Hot Cross Buns

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

About this time last year, I made at least two attempts at hot cross buns. I tried a version where the butter is melted, and another where it is rubbed into the flour. One made for a very dense bun, almost scone-like. Did I say scones? More like bricks. The other was a vast improvement though the recipe required four proving times. Four! 

I only let the dough rise twice because I figured I'd mastered enough yeast cookery to know when to cut corners.

All was going pretty well until I left them in the oven 3 minutes too long. Wahhh. 

very hot, very cross buns

Later, I wondered why I didn't just make buns out of the Stollen recipe I had tried at Christmas. After sitting in my hall of shame for a full year, I'm ready to tackle them again this Easter weekend (despite the calamity that was the gluten-free experiment a few weeks ago, but I'll spare you the horror for now.)

So here's the adapted Stollen recipe for perfect hot cross buns, just in time for Good Friday.

3 cups plain flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

7g sachet dried yeast

1 1/2 cup dried mixed fruit

grated zest of 1 orange

150ml soy or rice milk, warmed

100gm dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex), melted

1 egg replacer

Crosses

50g plain flour

1/4 cup water

Glaze

2 tablespoons apricot jam

Place flour, sugar, spices, yeast, dried fruits, citrus zest and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, stirring well to combine. Whisk milk, Nuttelex and egg replacer together, then stir into flour mixture to form a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth, dusting with more flour if too sticky.

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, turning to grease on all sides. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 200 C and grease a baking tray or line with baking paper.

Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Divide the dough into approximately 12 pieces and knead each piece into even-sized balls. Place in rows on the tray, cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place for about half an hour until risen slightly. 

Combine flour and water for the crosses and stir to a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle (or a plastic bag with corner snipped off). Pipe lines down each row to form crosses. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden.

Cool on tray for a few minutes while you dilute the jam with a teaspoon of boiling water, then brush over warm buns.

Icings, Frostings, Glazes & Ganaches

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

If you bake as often as I do, then these are recipe essentials.

You can do a very respectable job of icing your cupcakes and cakes and staying dairy-free. But you need to observe two rules:

1. Never allow your dairy-free margarine to 'soften' before using, like you would with butter. Due to its higher water and lower fat content, it seems to break down and you will run into problems mixing it with other ingredients and it won't hold its shape.

2. Always chill your icing before using.

This is as comprehensive a list as I can manage - but if you have an icing recipe that just must be shared, please drop me a note!

Dairy free Vanilla Frosting
125g dairy-free margarine
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract (or other flavourings)

Beat margarine in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible - then beat in sifted icing sugar. You can replace vanilla with lemon juice or other juice if you want a flavoured frosting - you might want to increase it to 1tbsp.

Makes 1 3/4 cups

Dairy free Chocolate Frosting
100g dairy free margarine
4 tbsp water
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder

Combine margarine, water and caster sugar in small saucepan; stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Combine sifted icing sugar and cocoa in medium bowl; gradually stir in hot spread mixture until smooth. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes. Using wooden spoon, beat frosting until spreadable.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Dairy free Cream Cheese Icing
60g dairy-free margarine
160g dairy-free cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar

Beat margarine and cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

Makes 2 1/2 cups


Fluffy Mock Cream
2 tbsp rice/soy milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon gelatine
2 tbsp water, extra
250g dairy free margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine milk, water and sugar in small saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar is disolved. Sprinkle gelatine over extra water in cup, add to pan; stir syrup until gelativne is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Beat butter and extract in small bowl with electric mixer, until as white as possible. While motor is operating, gradually pour in cold syrup; beat until light and fluffy. Mixture will thicken on standing.

Makes 2 cups

Glace Icing
4 cups icing sugar
2 tsp dairy free margarine
4 tbsp hot water, approximately

Sift icing sugar into small heatproof bowl; stir in margarine and enough of the hot water to make a thick paste. Place bowl over small saucepan of simmering water; stir until icing is spreadable.

