Vegan Walnut Plum Cake

For someone who makes and eats so many desserts, it's surprising that I haven't made up a cake completely from scratch before. 

Well, here it is!

After a challenging day, and with about 10 minutes to spare before bath and bedtime for Sylvia and Lexie, I was determined to create a comforting cake to finish the day on a high note. 

My mum had given us a load of sugar plums. It triggered a memory of a cake she makes sometimes with walnuts and plums or apricots. I asked her how she makes it, but my mum is an instinctive cook and never measures anything so I just had to fly blind.  

The kitchen was in quite a state by the time the cake was in the oven, but it was worth it!

It's just a humble cake, but a delicious one and I'm proud of it! Everyone in the household loved it, which is always an unexpected joy with the variance in ages and preferences!

The walnut and cinnamon go so well with the soft baked plums, and I think the coconut yoghurt gives the cake a lovely texture. I actually had intended to use a bit of oil, but in my flurry totally forgot! In the end, it definitely wasn't missed. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Vegan Walnut Plum Cake

1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water
1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut yoghurt
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used coconut rice milk)
About 10 plums (I used little sugar plums), sliced or halved
bit of extra cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180C and oil a square cake tin. 

Firstly, whisk together the flaxseed and water and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, pinch of salt, sugar, cinnamon and walnuts in a large bowl.

Add the yoghurt, milk and flaxseed mixture and stir until just mixed.  

Put the batter into the cake tin and place the plums on the top. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and sugar on the top if desired.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned and firm in the middle.  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dough Balls

I love all manner of raw bliss ball type snacks, but these are my absolute favourite. 

There's just something about peanut butter and chocolate, and the soft doughy feel of these. Once refrigerated, they have a firmer, cakey texture which is also quite addictive.  

And just four ingredients!

I used to make a version of these years ago with soy powder. I remember arriving home from work needing something rich, sweet and fast to make and they always did the trick. 

However, soy powder is not usually something I have in my cupboard. I decided to recreate a healthier version of these dough balls using coconut flour. Also, I have quite a bit of coconut flour to use up! The coconut flour is perfect in texture for these balls and doesn't have an overwhelmingly coconutty flavour. 

Ah, first my obsession with besan flour, now coconut flour! I've tried baking with coconut flour a bit, but I prefer it in raw recipes. 

Janet at the Taste Space has some fantastic vegan coconut flour recipes I am looking forward to trying. 

What are your favourite recipes using coconut flour?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dough Balls

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup rice malt syrup

Combine all ingredients and roll into balls! 

They are softer at room temperature and firmer once refrigerated. 

Vegan Lunch Boxes for Preschool!

Sylvia started preschool this week! To distract from the emotional turmoil of being separated from my baby girl (dramatic, much?), I threw myself into planning her lunch boxes. 

Nothing revolutionary. Yet challenging. And fun! I'm trying to strike a balance between healthy food, convenient finger food and what Sylvia likes and will actually eat.

I seriously felt like a domestic goddess as I cut out Sylvia's sandwiches in flower shapes!

Chocolate spread sandwich, rockmelon, cherry tomatoes; rice crackers,
hummus, blueberries and more rockmelon

Coconut yoghurt and berries; sushi, cranberries and Vegemite sandwich

Sylvia's morning tea and lunch needs to be nut, egg and fish-free as per preschool policy. The last two are easy, of course, but nut-free takes a bit more thought. Luckily, seeds are allowed.

I made some tamari-roasted chickpeas and banana, oat and chia seed muffins, but unfortunately they were vetoed by Sylvia before they made it into her lunch box. They were enjoyed by the rest of us, though!

Sylvia liked most of this stuff. Some of it came back, but I think that was partly due to all the excitement and nervous energy of starting preschool. 

Much inspiration is from Sarah at Play.Love.Vegan. She prepares the most amazing lunch boxes for her children. 

There are also lots of creative ideas in the great book Vegan Lunch Box. 

Most importantly, Sylvia is enjoying preschool and was eager to return on the second day. It's amazing to see her world opening up. 

Simple Black Bean Wraps with Cashew-Tofu Mayo

Sometimes we get into a bit of a dinner rut during the week. Our days are so busy, and I'm not great at meal planning. I end up falling back on simple tried and tested recipes.

