When I was a little kid, I used to be OBSESSED with pound cake. And I mean, what's not to like? It's moist, sweet, and a perfect little snack when you get home from school.

That said, since I turned vegan, for some reason I just never thought to make it. This underrated delicious dessert get's elbowed out of the way by the others far too often, so today I place pound cake back in its rightful spot as the perfect snack, dessert, and "bread" as I used to call it.

So pound cake, we celebrate you. And today we lift you high. And to satisfy my 7 year old self, I have made her all time favourite, marble.

Enjoy, beauties!

Recipea:
Makes 1 loaf (12 slices)
Prep time: 15 mins |  Baking time: 60 mins

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 cup almond milk)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon almond milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper so it's easy to lift out once it's cooled.

In a small bowl make the buttermilk by mixing together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 mins.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla extract. Next sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk and mix together until well combined.

Pour in half of the mixture into the loaf pan.

In the remaining half, sift in the cocoa powder and mix to combine.

In the loaf pan, cover the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter.

Take a thin knife or skewer and swirl it around the batter in the loaf pan several times to create a marbled effect (be sure to reach the bottom).

Bake for 40 minutes, then add foil in a tent shape over the top (so it doesn't touch the actual cake) to keep from browning too much. Then bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Do the toothpick or knife check to be sure it comes out clean - that's when you'll know it's ready.

Sit the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix the powdered sugar and almond milk together with a small whisk or fork and pour over the top once the cake is cooled.

Cut and enjoy the simple deliciousness that is a beautifully baked piece of marble pound cake.

My inner 7 year old exploded with glee - I think yours will too :]

Let's just call it like it is. Granola is a gift from the heavens.

It has a perfect crunch, it's sweet, and it's super versatile.

But if you get granola from the grocery store, it'll have a ton of extra sugar added in.

And making your own is such a chore, right?

Wrongo!

This granola has a total of 3 ingredients (all of which you probably already have in your pantry anyway), is a snap to make, and it won't give you a sugar coma, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth.

Plus your house will smell like delicious peanut butter goodness. Who wouldn't want that?

MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, THE EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA!

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
- 3 cups of oats (best to use old fashioned, but you could use any really)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 180 celcius
- Place oats in a large bowl
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Pour over the oats and stir until well combined (at this stage, you can keep it as is, or add whatever else you want... a little sea salt, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, or dried fruit are all great options)
- Spread the oats evenly onto the baking sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes. or until granola is slightly golden brown
- Remove (don't stir when you take it out) and let cool completely on the baking sheet
- Store in an air tight container for up to 1 month (like it'll last that long)

It's a cake.

With crumbled up chocolate chip cookies inside.

Do I really need to say anything else?

Thought not.

Also, shout out to my good pal Dave, who's 33rd year of life inspired this delicious concoction. Who knows what 33.3 will bring!?

Recipea:
Makes 1 cake
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 60 mins | Assembly time: 15 mins

Cake:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
8.5 tbsp dairy free butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Icing:
7 tbsp dairy free butter
2.5 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp dairy free milk

Cookies:
Make 1/2 of my Best Chocolate Chip Cookies recipea (hyperlink isn't working for some reason - type "chocolate chip" into the search bar on my main page). Or make the whole thing. If you have way too many leftover, well that seems like a problem that isn't really a problem... to me, at least. Also you can freeze the dough for those times where you want cookies but can't be fussed to prep all the ingredients. Your future self will thank you.


Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 160 celcius and grease two round cake tins. Place parchment rounds on the bottom of each tin.

Mix the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes.

Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute or until combined. Mix in the vanilla.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and milk and vinegar mixture and beat until well combined.

Pour equally into your cake tins and bake until the cake springs back when pressed - or when a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Will probably be around 40 minutes, but check at 30 just to be sure.

Let cool in the pan.

Bake the chocolate chip cookies, following the "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipea. Use teaspoon sized dough balls instead of tablespoons, so that you have smaller cookies to place whole on the top of the cake. Once the cookies are cooled, reserve 10-12 of the cookies for the top of the cake. Loosely break up the rest of them, making chocolate chip cookie chunks/crumbles.

Make the icing: Beat the butter to soften, and then gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla. Add in the dairy free milk to loosen the icing a little. Start with 1 teaspoon and if you need it looser, add a bit more milk in 1/2 teaspoon increments. Much easier to add than take away! If it gets too runny - add more sugar.

Once the cakes are cooled, run a knife around the sides. Lift one of the cakes carefully onto a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of icing over the top.

