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Vanilla Sponge with chocolate chips and pecans

I used a 8" square tin for this cake but any shape you like would be fine. Pictured variations detailed below (it's a versatile recipe!)

Ingredients.

300g/12oz/2 cups of self raising flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

100g/4oz/half a cup of sugar

1 cup/8 fl.oz/200ml of sunflower oil

1 cup of soya milk (or possibly a little more to get a good mixture)

2 teaspoons of natural vanilla extract

50g./2 oz./quarter cup chocolate chips (or more if you like!)

50g/2 oz/half a cup of pecan halves

Oil your cake tin and preheat oven to 180C/360F. Mix together your dry ingredients of flour, sugar and bicarbonate. Make a well in the middle and pour in the oil, soya milk and vanilla - mix well. Pour into cake tin and then sprinkle on the chocolate chips and arrange the pecans on top. Bake for about half an hour or until cooked in middle (insert a knife or skewer into the centre of cake and if cooked it will come out clean)

Variations as seen on right use the basic cake recipe but no choc chips or pecans: one in muffin cases topped with melted chocolate and drizzled with soya cream... obviously shorten cooking time considerably for the smaller muffin version. two is a full size cake, split and filled and covered with raspberry cream made with 1 pack of granovita's organic cremovita (thick like whipping cream), blended with a punnet of rasps (keep some for decoration) and some icing sugar.

Printable version 

Cranachan

A traditional Scottish pudding is veganised - serves four. This is often served at Burn's Suppers in Scotland.

Printable version 

Ingredients (for four).

4 sticks of chopped, lightly stewed (with some sugar) and cooled, rhubarb

1 punnet of strawberries, stalks removed and halved

a slice of chocolate cake for everyone (pictured is one topped with chocolate chips and walnuts)

a small box of soya cream

Layer it all up as in picture and enjoy this summertime pud :)

Ingredients.

200g spelt flour

1 teaspooon of bicarb

a good cupful of chopped dates (obviously destoned)

2 mashed bananas (good way to use up over-ripe ones)

handful of raisins

about a third of a cup of sunflower oil

1 tsp of vanilla extract

soya milk or water to mix to a thick batter

Mix the flour and bicarb. Add in the dates and raisins and mix well. Add the oil, soya milk and/or water, oil, bananas and vanilla and beat well. Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 200C/400F for about half an hour or until well risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients.

300g wholemeal spelt flour

100g. sugar

1 teaspooon of bicarb

2 tablespoons of cocoa

juice and rind of one orange

100g of chocolate chips

about a third of a cup of sunflower oil

soya milk or water to mix to a good thick batter - don't want it too runny

Mix your dry ingredients reserving about a third of the chocolate chips for topping then add the wet ones and stir well. Divide between 12 cake or muffin cases (in a muffin tin is best), topping with the remaining chips. Bake at 200C/400F for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and browning. yum.

This is our veganised version of a recipe from the book 'French Women Don't Get Fat' by Mireille Guiliano. See it at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com - not a veggie book by any means but we liked the general loving attitude to food and the whole ethos of eating and it was a good fun read.

Ingredients.

500 ml. soya milk

50g. sugar

half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

200g pudding rice

85g. really dark chocolate (80%+ best) broken into small pieces

Bring milk, sugar and salt to the boil then add the rice. Stir occasionally while cooking for about 20 minutes - add more milk if too sticky. Stir in vanilla. Divide between 4 ramekins and insert the chocolate pieces into the middle and push down with a spoon. Leave at room temperature while you eat the rest of your dinner and the chocolate will all be melty and gorgeous by then...

Ingredients.

300g flour - I used half and half of spelt flour and Doves farm gluten free flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

150g sugar

150g. vegan margarine

about a cup of water or juice (or enough to mix to a good consistency)

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

lots of chocolate chips (D&D dairy free ones worked very well)

Cream the sugar and marg together until light and fluffy (in theory). Mix in a little water then fold in the flour and bicarb. Gradually add the rest of water (and possibly some more) and then the vanilla and chips. Mix well though never roughly. Pour into greased cake tin (I used a 7" round). Bake at 190C/380F for at least half an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients.

300g wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

100g sugar

1 packet of walnut pieces (I used 200g. but make it as nutty as you like!)

about a cup of soya milk (or enough to mix to a good consistency - the wetter you make it, the moister the cake in theory)

about half a cup of sunflower oil

the juice of 1 lemon

Mix up all dry ingredients, add the wet ones except lemon juice and mix well. At last minute add lemon and pour into greased cake tin. Bake at about (recipe is getting a bit vague don't you think?) 190C/380F for at least half an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients.

