BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery: A Baking Book

I first used Erin's recipes after watching a video of her on the Food Network website. I tried the recipes for Double Chocolate Chip Cookies and Blueberry Muffins. I have been using them ever since. I was so happy when I learned that she was publishing a cookbook!My husband has Celiac Disease. My oldest son has the gene for CD and he has anaphylactic reactions to eggs. My youngest son's CD test was inconclusive. So, we are an egg-free, gluten-free family. It is just easier to cook things that we ALL can eat. The problem is that many GF recipes call for MORE eggs than the wheat-version. I've tried egg replacer, flax meal, applesauce etc. Some recipes can be converted, some are just a lost cause.Erin's recipes work. I don't have to do anything special. They just work. I had my misgivings. I do not care for garfava flour. It is ok in bread, but in dessert? I read through the cookbook with trepidation. Should I use my own GF mix or trust the recipe?I will share my baking experience below.First, I want to make a couple of comments on the cookbook. It is quite lovely. It is like a coffee table book. The pictures are nice. The writing is upbeat and fun. I like that almost all of the recipes have a picture. This book will lie flat on the counter. Although, I am nervous that I will spill something on it. Maybe it is a little too pretty. She does a pretty good job of describing the tools and flours. I would recommend a couple of things here though. 1. Explain the difference between potato starch and potato flour, or at least mention that there is a difference. 2. Tell us what kind of coconut oil to use. Extra-virgin? Refined? Is there a difference? I bet most of us are new to using coconut oil and could use some guidance here.Another reviewer felt that it was implied that these recipes are healthy, when they are not. I would say that the claim is that these recipes are healthier, but not necessarily healthy. We are talking about desserts! Garfava flour has more protein, fiber and maybe iron, than wheat flours and rice flours. Coconut oil and agave nectar may be healthier than butter and sugar. I don't know and I don't care. I am making yummy desserts that work. I expect my dessert to be loaded with fat and sugar, no matter what form the fat and sugar take.I agree with the reviewer that said the title is misleading. I thought that all of the recipes in this book would be gluten-free. I guess "vegan, (mostly) gluten-free, (mostly) sugar-free" makes for an unwieldy subtitle. There are a lot of GF recipes though. Everything I am interested in, except the biscuits, is GF. I am sure I will get around to trying to modify the biscuits so that they are GF as well. The cupcakes (except red velvet), cakes (except one), frostings, most of the muffins, cornbread, banana bread, gingerbread, brownies, blondies and drinks are all gluten-free. The pie crust, scones, biscuits, a couple of muffins and a couple of cakes/cupcakes are not. Even so, I have no regrets about buying this cookbook.Here are the recipes I have made so far.Blueberry Muffins:The recipe in the book uses spelt flour, so I did not try that one. I have been using Erin's GF Blueberry Muffin recipe that I found on Food Network.com a few months ago. It is great! I use about the half the cinnamon she calls for, but otherwise I make them according to the recipe.Double Chocolate Chip Cookies:Again, I am using the recipe that was posted on Food Network.com. I think it is the same as the one in the book. When I started using this recipe, I was not willing to buy the coconut oil, so I have been using butter. (We are not vegan, my son has an egg allergy.) This works really well with butter, if you don't have a problem with that. Now that I have the coconut oil, I will probably try these using that. I do use a little less flax meal than the recipe calls for.Brownies:I made these using garfava flour. The batter tastes gross. You can taste the garbanzo. However, the brownies themselves are excellent. They are moist and very chocolatey. She recommends making them in mini-muffin pans. I don't have those, so I used my 8x8 baking pan. It took about 30 minutes longer to cook them in that pan. The brownies are very rich. They taste great warm or cold. I do think I can detect a slight hint of garfava flavor in the brownies, but that could be my imagination. Even so, they are very, very good.Lemon-Poppy Teacake:I did not follow the recipe for this. I was nervous about using Bob's all-purpose flour since it contains garbanzo and fava beans. (I hadn't tasted the brownies yet!) So, I used a GF mix I make based on a recipe at glutenfreegoddess.com. The teacake turned out pretty well, but the lemon flavor was very strong. This is probably because my flour does not have the strong flavor of Bob's. Also, there are a lot of poppy seeds in this teacake! I will definitely use less next time. Overall, it is a good teacake.Cupcakes:I made the vanilla and the chocolate. I halved the recipes so that I wouldn't end up with a ton of them. These are probably the best eggless GF cupcakes I have ever had. I do think I can taste the garfava flour in the chocolate ones, but it is not overwhelming. They are still great cupcakes. They have a good structure without being too moist or too dry. We haven't even frosted them yet. We are eating them plain and loving them.Vanilla Frosting/Sauce:I couldn't find powdered soy milk, so I used powdered cow's milk. The frosting is pretty good, but you can really taste the coconut. I am using extra-virgin coconut oil, so maybe a more refined oil would have less flavor. I don't know. This frosting is liquid at room temperature, so I don't see myself giving up the buttercream altogether. I do like the flavor though! I haven't used it to frost the cupcakes yet. I have it in the fridge, waiting for it to solidify. I can see myself using this for certain things, but not everything.I really like the cookbook so far. None of the recipes have been duds. Once you have all the ingredients, the recipes are pretty simple to follow. I am glad that I bought it!

