March 22, 2013

Chloe’s Vegan Desserts by Chloe Coscarelli

Chloe’s Vegan Desserts is a different kind of vegan baking cookbook. Her finished products resemble non-vegan textures by using baking science rather than relying on simply substituting ingredients. Coscarelli is the author of Chloe’s Kitchen and was the first vegan winner of Cupcake Wars.

The recipes take you from breakfast treats to cookies in seven chapters: Desserts for Breakfast; Cookies and Bars; Pies, Tarts, and Cobblers; Cakes and Cupcakes; Spoon Desserts; Drink Up!; and Basics. Her two intro chapters, Sweet Pantry and Allergy-Free Baking, provide great resources for those experimenting or are new to vegan and specialty diet baking.

The pictures are clear, and the recipes easy to assemble. Mostly, she shows in the book as in her appearance in Cake Wars that vegan baking is more than baking with vegan ingredients – it’s baking that looks and tastes good.

This recipe is adapted from the book. It, like all the other recipes in this book, are quick and very tasty. And you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy them.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can (13.5 ounces) can of coconut milk – chilled overnight and not stirred
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Chill the bowl and whisk of a stand up mixer for 30 minutes in the freezer. Skim the solidified coconut cream from the chilled coconut milk, and transfer all solids into the chilled bowl. Do not add any of the remaining coconut water left behind or the stiffness of the coconut whipped cream will be affected.
Add the powdered sugar and whip until the mixture begins to stiffen. Continue beating until the coconut solids from the can resemble whipped cream. Chill this coconut whipped cream in a covered container several hours or overnight. The mixture will firm up more as it chills.

Book Information: