Pan-fried Little Vegan Welsh Cake

This is one of the super easy little cake I love to make for a quick snack. Have you heard about Welsh cake? Yes, it is a traditional cake in Wales, England, also known as ‘Bakestones’. It is similar in ingredients and flavour to scones. You can get it only in four easy steps, a batch of warm Welsh cakes never went a miss in your tea time.

You may like to see Best Ever Vegan Fruity Scones with Vegan Clotted Cream,

Vegan Elderflower Buttermilk Scones,

English Vegan Raspberry Scones ~ Dairy-free, Egg-free,

English Classic Fruity Scones,

English Fruity Scones!

Let’s start!

Pan-fried Little Vegan Welsh Cake

Ingredient:

• 1 3/4 cup/ 200g Plain flour
• 1/3 cup/ 60g Coconut sugar
• 6 tbsp/ 90g Butter, cubed, keep in the fridge when you’re not ready
• 2 tsp flaxmeal + 2 tbsp water
• 1/8 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 cup Raisin or sultana 
• Caster sugar for topping

Method: 

*1) Tip the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. With your fingers, rub in the cubed butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

*2) Work the flaxmeal mixture into the breadcrumbs until it forms a soft dough, then add the raisins. If the dough a bit dry, adding a splash of water or nut milk at a time, otherwise, add a half tablespoon of flour. It should be the same consistency as a shortcrust pastry.

*3) Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of 5mm/ 1/4in roughly. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter or any size you like.

*4) Grease a flat griddle pan with little of oil or butter over medium-low heat. Cook the cakes in batches, for about 3 mins each side, until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. It can serve warm with butter or jam, or sprinkle with some caster sugar! Perfect accompany with your tea or coffee!

My NO-Knead Rye Sourdough Bread

This recipe is almost totally based on a no kneading method, nor a bread machine or a stand mixer is not required, just letting the dough sit overnight. It called bulk fermentation, which is where the wild yeast does most of its work of giving the dough most of the flavour and helping it gain more structure as the gluten develops. The dough rises while you’re sleeping, you don’t need to tempt to rush the process or check on it every half hour to see if it is ready. But remind you, sourdough is slow-fermented bread, the potency of your sourdough starter and the specifics of your surrounding environment, it takes longer to rise.

All amount of work required at the end to assess, shape, and score it, but it turns out extraordinarily tasty!

Copycat Vegan Fluffy ‘Just Egg’

This copycat of the ‘Just Egg’ tastes so good and fluffy, and looks very similar to the real egg! Honestly, I haven’t tried any store-bought vegan egg products before, not the powder nor the liquid form. In my cooking or baking, I like to use the flax ‘egg’ mainly. That’s before I make up this ‘egg’, and now I’ll have more adventures to playing around with.

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes 2021

Happy Easter Everyone!

It is so much nice weather during the weekend, but a bit weird today, have a mixture of windy, grey, sunny, and suddenly strange with snowflakes as well. It’s the normal spring weather in England!

Just past the Easter weekend and Monday, lots of people showing their Easter baking on social media already. I think I’m a bit too behind in the race because I’m not well during the week. And I just struggle to manage my Easter carrot cupcakes for my family.

The texture of this cupcake is so light, moist, and also low fat, low sugar, will it healthier enough to suit your diet? If you can find the other one to beat it, please give me a message.

Have you see my cream cheese frosting, isn’t it looks gritty? Yes, it is my ‘antique’ blender, more than 20 years old. Wish I can get a high-speed blender, and I can make more smooth sauce later.

Substitute:

1/ Use the self-raising flour instead of the plain flour if you haven’t got it on hand, remember to skip the baking powder and the baking soda.

2/ I use the ripened banana to reduce the sugar content, so if you use the sugar-free applesauce, you may consider adding a couple of tbsp sugar.

3/ If you use the dairy-free yoghurt instead of the oil, need to use the sugar-free natural one, not the fruity or other flavour, they may contain lots of sugar.

More similar cake to make:

Vegan carrot cake

Vegan Carrot & Walnut Cake ~ 紅蘿蔔，合桃蛋糕（純素)

Vegan Banana & Walnut Cake (No refined-sugar, Butter)

Vegan Carrot cupcakes 2021

Dry Ingredient: (can make 12 regular cupcakes)

• 1 1/2 cups Plain flour/ all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• Pinch of Black salt
• 1 tsp Mixed spice

Wet Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup Mashed banana (1 medium size), or use applesauce
• 1/3 cup Dairy-free yoghurt or neutral cooking oil, (I use yoghurt)
• 1/3 cup Coconut sugar + 2 tbsp Raw cane sugar
• 1/4 cup Dairy-free milk of your choice
• 1 Pack cup of grated carrots, about 2 medium size
• A small handful of chopped walnuts
• Vanilla extract (optional)

Vegan Cream cheese for frosting:

• 1/2 cup Cashew, soaked overnight
• 1 cup Dairy-free milk
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup or agave nectar
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp Tapioca starch, less for not too firm, I use 2 1/2 tbsp

Method:

