Baking without eggs is a piece of cake for Waimate resident Alanna Habershon.
Ms Habershon went vegetarian at the age of 13 and has been vegan for the past nine years.
She said for the first six months after she had eliminated animal products from her diet, she became ‘‘really creative’’ in the kitchen, exploring all of the options, and seeing what suited her, cooking dishes such as chickpea omelettes and cheesecakes containing tofu.
As far as egg replacements in baking went, Ms Habershon said she completely recommended Orgran egg replacer.
While some people claimed mashed banana or apple sauce made good replacements for baking, she was dubious.
‘‘If I’m making something that is not banana-flavoured, then I don’t want a weird banana taste in it.’’
She said egg helped to bind and raise, but — while mashed banana also helped to bind — it had no raising elements.
‘‘So it makes it really dense.’’
She said using egg replacer, she was able to make biscuits from her grandmother’s Edmonds cookbook.
As for mini meringues, she had found a winning recipe using aquafaba (the water in which chickpeas have been cooked).
Her advice to people across South Canterbury who wanted to bake but were nervous about changes was to try the egg replacer with an open mind.
‘‘Whenever you try a new way of doing something there will be some trial and error involved.’’
She said one pack of Orgran egg replacer could replace 66 eggs, which made it a cost effective and non perishable option for the kitchen.
Vegan chocolate cake
(Makes 1 x round 20cm tin cake)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour 1 cup white sugar 6 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 heaped tsp Orgran egg replacer 1/2 cup plant-based milk 1/4 cup oil 2 Tbsp water 1 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 cup boiling water + 1/2 tsp instant coffee
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 180degC fan bake. Grease the sides and bottom of a 20cm cake pan. Line the base with baking paper. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg replacer. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add in plant-based milk, oil, two tablespoons water, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Dissolve 1 /2 teaspoon instant coffee in 1/2 cup of freshly boiled water. Pour into cake batter and mix well. Pour batter into prepared cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when lightly pressed. Allow the cake to cool inside the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool it completely before icing.