Makes 2 cups

Glaze
2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (approx) or other flavoured juice

Sift icing sugar into small heatproof bowl, stir in enough strained juice to give a thick pouring consistency. Stir over small saucepan of simmering water until thin enough to make a spreadable opaque glaze.

Makes 1 cup

Chocolate Ganache (dairy free, vegan)
You can make an excellent ganache by first finding a dairy/egg/nut free chocolate (Kinnerton Luxury Chocolate Bar is my favourite). Ganache is fantastic for drizzling over a cake and letting harden, or allowing to cool slightly before icing and a filling a cake (goes well under fondant when decorating). You can also let it cool and then whip into a frenzy and use to pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Rice or soy milk is fine to use, but lately I've been trialling coconut cream which results in a richer taste and more luscious texture.

1 cup rice/soy milk or coconut cream
400g dairy-free chocolate, chopped coarsely

Bring milk or cream to boil in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate immediately and stir until melted and smooth.

Use while still warm and pourable, or cool and then beat with a wooden spoon until spreadable.

Makes 2 cups

Chocolate Mousse Frosting (dairy free, vegan)
Sometimes, you just want to give the Nuttelex a break. Using tofu makes a nice change, as long as you sweeten and flavour it well.
350g silken tofu
1/4 cup rice or soy milk
2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350g dairy-free choc chips

Blend tofu, milk, vanilla and golden syrup in a blender and mix. Melt choc chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, allow to cool slightly then add to blender and mix with the tofu. Refrigerate in covered bowl for at least an hour before using.

Ready to roll Fondant Icing (dairy free, vegan)
This is what you use when you want to try a fancily decorated cake. I wouldn't dream of making my own, though there are recipes out there for home-made fondant and marshmallow versions. Luckily, most commercial varieties are dairy/egg/nut free (eg Orchard available at most supermarkets).

Choc Chip Banana & Coconut Muffins (dairy free, egg free, nut free)

Another muffin. Well what can I say, kids love them, and they fill up a corner of the lunchbox!

125g dairy-free margarine, melted
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 egg replacers
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup dairy/nut free choc chips


Preheat oven to 200 C and fill a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin or cupcake liners. Beat melted margarine, sugar, banana, egg replacers and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, coconut and choc chips in a large bowl, then fold in banana mixture. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool slightly in pan then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake - part one

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

It's important to remember that baking is a science.

For example, you might get impatient and want to turn out a cake before it has cooled in the tin.
You mustn't.

Or perhaps the original recipe insists you line the base of the tin with baking paper but because you decided to change the tin shape from loaf to bundt, you sort of forgot that bit...(though how do you line a bundt tin anyway?)

So out it fell - broken, stuck, ruined.

Then my taste tester tells me, scraping the bits of cake from the tin, that it's the best cake he ever ate.

So it's back to the kitchen for take 2 - I don't mind - it's beautifully lemony and moist.  Even on second attempt though, this cake doesn't rise. It sinks in the middle, quite spectacularly. I must tweak the recipe - it seems the coconut cream is too heavy and might need replacing with coconut milk. But my third attempt will have to wait until after I return from a child-free holiday to Port Douglas later in the week (yay!). Plus I want to share some cute cupcakes in time for Halloween before I go.

So until then - feast your eyes on this disaster, and stay tuned...

(original sinking recipe - though if eggs aren't an issue for you, this should work spectacularly!)
125g dairy-free margarine, softened

125g caster sugar

2 x egg replacers

1 cup self raising flour, sifted

½ cup dessicated coconut

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 x 270g coconut cream
icing sugar, dusting



Method

Preheat oven 175 C. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper.

Beat margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg replacers and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocount and lemon zest. Add half of this mixture and coconut cream into the mixing bowl and mix well.

Repeat with remaining flour and coconut cream. Add lemon juice and mix until well combined.

Pour cake mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with icing sugar.

Quest for the Holy Grail: Egg-free Meringue

Sometimes - just for fun - I google 'vegan meringue'.

