Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale: More than 150 Delicious Sweet and Savory Vegan Treats Perfect for Sharing

By Carla Kelly

Over 150 Delicious, Easy-to-Make Vegan Treats Perfect for Bake Sales, Afterschool Snacking, and Sharing with Kids and Adults AlikeQuick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale is your guide to crafting irresistible treats in a snap. With over 150 recipes to choose from, plus dozens of variations, you’re sure to find the perfect solution for your birthday, block party, bake sale (including the annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale)—or just your sudden craving for:Espresso Chocolate-Chip Coffee Cake • Spelt Jam Thumbprint Cookies Vanilla Bean Cupcakes • Creamy Dreamy Lemon Mousse Pie • White Balsamic Fruit Tarts with Jam Glaze • Chai Chocolate Mini Loaves • Poppy Seed and Raspberry Muffins • Rocky Road Brownies, and more!Carla Kelly, the talented mom behind the popular blog The Year of the Vegan, spills all her secrets on how to hold a great bake sale—with crowd-pleasing treats that are easy to store, transport, and share. Beginning bakers will love her tips on key techniques, must-have utensils, and how to “troubleshoot” baking gone wrong. And a helpful glossary of wheat-free, nut-free, and soy-free options ensures that everyone can join the party.Chocolate ganache . . . blueberry cream . . . homemade marzipan . . . after one bite, vegans and nonvegans alike will be too busy enjoying fantastic flavor to even think of missing milk, eggs, or butter. And since it’s all quick and easy to make, you definitely won’t be too busy to bake your cake—and eat it too!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781615191291

Carla Kelly

I started writing Regencies because of interest in the Napoleonic Wars. I like writing about warfare at sea and ordinary people of the British Isles, rather than lords and ladies. In my spare time I like to read British crime fiction and history, particularly the U.S. Indian Wars. I currently live in Utah. I'm a former park ranger, and double Rita Award and Spur Award winner. I have five interesting children and four grands. Favorite authors include Robert Crais and Richard Woodman.

Book preview

PRAISE FOR Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale

"Grab this book and have a bake sale! From can’t-miss standards like Lemon Bars and Peanut Butter Cookies to imaginative creations like Rhubarb Squares, Chai Chocolate Mini Loaves, and Parsnip and Orange Muffins, the recipes in Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale are sure to be a hit at your bake sale, with your friends and coworkers, and with you! Carla Kelly fills this fantastic cookbook with super-useful, simple-to-read sections on how to follow recipes flawlessly, match baked goods to the seasons, plan a vegan bake sale, and more. Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale is a valuable ingredient in creating delicious, memorable baked desserts and savory dishes for all occasions."

—GARY LOEWENTHAL, founder of Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale

"Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale is full of creative, quick, fun recipes that will delight vegans and meat eaters alike. Carla takes all the guesswork out of baking with simple how-tos that will turn even the most novice baker into a pro in no time. I love the way Carla infuses both sweet and savory treats with fruits and vegetables—my taste buds have never been so happy and my kitchen has never smelled so good!"

—ALICIA C. SIMPSON, author of Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food and Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations

"Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale gives everyone a very good reason to bake—because they can! Carla draws on years of baking experience, crafting goodies to satisfy both sweet and savory inclinations. Offering extensive tips, advice, and recipe variations throughout, Carla steps in as your very own baking tutor. Strap on that apron, it’s time to release your inner baker!"

—DREENA BURTON, author of Eat, Drink and Be Vegan

"Whether you are raising money for your sixth grader to go to camp, looking to help out a local animal sanctuary, or simply trying to spread the vegan word with delicious cookies and cupcakes, you’ll find that Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale is not only chock-full of delicious recipes (specifically designed for bake sales) but also contains a whole chapter of helpful information on holding the perfect vegan bake sale."

—JONI MARIE NEWMAN, coauthor of 500 Vegan Recipes and The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

As soon as I bit into one of Carla’s Green Tea Latte Cookies and after that, her Ginger Crunch, I was officially hooked. This is a must-have cookbook for anyone who loves baking, and for everyone else who doesn’t even know they love baking yet.

