It’s publication day today for Kate Hackworthy, food writer and fellow Pavilion Books author who has written her debut book Veggie Desserts + Cakes – Carrot Cake and Beyond. You may already be a fan of Kate’s blog Veggie Desserts, as I am, or you may be completely new to the concept of adding vegetables to desserts. Either way, you’re in for a treat.
For the past two years, Kate has been an Organix ‘No Junk Mum’ and has made it her mission to promote healthy eating for children. Kate is also a big fan of organic vegetables and recently won the Best of Organic Market Awards for the Soil Association for Best Blog. In the midst of this, and as well as being a mum of two, Kate’s recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Living and she has now had her unique ideas encapsulated into the most beautiful book. For Kate, vegetables are the star hero (its really not about sneaking things in) whether baking cakes, muffins, tray-bakes, tarts or pastries. Veggies even make their way into a selection of other sweet treats, including chocolates, waffles, doughnuts, ice cream, ice lollies and sorbets.
Chapters within the book
- Cakes
- Cupcakes
- Cookies
- Squares + Traybakes
- Pies + Pastries
- Frozen Desserts
- More Sweet Treats
- 60 recipes in total
As soon as we received Kate’s book, the children set about baking Kate’s Carrot and Gingerbread Cake. My eldest grated the carrots, the middle one stirred the sticky molasses, butter and and brown sugar mixture and the youngest had fun sieving and mixing the flour, ginger and soda. We then brought everything together and added in the milk, carrots, eggs and stem ginger. Our tiny caravan in Wales was soon filled with the gloriously comforting smell of rich treacle and ginger. The gas oven blew out once or twice, whilst the rain outside beckoned hot custard for the children and a decadent spoonful of Welsh double cream for me. You can find the recipe below. Janice at Farmers Girl Kitchen also enjoyed baking this recipe.
Next, I’ve bookmarked the Root Vegetable Cake with Whipped Tahini Icing – I’ll probably eat the whipped tahini icing with a spoon….I also can’t wait to try the Avocado Lime Tarts {Kate at The Veg Space made these here} and once the weather perks up, I’m sure we’ll all be lured by the vivid purple colour of Kate’s Beetroot and Vanilla Sorbet. Ceri at Natural Kitchen Adventures made this recipe, with glorious results here.
I’m also intrigued to try the Chocolate Cauliflower Ice Lollies with Pistachio Dust on page 114 {Mabintu at Recipes from a Pantry made those here} and Chocolate Beetroot Baked Doughnuts with Blueberry Glaze – both pictured below.
What I really love the most about Kate’s book is the very clever and varied use of vegetables. There were a few concepts I was already familiar with ‘beyond’ carrot cake. For example, I came across a tray of black bean brownies at the breakfast markets in Warsaw and passed them over. Now I find myself keen to try Kate’s Black Bean and Chocolate Brownies; promising ease in the form of a quick whizz in a food processor and a dense, rich and fudgy outcome once baked.
Within her recipe for Chocolate Mashed Potato Cupcakes with Espresso Icing, Kate highlights that potatoes have been used in cakes for decades. I had also previously experimented with recipes adding mashed potatoes within baked cheesecakes, though I had never come across potatoes in a cupcake before. Kate says potato “adds bulk and moisture, plus helps the cake keep for longer without drying out by giving it an extra richness.” Potatoes were also plentiful during World War II rationing, “so canny bakers used them in cakes to replace some of the fat and sugar that were in short supply.”
Elsewhere, beetroots, courgettes and parsnips find their way into cakes and bakes adding moisture and texture. Peas, spinach, kale and asparagus provide natural colouring and extra goodness. Jane at the Hedgecombers has even been baking cupcakes with cavolo nero – have a read here. Whilst pumpkins, squash, sweetcorn and sweet potato have their moment in cheesecakes, cookies and muffins. There’s a good deal of fruit too in the form of apples, pears, pineapple and lemon. Frostings, glazes and toppings are infused with aromatics such as rose water, fresh mint, lavender, gin and earl grey tea, often providing a lift or a contrast to the vegetables within. All in all, this book really demonstrates the versatility of baking with vegetables and Kate’s desserts and sweet treats are really unique and inspiring, too.