Ok admittedly, it's not fun anymore, it's become an obsession. I am a relentless researcher if nothing else. I have been searching in the hope that somewhere in the world, someone has discovered how to make an egg-less substitute to this holy grail of vegan cooking. It usually leads to a depressing read of world wide lamentations, e-how dead-ends and bloggy disasters.

Then one day I stumbled across something called Vegan Meringue Cookies by AngelFood.

Inconceivable!

Immediately went shopped online (Vegan Perfection in this case) and next day (or so) delivery, it arrived.

I am a sucker for a pretty package, and she is very pretty indeed. I had zero expectation though - other than to produce something that quite possibly resembled a chewy meringue with a crispy outer layer. Which very probably can only be achieved by using real eggs. Yep - zero expectation.

The package claims it makes 'crisp' cookies. With two sachets in the box - once mixed and beaten together, it was looking really good: glossy and stiff, just like beaten egg whites should look...

I piped onto tray (oh but they are darling!)

 

Baking in the oven (bit annoyed I lost the little peaks in the cooking process)

Crispy yes they are!



Sandwiched together with some Sweet William chocolate spread (dairy/egg/nut free), they are not bad. Quite tasty in fact (thanks to the chocolate I suspect).

So here they are - a very crispy, aerated version of meringue kisses...though won't be attempting a pavlova any time soon.

Gingerbread Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

This is based on Delia Smith's recipe from Delia Online. 

I omitted the orange rind as I had some very impatient 6 year olds waiting to get started...

Makes about 20

75 g soft brown sugar, sieved

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 tablespoon black treacle

1 level teaspoon cinnamon

1 level teaspoon ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

finely grated rind ½ orange (optional)

95 g dairy-free margarine
½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

225 g plain flour

 

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

Put the sugar, syrup, treacle, 1 tablespoon of water, spices and rind together in a large saucepan.

Then bring them to boiling point, stirring all the time. Now remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dairy-free and the bicarbonate of soda.

Next stir in the flour gradually until you have a smooth manageable dough – add a little more flour, if you think it needs it.

Now leave the dough – covered – in a cool place to become firm, approximately 30 minutes. Now roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and cut out the gingerbread men.

Arrange them on the lightly greased baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the biscuits feel firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip.

Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Orange & Polenta Loaf

dairy free egg free nut free

Thanks to a morning spent with my school mums, I was inspired to make an allergy-friendly version of this lovely citrus polenta cake.

2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup polenta
250g dairy-free margarine, melted
1 orange, grated rind and juice
1/2 cup rice/soy milk
3 egg replacers (Orgran)

Glaze
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup caster sugar

Combine flour, sugar and polenta in a bowl and mix well. Add melted margarine, grated rind, juice, milk and finally egg replacers and mix gently until well combined.

Pour into loaf tin lined with baking paper, smoothing the top, and bake in 180 C oven for 50-55 minutes.

Combine the extra orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until sugar is dissolved.

Once ready, cool cake in tin for 10 minutes then remove to rack. While still warm to the touch, brush the glaze over the top of the cake.

Can also be made in a round cake tin.

FreeNut Butter Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free

Who says you can't make a peanut butter cookie without peanuts?

As long as you use FreeNut Butter made from sunflower seeds. Either the smooth or crunchy version does just nicely, and I made a second batch with Sweet William choc chips thrown in.

Makes 20 approx

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup melted dairy-free margarine
1/2 cup FreeNut Butter(smooth or crunchy)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg replacer
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sweet William dairy/nut free choc chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Sift flour and sugars, then combine the rest of the ingredients, mixing very well.

Drop tablespoons of mixture onto lined baking tray, pressing down slightly with back of a fork. Make sure you space them as they will spread during cooking. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove and cool on rack.

Raspberry & Coconut Muffins

dairy free egg free nut free

I am possibly the world's worst blogger.

It has been months since my last post. Forgive me, dear blog, for I have been very neglectful.

But I am back on the horse! And these delicious muffins are going straight to the lunchbox.