• Make the cream cheese the night before, keep it in the fridge to make it firmer: Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend for a few minutes. Cook in a small non-stick pan over low heat and stir constantly. When the mixture turns into a paste-like and begins to pull away from the side of the pan, turn off the heat and pour into a small bowl, place a cling film on top of the sauce surface to prevent it form a skin. Chill in the fridge overnight for a firm frosting.
• To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350F/175C, or 155C in a fan oven.
• Sieve all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, and stir to well combined.
• In another bowl, mash up the banana if you use it, and add the yoghurt, sugar, and milk, whisk to make sure the sugar without any big lumps left behind. Add the grated carrots and vanilla.
• Whisk to combine. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Don’t over-mix, some clumps are OK. Fold in the walnuts.
• Pour the batter into the tins with cupcake liners. Bake on the middle shelf for around 14 to 16 minutes until all golden brown.
• Leave all the cakes to cool down completely, around 3 hours or overnight before frosting.

Vegan Hot Cross Buns with Custard

Wish you have a Happy Easter Holiday!

Except summer is my favourite season in the year, spring is the second season I have longed for. After a long, wet, cold, and windy dark winter, especially the shorter daylight and not much sunshine, spring is landed to us finally.

I love to watch the spring bulbs quietly popping up the soil, then all the delicate trumpeted blooms golden daffodils gently nodding and smiling to you. A compact jewel-like display of crocus informal swathes throughout lawns, rockeries, and the border. Narcissus, they’re my beloved, scented flowers. Not to mention the tulips, hyacinth, and the bluebell, they all the most beautiful flowers in the spring.

Before the Easter, making the carrot cake and hot cross buns are my annual to-do-list on my note book. Maybe you have seen a few of my hot cross buns posts before.

You can search: Easter hot cross buns2014, Hot cross buns for Easter2015, Happy Hot cross buns 2018, and still have few more in my blog.

This year, I like to give it a bit different from the past. I wish it will turn out the good sign, finger-cross! 🙂

First, I will make the water roux (湯種 Tangzhong) to the main dough to give the buns more moisture to keep for longer. Next, I will give up the flour paste for the traditional cross, and apply the custard sauce. How will it turn up? I quite like the yellowish colour of the custard and the texture of the buns turn out so fluffy. They disappear so quickly from my family. I think I will make another batch before Good Friday for my friends as well.

Extra: Some of the buns, I made some vegan custard to stuff in the middle of the buns.

Ingredient:

For the Water roux (湯種 Tangzhong): 1:5

• 30g Plain flour + 150g Water

Method: Stir the two ingredients in a small saucepan, cook on medium-low heat, stir constantly until thicken.

For the dough:

• 5g instant yeast
• 35g Raw sugar
• 120g Water
• 120g Water roux from above
• 350g Plain flour
• 80g/1/2 cup sultanas or mixed dried fruits
• 1 tsp Mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp Pink salt
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil, optional

For the Cross:

• 3 tbsp Custard powder
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Water

For the sugar glazing:

• 2 tbsp Maple syrup + 1 tbsp water

Method:

• For the dough: Click in the link here to find the post from 2018, check all the steps and detail there
• For the custard cross paste: Mix all ingredients together and transfer to an icing bag.
• Bake the preheat oven for 14 to 16 minutes until golden and brush with glazing.

Note: I used the bread machine to knead the dough, because it contains the water roux, the dough is a bit soft to handle by hands.

Fruit & Nut flapjacks

This delicious flapjack, full of nutritious ingredients like gluten-free oats, pumpkin seeds, and peanut butter, also skips the refined sugar or the golden syrup (I substituted it with maple syrup). It is perfect for a school kid’s snack or take it as an energy bar for an adult.

These flapjacks are so easy to make, all you have to do is the preparing work. I make it easier to melt the butter and peanut butter in a microwave without any cooking involved as well!

If you fancy a bit more, you can melt some vegan chocolate chips and spread on top, it’s all up to you!

Ingredient:

• 200g Rolled Oats, perfectly gluten-free
• 40g Dried cranberries & raisins, or apricots (chopped)
• 25g Pumpkins seeds (add sunflower seeds if you like)
• 70g Refined coconut oil or vegan butter, melted
• 90g Peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 3 tbsp Maple syrup (or agave nectar)
• Vegan dark chocolate for topping, optional

Method:

• Melt the coconut oil or butter and the peanut butter in the microwave, stir in the maple syrup, mix to well combined.
• In a large bowl, mix all the oats, dry fruits, seeds together and pour the melted liquid into it and stir to all incorporated.
• Lined a baking tray with baking paper and spread the mixture evenly. You may melt vegan chocolate and pour it over the top.
• Chill in the fridge for one or two hours to set firmly before slicing and serve!

Let’s have Pancake’s Day!

Today is the annual Pancake’s Day of 2021!

I’ll show you two different type of vegan pancakes today, both are not complicate to make. So let’s start!