—CELINE STEEN, coauthor of 500 Vegan Recipes and The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

"Everybody wants their creations to steal the show at a bake sale. Especially vegans. That just got easier, thanks to Carla Kelly. Stuffed with recipes for both savory and sweet goodies, Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale includes tips and techniques to ensure that your bake sale is a success and your contribution steals the spotlight."

—TAMASIN NOYES, VeganAppetite.com and author of American Vegan Kitchen

More Than 150 Delicious SWEET and SAVORY Vegan Treats Perfect for Sharing

QUICK AND EASY

Vegan Bake Sale

Carla Kelly

QUICK AND EASY VEGAN BAKE SALE:

More Than 150 Delicious Sweet and Savory Vegan Treats Perfect for Sharing

Copyright © Carla Kelly, 2011

Insert photographs copyright © Carla Kelly, 2011, except photographs of Hot Cross Buns and

From-Scratch Cinnamon Straws, copyright © Shirley Saliniemi, 2011

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and The Experiment was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been capitalized.

The Experiment, LLC

260 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10001-6408

www.theexperimentpublishing.com

This book contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the book. It is sold with the understanding that the author and the publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk—personal or otherwise—which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

The Experiment’s books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fundraising or educational use. For details, contact us at [e-mail].

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010934225

ISBN 978-1-61519-026-3

Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-129-1

Cover design by Susi Oberhelman

Cover photograph copyright © StockFood|Eising

Author photograph by Karen Jackson

Text design by Pauline Neuwirth, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

Distributed simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited

First published April 2011

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my family, for their patience,

understanding, and only

occasional complaining while I

did nothing but bake and work

on the computer for months, my

unending love and gratitude. Mike,

Mhairi, and Rhian, I would be

nothing without you.

You Cook For Us.

A POAM BY MHAIRI KELLY, AGE 8

It’s dilishish

It’s newtrishish

and it’s good to eat

’cause it’s not meat.

If it’s not made by Mum

it’s just dum.

(Spelling and composition by the author.)

Contents

Note: indicates that the recipe is pictured in the photo insert.

Welcome!

