Easy Vegan Dessert Recipes: A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury

FEATURE: LONG READ

Words by EMILIE DOCK

If you’ve tasted our head pastry chef Philip Khoury’s creations in-store, then you know: the man is a culinary visionary. Compromise is not in his vocabulary: whether he’s putting a creative spin on classic patisserie or experimenting with plant-based techniques, the resulting dessert is always divine, with a purity of flavours that never fails to surprise – or delight.

It’s with great pride, therefore, and with giddy excitement that we introduce his debut cookbook, A New Way to Bake, created for the home baker and now available to purchase online, in the Roastery & Bake Hall and The Harrods Bookshop.

The book’s subtitle, Re-Imagined Recipes for Plant-Based Cake, Bakes and Desserts, says it all. You’ll find over 80 refreshingly easy vegan recipes in this compendium, from a classically indulgent triple-chocolate fudge cake (see below) to a confoundingly ‘buttery’ vrioche (plant-based brioche). Each one is easy to make at home using simple pantry ingredients and comes with a video tutorial accessible via QR code.

We couldn’t recommend this book highly enough, not just for those following a plant-based diet but also for home bakers interested in expanding their repertoire – yes, to reduce their reliance on animal products but also to maximise flavour in their desserts in new, exciting and entirely natural ways.

Here, Khoury talks to us about his motivations for the book and shares two of his favourite recipes for you to try at home.

A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury (Hardie Grant, £30), Photography © Matt Russell

What’s your message to the world with this cookbook?

There’s no ‘right’ way to bake; I make traditional cakes every day at work. But when it comes to plant-based baking there are so many misconceptions, like that you need obscure, expensive ingredients or that vegan desserts aren’t as indulgent. [With this book] I want to blow them all out of the water and equip people with more options.

What are some tricks you discovered while developing these recipes?

Baking is a science; once you understand the role of each ingredient and the formula that results in a specific texture or flavour, you can alter it. Take the classic pound cake: equal parts butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The eggs and flour bind the mixture, but when you add liquid (egg) to flour and heat it you need a high ratio of fat to tenderise it. So, when you remove egg from the recipe – and therefore that rubbery, gelling effect – you can reduce the fat.

This happened with a lot of my recipes: some have 60% less fat that their traditional counterparts but with an entirely comparable texture.

How many cakes have you made in the past three years?

Let’s just say I’m the most popular person at my partner’s work. And I’ve put on about 10kg.

What replaces fat and eggs in vegan baking?

My absolute queen of fats is extra-virgin olive oil, though I sometimes use coconut oil. Often eggs can simply be replaced with water or plant-based milk. You just let the flour and moisture do the binding/gelling instead. For my crème brûlée recipe I used custard powder, which was invented by Alfred Bird in 1837!

Can people tell the difference between your plant-based desserts and their traditional counterparts?

I do a maple cake in the book, which is my vegan alternative to honey cake. The flavour of honey cake doesn’t actually come from the honey; it comes from the honeycomb flavour you get when the bicarbonate soda reacts with the biscuit dough. You get the same reaction with maple syrup. You get fewer floral notes, sure, but I’ve added a bit of orange blossom to my recipe.

People will recognise all the textures and they may be able to notice a few differences in flavour, but no more than you might expect from trying one recipe to the next.

Are there any plant-based desserts in your book that you think taste better?

The vegan chocolate-chip cookie [available in The Food Halls]. It’s actually mind-blowing. It has just the right amount of crispiness around the edges, a fudgy and soft middle and rivers of high-quality chocolate running through – plus a sprinkling of sea salt on top to temper the sweetness. Oh and a little bit of cinnamon. The olive oil gives it a new kind of depth and complexity. I’d describe it as a chocolate chip cookie that grew up and became sophisticated. A debonaire cookie!

Triple-Chocolate Fudge Cake

“Think of this as a cross between a classic fudge cake and a mud cake – really moist yet not too dense. The ganache on top is super silky and intensely chocolate-y. I recommend using a good-quality chocolate as without the cream and butter you’d usually put in ganache the beautiful cocoa flavour is really going to come through. You can make this as a two-layer cake if you’d rather not fuss with cutting the layers to make four.”

Makes a two- or four-layer 20cm (8in) cake

480g (16.9oz) water
10g (0.4oz) vanilla extract
10g (0.4oz) apple cider vinegar
75g (2.7oz) extra-virgin olive oil
420g (14.8oz) muscovado sugar
80g (2.8oz) cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder
336g (11.9oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
8g (2tsp) baking powder
8g (2tsp) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
4g (1tsp) fine salt

For the chocolate fudge ganache:

380g (13.4oz) plant-based milk (1)
150g (5.3oz) muscovado sugar
600g (1lb 5oz) dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids, callets (chips) or chopped
380g (13.4oz) plant-based milk (2), chilled

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4), no fan, and line the bases of two 20cm (8in) springform tins (pans) with baking parchment.

