Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking Giveaway and Meet Cara!
August 29, 2014
in Bread · Gluten-Free · Muffins, Biscuits and Scones · Quickbread · Reviews & Giveaways

You know that panicked feeling you get when a special person is coming over to your house and you look around and realize that dust has settled over every flat surface, there’s a pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away (in fact, it’s been waiting for about a week), the kitchen floor looks like the aftermath of a paintball battle (in which your team lost) and then… And then your panic really ratchets up when realize that you haven’t baked a single cupcake, cookie, or brownie; you’ve checked the cupboards (cobwebs and sound of crickets) and there’s nothing decent in there – you don’t even have one measly cracker to share with your guest!

Thankfully, though my floor needs mopping and there are no goodies cooling on my counter, there is not even a whiff of panic here because this is a virtual visit. No tidying required and no baking! In fact, my guest is so cool, she’s bringing something delicious with her!  That, my friends, is my kind of visitor. Thank you, Cara, for the beautiful photographs, the scone recipe, and for sharing a post here today.

Please welcome, Cara (and her recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones)!

Decadent GF Vegan Baking Cover

What an honor to be on Annie of An Unrefined Vegan’s side of the world: Hello friends! I hope to acquaint myself with all of you if we don’t already know each other. So who the heck am I? My name is Cara and I have a site called Fork and Beans where I create recipes that are creatively gluten, egg, and dairy-free. I truly love cooking plant-based and ever since I was diagnosed with several food allergies a few years back, I have found so much creativity in the kitchen trying to recreate any and every food I ever loved and can no longer eat.

Check out my homemade gluten-free vegan candy/candy car recipesas proof. I have made it my mission to truly understand not only how to bake gluten-free and vegan that I wrote a cookbook called Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking: Delicious Gluten-, Egg- and Dairy-free Treats and Sweets.

Cranberry Orange Scones Cara Reed

Because let’s face it, if it’s dessert, it’s gotta be decadent. But don’t take my word for it, how about an entire chapter dedicated to Childhood Favorite recipes like Oreos, Girl Scout Cookies galore, and even Pop Tarts. Or even chapters filled with Key Lime “Cheesecake” Bars, Hot Cocoa Snickerdoodle Cookies, Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins, and even Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes. All without gluten, eggs, and dairy…yet you would never know it.

Take these scones. They are light and buttery, with a perfect mix of citrus and sweet. I’m telling you, your loved ones will gives these treats the seal of approval.

CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES
Reprinted with permission from Page Street Publishing by Cara Reed

Makes 6-8 Scones

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 2 c/330 g. Cara’s All-Purpose Flour Blend*
  • 1/4 c/50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp/16 g baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp xanthan gum

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 5 Tbsp g vegan butter, cold
  • 1 c/240 ml light coconut milk, canned
  • 2 tsp/4 g orange zest
  • 1 c/120 g dried cranberries

For “egg” wash

  • 1 Tbsp/15 ml water
  • 2 tsp/6.5 g cornstarch

For Sugar Glaze

  • 1 c/120 g powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tsp/5-10 ml orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange zest

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 425*F/220*C.
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. With a fork or pastry blender, cut the cold vegan butter into the flour mix until crumbly. Stir in milk. Before you completely combine the dough together, add the zest and cranberries. Mix until flour is completely combined.
  3. Gently pat dough into an oval-shape on a piece of parchment paper. It should not be sticky at this point. If so, lightly sprinkle gluten-free flour mix on top until no longer sticky to the touch. Either slice the scones into 6 large pieces or place the oval-shaped scone batter onto a baking sheet with the parchment paper and cut once they are cooled down (this will get  you8 pieces). Coat a thin later of the “egg” wash by whisking the water and cornstarch together, and then gliding onto the dough with a brush. Bake 15-20 minutes or until light browned. Allow to cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Coat the tops of the scones with the sugar glaze.

To Make the Glaze: Combine all ingredients to make a paste thick enough to stir but not too runny.

*For Cara’s flour blend use:

  • 2/3 c. superfine brown rice flour
  • 2/3 c. sorghum flour
  • 1/3 c. arrowroot powder
  • 1/3 c. potato starch

Maybe you are dabbling in the world of gluten-free or maybe you know someone who needs this book. Regardless, it’s guaranteed to educate you on how to bake without gluten, eggs, and dairy. Check out the back of the book for some super-helpful information on substitutions.  You can purchase Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking here or anywhere that books are sold, hooray!

Happy baking friends!

Namaste

 

Thank you, Cara and Page Street Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to share Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking with my readers!

Enter the giveaway below.  If you just can’t wait, or you’d like to give this cookbook to a friend, order here! Giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and ends at midnight Central Time on August 4.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

 

 

54 thoughts on “Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking Giveaway and Meet Cara!”

  10. Cheerfully Vegan

    Oops, I see now from the expanded entry choices that we’re also supposed to tell our favorite decadent dessert. I haven’t tried to veganize it, but something I was given for my birthday one year before I became vegan has to top my list. I was told it was called “Better Than Sex” Cake. It had a chocolate cake base, drizzled with a sauce (I believe caramel?) that had soaked in, and was topped with broken chocolate-covered toffee bar pieces and whipped cream. Oh, man, it was good!

    Reply ↓
    1. An Unrefined Vegan Post author

      Tiramisu is wonderful – and actually there are lots of vegan tiramisu recipes out there!

      Reply ↓

  13. Pingback: Cranberry Orange Scones | Fork and Beans

  14. The Vegan 8

    I already just bought Cara’s bought last week, but I’m coming here to comment anyways! The scones look awesome, I still need to make my way through the book, when I get a breather!! I’m sure everything is so yummy in it!

    Reply ↓
  20. Brittany

    I subscribe via WordPress!!! I love ya too much not to. These scones look AMAZING!! Seriously, so good. It’s tough to make GF scones that are scone like so I’ll have to give these a try.

    Reply ↓
  23. Erin Holmes

    Subscribed via e-mail and am exploring like a crazy person! There are so many great resources here as well as yummy recipes, particularly for those of us who are new to the community, i.e. Me! 🙂 Also, in terms of favorite desserts, I’m a sucker for any type of fruity “cheese” cake – gimme, gimme! 🙂

    Reply ↓
  27. Tea

    I make a delicious decadent chocolate cake. I have not made it since I transitioned to vegan though, I need to adapt it.

    Reply ↓
  28. Sophia

    Subscribed!
    As for desserts, I’ve always been a chocoholic. Brownies, cake, muffins … as long as it’s super chocolatey, I’m in heaven.

    Reply ↓

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