Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by mariadavid
Chloe's Vegan Desserts: More than 100 Exciting New Recipes for Cookies and Pies, Tarts and Cobblers, Cupcakes and Cakes--and More! by Chloe Coscarelli
2.0
This is a cookbook I wanted to like, being vegan myself for years now and constantly on the search for inspiration for vegan desert recipes.
What I liked about the book was the simplicity of the ingredients and the ease and simplicity of the recipes. For someone looking to make a desert for a vegan friend who doesn’t want to buy less common ingredients or is afraid to try less well known methods typically found in vegan baking (chia seeds, flax seeds, whipped aquafaba and coconut cream, etc), these recipes work really well, and will produce a decent product that is better than the store bought version, though these desserts fall far below my normal standards for a vegan desert. Also, the base of most of the recipes is some combination of flour, sugar, and vegan margarine, baking soda, and baking powder, so for people who are running low on perishables like dairy or eggs, this is a great way to bake a desert without having to run out to the store. I got into vegan baking long before I was vegan simply because I couldn’t be bothered to go out into a snowstorm to buy more milk and eggs, so I totally relate to having a lot of recipes all based upon the same non-perishable ingredients that a baker always has in the kitchen. This book is very beginner friendly, and produces results that are generally better than the store bought versions.
That being said, as an experienced vegan baker who loves experimenting with new techniques and flavors, this cookbook falls flat. I tried a handful of recipes. Each time, I had to adjust the flavors (adding more or less sugar, adding more less citrus, etc.) to get something that fit the flavor profile I expected based on the name of the dessert. I wished there had been more experimentation and a wider range of desert recipes. Most of the recipes mediocre cakes, cupcakes, or cookies, but nothing extraordinary, nothing impressive, nothing that’s going to shock people into saying, “Wow! I can’t believe that’s vegan.” No experimentation into trying other types of deserts, like marzipan, pastry, tiramisu (actual tiramisu, not tiramisu flavored pancakes), candy, biscotti, or cheesecake.
A lot of vegan cake recipes can benefit from using a vegan soy yogurt. Tofu can be used to make cream pies and tarts. Whipped coconut cream and whipped aquafaba can add a nice, light, airy texture to deserts that typically rely on whipped egg whites. But none of that in this cookbook.
Most disappointing were the final textures of the recipes I tried. I followed three different cupcake recipes, and for each one, the final product was so crumbly that even after it was fully cooled. I couldn’t remove the cupcakes from the liner without crumbling it into approximately 20 pieces. Maybe I tried the wrong recipes, but given the sheer number of desert recipes and the similarity they all have using the same base ingredients, I think many of these recipes were baked once before going into the cookbook, rather than thoroughly testing the recipe to perfect it.
Overall disappointing and I will be continuing my search for a vegan dessert cookbook that is innovative and produces stunning results.
What I liked about the book was the simplicity of the ingredients and the ease and simplicity of the recipes. For someone looking to make a desert for a vegan friend who doesn’t want to buy less common ingredients or is afraid to try less well known methods typically found in vegan baking (chia seeds, flax seeds, whipped aquafaba and coconut cream, etc), these recipes work really well, and will produce a decent product that is better than the store bought version, though these desserts fall far below my normal standards for a vegan desert. Also, the base of most of the recipes is some combination of flour, sugar, and vegan margarine, baking soda, and baking powder, so for people who are running low on perishables like dairy or eggs, this is a great way to bake a desert without having to run out to the store. I got into vegan baking long before I was vegan simply because I couldn’t be bothered to go out into a snowstorm to buy more milk and eggs, so I totally relate to having a lot of recipes all based upon the same non-perishable ingredients that a baker always has in the kitchen. This book is very beginner friendly, and produces results that are generally better than the store bought versions.
That being said, as an experienced vegan baker who loves experimenting with new techniques and flavors, this cookbook falls flat. I tried a handful of recipes. Each time, I had to adjust the flavors (adding more or less sugar, adding more less citrus, etc.) to get something that fit the flavor profile I expected based on the name of the dessert. I wished there had been more experimentation and a wider range of desert recipes. Most of the recipes mediocre cakes, cupcakes, or cookies, but nothing extraordinary, nothing impressive, nothing that’s going to shock people into saying, “Wow! I can’t believe that’s vegan.” No experimentation into trying other types of deserts, like marzipan, pastry, tiramisu (actual tiramisu, not tiramisu flavored pancakes), candy, biscotti, or cheesecake.
A lot of vegan cake recipes can benefit from using a vegan soy yogurt. Tofu can be used to make cream pies and tarts. Whipped coconut cream and whipped aquafaba can add a nice, light, airy texture to deserts that typically rely on whipped egg whites. But none of that in this cookbook.
Most disappointing were the final textures of the recipes I tried. I followed three different cupcake recipes, and for each one, the final product was so crumbly that even after it was fully cooled. I couldn’t remove the cupcakes from the liner without crumbling it into approximately 20 pieces. Maybe I tried the wrong recipes, but given the sheer number of desert recipes and the similarity they all have using the same base ingredients, I think many of these recipes were baked once before going into the cookbook, rather than thoroughly testing the recipe to perfect it.
Overall disappointing and I will be continuing my search for a vegan dessert cookbook that is innovative and produces stunning results.