never cooked with lavender before, be sure to get some culinary grade lavender when making the frosting.

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Earl Grey Cauliflower Cake with Lavender Blueberry Frosting

A super moist, tea-infused cake with a soothing lavender blueberry frosting.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12
Author Fiona Saluk

Ingredients

  • CAKE
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 - 1 cup steamed pureed cauliflower
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp earl grey tea about four bags if you don't have loose leaf
  • 1 tbsp earl grey tea grounds
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • FROSTING
  • 1/2 cup butter room temp
  • 2 tbsp almond milk or milk of your choice
  • 1/2-1 tbsp lavender
  • 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup powdered sugar or more for sweeter taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease and line two 8" round pans
  2. Boil the cauliflower until soft and throw in your food processor. You should get just under 1 cup of puree.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the buttermilk and earl grey leaves. Reduce to a simmer, stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let infuse for about 15 minutes. Strain tea leaves out using a fine mesh colander or sieve.
  4. Combine the sugar, vanilla and oil until well incorporated in a medium sized bowl.
  5. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, ground tea leaves, and baking powder until combined.
  6. Add eggs, one at a time, to sugar mixture.
  7. Add in 1/2 flour mixture, 1/2 buttermilk mixture, alternating until all is added.
  8. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pans and bake for 30-35 mins, depending on your oven.
  9. While cake is in the oven, heat a small saucepan on low heat with blueberries, lavender, water, and cornstarch, stirring often for about 10 minutes until blueberries start to pop.
  10. Pour through a sieve over a medium bowl to strain out the lavender and blueberry skins
  11. Add butter, powdered sugar, and milk to this bowl and beat until combined and fluffy.
  12. Frost the cake once cooled and enjoy!