Plant-based Baking 101

As the weather starts to cool, I - like many others - find myself delving into cosy crafts and hoping to become somewhat of a Julia Child, Martha Stewart, and Mary Berry home chef. 

As part of my wellness journey, I have started experimenting with different plant-based swaps for my favourite baking recipes, making sure that each dish is as beneficial as possible to me, my loved ones, and the planet. 

This can, at times, be quite trying, as baking - as the saying goes - is a science. I know that I am not alone in this plight, and have found many alternatives that have allowed me to continue to stay true to my heritage (and surname!), and actually become a baker while remaining conscious of my wellbeing. 

Here are a few of my most helpful learnings so far…

Butter

A common ingredient in recipes for cakes, cookies and tarts, butter gives richness, tenderness, and structure to your baked goods. More often than not, oil can be substituted for butter. Coconut oil is often used, as it is odourless and tasteless, as well as structurally transformative (it can harden and melt into a liquid, just like butter). There are also a number of vegan butters on the market to try, if you prefer. 

Chocolate

Although vanilla, lemon and fruity bakes are delicious, sometimes chocolate is all I can think about. If you are baking brownies, chocolate chip cookies or the like, consider swapping milk chocolate for dark chocolate. Good quality dark chocolate is often vegan, however the responsibility lies with the consumer to check that non-vegan ingredients have been used by reading the label. There are also some delicious vegan chocolates, such as Honest’s 54% Dark Chocolate Mylk bar - yum! 

Eggs

Often the most difficult ingredient to replace, eggs perform many roles in your bakes. They can provide structure, thicken mixtures, moisten sponges, and act as a glue or glaze. Therefore, there are a couple of different replacement ingredients you can use - including chia seeds, flaxseeds, aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas), silken tofu, banana, and applesauce. Depending on the recipe, you will likely lean closer to one of these options over the others, doing some maths to make sure that you have the right ratio. Egg replacer is helpful in that it cuts out this admin. A pack, like the Orgran Egg Replacer, is a great cholesterol-free alternative to eggs, and is equivalent to 66 eggs.

Milk

There are shelves full of mylk alternatives for bakers to choose from, including almond, macadamia, soy, coconut, hemp, and my favourite - oat. However, soy milk is the most commonly used milk for baking, as it is high in protein, reacts similarly to traditional milk, has a neutral flavour, and can easily be used to make dairy-free buttermilk (with the addition of one tablespoon of an acid like lemon juice). 

Heavy Whipping Cream

Although mylk can be used and thickened to replace heavy whipping cream, the best alternative to provide rich frothiness is unsweetened coconut and cashew cream or silken tofu.