200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
100g soft brown sugar
200ml coconut milk (or you can substitute rice/soy milk)
50g dessicated coconut
1 egg replacer
100g melted dairy-free margarine
100g fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake/muffin liners.

Sift together the flour and baking powder then combine rest of ingredients, folding in the raspberries last.

Divide the batter between the liners and bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar.

Rhubarb & Coconut Frangipane Tarts

I've made these tarts a few times now - individually sized as well as a large one. No need to pre-cook the rhubarb, and the sweet 'frangipane' balances the tartness.

(frangipane is originally a butter, sugar and ground almond mixture - coconut substitute works a treat.)

The best thing about these tarts is that they make a quick and easy dinner party dessert - so if you have slaved all day on preparing and cooking the first two courses, these take about 5 minutes to make and not much longer to cook. I like!

Makes 4
One sheet of puff pastry, cut into 4 squares (most commercial puff pastries are dairy/egg/nut free, except for Pampas butter version)
3-4 sticks of rhubarb, washed and cut to fit squares
75g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
90g dessicated coconut
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg replacer

Cut puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. Score the edges to leave a 2cm border.

Beat butter, extract and caster sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer, beat until combined. Fold in coconut and cornflour.

Spread frangipane keeping within the score marks of the pastry, about 1/2 cm thick. Lay rhubarb sticks over the mixture, and bake in preheated 180 C oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately. Can be eaten plain or with dairy-free ice cream.

Carrot & Banana Cake

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Before Gina came to the rescue, I trialled carrot cakes that didn't rise much, and banana muffins that were nice enough, but for some reason didn't translate very well into a cake. The combination of the two means this cake rises beautifully and keeps very moist. I think this was Gina's recipe prior to having a dairy and egg allergic son - after which she made it allergy-friendly, and it rocks. Thanks a million Gina! We love it. Works perfectly as muffins, round cake or in a loaf tin as I have done here.


225g self raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g brown sugar
1 cup grated carrot
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
150ml vegetable oil
2 egg replacers

Preheat oven to 180 C. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices and mix well. Add carrot, bananas, vegetable oil and egg replacers and mix until well combined. Grease a pan and line the bottom of square, round or loaf tin - pour in combined mixture and bake for approx 25-35 minutes.

Lemon Icing
55g dairy-free margarine, softened
250g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)

Beat margarine with icing sugar, then add lemon juice/zest. Make double quantity if you are layering and filling a round cake.

Blueberry Pikelets

dairy free egg free nut free

Hmm, possibly more a panklet than a pikelet! Make them however big or small you like. This is a great standard pancake recipe.

Makes about 10 pikelets

1 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon castor sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup rice or soy milk
1 egg replacer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen)
melted dairy-free margarine for frying

Sift flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Whisk milk, egg replacer and vanilla together, then pour over dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Gently stir blueberries through the batter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brush with melted margarine. Drop tablespoons of mixture into pan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn pikelets over and cook other side until golden.

Serve plain, or dust with icing sugar.

Apricot & Cranberry Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free

Lovely oaty biscuits for the lunchbox. If sesame seeds are an issue, you can leave them out, they still taste great. I think this recipe originally came from Women's Weekly.

Makes 20

100g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
2 tbs golden syrup
2 tbs water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
115g (1 1/4 cups) rolled oats
150g (1 cup) plain flour
40g (1/4 cup) sesame seeds (optional, or you could substitute linseeds)
110g (2/3 cup) chopped dried apricots
100g (2/3 cup) craisins (dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until the butter melts. Remove from heat. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Combine the oats, flour and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add the butter mixture, apricots and craisins, and stir until well combined.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place 5cm apart on the lined trays. Use a fork to flatten slightly. Bake in oven for 8 minutes or until light golden. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Corn & Dill Muffins

dairy free egg free nut free

I'm not one for savoury muffins usually, and most of the recipes are loaded with grated cheese or fetta. But these are tasty morsels using a mini muffin pan. You can use the Tofutti dairy-free sour cream or the less processed Kingland cream cheese might be good too. Substituting the dill for chives is perfectly acceptable also.