I'm mostly happy with very simple meals such as salads, but I like to experiment with different recipes for fun - and for the sake of the other people in this household!

Funnily enough, I always seem to find the time to line up a list of new desserts to try out, hmmmm...

Anyway, this meal was a nice change from the usual. I love black beans! And the cashew-tofu mayonnaise was a perfect light accompaniment.

These reminded me of our old but recently neglected favourite, tangy bean wraps, although the flavour of the filling is entirely different.

Now, with my leftover black beans I plan to try making black bean brownies. See? It's so easy to think of new desserts to try!

Simple Black Bean Wraps with Cashew-Tofu Mayo

1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Half a red capsicum, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups corn kernels (I used frozen)
3 cups cooked black beans
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

6 homemade white flour wraps (you can actually use white flour or a combination of flours in these wraps) or bought wraps

Batch of Cashew-Tofu Mayo

Fry the onion in oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic and capsicum and cook a few more minutes. Add the tomato paste, sugar, salt, corn and black beans and cook for a bit more.

In the meantime make the mayo, and the wraps if making them yourself.

Add the bean filling and mayo to the wraps, roll them up and eat!

A Tale of Two Vegan Quiches

I've been on a bit of a quiche kick lately.

Before I was vegan, I didn't mind quiche but I always found it rather heavy.

Vegan quiche, in my opinion, is so much better!

Quiche #1

I made this quiche from Oh She Glows when our lovely friends came over for lunch on New Year's Eve. 

The filling is made with firm tofu, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. The crust (which I especially loved) is made with ground almonds, oats and herbs. No flour!

I really enjoyed it, and it was a hit with our friends.

My partner, however, was not so convinced. He said it tasted too much like scrambled tofu. Glaring at him, I said yes, and what's wrong with that?! 

Quiche #2

My partner loved this quiche from the Gourmet Vegan, which is made with besan (chick pea) flour. I made it with mushrooms instead of cauliflower. 

I didn't tell him that it was made with besan flour because he has some weird aversion to the stuff. So hopefully he doesn't read this!

Once it cooled, I thought the texture of this one was quite similar to the quiche made with firm tofu. 

I really liked this quiche too. It reminded me a little bit of the scrambled eggs I love. And everyone knows how much I love besan flour. Seriously, is there anything it can't do?

So the verdict? I liked them both equally and will make them both again! The first one was very tasty (loved the sun-dried tomatoes) and the second one had that lovely distinct besan flour taste. Quiche number 2 is probably a bit easier to make, no blending required. 

And now I think it's time to make a quiche with silken tofu. I remember making this one from Easy As Vegan Pie ages ago, and it was amazingly good. 

Top 13 Posts for 2013

Happy 2014!

In the spirit of the new year (and because it's fun), here are the top 13 posts for 2013:


1. Vegan Scrambled Eggs







2. Vegan Chocolate Cornflake Crackles









3. 101 uses for besan (chickpea or gram) flour








4. Chocolate Banana Quinoa Flake Bake









5. Vegan Wedding Cupcakes









6. Healthier Vegan Baking 








7. Raspberries and Cream Overnight Oats








8. Vegan Shortbread Hearts










9. Red Lentil Kofta












10. Vegan Delights






11. Creamy Lentils










12. Mushroom Pan Bread









13. Creamy Millet Apple Pudding










If I did reflect upon 2013 in a non-food way, it might read a little like this post.

This time last year: Top 10 Posts for 2012

Raspberry Christmas (or any other time) Cake

Over this festive season of complete and utter indulgence, I have made this cake a few times.

Sylvia has had lots of fun decorating it!

It is wonderfully easy, light and moist, and pretty with the red raspberries. You need just one bowl to mix it all up - I love that!

Merry Christmas!

Vegan Raspberry Cake (slightly adapted from the Vanilla Cake from How It All Vegan)

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbsp apple sauce or 1 tsp Orgran No Egg mixed with 2 tbsp water
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup raspberries (I use frozen)

Preheat oven to 350C.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, oil, lemon zest and apple sauce/Orgran No Egg and mix together until just mixed. Fold through the raspberries. Pour into a round oiled cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check with a knife/skewer to see if done. 

Icing
Any vegan buttercream type icing is great for this cake. I just mix up a couple of tablespoons of Nuttelex (vegan margarine), a cup or so of icing sugar, splash of vanilla and milk.