Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Cake (Vegan too!) (2024)

FAQs

Why is my vegan cake not fluffy? ›

CAKE NOT RISING

This can be caused by a few things already mentioned such as using the wrong egg replacer or over mixing. I always recommend using fresh raising agents. Generally, baking soda and baking powder only stay active for 3 months after opening.

Vegan Bakes are Nutrient-Rich

Vegan baking may not be considered 'healthy,' but it is more nutritious than your standard non-vegan dessert. Vegan recipes rarely call for many processed ingredients or saturated fats.

If you don't use enough binding ingredients, your cake may crumble. Other factors include using too much flour, not enough liquid, or not enough fat in the batter. Overmixing, baking at too high of a temperature, or overbaking can also lead to a crumbly cake.

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

5. Reducing sugar affects overall flavor as well as sweetness. Baking with reduced sugar produces less-sweet treats, of course, but lack of sugar also tends to increase blandness as well. Like salt, sugar is a flavor enhancer.

In some baking, such as quick breads and cake, sugar is an essential ingredient for providing the right moisture and texture. The chemistry of sugar attracts water molecules, so cutting it out can make your baked goods too tough and dry.

In truth, vegan cakes might not even contain fewer calories than non-vegan ones. While they lack butter and other dairy products, it is not a given that they contain less saturated fats. In fact, some vegan substitutes for butter, like cocoa butter or coconut oil, can have similar amounts of saturated fats.

Why are vegan cakes so expensive? ›

Ingredient Costs:Vegan cakes rely on alternative ingredients such as plant-based milk, egg substitutes, and non-dairy butter, which can be more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Ingredients like almond flour, coconut oil, or specialty vegan chocolate may also contribute to higher costs.

Here are some guidelines: Room Temperature: Most vegan cakes stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature. After this time, they may start to dry out or lose their moisture. Refrigeration: Storing a vegan cake in the refrigerator can extend its freshness to about 4-5 days.

Dairy, whether it's milk or yogurt or sour cream, helps keep baked goods moist. It's also unfortunately not vegan. But don't skimp on the creamy stuff—it really helps to make a dense and luscious-textured pastry. Experiment with alt-milks, like almond milk.

After Googling I've found some things that may be the cause: Over mixed the batter (I thought I didn't but who knows) Didn't leave the milk+vinegar mixture long enough to curdle. I've also seen posts of people who recommend to add the vinegar right before your done with mixing.

Vegan cakes can sometimes be denser than their non-vegan counterparts due to the absence of certain ingredients that contribute to the structure and texture of traditional cakes. Eggs, in particular, provide leavening, moisture, and binding properties in conventional cakes.

Check expiry dates on your ingredients and use only fresh baking soda and powder. If the oven temperature is too low, it will take longer for your cake to set which may cause the centre to collapse as it cools, leading to a dense final product.

Six common baking-fails, and how they can be prevented. Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

There could be various reasons, like you are not properly sifting the dry ingredients, or mixing the dry and wet ingredients too thoroughly. Or maybe the egg substitute is being too heavy. Make sure that the baking powder isn't too old or hasn't become moistened.