Makes approx 24 mini


2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Tofutti dairy-free sour cream or Kingland dairy-free cream cheese
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped dill (or chives)
equivalent 2 eggs using Orgran egg replacer

Preheat oven to 180 C. Mix flour, oil, dairy-free cream, corn kernels until lightly combined then add egg replacer. Spoon into mini muffin holes 2/3 full. Bake for...to be honest, I cannot remember - try 8 minutes or until golden!

Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes

dairy free egg free nut free

I have a number of cake recipes on this blog that can be easily substituted for cupcakes (Perfect Chocolate Cake and the Lamington sponge) but I must confess: I am still not completely satisfied with the vanilla versions. While I continue to battle the kitchen for a moist vanilla version that rises and STAYS RISEN, my chocolate cake recipe is, luckily, ideal for these cupcakes.

Red velvet cake is an American tradition - vanilla sponge with a dash of cocoa and  red food colouring. They possibly originally used beetroot juice which would be the more natural option, and better for those with sensitivities to artificial colours. Red velvet cake goes very nicely with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of coconut (I bought some organic and preservative-free shredded coconut - I thought preservative-free coconut was a myth to be honest, it's virtually impossible to find!)

And yes, it's also Valentine's Day. If you give a damn, these are perfect.

Makes 12 (at least)

Cupcakes
170g plain flour
200g caster sugar
30g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
225ml rice or soy milk
50ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4-5 drops of red food colouring (natural or otherwise!)

Dairy free 'cream cheese' icing
65g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
125g Tofutti cream cheese (dairy free), softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a 12 hole muffin/cupcake tray with cupcake liners.

Sift together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, soda bicarb, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla and add to the dry ingredients, mixing well until smooth. Add red food colouring and mix again until all combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, until risen and firm to touch. Cool in tray for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with dairy-free cream cheese icing and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Mock Satay Skewers

dairy free egg free nut free

If peanuts are an issue for anyone you know, then I sincerely hope they have discovered Eskal's FreeNut Buttter. It is a brilliant substitute spread for peanut butter, made from ground sunflower seeds (make sure you are not allergic to sunflower seeds!). It is slightly sweeter than the regular stuff, but delicious just the same. Now that most schools aim to be nut-free, make sure you tell all your mummy friends. Readily available at Coles.

There is also a 'crunchy' version made from roasted pieces of honey (though this version is obviously not vegan). You can make 'peanut butter' cookies too - they are damn tasty.

I noticed recently that Trialia Foods have produced a satay substitute mix - BUT you can easily make your own. If you like to have a bit of extra sauce to spoon over when serving, reserve some marinade (before adding to the chicken please), and let it simmer and reduce a bit on the stove for 5 minutes before using.

These are so good, they almost made me cry!

Makes about 8-10 skewers

4 chicken thigh fillets, cut into even pieces
2 tbsp FreeNut Butter (smooth)
1 tbsp soy sauce (if you are soy-free, you could just add extra salt or stock powder)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric
pinch of salt

Mix well the FreeNut Butter, soy sauce, coconut milk, spices and salt - add chicken pieces and leave to marinate for at least an hour. Thread chicken pieces onto pre-soaked bamboo skewers and grill or bbq. Eat, then wish you had made double the quantity.

Replacing Dairy

Dairy is relatively easy to substitute, thanks to the ever-growing array of non-dairy products available. You don't even need to visit your specialty health food store, as many are available at your regular supermarket.

Milk
Replace same quantities in a recipe with any of the following milks:
Soy
Rice
Oat
Coconut
Personally I like to stick to rice milk as it is much more palateable, although when baking, there is no discernible difference.

You can also replace liquid quantities with either fruit juice or water, but overall result might be a little on the bland side.

