SWEETS AND DESSERTS

STRAWBERRY AND MANGO BAKE

2 C strawberries, fresh or frozen
2 C mango, fresh or frozen
1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 C flour
1/2 C cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 C margarine, frozen
1/2 C soy milk

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Place fruit into a large bowl and toss well with the first measure of flour, sugar and lemon juice. Put the fruit mixture into a baking dish but do not overfill.

Stir together the second measure of flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Grate in the frozen margarine and mix the dough together with either a wooden spoon or your fingers.

Pour in the soy milk and stir until mixture forms a rough, dry dough. Either use a spoon or your fingers and put the dough in pieces over the fruit, covering the top evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes. Open mouth widely and nom nom nom!

ZESTY LEMON BISCOTTI

180g silken tofu
1 C castor sugar
1/3 C extra light olive oil
Zest of 2 lemons
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C semolina flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C chopped almonds
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. In a food processor, combine tofu, sugar, oil, zest, lemon juice and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, almonds and salt.

Stir tofu mixture into flour mixture. On an oiled baking sheet, form dough into two 30cm long logs. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Slice logs into two centimetre slices and lay slices flat on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, turning cookies once after 20 minutes. Additional cooking time may be added for an even crunchier cookie.

Optional

1 C icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
To make the icing, combine icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thick smooth paste. Dip cold biscotti and open mouth to devour!

BLACK FOREST CAKE

250g self-raising wholemeal flour
250g soft brown sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 heaped tsp carob powder
125ml grapeseed oil
150ml soya milk
1 Tbsp vegan yoghurt or coconut cream
2 tsp cider vinegar
pinch of salt
25g dairy-free dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
fresh cherries, to decorate

Cake filling:

4 Tbsp vegan cream cheese [Available from SAFE's shop]
1 tsp lime rind
4 Tbsp blackberry jam

Chocolate frosting:

1/2 C margarine
2 C icing sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp soymilk
1/3 C cocoa powder
Dash of salt

Oil two 20cm circular sponge tins and line them with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Place all the cake ingredients, except the chocolate and cherries, in a food processor and beat together thoroughly. Coarsely grate or chop the chocolate and add to the cake mixture. Divide the mixture between the sponge tins and level the tops with a spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each sponge comes out clean. Allow to cool a little, then turn out on to a wire rack until completely cold.

Place the vegan cream cheese in a bowl and stir in the lime rind. Spread one side of a cold sponge with the lime cream cheese, and spread the other sponge with jam. Sandwich together and place on a serving plate.

DAIRY-FREE CASHEW ICE CREAM

3 C frozen, sliced bananas
1/2 C cashew butter
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4-1/3 C pure maple syrup

In a food processor, process bananas until roughly chopped. Add cashew butter, salt, and syrup, and puree until smooth.

Serve immediately, and store leftovers in freezer.

You can add vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

Note: When you have ripened bananas, slice them, and measure 1 C portions in to a zip-lock bag so they are readily available.

CHRISTMAS MINCE PIES

1/2 C currants
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C sultanas
1/4 C dates
1/4 C candied peel
1/4 C glace cherries
1/4 C flaked almonds
1 ripe banana, peeled
4 Tbsp brandy or whisky
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice

1 C flour
1/2 C vegetable shortening
6 Tbsp cold water

MINCEMEAT
Mix everything together either by hand or blend in a food processor.

PASTRY
Rub shortening into the flour with the tips of your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Slowly add and mix together enough of the water to enable the pastry to hold together. Roll out pastry and either use a 12cm round pastry cutter or cut into circles using a small plate or jar. Press pastry circles into the bottom of a lightly oiled baking tin.

Fill with mincemeat and cover with another pastry circle OR make a star shape with either a knife or pastry cutter. Press down at the edges and piece a hole in the top using a sharp knife.

MARZIPAN CHOCOLATES

80g dark chocolate
300g marzipan
20 whole blanched almonds or glace cherries or apricots
2 Tbsp amaretto or brandy

Soak the nuts and/or fruit in the brandy or amaretto overnight. Drain on paper towel before wrapping individual cherries or almonds in a small piece of marzipan.

Place chocolate in the top of a double-boiler saucepan and gently heat until melted. Skewer filling with a cocktail stick and dip into the melted chocolate.

RAW FUDGE

2 C cashews, soaked (2 hours minimum)
1 C pitted dates
1 C raisins, unsulphured
2 Tbsp carob powder
1/2 C fresh pineapple juice
1/2 C water
1 C flaxseed meal
1 C walnuts, chopped

Drain cashews and put in blender or processor with dates, raisins, carob, juice and water. Blend to form a thick paste.