Matcha pancake with red bean paste:

1 Banana
250ml Dairy-free milk
200g Plain flour or gluten-free flour
1tsp organic matcha powder
1 tsp flaxseeds

Method: Add and mix all ingredients to a blender, work until smooth. Pour the pancake dough into a nonstick skillet. Fry pancakes on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm with homemade red bean paste and maple syrup and enjoy!

Classic Vegan Pancake:

1 cup Dairy-free milk
1 tsp ACV
1 cup Plain flour or gluten-free flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp sugar (optional for refined sugar-free)
Sea Salt
1 tbsp oil (optional)

Method: Mix the milk with ACV, stir and set aside for two minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the milk mixture and mix until all in well incorporated. Pour the batter into the nonstick skillet with spray oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve with your favourite fillings, such as sliced banana, fruit coulis, berries, ice-cream, but the best is the classic version: a cube of vegan butter with fresh lemon juice with maple syrup.

Happy Valentine’s Day: Chocolate Brownie In A Mug

I love cooking my chocolate brownie in a mug if I fancy a cake with a quick fix. This is the one for you! I like this cake simple, all you need to do is whisking all the ingredients and dump in the microwave, it takes only 60 to 90 seconds (depends on your container), then you’ll have a delicious dessert in front of you. Will, it satisfies your craving?

Make it now, enjoy your Happy Valentine’s Day with your love one!

I suggest adding more chocolate chips for richer flavour or sprinkle a few berries like raspberries or cherries (frozen will be fine), or even add a teaspoon of nut butter on top. It is super fudgy, moist and perfect for any time you need a cake desperately. Would you give it a try? Tell me how’s yours turn out!

Ingredient: (for one ramekin)

• 2 tbsp Plain flour/all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Coconut sugar or normal brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 2-3 tbsp Dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp Sunflower oil, canola oil or melted vegan butter
• Pinch of Pink sea salt
• 1-2 tbsp Vegan chocolate chips for topping (optional)
• Few berries for topping (optional)
• 1/8 tsp Baking powder (optional)

Serving options: Coconut whip cream, Dairy free vanilla ice cream, sprinkle 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, coconut sugar, salt and unsweetened cocoa powder until evenly combined without lumps.
2. Whisk in the wet ingredients until the batter formed, it should be a consistent brownie batter, smooth and thick.
3. Stir in the vegan chocolate chips if you use and transfer the brownie batter into a mug or microwave-proof ramekin. If you like, add few berries on top before putting in the microwave.
4. Place the mug or ramekin in the centre of your microwave, and put on high (800W) for 90 seconds. Otherwise, bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 8-12 minutes or until the brownie is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Wait for a minute before eating in case burning yourself.
6. Serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top would be my strong suggestion! Enjoy! xxx

One Bowl Vegan Apple Streusel Cake

You may know cinnamon and apple are a perfect companion made in baking, plus one bowl method makes it super easy to handle. This rich vegan apple cake is full of more apples than cake and with the streusel topping for a more interesting option for you!

For this recipe, you may use Bramley cooking apples for the first priority, but I adapted the 🍏 Granny-Smith apples for my only choice instead of Bramley, cause I made up this cake just in a whim.

Pan-Fried Vegan Custard Buns

If you don’t have an oven at home, don’t worry, it still has many options to make cakes, bread and lots of things at home. Here is one of the easy version to use your frying pan to make this delicious vegan custard buns (don’t tell me you haven’t got a frying pan in your kitchen, if you say yes, probably you may not interest it).  😅

Just like all the bread-making, simply mix all the dough ingredients together, knead to a smooth and elastic dough, let it proof in a warm place until double the size. Punch down the air out, cut into equal portions (depends how big you like), and roll into a ball shape, then rest for 15 minutes. Wrap the prepared custard cream filling, let it make the second proofing. Then put on a large frying pan and dry fry on the lowest heat for 5-7 minutes each side. Just as simple as that!

Pan-Fried Vegan Custard Buns

Ingredient for the dough: (6 buns)

• 1 cup Bread flour/strong flour
• 1 tbsp Custard powder
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• Pinch of Pink salt
• 1 tsp Instant yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Vegan Custard Cream:

• 1 cup Dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp Custard powder
• 1 tbsp Corn flour
• 2 tbsp Sugar

Method:

1. For the custard cream: Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan until well combined and without any lumps. Put on low heat and keep stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Off heat and cover a piece of cling film by touching the surface of the cream. Chill in the fridge.
2. For the buns: Combine the dry ingredients and mix together with a whisk. Add dry yeast, water and mix. Put it on the table and knead (10mins). Add oil and knead more (5mins).
3. Punch down and release air in the dough and divide it into 6 pieces and make them round, cover with a damp towel and leave for 15 minutes. Roll into an oval shape, fill half of the dough with a good amount of custard cream. Fold the other half dough over and seal tightly. Repeat the rest of the dough.
4. Proof the buns in a warm place for a half-hour until doubled.
5. Put one or two layers of baking paper in a frying pan then place the buns on it. Bake the buns with a lid with the lowest heat for 5-7 minutes per each side.
6. Serve WARM is the best! DON’T serve straight away after cook, the custard filling will be burning hot!