Butter/Margarine
Most commercial margarines contain milk solids, so Nuttelex is by far the best non-dairy margarine available. It is also soy-free and the only non-dairy margarine I have come across with no preservatives. Tablelands make a dairy-free spread, and there is also an unsalted kosher margarine called Migdal made in the US and available here in some shops. Loaded with preservatives though, hence I steer clear. Would be lovely if Nuttelex made a salt-free version which would work perfectly in your 'buttercream' frostings.

Cheese
Soy is pretty much the only non-dairy cheese substitute available. Please remember to check labels as some soy cheeses actually have casein in them (dairy protein). Kingland International make a block of soy cheese, Redwood's Cheezly is sometimes available at healthfood stores, but Tofutti is really the only brand readily available in Coles/Woolworths. They come in very convenient plastic-wrapped individual slices (both American-style cheddar and mozzarella for melting). Beware though that Tofutti generally (being American) is uber-processed so occasional use is ok - but I wouldn't go serving it on every sandwich if you can help it.

You can use Parmazano as a parmesan replacement to sprinkle on pasta - it is made predominantly from seasoned soy powder - you could feasibly make your own if you visited your local health food store and sourced the individual ingredients.

Cream Cheese
Soy - both Kingland and Tofutti produce this - good for any replacements, the consistency is identical to dairy cream cheese. (I have served smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese sandwiches before and no-one could tell the difference). Also good for cream cheese icing on carrot cakes but make sure you use a recipe that includes some shortening like butter or margarine (use Nuttelex obviously). Combining it with icing sugar  seems to highlight the high water content and goes very sloppy.


Sour Cream
Tofutti again - also a good substitute for yoghurt in cooking (rather than yoghurt for eating).

Yoghurt
Kingland make a good fruit soy yoghurt in packs of four and individual larger tubs also. Available from Coles - there are some other soy yoghurts on the market but check ingredients always - some have traces of dairy or nuts.

Cream
Coconut cream can be used if your sweet recipe lends itself to a coconut taste.

Soyatoo make two versions of soy cream - one for whipping and one for cooking. If you don't mind the soy taste, it can make an ok substitute. I have seen some rice-based creams in shops like Sunnybrook but they stock it sporadically. It's called BioAvena, comes in UHT pack and is purely vegetable based (soy-free too). Works well in creamy pasta sauces.

Until it's readily available though, we tend to adjust our menu so it's not necessary.

Condensed Milk
I have attempted this once, when I was desperate to make a lemon slice. It took the better part of a morning to bubble away on the stove and reduce to the proper consistency, so be prepared to hang around. If you make a big batch, it might well be freezable - though I haven't tried it.

3 cups soy or rice milk
½ cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Add the soy or rice milk and the sugar to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until volume is reduced to 1 cup. Add a few drops of vanilla to taste, and a pinch of salt.  Cool before using.  May be stored in the refrigerator.

Replacing Eggs

Eggs perform different functions depending on what you're cooking. In baking, they are usually used for either leavening or binding purposes. You can't replicate a pavlova (that I know of), but you can, with a little egg replacer know-how, manage to adapt most recipes successfully. Try to stick to recipes that require substituting no more than 2 eggs - things just don't seem to work otherwise!

Allergy-conscious/vegan bakers can use any one of the following methods. All quantities specified equal 1 egg..

Commercial Egg Replacer (eg Orgran No-Egg)
This is a good allround egg replacer staple to keep in the pantry.  Good for biscuits, cookies, scones, light cakes, pastry and anything that requires a bit of binding (this includes savoury things such as meatballs and burgers though if you omit altogether the meat still keeps firm). It's made from a combination of tapioca and potato starch powders and is beaten together with water. Follow instructions on the packet but usually is 1 teaspoon of No-Egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Beat vigorously, you want it foamy.

Bananas/Apple Puree
1/4-1/2 cup mashed banana
or
1/2 cup apple puree (or pear)

Good binder/thickener for fruity cakes like carrot or banana, muffins and brownies - anything where the sweetness of the banana or apple won't affect the taste. Usually requires a little baking powder in the recipe or self-raising flour to aid the rising if this is required.