Vegan ice cream such as vanilla and/or chocolate Swedish Glace (or make your own of course!)

pick and choose with these layers or add your own:

sliced strawberries, mango, kiwi fruits and/or bananas

vegan chocolate sauce

chopped nuts

crushed chocolate chip cookies

chocolate chips

sweets such as whizzers chocolate beans

vegan hundreds and thousands (vermicelli)

soya cream

crunchy cereal

granulated brown sugar

Let your artistic side go with this! You can layer things up in a sundae glass like vanilla ice cream, kiwis, chocolate ice cream, cookies, vanilla ice cream, bananas, chocloate sauce, chopped nuts, chocolate ice cream topped with soya cream and cruchy brown sugar - you get the idea. Alternatively you can just plop the ingredients of your choice in a bowl - tastes just as good. It is fun uncovering different layers in the sundae glass though...

Ingredients.

topping:

1 block of silken tofu (you can use firm but will need to blend for longer)

1 punnet of strawberries (reserve two or three for garnish)

3 tablespoons of sugar

quarter cup of sunflower oil

a little soya milk for blending

a few drops of vanilla essence or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream

base:

1 packet of cookies of your choice (we used Co-op Country Crunch)

3 tablespoons of vegan margarine

Whizz all the topping ingredients up in a blender until smooth (this makes the angel delight type thing). For the base - combine the cookies and marg. in a food processor (or you can crush the cookies and mix with melted marg) - press into a fairly large ovenproof dish (or two small ones whatever seems best for your quantities). Pour over the topping and bake at about 200C/400F for about half an hour until the topping is firming. remove from oven and cool. Decorate with sliced fresh strawberies and eat like an angel :)

Ingredients.

175 grams dates, roughly chopped (not sugar rolled)

125 grams raisins

150 ml hot, strong but not stewed tea

125 grams vegan marg, allowed to soften, but not melted

50 grams chopped walnuts

125 grams muscavado sugar (either dark or light)

225 grams of plain flour

150 ml soya milk

1 teaspoon (5mls) baking powder

1 teaspoon (5mls) bicarbonate of soda

Optional: 1 teaspoon (5mls) of ground cinamon, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5mls) ground nutmeg

Soak the dates and raisins in the tea for at least one hour but up to 8. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat together, an electric mixer is easiest but not a food processor as you lose all the texture. When thoroughly mixed pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin (sorry don't know the metric measurements!) loaf tin and bake for about 1 and 1/4 hours at gas mark 4 or 350 f. Check after an hour and cover with foil if browning. It is done when a skewer or piece of uncooked spaghetti stuck in the middle comes out clean. Leave to go completely cold in tin.

Can be eaten at once but is even better if wrapped in foil and stored in a tin for up to one week. It is surprisingly tasty without the spices but nice with them too. This works with wholemeal flour but will give a dense loaf, our preference is half and half.

Ingredients.

1 block of frozen puff pastry (about 500g), defrosted

100g/4oz/half a cup of sugar

a little soya milk for sealing and glazing

2 cups of fruit - red and black currants are great in the summer, apples go well in autumn

Preheat oven to 180C/360F. Roll the pastry into one wide rectangle and place the fruit and sugar in a line in the middle. Lift up the edges and crimp together using the soya milk. Seal up the ends and glaze the top with soya milk. You can also sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of sugar over the top. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until the pastry is cooked. Great served with soya cream or Swedich Glace ice cream.

Ingredients.

a large tin of pear halves in syrup (around 800g including syrup)

500g/16oz/2 and a half cups of self raising flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

200g/7oz/1 cup of sugar

1 cup/8 fl.oz/200ml of sunflower oil

2 and a half cups/20 fl.oz/500ml of apple juice

1 teaspoon of natural vanilla extract

Oil your cake tin and preheat oven to 180C/360F. Arrange the pears, cut side down on the base of tin (in a star pattern was very pretty). Combine the dry ingredients (excluding the brown sugar) in a bowl then add the wet ingredients (including the syrup from the pears) and mix well. Pour over the pears and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until nearly cooked through. Remove from tin by placing an oven-proof plate over the tin and turning upside down so you have the pears on top. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Ingredients.

