Vegan baking

Wednesday, 26 February, 2020

I belong a site called Nextdoor. It unites neighbours in areas around the world, sort of like an updated BBS. It’s so useful for finding things like local tradespeople, events, sales and free stuff and so on. (There’ll be one in your area too!) Some time before Christmas I saw this:

Katie Cross,
NEW VEGAN CAKE SHOP OPENING IN DALSTON
Hello everyone, I am a vegan baker and I am opening my bakery CAKE OR DEATH every Saturday until Christmas starting tomorrow 10am – 3pm. It’s in Dalston on the corner of Dalston Lane and Martel Place E8 2FR. I’m a small business – just me baking – and I make delicious cakes, brownies and cookies and everything is vegan. Do pop down if you’re in the area – I’d love the support! Best wishes, Katie www.cakeordeath.net

Now, veganism isn’t for me but I do have two vegan friends and Hackney is pretty much Vegan Central. Every bakery has a good selection of vegan cakes, some are strictly vegan. When I go out with Lisa, I let her choose somewhere that’s vegan because it’s so much easier than her finding something on the menu where I usually go. I didn’t get to Katie’s bakery, Cake or Death, though.

Then Katie started to advertise classes at her bakery. I still didn’t go for those, until she had a sale. I couldn’t resist, even knowing this would mean…cake!

I arrived at the class and there were nine of us- eight women, one man. There were also no baking spaces other than Katie’s kitchen area and a big table.

We watched her make lemon cup cakes. She made the batter, then worked on the icing. She whipped broad bean water from the can until it stood in stiff peaks, then added in icing sugar and lemon. She also made a lemon curd, which is a normal recipe but with Flora ‘buttery’ margarine instead of butter.

We then made our own carrot cake, measuring and mixing and pouring the batter into tins to bake. Again Flora is used and also unsweetened soy milk. And a lot of oil! It smelled good.

Once that was in the oven, we all had a part to play in making sticky ginger cake. I stirred the huge bowl of liquids – Flora, soy milk, treacle, muscovado sugar, and golden syrup, all melted in the microwave and ready for the dry ingredients.

Our last baking effort was at the end of the class. We each made our own peanut butter chocolate chip cookies – seven large ones. They went into the oven when the other things were ready or almost ready to come out.

The whole place smelled great. The participants were friendly and I chatted a bit to the other two locals that were there – a couple. I should have got their details but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll see them around. Even though we didn’t have our own cooking stations, things worked well. Katie’s helper gave us each a huge box and I put in my cakes and cookies and balanced them all the way home.

Then the eating. The only thing we haven’t tried yet is the carrot cake. It’s in the freezer, cut into three pieces. Everything has been delicious. Nothing tastes like it should be labelled vegan. I’m ready to host my vegan afternoon tea party!

Next, the photos!