S’mores Cupcakes

It’s the school cake sale that happens once a term. This time not for our school years, but the reality is that if I don’t bake some cakes my children won’t be able to buy any. I wasn’t intending on baking any this time, but Little S was rather upset that she wouldn’t be able to join in and buy some treats, so I decided to make some anyway.

Everyone loves S’mores, and here we have rich chocolate cupcakes, filled with a roasted melting marshmallow, then topped with vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache, biscuit crumbs and more marshmallows. Enjoy, preferably in the great outdoors!

S’mores Cupcakes (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

makes 12

• 1 cup oat milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup dairy-free spread, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 vegetarian marshmallows, cut in half

- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 5
- Fill a cupcake tray with cupcake cases
- Mix together the oat milk, lemon, melted spread and vanilla.
- Stir in the sugar
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate, baking powder and salt.
- Gently mix to form a smooth, very wet silky mix.
- 2/3rds fill the cupcake cases

- Place 1 marshmallow piece in the middle of each

- Bake for 18-20 minutes until a knife comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack

Vanilla Buttercream (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

enough to pipe onto 12-14 cupcakes

• 1/4 cup vegetable fat (such as Trex)
• 3/4 cup dairy-free spread (such as Pure)
• 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup oat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

- Whisk together the spread, vegetable fat and vanilla.

- Add the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time with a splash of the oat milk, until fully combined and nice and fluffy.

- Spread onto the cupcakes.

To assemble:

- Drizzle with chocolate ganache (melt chocolate, dairy-free spread and a touch of syrup together)

- Sprinkle with biscuit crumbs (I used Lotus Caramalised biscuits)

- Add half a marshmallow and a broken piece of biscuit.

Smoked Paprika and Parsley Falafel Patties (with Lemon Egg-free Mayo)

For some reason I got to thinking about the combination of smoked paprika and parsley (I do think about food a lot on my long, gruelling commute!) and pondered how I could combine them in a interesting way. Obviously smoked paprika works perfectly in stews or sauces, but I had a feeling that some kind of patty would also work well. In fact these little burgers of chickpeas, parsley and smoked paprika work a treat and will make a good choice for a picnic or barbecue. They work especially well with the lemon and garlic mayo. The only question is what to call them – they’re a kind of falafel as they’re made of chickpeas, a kind of burger, patty, cakes – in the end I opted for falafel patties to cover as many bases as possible!

Smoked Paprika and Parsley Falafel Patties (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, vegetarian and vegan – to make gluten-free use gluten-free flour)

makes 6

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsps smoked paprika, use the sweet variety unless you like it HOT!
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained (or use soaked and cooked dried beans – I just didn’t have the time!)
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• splash of red wine vinegar
• big handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp smoky chipotle sauce (optional)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

- Fry the shallot in the oil until soft

- Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, set aside

- Blitz the chickpeas in a food processor until resembling breadcrumbs.

- Add all the other ingredients and pulse until well combined

- Turn into a bowl and place in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour to firm up

- Form into 6 patties and leave in the fridge until ready to use

- Fry in a little sunflower oil until golden brown

- Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the lemon and parsley mayo.

Lemon and Garlic Egg-free Mayo

• 2-3 tbsps egg-free mayo
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• salt
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

- Combine all the ingredients

Chocolate Swirl Cake

This is an adaptation of the Misfit Baker’s wonderful snicker doodle loaf recipe (if you haven’t yet, do check out her blog, she bakes the most wonderful vegan goodies). I made a version of the cinnamon loaf and it was such a big hit with the entire family that I decided to try a different flavour combo.

The sugar, cocoa and cinnamon swirl makes this cake quite different and rather pretty!

Chocolate Swirl Cake (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup dairy-free spread
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup soya yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup oat milk
• 3 tbsps soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsps cocoa powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

- Mix together the brown sugar, cocoa and cinnamon and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4
- Grease and line a spring-form cake tin
- Sift together the flour, corn flour and bicarbonate and set aside
- Mix together the yogurt, oat milk and vanilla and set aside
- Cream together the spread and sugar until light and fluffy
- Alternately add the flour and yogurt mix (about 1/3rd of the mix each time) and whisk well between each addition.
- Pour 1/3 of the mix into the cake tin and level off.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the cocoa/sugar mix on top, the repeat the layers until all the ingredients have been used up.
- Sprinkle the top with a little more brown sugar
- Using a blunt knife, swirl the layers together
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a knife cones out clean
- Cool briefly in the tin before unmoulding.

Tarte aux Fraises

Delectable French-style fruit tarts (tartes aux fruits with crème pâtissière filling) are my all time favourite puddings, so I was really keen to make a vegan version. And what better place to showcase such a pretty pudding than the Virtual Vegan Potluck? This would after all be my choice if I had to take a dessert to a dinner-party!

As I’ve proudly mentioned before, I was lucky enough to be taught by the great Claire Clark (latterly of the French Laundry) whilst studying patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu and learnt how to make a classic French tarte aux fruits under her. To me a beautiful fruit tart cannot be beaten, but the question was how to remove the eggs and milk from the creme pat? Surely a thick pastry cream is essentially eggs, milk, sugar and flour? Well this version is damn fine – it tastes and looks great, but you must make sure to ‘cook out’ the flour to avoid any raw taste. Even those who avoid eggs and dairy can still eat beautiful, almost authentic French patisserie!

