Tag: baking

This vegan raisin spice cake from my Granny is from the 1940s. It’s vegan, but that’s totally on accident.

In the 1940s, on account of scarcity brought on by the war, folks learned how to make all sorts of treats without rationed things like fresh eggs and butter. This is one of those recipes, and it’s just as delicious today as it was back then! And what a happy discovery it was when I realized that this spice cake is vegan!

The trick to this cake is that you cook the raisins and use the water as a binder instead of eggs. Raisins (grapes) are naturally high in pectin, and pectin helps to bind the cake together, creating an amazing crumb! The cake in the photos is actually a raisin-currant hybrid! It turns out currants also have enough pectin to hold the cake together and give it that slightly dense texture that we love in pound cakes and coffee cakes!

My Granny has since left us, but she’s still making my life better every day with wonderful gifts like this vegan raisin spice cake recipe, not to mention her many frugal kitchen habits.

So here’s to lovely Grannies that give so much to enrich our lives!

Granny’s vegan raisin spice cake

This vegan raisin spice cake is just as good with dried currants! The amazing blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves gives it a warm spiciness that makes it perfect for an autumn brunch!

• 10-inch tube pan

• 2 cups fair trade Thompson raisins ((see note))
• 2-1/2 cups cold water
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups Camino golden cane sugar ((see note))
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg ((see note))
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon ((see note))
• 1 tsp ground cloves ((see note))
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease your tube pan with oil of your choice. A bundt pan can also be used, but removal will be more difficult. The easiest is a tube pan where the centre is removable.
2. In a small saucepan, combine raisins and cold water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Measure all remaining ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer, or mix all but shortening together and then cut in the shortening by hand.
4. Using a slotted spoon, scoop cooked raisins out of the cooking water. Then add about half of the cooking water to the mixing bowl and mix until all flour is moistened. Add enough additional cooking water to make the batter about the consistency of thick muffin batter. Typically this will use about 3/4 of the water. (If the batter is too thin and you’re using a two-piece pan, your batter may leak out the seam during baking and make it difficult to remove.)
5. Pour prepared batter into the pan and spread the batter evenly. Bake for 1 hour to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the highest point of the cake comes out clean.
6. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. If the cake is a little stuck, simply run a knife around the edges (or any exposed parts) to loosen it. Cool completely before slicing. Makes 16 servings.

• Thompson raisins are darker and typically have a richer flavour than Sultana raisins.
• Golden cane sugar (Turbinado) is a sugar that has a touch of molasses left in it, and it’s a much less processed sugar. This gives it an added flavour depth that is just gorgeous in this cake. My favourite is Camino’s golden cane sugar.
• Nutmeg is a subtle but important addition to this cake. If you’re using freshly-grated nutmeg, it’s stronger, so only use half as much. My choice is Cha’s Organics’ nutmeg.
• Ceylon (a.k.a. true) cinnamon is crucial in this recipe. Did you know most of the “cinnamon” on the market is actually a cheaper cousin of cinnamon called cassia? True/Ceylon cinnamon is marked as such and has a more complex, amazing flavour. I recommend Cha’s Organics’ true cinnamon.
• Clove gives this cake its signature spiciness! You can use ground cloves, or start with whole and grind them yourself. I recommend Cha’s Organics’ whole clove.

What is your fondest memory of your grandmother? While this cake is way up there, I also really fondly remember helping her peel parsnips for Sunday dinner, even though I didn’t much care for them as a wee one!

In solidarity,

Lia

What’s better than delicious, vegan chocolate chip cookies? Delicious, vegan chocolate chip cookies made with fair trade ingredients, of course!

Vegan foods help us to reduce our dependency on industrial animal farming, which is harmful to animals, people and the planet. While I’m not necessarily going to preach veganism from every roof top, I do think it’s a good idea to incorporate more plant-based foods into our diets because everyone wins!

And of course, this is a great opportunity to support ethical consumption (including fair trade producers). Fair trade makes sure that we’re extending the principles of cruelty-free living to fellow humans. It protects workers from exploitation, dangerous working conditions and more. Plus, fair trade has an environmental standard to help protect both people and the planet, which is pretty sweet if you ask me!

Speaking of sweet, this recipe is going to become a family favourite! These cookies are kid-friendly, easy to make and include simple, natural ingredients. They’re so easy, you could even make them with the little ones! And using whole brown sugar and golden cane sugar in place of ultra-refined sugar adds a little nutritional boost to the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.

So without further ado, here is that super yummy, vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Vegan chocolate chip cookies

These vegan chocolate chip cookies are so much like the classic that you’ll forget that they’re eggless and dairy-free! These kid-friendly little morsels are even better warm right out of the oven!

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegan margarine or vegetable shortening
• 1 cup whole brown sugar ((see note))
• 1/2 cup golden cane sugar ((see note))
• 2 flaxseed eggs ((see note))
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 225g bag mini chocolate chips ((see note))

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
2. Beat margarine and sugars together vigorously (this is best with an electric mixer, if you have one!), until they turn a lighter colour and are nice and fluffy. Then beat in the flaxseed eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Stir in the flour mixture by hand, or on the lowest setting of the electric mixer. But don’t over-mix it, as it will make the cookies tough! Stir in the chocolate chips last.
4. Heat the oven to 375˚F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Then, using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheet per cookie, leaving about 2 inches between each for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown and only the very centre of the cookie is glossy.
5. If you like your cookies chewy, rap the pan firmly on the counter as soon as you take it out of the oven to make the cookies “fall” a little. This collapses the otherwise airy centre and helps keep them denser and more chewy, rather than cake-like!
6. Allow to set 3 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Whole brown sugar is a little different than mainstream brown sugar because it’s unrefined. (Many people don’t know that most commercial brown sugar is actually ultra-refined white sugar with molasses added back in!) It has a lovely soft texture and deep caramel flavour from the natural molasses in it. My favourite is Camino’s whole brown sugar (Muscovado).
• Golden cane sugar is less refined than white sugar and has a deeper flavour because it has a touch of molasses left in it. I recommend Camino’s golden cane sugar (Turbinado).
• Flaxseed eggs are one of the easiest vegan egg substitutions. To make 2 flaxseed eggs, simply mix 1/3 cup warm water with 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal until the mixture gets gel-like.
• Mini chocolate chips are a great way to evenly distribute the chocolate chips throughout the cookie! I recommend Camino mini chocolate chips.

Vegan recipes can be just as delicious as non-vegan ones, and they’re a nice gesture towards sustainability, too. (Fair trade covers people and planet pretty well on its own, but veganism helps make sure animals are protected, too!)

So I hope you enjoy this recipe, and that it becomes one of your family classics!

In solidarity,

Lia