Ingredients of Vegan Desserts
Vegan desserts do not contain milk nor dairy products (yogurt, butter, cream, cheese, milk permeate, milk chocolate…), eggs, honey and animal gelatin. Almost all traditional and popular cakes can be easily and creatively prepared in a vegan way, meaning without eggs and milk. Taste stays the same, while we are making a positive impact on our health, environment and animals.
In recipes, milk is replaced by plant milk (almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk and other plant milks) which can be also found with chocolate, vanilla and other flavors, butter is replaced by vegetable margarine (preferably non-hydrogenated) or oil, cow yogurt and cream are replaced by their plant-based alternatives, cheese by fresh tofu and milk chocolate by cooking chocolate or some other kind of dairy-free chocolate.
In a recipe containing 1-2 eggs, one egg can simply be omitted, especially in case of bread and pastry recipes. Instead of eggs, 1-2 spoons of plain water can be added to the mixture. In pastry and cake recipes, instead of one whole egg, we can use mixture of flour and water or corn starch and water, creamy mashed tofu, mashed bananas, ground flaxseed with water and apple or plum puree. Often, the simplest and cheapest egg substitute is simple vegetable oil which perfectly 'upholds' the form of the cake. A simple formula, which is used in combination with one of the listed substitutes and which additionally firms the mixture, is to replace 1-2 spoons from each cup of flour with corn starch or tapioca flour. In order to get leavened puff pastry dough, we can use carbonated mineral water.
Instead of honey, vegan recipes use herbal sweeteners and grain syrups like agave syrup, barley, rice and corn malt etc. If a recipe contains sugar, white sugar should be replaced with brown sugar and white flour with integral flour. Also, dates, raisins and other dried fruits can be used for sweetening cakes and desserts like smoothies.
For jelly making or with recipes containing gelatin, vegans use pectin and agar agar algae.
Ice cream can be easily made of fruit juice and fruit or you can find various kinds of store-bought soy or other plant milk-based ice creams or fruit ice creams in the stores.
Vegan desserts do not contain animal proteins and cholesterol and, by eating these sweet cakes, you are also saving chickens and calves.