Silken Tofu
1/2 pack of silken tofu, whipped/beaten

Can be used for cakes (dense ones rather than light sponges) and brownies or uncooked in things like chocolate mousse and fluffy cake frostings. Though in the latter, sweeteners like honey, sugar or maple/golden syrup are essential to disguise the soy taste.


Flaxseed
Many vegan bakers use this and it also happens to be a great source of fibre, essential omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Best to buy them whole and ground them yourself though the ground seeds should be stored in fridge or freezer. Good for baked goods where a bit of graininess doesn't detract from the taste eg. muffins, biscuits, cookies, breads or pancakes.

1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds and 1/4 cup water, whisked very well

DIY egg replacer
When you have none of the above in your kitchen and you're desperate, you can use the following:
1 teaspoon baking powder + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons water mixed together = 1 egg

Australia Day Lamingtons

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

To jam or not to jam?

Wikipedia tells me that the original lamington, served up to Queensland Premier Lord Lamington around 1900, was created by chef Armand Gallad who was called upon to supply some unexpected guests with a sweet treat. He had some French vanilla sponge lying around and got creative with what he had. There was no jam in the original version - so I committed to staying true to the history of this Aussie treasure (as well as possibly being very tired and not bothering with it all).

Sadly, Lord Lamington allegedly hated his namesake cake, calling them "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits". Silly old coot!

Lamingtons also gave me the opportunity to experiment with the elusive fluffy white sponge. This sponge recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World -  their golden vanilla cupcake recipe works quite nicely here. You could also use the vanilla version of my Perfect Chocolate Cake by omitting the cocoa powder and replacing with same amount of flour. They rise beautifully as a cupcake and would do same in a cake tin, but I find the taste and texture to not be as 'buttery' due to the absence of margarine.

Anyhoo, happy Straya Day!

Vanilla Sponge
240ml rice or soy milk
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 tsp salt
120g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
150g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dessicated coconut

Chocolate Icing
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup rice or soy milk
1/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 C. Whisk milk and vinegar and set aside.

Sift flours and mix together. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add the milk and flours in alternate batches until combined well. Pour batter into greased and lined 20cm square cake pan for approx 25 mins (a lamington pan is too big for this mixture, and since it doesn't rise too much, the square will condense it nicely).

Turn out and cool on wire rack. Cut into squares (makes about 16).

To make the icing, mix icing sugar, cocoa powder, milk and then add boiling water and mix well until combined. Set aside another bowl for the coconut.

Dip cake pieces into chocolate by using two forks, then roll in coconut before setting aside on wire rack to set.

Melting Moments with Passionfruit Icing

dairy free egg free nut free

Those of my vintage might still have this cookbook on their bookshelves. It was first published in 1966 and it was the official text for my home economics classes in high school. I will admit to guffawing at the recipes for devilled eggs, hawaiian steak, apricot chicken and something called dried vegetable soup (on closer inspection, is essentially just a split pea soup...geez, way to make it sound appetising!).

But bless its cotton socks, I now consult it regularly for the wonderful array of old-school sweets, cakes, slices and cookies so that I can take to them with my dairy/egg/nut free wand.

Cookery the Australian Way, I love you!

These melting moments are as short  and 'buttery' as they can be, without the butter. Yummy.

(Not sure where most of the passionfruit went as all I see is a lone passionfruit pip in the photo. Note to self: Must.not.eat.recipe.ingredients.before.using.them.)

Makes 24 (ie. 12 joined biscuits)

1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup cornflour
125g dairy free margarine (Nuttelex)
2 tablespoons icing sugar

Preheat oven to 160 C.

Sift flour and cornflour, and cream margarine and sugar. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Place tablespoonfuls on tray, or pipe onto tray with a star pipe and bag.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cool on cake cooler and then join with passionfruit icing.

Passionfruit icing

1 cup icing sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
4 tablespoons passionfruit pulp

Cream icing sugar and margarine until pale and fluffy then mix in passionfruit pulp.