Bake Sales and Baking for Sharing

A Brief History of Baking

Equipment for Baking

Ingredients for Baking

How to Bake

Help! A Troubleshooting Primer

Adapting and Resizing Recipes

Substitution Suggestions

Storage

Presentation

Baking Throughout the Year

Bars, Slices, and Squares

AGAVE CRACKLE CUPS

BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

BLUEBERRY AND MACADAMIA BISCOTTI

CHOCOLATE CEREAL SQUARES

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE CUPS

CURRANT SQUARES

ELVIS BLONDIES

GINGER CRUNCH

LEMON BARS

MINI LAVENDER BITES WITH SOUR CREAM ICING

NANAIMO BARS

NUTTY BLONDIES

ORANGE AND ALMOND BISCOTTI

REINDEER SQUARES

RHUBARB SQUARES

RICH BROWNIES

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES

SHORTBREAD

TWO-BITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES

Biscuits, Scones, and Loaves

APPLE TEA LOAF

BRITISH SCONES

CARROT AND PINEAPPLE SCONES

CHAI CHOCOLATE MINI LOAVES

CRANBERRY SCONES

DATE BISCUITS

DUNDEE LOAF

GINGERBREAD

JAFFA (CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE MARBLE) LOAF

LEMON AND BLUEBERRY BISCUITS

LIME AND POPPY SEED LOAF

RHUBARB, WALNUT, AND GINGER TEA LOAF

SPELT COCONUT CHIP BISCUITS

SPICED RAISIN WHOLE-WHEAT SCONES

STRAIGHT-UP SPELT BANANA BREAD

SUNNY SUNFLOWER TEA LOAF

Cakes and Cupcakes

BALSAMIC BERRY BUNDT CAKE

BERRY-INFUSED CUPCAKES

CITRUS BUNDT CAKE

COFFEE AND CARAMEL CUPCAKES

COLA CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE-CHIP COFFEE CAKE

GREEN TEA AND PISTACHIO CAKE

INDIVIDUAL NEW WORLD SIMNEL CAKES

LAMINGTONS

MANGO, PINEAPPLE, AND MINT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

NUT-TOPPED ALMOND AND HAZELNUT BUNDT CAKE

PB&J MARBLE CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTERCREAM

SECRET-INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH BLUEBERRY CREAM

SPICED RAISIN BREAKFAST CAKE

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CAKE

TROPICAL BANANA CAKE WITH COCONUT ICE ICING

VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES ZEBRA CAKE

Cookies

CAR TIRE COOKIES

COCOA OATMEAL COOKIES WITH COCOA NIBS

COCONUT COOKIES

COCONUT AND OATMEAL COOKIES

EVERYTHING COOKIES

GINGERED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

GREEN TEA LATTE COOKIES

MAPLE CROSSHATCH COOKIES

NO-BAKE APRICOT COOKIES

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE–INSPIRED COOKIES

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

ORANGE CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

PECAN AND DATE COOKIES

PINKALICIOUS COOKIES

PLAIN COOKIES

PRINCESS COOKIES

SEED COOKIES

SPELT CAROB COOKIES

SPELT JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES

WHITE COOKIES

WHOLE-WHEAT RUM RAISIN COOKIES

Muffins

APRICOT AND CRANBERRY MUFFINS

BANANA WALNUT MUFFINS

BEET CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE CRUMBLE MUFFINS

BRAN AND GERM MUFFINS

CARIBBEAN-INSPIRED MUFFINS

CARROT AND PISTACHIO MUFFINS

CORNY CORN BREAD MUFFINS

DOUBLE ALMOND MUFFINS

EARL GREY TEA MUFFINS

FATHER’S DAY COCONUT AND BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

GOOD MORNING MUFFINS

IT’S ALL GOOD BRAN MUFFINS

PARSNIP AND ORANGE MUFFINS

POMEGRANATE AND CARAMELIZED PECAN MUFFINS

POPPY SEED AND RASPBERRY MUFFINS

PUMPKIN AND CRANBERRY MUFFINS

SUPER-CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

ZUCCHINI AND CURRANT MUFFINS

Pies, Tarts, and Handheld Pastries

FIRST THE CRUSTS …

COCONUT PIE CRUST

PECAN PIE CRUST

PLAIN PIE CRUST

SAVORY CORNMEAL PIE CRUST

SWEET CORNMEAL PIE CRUST

LEFTOVER PIE CRUST DOUGH

PHYLLO PIE TOPPER

CHEATER’S CINNAMON STRAWS

CHEATER’S CHEESY STRAWS

… AND NOW THE PIES!

(YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT’S IN THIS) CHOCOLATE PIE

BAKEWELL TART

BUTTERY TARTS

COCONUT AND PECAN CHOCOLATE PIE

CREAMY DREAMY LEMON MOUSSE PIE

CURRANT TURNOVERS

FROM-SCRATCH CINNAMON STRAWS

INDIVIDUAL BAKLAVA

LIME COCONUT TART

RASPBERRY CLAFOUTI TART

RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE-TOP PIE

STICKY NUT PIE

SWEET POTATO PIE

VANILLA CRÈME PUFFS

WHITE BALSAMIC FRUIT TARTS WITH JAM GLAZE

Yeasted Treats

CANADIAN ANNIVERSARY BREAD

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD (FOR TOAST)