Tarte aux Fraises (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes at least 2 small or 1 big tart

• 1 quantity of sweet pastry (master class coming soon!)
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 1/2 tbsps corn flour (cornstarch)
• 1 1/2 cups oat milk
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla paste or extract or seeds from I vanilla pod
• Salt
• Strawberries, sliced
• 1 tbsp apricot jam

- Roll out the pastry and line a loose bottomed tin. Bake blind and then leave to cool.
- Meanwhile make the crème pâtissière.
- Heat 1/2 cup of oat milk until almost boiling, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat together the sugar and 1 cup of oat milk until the sugar has melted.
- Keeping the mix over a low heat stir in the vanilla, pinch of salt and flour mix.
- Whisk over the heat until thickened.
- Pour into a bowl and cover with cling film (touching the top of the creme pat so no skin forms) and leave to cool.
- To make the nappage (apricot jam glaze) heat 1 tbsp apricot jam with 1 tbsp water (strain if lumpy) until bubbly and sticky.
- Once cold and ready to use, whisk thoroughly and either pipe or spoon a 1/2 cm layer into the tart shell.
- Top with sliced strawberries and bush with hot nappage.
- Leave to cool before eating.

Leek, Courgette and Parsley Soup

We’ve been swamped with leeks in our weekly veg box. I would have just made a bowl of my frankly awesome vichyssoise, but in writing a food blog your mind is always needing to come up with new foodie ideas, so here instead is another bowl of green deliciousness. The lemon zest may sound slightly unusual, but it packs a mighty punch and adds real interest to the soup.

Leek, Courgette and Parsley Soup (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 4

• 3 leeks, washed and chopped
• 2 courgettes, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• lemon zest, of 1/2 a lemon
• Large handful of parsley
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

- Sauté the leeks and courgettes in olive oil until starting to turn golden
- Add a clove of garlic and continue to cook until fragrant
- Pour in the stock
- Add the lemon zest and simmer for 15-20 minutes ( add the parsley after 10 minutes) until all the vegetables are cooked through.
- Blitz in a liquidizer
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, perhaps adding a splash of lemon juice for a bit of zing
- Serve garnished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some parsley.

Mexican bean salad

Spring has arrived and the sun was shining – what better excuse to make some salads? You might have notice that I’m rather obsessed with salads – they’ll certainly be many more coming along if the sun keeps shining (it’s actually raining today, so you might get soup next!)

Beans are such a great protein boost for veggies that they make the ideal basis of a substantial salad. Since beans make me think of Mexican cuisine – here is my Mexican take on a classic marinated bean salad featuring lime, cumin, avocado and coriander. The sugary sweetness is key also. Add more chilli if you like it fiery.

Mexican Bean Salad (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 4

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp lime zest
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tins of beans, drained and rinsed (I used borlotti and kidney)
• 1/4 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• Large handful coriander leaves
• 1 avocado, sliced

- Mix together the sugar, vinegar, lime juice and zest, olive oil, cumin and salt and pepper.

- Add the beans, onion and chilli to the marinade. Let sit in the fridge for as long as possible for the flavours to meld.
- Add the tomatoes, coriander and avocado
- Serve

Churros

Churros (minus the chocolate sauce) are one of the few freshly baked treats we can buy at fairs, festivals and markets. Since the stalls are specialist and sell nothing else there is no risk of cross contamination and most stalls sell versions that are vegan, probably because they are cheaper to make. As a result we get a bit over-excited when we come across a churros stall. Since we haven’t had any since last Christmas I decided to make some as a treat for bank holiday Monday.

The dough is fairly simple and can be made well in advance, but there is no getting round the deep-frying. I’m not keen on deep frying, partly due to not knowing what to do with all that oil afterwards, but its definitely worth it to make fresh, crispy churros.

For any of you are not familiar, churros are fried dough sticks that are often eaten for breakfast in Hispanic countries and have become quite an institution in Spain. Sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon they’re not dissimilar to doughnuts, but are often served with a rich chocolate sauce for dipping.

Churros (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan) N.B. contains gluten

makes about 12

• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 tbsps sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsps sunflower oil
• 1 cup plain flour
• Sugar and cinnamon to dredge.

- Bring the cup of water to the boil
- Add the sugar, salt and oil and stir until the sugar has dissolved
- Take off the heat and beat in the flour until you have a smooth, very thick dough.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle and set aside.
- When ready to cook them, heat the oil (at least 4cm deep) until a piece of bread bubbles and fries on contact
- Pipe in long strands of dough, making sure not to crowd the oil. Fry until golden on each side.
- Remove and dredge with sugar and cinnamon whilst still hot.
- If desired serve with rich chocolate sauce

Rich chocolate sauce (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan) possibly soya and gluten-free depending on the type of chocolate used

• 50g dairy-free very dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp oat milk
• 1 tbsp sugar

- In a microwave or over a Bain Marie, melt together the ingredients until smooth and silky.