The vegan virgin

Butter fiend that I am, my general opinion of vegan baked goods has always been that they are rather like Schrödinger's cat i.e. best left in the box and out of sight. However, the powers that be would not have it so; the monthly cake club that I attend has unexpectedly evolved into a vegan cake club, effectively thrusting an opened box into my hands and forcing me to peek inside. What did I see? A world full of exotic-sounding ingredients, such as rice milk and xantham gum, in the place of my much-loved butter and eggs.

Undeterred, I decided to embrace the challenge of baking delicious vegan treats under the guidance of the Babycakes cookbook, which is based on recipes from the highly rated Babycakes vegan bakery in New York. The book is every bit as adorable as it's name and the pictures do a great job of convincing you that these vegan treats will be just as pleasing to your stomach as they are to your eyes.

True to myself, I took a bottom-up approach to the task at hand by choosing the simplest recipe in the book - raspberry scones. I happen to have a great fondness for scones, so much so that they are on my list of foods that I am not allowed to cook or buy as I have absolutely no self-control in their presence. So, I was quite excited by the prospect of learning how to make healthy scones that I can indulge myself in guilt-free. Unfortunately, this illusion was shattered the moment I set eyes upon one of the key ingredients; coconut oil.

Who would have thought that coconuts, typically synonymous with all that is natural and good for you, could be turned into what can only be described as the product of a liposuction procedure. Globular and dense, the oil had to be coerced out of the bottle with a knife, causing my arteries to shrivel up in panicked alarm.

More familiar and reassuring ingredients, such as agave nectar and raspberries, were thrown into the mix resulting in a batter that was not far off what the scones would look like were they to be eaten and regurgitated at a later time. Still, the kitchen was filled with a mouth-watering aroma as the offensive-looking blobs of batter baked in the oven, promising something spectacular and deliciously moorish.

Sadly, I was bitterly disappointed.

The tart flavour of the raspberries were inadequately complimented by the mild sweetness of the agave nectar causing me to scrunch up my face upon taking my first bite. Although, I have to admit that I may have added a tad too many raspberries in my zeal to counter the unpleasantness of the coconut oil. My tongue hopelessly searched around my mouth for additional flavours that did not exist in the cake part of the scone, which tasted like little more than plain bread and created a stodgy mass the more that I chewed it.

In defence of the scones, they tasted considerably better the next day. However, this might have something to do with the fact that I dolled them up by brushing them with agave nectar and sprinkling them with sugar. However, I won't be able to find out if they do indeed improve with age as my vegan cake club fellows devoured them all. I guess that one might consider the scones a success. Personally, I think that these scones would taste far better if the raspberries were done away with entirely and replaced with a couple of tablespoons of jam. But, I am not in the least bit inclined to experiment with this recipe. My first foray into this mysterious and creative world has left me wishing I'd remained a vegan virgin. Perhaps, a trip to New York's Babycakes bakery would change my mind...if that doesn't, nothing will!

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a tray with baking paper. Whisk together 2 cups of spelt flour, 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1/3 cup of coconut oil, 1/3 cup of agave nectar and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and stir together until a thick, slightly dry batter is formed. Pour 14 cup of hot water into the batter and mix. Using a rubber spatual, gently fold in 1 cup of fresh raspberries just until they are marbled throughout the batter. Scoop 1/3 cup of the batter per scone onto the tray, spacing them 1 inch apar. Lightly brush the tops with the coconut opl and bake for 14 mins, rotating 180 degrees halfway through. The finished scones will be golden and slightly firm. Remove from the oven and brush with the agave nectar. Let the scones stand on the sheet for 15 mins before transferring to a wire rack with a spatula and cooling completely. The scones can be kept for two days in an airtight containing.