COFFEE-SHOP FRUIT SWIRL

DATE PINWHEELS

FANCY ALMOND BREAD

GARLIC FLATBREAD

HOT CROSS BUNS

LEMON AND CRANBERRY BREAD-AND- BUTTER PUDDINGS

PANNETONE-INSPIRED CHRISTMAS BREAD

PLAIN BREAD

ROSEMARY AND ZUCCHINI FOCACCIA

SALLY LUNNS

SAVORY PINWHEELS

STICKY SPICE BUNS

SWEET LONG COCONUT ROLLS WITH CREAMY COCONUT ICING

VANILLA AND CINNAMON MONKEY BREAD

WALNUT AND BANANA CINNAMON ROLLS

Savory Goodies

ARUGULA AND PINE NUT MUFFINS

ARUGULA TART

ASPARAGUS, PINE NUT, AND ROASTED GARLIC QUICHE

CHILE AND CILANTRO CORN BREAD

DINNER BISCUITS

FROM-SCRATCH CHEESY STRAWS

IRISH-INSPIRED SODA BREAD

MINI CHEESE AND ONION PASTIES

MINI SAUSAGE ROLLS

OVEN POTATO FARLS

PEA, TARRAGON, AND CREAM CHEESE TART

PESTO MUFFINS

ROASTED GARLIC AND PEPPERCORN CRACKERS

SAVORY CHEESY BISCUITS

SAVORY HERBED CRACKERS

SPANIKOPITA LOAF

SPICY CORN BISCOTTI

SPICY SPINACH AND CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

SUN-DRIED TOMATO, OLIVE, AND SAUSAGE PIE

TOMATO AND HERB BISCOTTI

UPSIDE-DOWN OLIVE, SUN-DRIED TOMATO, AND ROASTED RED PEPPER CAKE

Sauces, Icings, and Toppings

BUTTERCREAM, MORE OR LESS

CRAZY WHIP TOPPING

DATE PASTE

DRIZZLE ICING

GANACHE-STYLE CHOCOLATE

SUGAR GLAZE

Allergy and Suitability Information

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Author

Welcome!

WELCOME TO THE Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale book! Glad to have you holding this in your hot little hands. Are you ready to do some baking and delight your taste buds? Then you’ve come to the right place!

First, would you like to know a little about me?

You know my name is Carla; you know I’m obviously mad about baking; but what else is there?

I’m a happy stay-at-home mum, married with two wonderful children, one of whom loves baking, too—and both of whom love eating it! I’m originally from New Zealand, and now reside in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I came here after periods of living in Queensland, Australia, and Edinburgh, Scotland. How very Commonwealth of me! I’m also vegan.

I came to veganism slowly—no overnight conversion for me. I gradually stopped eating meat from childhood. I didn’t like the taste of it, or didn’t like the way it felt in my mouth. Mum is a great cook, but she had seven people to cook for, so she couldn’t cater to everyone’s tastes, and usually made what she wanted to make. The rule was that if you didn’t like what she made for dinner, you made your own. We all learned to cook pretty early on, and developed preferences and tastes from early experimenting. My brother even became a chef! For a long time, I still ate dairy products and eggs. After my second child was born with lactose intolerance (when I consumed dairy, it upset her stomach after she nursed), I did a great deal of investigating my diet and health and finally made the switch.

I have completed a Hospitality diploma, which included a basic chef-training component. That, along with a couple of stints working in commercial restaurant kitchens, taught me how to place ingredients and flavors together creatively, enhanced my basic cooking and baking skills, and supported my love of being in the kitchen.

I draw inspiration from my background, the food I grew up with and loved, as well as the other cuisines that I became acquainted with along the way (often in a fusion manner). These flavors from my past have molded and fused with those foods I’ve experimented with as I have grown surer of my skills and tastes. As such, my baking has mainly a strong British Commonwealth slant that will be familiar to anyone with an English, Scottish, Australian, Canadian, or, in my case, New Zealand, background and upbringing (or Anglophiles!).

Don’t recoil with horror. My baking is not traditional but more a take on the traditional, updated for a more modern palate and fused with cuisine styles and spices from all over the world. So perhaps calling it global would be more appropriate than British Common-wealth—drawing from all the corners of the world yet remaining familiar and comforting.