2 cups of oat flakes

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

1 tablesoon of vegan margarine

1 tablespoon of light brown sugar

about 10 dried apricots chopped up quite small

Melt the syrup, sugar and margarine together in a pan over a gentle heat. When thouroughly melted mix in the oats and apricots and press the mixture into an oiled cake tin. I find a 8 inch square tin does well. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes at 190C/380F or until just beginning to brown. Cut lines into the 'cake' while still warm. Cool and break into bars.

Ingredients.

6oz/200g./1 and a half cups of self raising flour

4oz./125g./half cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon raising agent

the juice and rind of 1 lemon

half a cup of sunflower oil

1 cup of soya milk (water or rice milk can be used instead)

dash of vinegar

half a cup of white icing sugar and a little boiled water, still hot

paper cake cases (will make 12-20 depending on the size of case)

Mix the flour, sugar and raising agent together then add the oil, lemon juice, rind and soya milk and mix well. Add the vinegar and stir. Divide the mixture between the cake cases (a couple of dessert spoons of mixture in each one) and bake for 15-20 minutes at 200C/400F. To make the icing: sift the icing sugar and add a small amount of very hot water and stir well. Start with a teaspoon full and keep adding and stirring until you get a gooey, spreadable icing. Once the cakes have cooled spread a little icing on each one and leave to set. Alternatively you can bake it as a large lemon cake as pictured (increase cooking time accordingly).

Ingredients.

200g/7oz/1 and 3 quarters cup of vegan digestive biscuits (graham crackers in the US) or bourbons for the chocolate variety

150g./5 oz/half a cup vegan margarine

1 block of tofu - about 400g/12 oz/1 and a quarter cups (silken is best for this recipe but other forms will do)

4 Tbspoons of sugar

4 Tbspoons of sunflower oil

a little vanilla essence

For chocolate variety:2 Tbspoons of cocoa

For fruit variety: some fruit stewed with a little sugar

Crush the digestive biscuits and melt the margarine and then mix these two ingredients together. Press this mixture into a large flat dish. Combine the tofu, sugar, oil, vanilla, and cocoa (for chocolate only) in a blender until smooth and pour onto the base. Bake in oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour. For the fruit variety, allow the cake to cool slightly then pour the stewed fruit with sugar over the top and chill. This can be topped with all raw fruit instead (kiwi, tangerine slices etc). 

Ingredients.

6oz/200g./1 and a half cups of rice flour

2oz./50g/scant cup soya flour

4oz./125g./half cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon wheat free raising agent

2 large eating apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)

1 cup water

1/4 cup of apple juice

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

a few drops of vanilla extract (optional)

dash of vinegar

brown granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Mix the dry ingredients together then add the water, juice, oil, vanilla and mix well. Add the vinegar and stir. Pour half the cake batter into a greased square cake tin (9x9 inches or 20x20 cm approx. works well). Spread the apple slices evenly over the batter and then top with the remaining mixture and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180c/360F for about 40 minutes or until firm.

Ingredients.

4oz/125g./scant half cup vegan margarine

4oz./125g./half cup sugar

4oz/125g./three quarters of a cup self-raising flour

1 tablespoon of cocoa

2 ripe bananas

1 cup soya milk

Mash the marg., sugar, bananas, cocoa and flour together in an oven proof bowl, and then use the soya milk to mix everything together well. You may need to add a little more soya milk to get a good cake-mix type consistency. Bake (yes - in the bowl) at 200C/400F for about 20 minutes until cooked.

Ingredients.

8oz/250g./generous 1 and a half cups of self raising flour

4oz./100g/scant half cup of vegetable suet

half to a third of a jar of jam (usually raspberry or strawberry) (jam translates as jelly for the USA)

Preheat oven to GM 6 / 400 °F / 200 °C.

Mix flour and suet in a bowl. Add a little water to form a dough (not too much so it isn't sticky). Roll out to a square shape and spread with jam. Roll up into a sausage shape and sprinkle sugar on the top. Bake at top of oven for around 30-40 minutes until pastry is crisp and light brown. Serve with custard (Several brands of custard powder are vegan and can be made with soya milk.

Ingredients:

200g./7 oz/1 and a half cups of white flour

50g./2oz/third of a cup of caster sugar

1 and a half tea spoons of baking powder

3 fl oz/100ml of orange juice

3 fl.oz/100ml of sunflower oil

2 mashed bananas (over ripe is best)

some soya milk as required

vanilla essence

dash of vinegar

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients - but not the vinegar - in a jug or bowl. Mix the two together and then stir in enough soya milk to make a smooth mixture and add the bananas, Finally add the dash of vinegar to get that lovely chemical reaction and mix well. This should make enough to fill 12 cake cases. It's a good idea to put them in a muffin or patty tin to help them keep their shape but not totally essential. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 190 degrees and then cool.

