Vegan Dessert Cookbook Reviews, June 1, 2011

Diegel, Donna. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Baking. Alpha: Penguin Group (USA). 2011. 336p. index. ISBN 9781615640577. pap. $16.95. COOKING
Diegel, a pastry chef and blogger at spatulascorkscrews.typepad.com, covers all aspects of vegan baking in her first full-length cookbook. The author assumes nothing about skill level (she mentions how to boil water in the glossary) and begins with a handy starter guide to vegan baking and a helpful list of egg and dairy substitutions. This book has it all: muffins, coffee cakes, cookie jar classics, pies, cobblers and crisps, and tarts and galettes, with buttercream, cream cheese, coconut, and penuche frostings. There are also a number of yeast breads and flat breads to try. Diegel lists her favorite vegan books, websites, and blogs. If you have to pick just one book on vegan baking, this is it.

Holechek, Kris (text & photogs.). Have Your Cake and Vegan Too: 50 Dazzling and Delicious Cake Creations. Ulysses. 2011. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781569759202. pap. $17.95. COOKING
In this comprehensive guide to all things cake, vegan blogger and gifted food photographer Holechek provides a particularly useful egg replacer chart on what can be used and where it works best. Basic chocolate and vanilla cakes are covered, of course, but Holechek quickly moves into layer cakes, no-bake cakes, oatmeal cream pies the size of a dinner plate, and cakes made in crock pots, all with difficulty levels indicated. Gluten-free options include Peanut Butter Brownie Cheesecake, Monkey Maple Cake, and Lemon Poppy Cheesecake. Those who pick up this book will want to try every recipe in it. Highly recommended.

Kaminsky, Hannah. Vegan Desserts: Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season. Skyhorse, dist. by Norton. 2011. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781616082208. $17.95. COOKING
Kaminsky (My Sweet Vegan) groups egg- and dairy-free dessert recipes according to seasons of the year and showcases local ingredients. The color photography is appetizing and transforms unusual-sounding dishes like Avocado Crème Pie and Carrot Cake Ice Cream into standouts. There are vegan versions of Hamantashen and Rosh Hashanah Rugelach to bake on Jewish holidays, and Kaminsky’s troubleshooting tips are helpful for all skill levels. The section on vegan sweeteners is very useful but would have been better placed at the beginning of the book. Included is a special food allergy index for the gluten-, peanut-, soy-, or tree nut–intolerant. Recommended for its inventive and easy-to-prepare dishes.

Kelly, Carla. Quick & Easy Vegan Bake Sale: More Than 150 Delicious Sweet and Savory Vegan Treats Perfect for Sharing. The Experiment, dist. by Workman. 2011. c.296p. index. ISBN 9781615190263. pap. $17.95. COOKING
Kelly, who blogs at The Year of the Vegan, presents dishes to win over your omnivorous friends, such as Beet-Chocolate Muffins, PB&J Marble Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream, and Mini Lavender Bites with Sour Cream Icing. Savory recipes include Chile and Cilantro Corn Bread and Pea, Tarragon, and Cream Cheese Tart. Kelly shares tips on how to run a vegan bake sale and a guide to the different types of flours. She clearly states whether recipes are nut-, soy-, or wheat-free and lists them in a separate index. Kelly’s plain, pecan, cornmeal (sweet and savory), and coconut piecrusts are easy to prepare, and she details various fillings. Recommended.

Mainquist, Emily (text) & Penny De Los Santos (photogs.). Sweet Vegan: A Collection of All Vegan, Some Gluten-Free, and a Few Raw Desserts. Kyle: Kyle Cathie, dist. by National Bk. Network. 2011. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781906868352. pap. $18.95. COOKING
Mainquist, owner of Baltimore’s first gourmet vegan dessert company, packs a wallop with her first vegan cookbook. Red Velvet Cake, Fruit Pizza, Coconut Cake, and German Chocolate Cake are just some of the gorgeously photographed dishes. Mainquist states clearly whether each recipe is raw or gluten free (but does not include a separate index of these recipes), and she includes a small resource list that will not overwhelm the new vegan or curious omnivore. Departing from most vegan cookbooks, she has a delicious recipe for coconut whipped cream that doesn’t rely on silken tofu. This beautiful book contains recipes every cook will want to try to see whether they are as tasty as the “real” thing. Recommended.