Stir in flaxseed meal and water before adding walnuts.

Press onto cookie sheet and freeze for two hours. Cut into squares or triangles and store in the freezer.

OATMEAL COOKIES

2 Tbsp flax seed
6 Tbsp water
1/2 C oil
1/4 C soy milk

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Blend flax seeds to a fine powder. Add the water, oil and milk. Blend together and then add to dry ingredients. Fold together to resemble a dough.

DELICIOUS APPLE CAKE

6 Tbsp soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 C apple sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp brown rice syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk soy milk with the apple cider vinegar and set aside for five to ten minutes so it lightly curdles.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together, and add the soymilk/apple cider mixture.

BANANA RICE PUDDING

3 C rice or soy milk
1 C short grain rice (such as arborio)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Mix all ingredients together well and pour into a large casserole. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.
 

SHORTBREAD

1 C margarine
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C icing sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Combine margarine, sugar and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat using a mixer until creamy. Add the flour and salt and beat until incorporated and mixture is crumbly. Knead dough together gently and form into a ball. Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 6mm thick. Place dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

BANANA CAKE

Mix soy milk and balsamic vinegar together and leave for five minutes to curdle. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Beat oil and sugar with a handheld mixer for two minutes. Add the soy milk mixture and beat until just mixed. Add the mashed bananas and beat until smooth. Gradually add flour mix, beating in after each addition until mixture is smooth. Do not over beat.

Line a 23 cm square pan with parchment paper and brush with oil. Pour in the batter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 180 degree Celsius oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Place cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes then remove from tin using the parchment paper and return to rack to cool thoroughly. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into squares. Devour immediately!

LITTLE ORANGE EASTER EGGS

2 C self-raising flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 C caster sugar
5 tbsp sunflower oil
1 C soy milk
Juice and rind of an orange
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate
Mini eggs or other sweets to decorate

Paper cake cases (this makes about 25 small cakes).

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Combine the dry ingredients then stir in the oil, soy milk, juice, rind and vanilla essence. Put a couple of teaspoons of mixture into each cake case (if using small cases) and bake for about 15 minutes or until done. Allow to cool. Gently melt the chocolate (use a double saucepan over medium heat) and spread over top of the cakes. Decorate each cake with one mini egg or other sweets of your choice!

SNICKERDOODLES

Cinnamon sugar coating
Mix together in a small bowl and set aside:
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper or spray with non-stick spray. Beat margarine and sugar together until pale in colour (2-3 minutes). Add soy milk and mix, then add flour, baking powder and salt. The mixture should be sticky enough to roll into balls but without sticking to your fingers. If the mixture is too wet add a little more flour.

Roll into small balls (slightly larger than a walnut) and then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat completely. Place on a baking tray about 5cm apart and bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly cracked but not brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to sit to cool before removing from tray.

JAQUIE BROWN'S GREAT VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 3/4 C fresh brewed coffee
2/3 C cocoa
1 1/2 C granulated brown sugar
1/3 C rice bran oil
1/3 C stewed apple, blended
1/4 C custard powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C ground almond
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Heat coffee in a saucepan. Remove from heat and when it's at room temperature whisk in the cocoa until dissolved. In a mixing bowl whisk together sugar, oil, apple and custard powder for about two minutes. Then add extracts and coffee-cocoa liquid. Sift in rest of dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a tin lined with baking paper and bake for about 45 minutes. It tastes even better the next day after it's been in the fridge overnight.

THE BEST CHEESECAKE!

Base:
1 packet Nice biscuits, crushed
100g margarine

Filling:
300g firm tofu
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1⁄4 C maple syrup
1 tin (440g) crushed pineapple, drained
1 3/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1 Tbsp cornflour
2 Tbsp water
1 C berries, fresh or frozen
1⁄4 C maple syrup or 3 Tbsp sugar

To make base, melt margarine and add to crushed biscuit. Combine and press into a pie dish. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling, combine all the filling ingredients together and beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into dish and bake for 30-45 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius. Chill in fridge.

To make the topping, mix the cornflour and water to make a smooth paste. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and heat. Continue to stir until thick. Pour mix evenly over cheesecake to cover surface and allow to cool in fridge. Serve with your favourite vegan ice cream or soya cream.

MORAVIAN GINGER COOKIES

Moravian ginger cookies are cut into shapes and baked.

1/3 C molasses (or golden syrup)
1/4 C margarine
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash ground cloves
dash nutmeg
dash allspice

Beat together the molasses, margarine and sugar. In another bowl, stir together the flour, soda, salt and spices. Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture. Work the remaining flour mixture in with your hands until well blended. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Roll out small amounts of dough very thinly. Cut into desired shapes and put on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned. Leave to cool then dust with icing sugar.