I just finished baking the chocolate cupcakes and preparing the chocolate frosting so that it can set in my refrigerator. I did not wait for the cupcakes to cool, but rather took one out, blew on it to cool and popped it in my mouth. These cupcakes are amazing! I also admit I licked the spoon that I used to get the frosting out of the blender - Oh My Goodness!I am so happy to have found this cookbook!I recently had to change the way I have been eating for health issues. I am on a diet that restricts eggs, dairy, sugar, yeast, and gluten. Needless to say, it's been hard to get used to and even harder to find products that accommodate all of these restrictions!I had a friend who told me about the cookbook. I figured it was too good to be true and would be too difficult, yada, yada, yada. I waited. Then for my last birthday, another friend bought me a dozen cupcakes from the actual bakery in NYC. I was in love after the first bite. The love and the time and the effort that this woman has put into these creations absolutely comes through in the flavor, the consistency, the final product. I quickly bought the cookbook.1. The initial purchase of all of the items you need can be a little costly (compared with regular baking ingredients). I look at this like an investment in my health and happiness. I can now eat a special treat along side everyone else at birthdays and dessert times. No more making excuses as to why I can't indulge. And the most expensive ingredients tend to go pretty far, so you get many products from one purchase.2. I read this book cover to cover and no where did I see the writer make any claims about these treats being good for absolutely anyone to eat. It seemed to me that she was simply trying to make products that are free of the usual suspects and that taste good. It also seems to me that she has succeeded! She has a very successful business in NYC and another new one in L.A. If these recipes fell flat, she would have closed her doors long ago. Further, she explains that not all of the ingredients are gluten free or sugar free, so if you find something you can't have in the ingredients, either a.) don't make that recipe or b.) use the substitutions that she has detailed in the book. When it comes down to it, you are responsible for making sure that the food that goes into your mouth doesn't have anything in it that you are allergic to. Look at the ingredients, make sure that they all are ok for you and then make that recipe. Or make the necessary substitutions, as explained in the book.3. I have made these products quite a bit lately. I have family and friends begging me to make them cupcakes and cookies. These are people who are used to full fat, full sugar baking ingredients. They have stated how much they like my baking and how great they taste. These products are not just for allergy prone people. Truly they will be enjoyed by even your most finicky guests!4. The fact that I use agave nectar to sweeten my cupcakes means my son doesn't run around like a maniac after I give him a treat! It's so nice not to want to keep him from having a sweet because I don't want to deal with a 2 year olds' sugar high and sugar let down. I have not had these problems giving my son these treats. I also feel better about giving my son a treat without all the chemical and preservatives in it. He seems pretty happy with them too!5. There were a few occasions that I had questions about an ingredient or a result and I wrote to the bakery. They were so accommodating and helpful! I was able to get the answers I needed and my sweets have been so much better. I don't know of many other authors of cookbooks who will answer your questions. I was quite surprised to get the response, but even happier at the willingness to help me succeed in my baking. Thanks Babycakes!6. You may not get it exactly right the first time (I screwed up the frosting several times before I got it - I had the wrong ingredients! My mistake), different ovens work differently and so you may need to adjust time, you need to measure everything with dry measuring cups, not liquid, coconut oil should be melted before measuring, better quality products yield better quality products (I highly agree with using the french valrhona cocoa mmmmnnnn), etc. But if you stick with it, you'll find it's not scary, it's actually quite easy and the results are worth it!I noticed that there were some unfavorable reviews and I truly couldn't understand them. This book is wonderful! The sweets are delicious! All of the time, effort and love that the author put into creating this truly comes through in the final product. The author takes the time to explain substitutions, where you can get the products, what she thinks works best, etc. I have been able to follow these directions and make some great stuff! I am very appreciative, as are all of my friends and family who are benefitting from my new love of baking! Thanks again!I would highly recommend buying and using this cookbook. Whether you are allergy sensitive, vegan, health conscious or just want to try something different. I have never really been a good baker, but thanks to these recipes - no one would ever know that!Sincerely,Deborah P.

I purchased this book because my child has severe allergies and I tried a lot of recipes online that turned out flavourless or dry and crumbly.In the picture is my first attempt of the raspberry scones, they are so delicious 😋Finally my baby ate something I baked and liked it.The recipes inthe book are easy to follow and simple yet delicious, we already tried a few. I especially like that they are refined sugar free, perfect for children.Also it's great that the book is separated into different dessert types, like cakes, muffins, cookies etc.100% recommended

Excelent book! I love it!

Me ha gustado!,una manera mas sana de comer lo que nos gusta,haz tu propia mantequilla y prepara una buttercream.....lo recomiendo!,

Vegan e gluten free. Svelati gli ingredienti che utilizza la bakery di NY(pazzesca e buonissima, un must per tutti quelli a cui piace la cucinavegan /gluten free o per chi vuole assaporare la "leggerezza" senzarinunciare al gusto e alla presentazione), sorge poi un dubbio,saranno veramente quelli e tutti? In Italia sono di difficile reperibilità,o non si trovano, o dobbiamo trovare qualcosa di simile che però nonassicura la replica perfetta della ricetta.Resta comunque fonte di ispirazione e se ci si vuole impegnareacquistando e usando tutti gli ingredienti giusti, il risultato dovrebbeessere ottimo.

This book was delivered very soon after my order, thank you.I just love it, its such an interesting read. I have not cooked anything yet,with it being American, the ingredients are not readily available in a supermarket,they are in my health food shop.