A healthier version is to use wholemeal flour and unrefined dark sugar. This is equally delicious, but they don't rise as much and don't impress non-vegan visitors quite as well!!

Ingredients:

8oz/250g/one and a half cups of wheat free flour (we used Doves Farm organic and gluten free flour which is a mix of rice, maize, buckwheat and potato flours)

2 tsp baking powder

7 or 8 large dates, soaked

half a cup of water

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup of rice milk

half a cup of sunflower oil

1 tablespoon of vinegar 

Mix the flour and baking powder. Liquidise the soaked dates in the half cup of water until fairly thick and smooth. Add the date mixture to the flour along with the rice milk, oil and bananas. Mix well - you may need to add a little more water or rice milk as wheat free flours do vary greatly and tend to absorb more liquid than wheat. Add the vinegar at the last minute and then pour into 9"/18cm cake tin and bake at 190C/380F for about 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Ingredients:

4oz/120g./scant half cup vegan margarine

2oz/55g./generous quarter cup caster sugar

5oz/150g./1 cup self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

for the topping:

4oz/120g./half a cup icing sugar

3oz/90g./third of a cup vegan margarine

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

5oz/150g./quarter of a cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped

2oz/50g./eighth of a cup finely chopped glace or stem ginger

Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 20x 30 cm tin and line base and sides. Allow an extra 2cm above each edge. Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour and ground ginger. Mix until combined. Spread on tin and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool in pan.
For topping: Combine sifted icing sugar, margarine and syrup in a saucepan and melt. Stir in the chopped nuts and ginger. Pour on top of the pre-cooked base and bake for a further 10 minutes. Cool in tin before cutting.

Ingredients:

7oz/200g./1 cup vegan margarine

4oz/100g./half a cup of sugar

7oz/200g./1 and a half cups self-raising flour

1 and a half teaspoons of ground cinnamon

for the topping:

16oz/450g./2 cups icing sugar

3oz/75g./third of a cup vegan margarine

1 tablespoons of cinnamon

4 tablespoons of golden syrup

Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 20x 30 cm tin and line base and sides. Allow an extra 2cm above each edge. Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour and ground cinnamon. Mix until combined. Spread on tin and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool in pan.
For Topping Combine sifted icing sugar, margarine and syrup in a saucepan and melt. Stir in the cinnamon. Pour on top of the pre-cooked base. Cool in tin before cutting into slices.

Ingredients.

12oz/350g/2 and a half cups self raising flour (or 12 oz plain with 3tsp baking powder added.)

12 oz/350g./2 and a half cups mixed dried fruit

1/2 pint/1 cup/250 ml. tea

4 oz/100g./1 cup sugar (white is ok, brown better and muscavado is the biz)

2 tablespoons soya flour mixed with enough water to make a "single cream" type consistency (sorry about using the C for cream word, but don't know how to describe it otherwise).

Soak the sugar and fruit in the tea for a minimum of 2 hours, but the longer the better and overnight is ok.
Put oven on at between reg.2 and 3/150C/300F.
Grease a loaf tin with vegan margarine.
Add the flour and soya mix, till all incorporated, then put in the tin and bake for about 2 hours. I test to see if it is cooked by putting a skewer or thin blade knife in, and if it comes out clean the cake is done. Turn out on rack to cool.

Ingredients.

1 ripe banana

1 pint/2 and a half cups soya milk

2 tablespoons natural soya yoghurt

2 tablespoons vegan vanilla ice cream

Whiz together and serve over ice. Very nice!

Ingredients.

2 or 3 bananas

lolly sticks (you can substitute cocktail sticks for older children)

optional coverings:

melted chocolate or maple syrup

dried coconut

sesame seeds

chopped nuts

vermicelli (hundreds and thousands - some brands are vegan)

Cut the bananas into bite size chunks and push the lolly sticks into them. Place in the freezer on a covered freezer proof dish for a couple of hours or until frozen. They are delicious just like that but if you prefer a bit of decadence: dip each lolly in chocolate or syrup (be quick - it sets quite fast!) and then into dry ingredients of your choice (chopped nuts are our favourite). Perfect for all those wonderful long summer days that are coming (positive thinking)