Makes 3 dozen cookies, depending on size.

EASY PEASY CHOCOLATE PUDDING

300g silken tofu (firm), crumbled
2/3 C unbleached cane sugar
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth, creamy and thick. Transfer into a serving container and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

DELICIOUS FUDGE IN 15 MINUTES!

6 Tbsp margarine
3 1/2 C icing sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C soy milk
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Lightly grease a 12cm x 20cm pan using a little of the margarine. Place the remaining margarine, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and soy milk in a heatproof mixing bowl or the upper part of a double boiler (small pot in a large pot with water). Place the bowl or boiler over simmering water and stir until smooth. Add nuts if desired. Pour the mixture quickly into the prepared pan. Chill thoroughly and cut into squares. Makes 2-3 dozen squares.

LEMON COCONUT AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

SAFE's aficionado cook Amanda says they're the best!

In a bowl place:
3 C flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C coconut
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Zest of 2-3 lemons (finely grated rind)

Add wet ingredients:
1 C oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 C water
1 C lemon juice (add water to make up balance)
1/2 C vegan white choc chips* (optional)

Spoon the mixture evenly into paper cups, set into muffin trays. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius but watch them. When they are cooling place a white choc button on the top. This will form a little icing circle to decorate and will harden. Makes 24 cupcakes.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE ICE CREAM CAKE

Crust:
20 Oreo cookies
1/4 C margarine, melted

Filling:
4 C vanilla SoGood ice cream, softened
1/2 C peanut butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 c salted peanuts, finely chopped

To prepare the crust: Lightly oil a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan and set aside. In a food processor, process the cookies until fine. Add melted margarine and process again until well combined.

Press firmly into the bottom of the pan and refrigerate for one hour. With an electric mixer or food processor, blend together the ice cream, peanut butter, and maple syrup until well mixed. Spoon filling evenly into pan and sprinkle the top with peanuts. Place in freezer for at least one hour. Remove from freezer five minutes before serving, pop open the pan, and cut into slices.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

SAFE's happy-go-lucky fundraising coordinator Chloe Youngson says "they are really easy to make, and very yummy."

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon, to taste
vegan chocolate chips
1 C raw sugar
1/2 C canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C water
1-2 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the chocolate chips and make a well in the centre. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the sugar and oil. Add vanilla, water and peanut butter if desired. Mix well with a fork. Add to dry ingredients and mix together. Spoon cookie dough onto an oven tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Flatten slightly with a fork and bake for approximately 5-7 minutes or until slightly golden. Never serves enough!

ERIC's DELICIOUS CHEESECAKE

3 Tbsp margarine
1 packet Nice biscuits, crushed
1 punnet soy cream cheese
4 C mixed berries
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C fruit juice
4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder

Mix biscuits and melted margarine together and then press firmly into the well-greased base of a springform tin.

Gently heat berries and sugar in a covered pot. Whip the cream cheese before adding to berry-sugar mix. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder before adding fruit juice. Stir until smooth. Once berries start to boil add to flour mix, stirring constantly. On medium heat, return ingredients to pot and stir until mixture bubbles and thickens (careful - mixture very hot!). Pour onto base. Put into the fridge until chilled. Remove from tin and serve. Yummm!

VEGAN BERRY DONUT CUPCAKES

1 1/2 C plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 C soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cornflour
1/3 C canola oil
3/4 C + 2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 C berry jam
2 Tbsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a cupcake tin with paper cases. In a large mixing bowl sift together plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Combine the soymilk, vinegar and cornflour and stir until smooth, then add to the flour mixture. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla and mix well.

Fill the cases three-quarters full with batter. Place a heaped spoonful of jam into the centre of each cupcake, being careful not to overfill. The jam will sink into the bottom of the cupcake during baking. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, and then allow to set uncovered overnight in a cool and dry place. This will make the tops slightly crispy, like a donut crust. Using a sifter, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with coffee. Presto!

GINGER CRUNCH

If you love ginger you will love this classic recipe. SAFE's director Anthony offers up a treat to add to those festive feasts.

Base:
200g plain flour
100g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
125g margarine
40g crystallised ginger chunks, roughly chopped

Icing:
150g margarine
4 Tbsp golden syrup
270g icing sugar
1 Tbsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 23cm tin with greaseproof paper. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and ground ginger into a bowl. With tips of fingers, rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Lightly mix in the ginger chunks.Press mixture evenly into the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Remove from oven and place tin on a wire rack.