Vegan Rum Christmas Cake (With dried strawberries, baby)

That's a santa hat covering the coy vegan christmas cake

Ola Bats!

I totally lied. I said the last post was, uh, the last post for 2016. Turns out I totally WON at making bomb-ass vegan christmas cake. You can easily customize this with other fruits/nuts, but this combination was a true winner. It's rich, it's wholesome, it delicious.

Ok so get your santa hats out and let's get started.


What you need

1/2 cup  refined sunflower oil

3/4th cup almond mylk/soya/cashew/coconut

1 cup brown sugar (or regular)

8-9 dried strawberries ( I got them from MK retail) or Fresh (or use dried apricots or any other dried fruit)

1/4th cup walnuts chopped

1/4th cup almonds blanched and peeled

1/2 cup black currents or black raisons

1/2 cup rum of choice

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda (optional)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


How to Make

First put your chopped nuts, currents,and dried fruit in a bowl with the rum Let is soak for at least 30 minutes.

Them nuts and fruits getting drunk off old monk

In a bowl mix your oil, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Whisk well.

Add half of your milk and mix again. Now slowly add your flour and baking powder/soda and mix continuously. Add more mylk to get a very thick but slightly pourable batter. It's ok if it's a little dry, it's a richer cake, but it should kind of lump-drop into your pan. Add your soaked rum-nuts-fruits-currents and mix well.

Nice & Thick now

Preheat oven at 170c

Spoon your batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, but check after 30 to see how it's doing with the classic knife test.

Right before I popped into the oven!

Here's wishing you merry merry holidays and super-amaze-balls 2017!

Till Next Year (For Real) Keep It Real!

Strawberry Cake & Chocolate Glaze (Vegan, Baby)

Ola Cats!

It's been a bit, and this will likely be my last post for 2016. To take a quick stock, I transitioned from Vegetarian to Vegan in May 2016,  so we're almost at 7 months now. Things I've learned.

1. It's not THAT hard

2. If you love to cook and love food, then veganism actually lets you appreciate food and ingredients all the more ( Really)

3. Militant veganism changes no one. Ethical eating, thinking about where your food comes from, and understanding how it increases apathy, distances from our ecosystem, and damages the environment is something everyone can do. I advocate being a conscious eater, and you don't have to be perfect to do that.

4. I want to inspire people to play in the kitchen with vegan ingredients

5. I am not a fancy-pretty-cute baker. I'll always be reckless in the kitchen.


Ok, so if that wasn't nauseatingly self aggrandising for you, don't worry I have more to boast about- this super delish strawberry cake with chocolate glaze. Plus it's easy to make.

Here's What You Need for the cake

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 cups Flour (Maida)

1.5 Teaspoons Vanilla

1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder + 1.3 teaspoon of baking soda

1 Cup pureed fresh strawberries

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil

5 TB vegan curd/yogurt  ( I used peanut curd from Veganarke) OR 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

3/4th cup almond/soya/cashew.coconut mylk ( I used almond)

A thick pinch of salt


And for the Chocolate Glaze

3 cups sugar

3/4th cup pure coca powder ( I used Hersheys)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Strawberry Puree 

How to Make

In a large bowl mix the sugar, oil, vanilla, and salt. In another bowl sieve the flour, baking powder/soda and keep aside. Now add the puree to your wet mix and give it a good whip. Now slowly add your flour to the mix and whisk. Pour your vegan mylk of choice slowly into the mixture until you have a cake-like batter consistency (thick but pourable).

Pre-heat oven to 180. Grease a large or two small pans with coconut oil and pour you batter in. Now bake for about 30 min (check with a knife).

Meanwhile, in a pot on low flame add sugar, 1/4th cup water and stir.. Add cocoa powder and salt (add as much cocoa powder as you like to get the sweet-cocoa flavour ratio you like). Let it simmer. You can add less/more water to get it thinner or thicker. Screw precision.

Before Frosting (Still Yummy)

Once your cake is baked, let it cool for 10-15 min. Add your glaze on top and enjoy that sweet-fruity mash-yum-blub-blub on your tongue!

Till 2017 <3 Be kind. Keep it real