The Joy Of Vegan Baking, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (Fair Winds Press, 2007)

 

I just love this book, plain and simple. The recipes always work. The ingredients are easy to find. The recipes are not complex, yet the results are always fabulous. The photographs are plentiful and gorgeous. And people are shocked that there are no eggs involved. What’s not to love?!

 

I don’t consider myself a “true baker” and I am baking at a high altitude (5600 feet) and yet these recipes always work without adjusting for the altitude at all. Sometimes I substitute whole wheat pastry flour for unbleached flour in the recipe and they still work!

 

This book includes recipes for desserts and sweets as you’d expect. It also includes other baked goods such as savory breads, muffins, biscuits and scones. Some of my favorites include the Cornbread (with the corn kernel option), Mediterranean Olive Bread, Pumpkin Spice Bread, and Cranberry Nut Bread.

 

The Chocolate Cake will become your “go-to” chocolate cake. The Blueberry and Orange Bundt Cake pops with flavor and is so easy to transport. This recipe also is pretty in pans with 6 small Bundt containers. And should you think that you can no longer bake fancy items without eggs, think again! There are instructions and recipes for crepes, blintzes, strudels, pastries and pies. There are also recipes for cinnamon rolls, soft pretzels, focaccia bread, and more. In addition, there are recipes for snacks and candies as well as for sorbets and shakes. Also, check out the recipes for celebratory hot and cold drinks, frostings, sauces and spreads. This book may well have been the first place I saw a recipe for cashew cream. This is one baking cookbook that everyone, vegan or not,  should own and use regularly!

 

Justina Walls

3-28-2014