2. Add the water, vanilla extract, vinegar, olive oil and sugar to a large jug or bowl.

3. Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to another large bowl and stir gently with a whisk to combine the ingredients.

4. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and use the whisk to stir gently until everything is combined and there are no lumps. Be careful not to overmix. 

5. Pour 600g (1lb 5oz) of the batter into each lined tin. If you have baking strips, soak them in water and wrap around the tin, otherwise use a length of paper towel that will fit around the cake (about 60cm/24in each) and fold them to fit the bottom half of the tin. Wet with water and press against the sides. Wrap the base with kitchen foil that folds up the sides – this will insulate the sides and help the cake rise evenly.  

6. Bake each cake for 35 minutes, or until domed nicely and the top springs back when gently pressed with your fingertips, or a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

7. Leave the cakes to cool completely in the tins, then run a sharp knife against the edge of the tin to release the sides. Place both cakes on a baking sheet or plate in the refrigerator.  

8. Bring the plant-based milk (1) milk and sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then pour over the chocolate in a heatproof jug or bowl and blend with an immersion stick blender until it is nice and silky.

9. Add the remaining chilled plant-based milk (2) to the jug or bowl and blend again until the mixture is glossy and you can see a shiny reflection of light with no oily streaks.

10. Pour the ganache into a wide shallow dish, cover the surface with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove and leave it at room temperature for another hour until set.

11. Retrieve your chocolate sponges from the refrigerator and use a long serrated knife to trim the domed top of each sponge. If you want to make it four layers, cut each layer in half.

12. Place one of the rounds on a flat serving dish and spread a third (or one-fifth if you are doing four layers) of the ganache over the top with a palette knife.  

13. Place the second disc of sponge, cut-side down (so when you spread ganache on the top crumbs don’t come loose), on top of the ganache, then spread another third of the ganache on the top of the sponge and the last third over the sides. Use your palette knife to smooth the ganache or leave a texture.

TIP Be generous with the masking. It should be about 1cm (1/2in) thick as a thin ganache coating could crack due to the sponge drawing in moisture.

14. Leave the cake to set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then store at room temperature. If storing in the refrigerator, make sure to remove it 2 hours before so it warms to room temperature for the best eating experience. For sharp clean cuts, slice with a sharp knife dipped into a jug of hot water from a tap and wiped dry between each cut. This cake will keep very well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months, but make sure to defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and serve at room temperature. 

TIP If you increase the amount of ganache by multiplying it by a third, you will have enough to fill a piping (pastry) bag fitted with a plain or star 1cm (½in) piping nozzle and pipe some kisses around the edge of the cake, alternating with some small torn pieces of sponge leftover from trimming the tops of the sponges.  

"We already have all the ingredients we need in our pantries – let’s just learn to make better use of them."

Earl Grey Loaf Cake

“This cake is super soft and tender and bursting with flavour from the Harrods Earl Grey tea, with a beautifully thin sugar crust on top.”

Makes a 450g (15.9oz) loaf

180g (6.3oz) caster (superfine) sugar
200g (7oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (gluten-free plain flour will also work)
8g (2 tsp) Earl Grey tea leaves
6g (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder
60g (2oz) extra-virgin olive oil
200g (7 oz) plant-based milk

Icing and to finish:

160g (5.6oz) icing (confectioners) sugar
45g (1.6oz) water
Pinch of dried blue cornflower petals, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F/gas 4) with an oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Line a small 450g (15.9oz) loaf tin (pan) with baking parchment.

2. Add the sugar, flour and tea leaves to a high-powered blender and blitz briefly to extract the flavoursome bergamot flavour. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the baking powder.  

3. Add the olive oil and plant-based milk and use a whisk to mix all the ingredients together until fully combined. 

4. Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and the top of the loaf is set and springs back when gently pressed with your fingertips, or a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  

5. With the help of the baking parchment, remove the loaf from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack with a rimmed baking sheet underneath.  

6. Slowly mix the icing sugar and water together in a small bowl or measuring jug until it is fully combined and smooth. 

7. Drizzle the icing (frosting) on top of the cooled cake (still on the wire rack with the baking sheet underneath to catch the drips) and leave to set for 30 minutes–1 hour. Decorate with the blue cornflower petals. This cake keeps at room temperature, well-wrapped in cling film (plastic wrap) or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

"The closer I get to knowing how food is produced, the more I see it’s not possible to go the way we’re going. Whether it’s for animal welfare or the environment, we need more options. I don’t expect to solve the world’s problems with this book but I see it as I’m doing my bit as a baking professional."

Ready, Set, Bake

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