For anyone looking for a show-stopping centrepiece, head straight for page 24 and make Kate’s Pear and Parsnip Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache or set aside some time to the impressive Vegetable-Dyed Rainbow Cake with Coconut Funfettti on page 30.
Carrot Gingerbread
Yield 20
"These chunky slabs of gingerbread are rich, dark and elegantly spiced. I’ve added lots of grated carrot to make them extra moist, and it blends beautifully with the treacle and ginger. Although this old-fashioned classic takes a while in the oven, it is very easy to make. For extra decadence, serve the gingerbread with hot custard, although a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would also team up very well." Kate Hackworthy
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz/scant 1 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 200g/7oz/scant 1 cup light soft brown sugar
- 200g/7oz/2⁄3 cup black treacle (molasses)
- 375g/13oz/3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 250ml/8½fl oz/1 cup whole milk
- 150g/5¼oz carrot (1½ medium carrots, peeled, grated)
- 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 3 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/gas 3. Grease and line a 23 x 30mm/9 x 12in baking pan with baking parchment.
- Heat the butter, sugar and treacle in a pan, stirring, until smooth and melted. Leave to cool slightly.
- Sift the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the milk, carrot, beaten egg, stem ginger and treacle mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour until well risen and springy in the middle.
- Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
I increased the heat to Gas Mark 3.
Courses Dessert
Veggie Deserts and Cakes, Carrot Cake and Beyond is published by Pavilion Books, RRP £14.99 and is available to buy from today.
Social:
- Instagram @kateveggiedesserts
- Twitter @veggie_desserts
- #veggiedessertscookbook
- Instagram @PavilionBooks
- Twitter @PavilionFood1
Congratulations to Kate. With thanks to Pavilion Books for the review copy. Opinions and views my own.
Fiona says
We don’t have stem ginger in syrup here at all so i can’t gauge size or weight. What weight of actual fresh ginger would I use? Thanks.
Choclette says
This is a lovely review Ren. The book is so exciting. I just love Kate’s unique ideas of using vegetables. I’m so impressed with you baking in a caravan. Getting the children involved in it on a wet day sounds like a bit of a lifesaver.
kellie@foodtoglow says
What a stunning recreation of Kate’s recipe! I am making this one asap, as well as root veg cake with tahini icing. I adore Kate’s book so much and have tried two recipes – Avocado Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Icing *and* Sweet Potato and Salted Hazelnut Cookies. In fact, I’ve made three different sorts of tweaky batches of the latter! I just know that anyone who buys this book will get a lot of use – and joy – from it. Your review is fabulous, and beautifully written. xx
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
So impressed that you baked this in a caravan! It looks gorgeously sticky with all that treacle – yum!
Ceri says
These look gorgeous, and how fun you got to make them all together!
Can’t wait to bake it too!
p.s. loving the new look website!
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says
For once, this book offers something unique and refreshing, unlike a lot of regurgitated recipes by celebrity chefs. It’s one way to get more vitamins in!
Elizabeth says
What a gorgeous sounding recipe! I am beyond excited about the imminent arrival of my own copy – can’t wait to get baking!
Vicki Bensinger says
What a lovely review of this cookbook. I have put it on my list to purchase and will look for it on Amazon. I’m not familiar with her blog but will be sure to add it to those I frequent. Thank you for sharing this!
Janice says
I certainly did enjoy baking the Carrot Gingerbread, it is awesome. So many really creative recipes in this book, they look unusual but the techniques are simple.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
I love the division of labour when creating the cake. Please can I send my two over so that you can teach them how to work together? Kate’s book has sooooo many lovely treats that I am not quite sure which are my favourites. Luckily I get to try them all.
Kate | Veggie Desserts says
Thanks for such a lovely review, Ren! I’m so emotional reading all the reviews. I’m delighted that you liked the carrot gingerbread cake – it was a favourite during testing. 🙂
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I’m so excited for this book! Combining carrot and ginger is a match made in heaven. I often mix the 2 in smoothies, but I bet it tastes awesome in a cake.