Place the crushed chocolate chip cookies on top of the icing. Go on - pack in as many as you can (reserving about 1/2 cup of the crumbs to decorate the outside of the cake).

Lift out the other cake onto a rack and spread a thin layer of icing on top of this cake as well. Carefully flip the cake icing side down, so that the icing side rests on the cookie crumbs. (If you think this will be too tricky, you can instead place a thicker layer of icing on the bottom cake and really press the chocolate chip cookies into the icing. Then just bypass the second layer of icing and place the second cake directly on the cookie layer.)

Spread the rest of the icing to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Arrange the 10-12 whole cookies you reserved on top of the cake and press the 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs you reserved onto the sides of the cake.

Enjoy the greatest fusion of cookies and cake you ever did eat!

Yes, you will be in a sugar coma after. It's worth it, don't worry.

Wondering what to do with the other half of that can of pumpkin from the Pumpkin Pasta recipea?

I've got your solution right here, baby.

These cinnamon rolls take only an hour to make - no rising overnight business... because let's be honest, when you're craving a cinnamon roll, you want one as soon as humanly possible. Ain't nobody got time for waiting till tomorrow...

So get in there, people! Delicious cinnamon rolls await!

Recipea:
Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 15 mins
Makes 12-20 rolls

4 1/2 teaspoons quick rise yeast
1 cup warm water 
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (*for the rolls pictured, I used half wholewheat and half all purpose. Either works well, but for more traditional rolls, go for all all-purpose)
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tea. vanilla extract

Yup. The best.

Perfect.
Chewy.
Crispy.
Chocolatey.
Gooey.

If you bake anything in your life, bake these. These are absolutely hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made.

A great chocolate chip cookie recipe is really really important.

Don't worry. I got you covered.

Recipea:
    10 Tablespoons unsalted vegan butter substitute
    1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon white sugar
    1 flax egg (3 tablespoons of water + 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1 cup chocolate chips (I like cutting up big hunks of dark chocolate bars)

Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Prepare egg replacer in a very small bowl or mug by combining flaxseed and water together and letting it sit for 5 minutes or until absorbed and gloopy (you'll see...).

Add egg replacer and vanilla to creamed butter mixture and stir to combine.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to butter mixture and stir to combine.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Form dough into a log, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours*.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line baking pan with parchment paper.

Roll dough into smooth, round, tablespoon-sized balls.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown. They will still be very soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely... pff! Like that's gonna happen!

** Shoutout to The Dinner Mom for the recipe!

It's officially autumn. And all I want is blankets and baths and books and pumpkin bread.  I have two secret weapons. One is my Banana Bread. The other is this Pumpkin Walnut Bread.

Banana bread. The ultimate in classic cozy baked goods.

Warm, cozy, and perfect with a cup of tea.

I made this for my flatmates my first year in London, and I think I may have won their love through it. We would often demolish an entire loaf in an afternoon. That's how good it is.

It's fluffy, moist, and not too sweet. Plus it's made with oats and there's big pieces of banana in there so it's healthy, right?

Recipea:
Prep time: 15 minutes / Bake time: 40 minutes
Makes one 9×5-inch loaf

3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (can also sub coconut sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup ground oats (grind your own in your blender - or you can just use another cup of flour instead)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 additional banana, sliced into chunks
Granulated sugar and a teaspoon of whole oats for topping

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork.
Then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Sift in the flour, ground oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
Fold in banana chunks.
Pour into to the baking pan and sprinkle with extra sugar and a few oats if you’d like.
Bake for 40 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

So I made this beautiful, swirly zucchini tart with homemade vegan ricotta this week.

I didn't have company coming over or anything. I just had a magnificent home grown yellow zucchini and it deserved excellence. It's the little things.

If you can believe it, this tart tastes even better than it looks.

It's light, flavourful, and comforting. All the best things.

Yes, assembly will take a bit longer for this one, but it's so worth it. I mean just look at it! It's food art!

And while you will need to afford some time to slice the zucchini pieces and arrange them, it isn't hard work. So just put on a podcast like I did, and see it as therapy. :]

Plus, you can use some pre-made ingredients - like pre-made pesto and shortcrust - so it really isn't difficult at all.

And seriously, I think this is one of the best recipes I've ever made. Not only does it look impressive, but it tastes heavenly. The ricotta and pesto brings in such an incredible flavour. The flaky crust, delicate squash, and creamy base will have you going back for more.

I know you're going to love this one. Give it a try the next time you have a special brunch, Easter, Mother's Day, or just the next time you find yourself with a beautiful home grown zucchini destined for greatness.

YUM.

