5 tips for vegan baking

An important aspect when it comes to baking vegan cakes is not to mix the batter for too long. If you beat your cake batter too long with a hand mixer, gluten structures can form and your cake might turn into a stone.
It is best to mix the ingredients with a whisk or spatula until everything has combined into a homogeneous mass. Mix the dry ingredients and then quickly fold in the liquid ingredients. This way, you are always on the safe side and nothing stands in the way of a successful baking experience. You should also not leave the dough to stand for too long before transferring it to the baking tin and baking.

A little patience is also crucial when baking vegan. Sometimes the baking time given is not quite correct. This is often the case if you have ‘veganised’ a conventional recipe. Then it is quite possible that you will still find a completely liquid batter in the tin after the specified baking time.
You should always select a baking temperature between 160 and 180 °C and start on top and bottom heat.
After the specified baking time, you should definitely do the stick test and check whether the cake is cooked through inside the tin. To do this, insert a wooden stick or toothpick (fairly centrally) into the cake. If the stick remains dry, the cake is done inside. But if the dough sticks to it, you should leave it on for another 5–10 minutes. Is the top of the cake getting rather dark, but the inside is not yet done? Simply place a sheet of baking paper on top. This will protect the top of the cake and prevent it from darkening any further.

Should you use whole vanilla pods, or would you prefer something from the packet that has never seen a vanilla pod? I think the answer is obvious. Using high-quality ingredients is the be-all and end-all when baking – whether vegan or conventional. Here, we rely on the baking spices from Kotányi in particular. They are of high quality and give your baked goods a wonderful flavour.
There is a really large selection and also ready-made spice blends that you can use straight away (in winter, for example, use the gingerbread spice as a little secret ingredient in pumpkin bread).

It is also important to pay attention to the quality of cocoa and chocolate. If the quality of the ingredients is not right, the flavour of your cake can be negatively affected.

But not only the ingredients, your baking utensils should also be of good quality. For example, make sure that your baking tins have walls that are not too thick and are made of a material that transfers the heat evenly to the dough. Moulds made of enamel or ceramic are very suitable here. They will give you a much better baking result than cheap moulds, which have thin walls and do not transfer the heat well. Otherwise, it can easily happen that the cake is completely burnt on the outside but still completely raw on the inside.

The recipe uses wheat flour, but you only have spelt flour at home? Sugar isn’t your thing either, would you rather use agave syrup instead?
Then you should also be aware that the recipe may not turn out as it should. Each flour and every ingredient has its own characteristics and behaves differently. Spelt, for example, needs a little more liquid than wheat. Melted margarine does not react in quite the same way as vegetable oil. Of course, the type of egg substitute you have used and so on also play a role. Even temperature fluctuations or an open oven can influence the result.

Do you want your shortcrust pastry to be really crispy? Then you should use ice-cold water. Quickly mix it into the dough and then leave it to rest in the fridge for a while – this will give you a very good, crumbly result. Do you want your vegan sponge dough to be super fluffy? Mineral water with plenty of carbon dioxide is the key. The carbon dioxide reacts with baking powder or baking soda and makes your cake rise beautifully. This tip is particularly suitable for fluffy cake bases or if you are already using rather heavy ingredients in your recipe. Banana bread, pumpkin bread and marble cake always appreciate a dash of mineral water.

If you follow these basic rules or tips, vegan baking will be child’s play. Just give it a try and conjure up your vegan baked goods, from banana bread to elderberry cake!