I tend to cook in a random, what-is-in-the-fridge-and-how-can-I-turn-it-into-deliciousness manner, and to some extent I bake in the same way, rarely following the recipes in the many cookbooks I own. To be honest, I rarely use such books as more than reference, or to get ideas I can adapt. In baking, this leads to wonderfully delicious accidents incorporating perhaps unexpected ingredients. The food itself is my inspiration and continues to be so, the more types and styles of food I try.

I’m not a dietician, a nutritionist, or a professional chef, nor do I run a vegan business of any sort. So why would I think I could write a cookbook?

Why?

Because I can.

Because I want to.

Because I love to cook, love to bake, love to experiment in the kitchen, love to share what I discover, and love to feed people tasty food that I know is good for them!

I believe food tastes best when it’s shared—with friends and family, with laughter and love. Whether it’s for everyday or for a celebration, food brings us together.

But sometimes, when we choose to eat differently, it can be a factor in keeping us apart.

Think of all the days or occasions that, to a greater or lesser extent, revolve around food—you know them. You also know that if you …

are vegan or vegetarian

are seriously watching your weight

have allergies

follow a low-cholesterol (or even cholesterol-free) diet

are diabetic

or have any other reason to need to eat differently in some way

… you dread these days and occasions for what you end up not eating, more than for what you do. It’s no fun having to be the one who cooks all the time, or having to bring along something you are able to eat, because the main cook or caterer doesn’t know how (or thinks he or she doesn’t know how) to make something suitable. Or to not bring something, and then not be able to find anything on offer that is safe for you to eat! It’s even less fun to be hungry!

It doesn’t have to be that way.

In putting together this book, I wanted to gather a selection of vegan recipes that will provide ideas for both the special times through the year and for everyday baking … keeping in mind also when things are in season. I wanted to write a cookbook that can be shared with and given to loved ones, so they can make delightful vegan dishes to share with you, for nonoccasions as well as holidays.

I also wanted to provide a tool to assist anyone interested in hosting a bake sale, for any reason. I have participated in bake sales both as part of an organizing team, and as a baker providing items for sale, and have found that what separates the good sales from the not-so-good sales is organization and variety. My hope is that this book will aid in a smoother operation, and provide ideas for a greater variety of goods to sell. (See pages 1–4 for more information.)

I’ve included recipes that fit the standard food holidays where I live and grew up. There are also foods that just celebrate the seasons, and all that they offer. Most ingredients are not difficult to find (even for nonvegans or readers who may not yet know where to look) and I often suggest substitutions and variations.

Speaking of which—I want you to feel free to change things a little, to adapt my recipes to your tastes and preferences. It may take time for you to feel comfortable with this, especially if you are a new baker, but it’s not a big deal, seriously. If you don’t like raspberries but like the look of the recipe, change the berry! I also encourage you to scribble notes throughout the book, to help you with a recipe next time—there are Remember spaces available for this very purpose.

Please visit me at http://veganyear.blogspot.com, or at Vegan Bake Sale on Facebook, for other vegan meal ideas, not just for baking, or to leave a comment, ask a question, or give me some feedback. I’m always happy to hear from you, and I’ll help if I can. Armed with this book, and with the recipes on my Web site, you’ll always have something to share and something to celebrate with those you love!

Friends and family, laughter and love—brought together by good food, all year long.

QUICK AND EASY

Vegan Bake Sale

Bake Sales and Baking for Sharing

THERE IS NO better way, I think, to spread the vegan message than to have people eat vegan food. By doing so, everyone will know you don’t live off alfalfa sprouts and tofu, but have access to delicious and delectable recipes for everything, from varied and interesting main courses to cakes and cookies. You can share the edible message in so many ways, from taking a dish to a potluck (or hosting one yourself) or to the school playground, serving it at a party, or by selling it at a bake sale (which has the bonus of raising money for a good cause).