Recipea:
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 40 minutes / Cook time: 45 mins

Cashew Ricotta Ingredients
100g raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (oregano, parsley, basil)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons non-dairy basil pesto

2 medium zucchini (yellow and green)

1 premade frozen shortcrust, thawed (you are more than welcome to make it from scratch, but ain't nobody got time for that)

Method:
Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight and then drain.
Add cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, almond milk, and spices into a food processor or blender. Blend until combined. The mixture will be thick and creamy and will have a similar grainy texture as ricotta cheese.
Set aside.

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then half again lengthwise, so you have four long quarters. Thinly slice with a vegetable peeler or mandolin, trying to make the pieces uniform in thickness.

Lay the pieces out on a towel and sprinkle with a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Place another towel on top of the pieces and press lightly to absorb the moisture so they don't make the tart soggy.

Roll out the shortcrust into a thin circular shape and place onto a circular greased baking pan or pie sheet.

Spread the pesto on the bottom of the shortcrust, coating the entire base.
Add the cashew ricotta mixture on top of the pesto.

Layer the zucchini standing up on their edges with the coloured peel facing up in a circular pattern, starting from the outside in, layering the zucchini around the edge until you reach the center.

Cut the excess pastry 1/2 inch above the top of the zucchini and fold down over the edges, smooshing (yes, it's a technical term) the pastry over the zucchini on the outer edge so the pastry won't shrink down below, but will instead bake to fuse over the squash (if that's confusing just use the photos below as your guide).

Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes or until the shortcrust is lightly browned and the zucchini is tender.

Let cool and enjoy!

These cookies are my whole heart and soul.

Without getting too mushy, my grandma was perfect. She was positive, kind, faithful, brave, creative, fun, smart, and made the best cookies in the whole world. 

She was magic. When we'd go over to her house when we were little - even when it was unannounced! - somehow she always managed to be pulling a dozen of these warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookies out of the oven right as we walked in the door. 

Marjorie Mae was one of my best friends. I'm forever changed from knowing her. My bond with her means that I will never forget the power of positive thinking, the importance of family and kindness, or the rule that wherever two or more are gathered, there must always be fresh homemade cookies. 

She'd be so proud that I'm sharing this recipe with you all because she loved sharing cookies with people. If she heard there was a youth group gathering, a church rummage sale happening, a holiday celebration, someone recovering from a surgery, or the gardeners were coming to mow the lawn, she would bake at least a dozen for each person. 

And people flocked to these bad boys. You know why? Because they are kindness and warmth and comfort and all the goodness of a perfect grandma wrapped up in a cookie. 

Trust me on this one. You will love them. They are a hug in a cookie.

As Marjorie always said - "I hope you have a great day, and I plan to do the same!"

Spread the grandma cookie love people :) The world needs more of it!

Recipea:
Makes 3 dozen


1 cup raisins

Olive bread. Manna from heaven.

If I had a nickel for every time I've accidentally polished off an entire olive loaf in one sitting, I'd be a rich woman.

What's not to like?! Olives? Good. Carbs? Good.

I thought bread was going to be super hard to make and/or it would be an all day affair, waiting for it to rise and whatnot.

But this bread is suuuuper easy, and you can be stuffing your face with warm fresh bread in less than an hour and a half. Just enough time for you to stage some sort of fake emergency that gets everyone out of your house so you can be alone to eat the entire loaf in peace.

Plus you get the added bonus of your house smelling like a bakery for the rest of the evening. Yes, please.
Recipea:

2 cups (250g) of bread flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of dry yeast
2/3 cups (150 ml) of warm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil (plus a bit more for greasing)
Olives (I used plain black and green and I also threw in some kalamata which had been packaged in oil and italian herbs. I used 6 whole of each, and then chopped up 4 of each to have some smaller pieces in the bread as well. I like a high olive to bread ratio, so use less if you'd rather!)

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together in a medium bowl.

Chop and/or add whole olives (whichever you prefer) to the dry mixture and mix well.

Make a well and pour in the water and oil.

Mix with a fork until it is sticky, then knead the dough for 5 mins on a floured surface. If you added barrels of olives like I did, it will be weird at first when you're trying to knead because the olives will sneak out. Stick with it, soldier. They will stick into the bread more as you knead.

When the dough is elastic and smooth, place into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel.

Let sit for 45 mins - 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 210 degrees celsius.

Once it's risen, form onto a greased, floured baking sheet and lightly grease the top of the loaf.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bread is evenly golden brown all around, and is hardened on the top. Better to overbake a bit than underbake on this one.

Let cool, slice, and eat entire loaf in one sitting without shame.

No these cookies are not coffee flavoured.