Baking lends itself to sharing so much more easily than does cooking, because many items come preportioned from being baked that way—cupcakes, muffins, scones, and cookies immediately spring to mind. But that is not to say cakes, pies, and other larger baked goods aren’t perfect for sharing—you just have to slice them. That itself forms a nice part of the sharing ritual.

Now, don’t be fooled by the title of this book. These recipes are not just for bake sales. These items are for all occasions, the sorts of situations you find yourself in every day, as well as for special times, too. They can be shared at a potluck, a picnic, an afternoon tea, a baby or bridal shower, a family gathering, a holiday meal, a birthday, a brunch or breakfast gathering; can be given as a gift; or can be baked just to eat yourself!

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend living off only the food in this book, as the recipes are mainly treats and meant to be a little decadent—not for every meal, every day. Balanced diets, please, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably local and organic if you are able to obtain these! However, you can remind everyone that these goodies are all cholesterol free, are a lot lower in fat than standard baked goods, and many contain heart-healthy whole grains. I mean, if some of the children’s breakfast cereals on the market can advertise themselves as a source of dietary fiber, then most of these recipes certainly can, too!

HOLDING A BAKE SALE

If you are looking to have a bake sale, and have picked up this book hoping for ideas and suggestions, great, welcome, read on! Whether it’s for a school, sports team, church group, preschool or day care, charity organization; or a response to a disaster, such as the 2010 Haitian and Chilean earthquakes; or just for an individual fund-raising event, a bake sale is a great way to generate money, as well as to spread the edible message of veganism.

In New York City on Election Day, I’m told, there are bake sales everywhere! As most of the polling stations are schools, stalls are cleverly set up on the way into the polling station, selling voters their breakfast, morning snack, lunchtime treat, or on-the-way-home hunger staller! What a good idea.

For a bake sale, there’s so much to think about and organize. If you’d like to run a bake sale from scratch, here are some things to consider:

Why are you having it? To publicize the event, get people involved, and to generate as many sales as possible, you need a clear idea of why the funds are being raised and what they will be used for.

Who is going to be involved? Is it going to be a one-person show, with you doing all the baking and selling, or do you need to organize volunteers? If volunteers are needed, how many people do you need, where will you find them, and how will the duties be divided? Who (if there are more organizers than you) will be the point person(s) to handle any questions or problems that crop up? Setup, baking, creating the display, selling, and cleanup can each be the responsibility of a different person or team. If the sale is for a group—a church fund-raiser, for example—members of that group are the logical place to start looking for help.

Where will you hold the sale? Location, location, location! Is there a venue that springs immediately to mind? You need to determine what permissions are needed to hold the sale there, whether there is going to be a fee for the space or table (and if there is, can you afford it? Remember to factor in how much you may be spending on supplies), and what competition may be nearby. Decide if it is to be inside or outside (a wet weather backup venue may be needed), how much foot traffic the area generates, and what sort of foot traffic it is. For example, setting up outside a butcher’s shop may not produce the most vegan-friendly clientele!

When is the best time and day for the sale? Timing is everything, after all. Consider your chosen venue, weekend or weekday, morning or afternoon, as well as volunteer availability and your own available time, before making your decision on when to hold your sale.

How will you publicize your sale? You’ll need to ensure the best possible attendance. Are you able to put fliers or leaflets in stores and offices in the area where your sale will take place? Hand them out to people days in advance, or on the day? Are you allowed to post them in public places, such as on power poles? Is there a community radio station, Web site, or even television station that will allow you free publicity spots in a What’s going on in the community segment? Will local newspapers allow you to post a free listing, or perhaps include your sale in a columnist’s discussion of things to do? Remember, also, you can post notes on blogs, on Facebook profiles, and on Web sites such as www.veganbakesale.org to broadcast the message to a broader audience.

What will you sell and where will it come from? If you are doing all the baking yourself, what you will sell is what you bake. But if relying on donations, you’ll need to set guidelines as to what kind and size of items is preferred; for example, does everything have to be sweet? You’ll need to think about how you’re going to serve the items—plates or not? Also consider your target market (kids like cookies!), and make sure everyone knows that everything should be vegan, and homemade, of course! Is there a special theme, such as a particular occasion or setting, which should be echoed in the foods? Do you want to include allergy-free options such as items that are gluten free or nut free (and labeled as such)? Have available a selection of recipe suggestions (from this book, perhaps) for those who may feel stumped for an idea, or for nonvegan friends wanting to help out.

How will the prices be set? Are the prices going to be set in advance, made up just before the sale begins, or decided as you go along when you see which things are popular? How are you going to communicate those prices—do you need labels or signs? How will all the volunteers know what the prices are—are items priced clearly by kind or portion? Or are you going to go with a by donation bake sale where people pay what they think the item is worth (and what they can afford!)?

How will you look after the money? There are lots of housekeeping things to think about in advance, so that everyone involved is clear about them, with no ambiguity. Things like: Where will the float (your starting cash) come from, and how much will it be? Will there be a designated money person during the sale, or will everyone who is volunteering have access to the kitty? Who will count the money afterward? Who can be a designated runner to get more change, and where will that change come from? Also, how will you ensure that your profits reach the intended recipient(s)? Do you already know which contact person or office should receive the money, and what kinds of documentation may be necessary?

How will you display the items for sale? Will the goods be on platters, in baskets, displayed on tiered platforms? Will they be wrapped up all fancy, or displayed as they are? Will you offer or have an area set up with free sample tidbits? Will everything be out at once, or just a few items that are replenished as sold? This will depend on the space you have, the display materials available (where is the table coming from, by the way?), and how much you have to sell. Will you have a coordinated look, with matched napkins, tablecloths, and so on—perhaps one tying in to an occasion or a school’s colors? (See page 43 for presentation ideas.)

How will you serve, and keep things clean? Your sale has to be sanitary! You’ll have to provide tongs, pie slicers, or individual pieces of parchment paper to pick up the items, and paper napkins (look for those from recycled paper); you’ll also need bags (preferably paper) or containers for your customers to take purchases away, unless they bring their own (which you can request they do). You’ll also need to keep dirty money away from your clean items for sale. The venue will need a hand-washing facility, or you’ll need to bring water-free sanitizer for the sellers. Some communities require that all food handlers wear plastic gloves; be sure latex-free gloves (in case of allergies) are available to your volunteers if this is the case. If you use disposable plates or forks, are you able to provide those made from recycled/recyclable materials? How can you keep track of whose serving pieces, trays, and plates are whose, to be able to return them to the correct parties after the sale?

Cleanup time! If you want, even potentially, to use the venue again, make sure you do the right thing!

For more information about running a vegan bake sale, please see this Post Punk Kitchen blog post from January 2010: http://www.theppk.com/2010/01/how-to-put-together-a-bake-sale-fast. Also, there is a fantastic resource online at www.veganbakesale.org, which gives so much quality information that I really must refer you there if you are interested in learning more. I am not formally affiliated with either site, and they have nothing to do with this book or the recipes in it, but I do think they are wonderful resources.

That’s the sale part looked at; what about the actual baking?

A Brief History of Baking

THIS IS NOT meant to be an extensive investigation into how baking has evolved from the dawn of time. This overview will give you a little information about baking and some types of baked goods you will find in this book.

First, a definition—my own, blended together from various online sources: Quick breads are anything baked in a pan from a batter, using chemical raising agents that require no kneading or rising.

This term therefore incorporates muffins, scones, biscuits, cakes, cupcakes, and so on—pretty much everything except yeasted breads (which have their own chapter, starting on page 191). The thickness of the batter for each type of baking varies, but is usually in a 1:1 to 2:1 ratio of dry to wet ingredients. Leavening with a chemical agent (more about that in a minute) gives uniform, reliable, and quick results, as opposed to yeast that requires a long rising time and is more affected by changes in humidity and temperature.

Most nonyeasted baked items use one of three basic methods to combine their ingredients: blending, creaming, and rubbing in. Let’s look at each of these methods in turn, so you know what I’m talking about.

The Blending Method

This is the most common method used for muffins and loaves. Blending is also known as the quick bread method and is perfect for quick and easy baking. Using this method, you mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then quickly mix them together gently, so as not to stimulate the gluten in the flour, which would make the resultant item tough and gummy.

The Creaming Method

Creaming is used more frequently for cakes. A solid fat (such as margarine) and the sweetener (usually granulated sugar) are creamed, or beaten together, until smooth and fluffy. The liquids are then mixed in, followed by the dry ingredients, with any extra additions added last. The creaming method combines the rising gained from air pockets created during the creaming step, with the rising from the chemical leaveners. When creaming by hand, I find it easier to start mixing with a wooden spoon, then I switch to a whisk once the fat and sweetener are combined, to incorporate the dry ingredients as lightly as possible, and then I switch back to a wooden spoon for stirring in the remaining ingredients. This allows lots of air into the creamed mixture (this is what whisks are designed for, after all), and the wooden spoon gives you a firm yet gentle touch, which you need for the rest of the mixing. The creamed solid fat also provides structure to the baking, and when used in cookies, allows them to spread into the expected cookie shape.

The Rubbing-In Method

This method adds a solid fat to sifted dry ingredients. The fat is rubbed in, or cut in with a pastry cutter, to form a dough with a pebble- or crumblike texture. This creates little pockets of fat within the dough that, when baked at high temperature, melt to create a light and flaky product. This method is more commonly used for scones, biscuits, and pie crusts, where that flaky texture is especially welcome.

Baking using these three methods didn’t come into being until after the discovery of chemical leavening, obviously, in the form of baking soda, which was quickly transformed into the more usable, stable, and storage friendly baking powder. Until then, to bake anything leavened you needed to use yeast, or a sourdough starter, or something similar, all of which took time. Hence the use, all over the world, of unleavened breads such as lavash, chapati, tortilla, pita, roti, and matzo.

These chemical agents work by releasing carbon dioxide gas into the quick bread batter, which expands and causes it to rise, but they work slightly differently. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), when combined with a liquid and an acidic ingredient, produces these bubbles at baking temperatures. Not generally used by itself for baking, except in cookies, baking soda is used in recipes in this book with lots of acidic ingredients in conjunction with baking powder to assist in the rising. Baking powder combines baking soda with an acid, cream of tartar, and also a starch, such as cornstarch, to increase its shelf life and make for a more stable chemical reaction. Baking powder is available as single-acting or as double-acting, and doesn’t need to have acidic ingredients in the mixture, as its raising action comes built in. Single-acting powders are similar to baking soda, reacting only when they are heated. Double-acting powders react in two ways; first, some gas is released at room temperature when liquid is added, and then the rest (and most) of the gas is released after the temperature increases in the oven. The standard proportion for raising baked goods is to use 1 teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour, moistened with a cup of liquid.

In their earliest forms, many baked goods were quite plain, only lightly sweetened, with maybe some dried fruit added. They were baked on the day for consumption during that day, as they still are, by home bakers everywhere. There were not the food preservatives then that you’ll find in commercially made goods today. Baking has taken on different shapes, too, as time has progressed, with a wide variety of pans and pan sizes. The new nonstick technology has made it possible to bake goods with less fat than used to be necessary.

The basic nature of baking has not changed much over time, however. You take flour and chemical raising agents, mix those with liquids, often add sweeteners and some extras, then shape or pour into a mold of some sort and bake until firm, and there you have it.

Equipment for Baking

ONE OF THE beauties of basic baking is that most of the equipment you need may be found in the standard kitchen. The few specialty items you need are widely, and relatively inexpensively, available.

First, if you’re contemplating making muffins or cupcakes, you’ll need to make sure you have a set of muffin pans, also known as cupcake cups, which commonly come in standardsize twelve- and six-cup options. The