Enlightened Baker

by Jessica Bose

Anyone who knows me can surely vouch for how much tea I drink. Typically, I drink three cups a day. A cup after coffee, a cup after work, and a cup before bed. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I’ll have a fourth. A fourth!? C’mon, that’s a little excessive isn’t it? Not quite, because my fourth happens to be in the form of a dessert. In a tea-infused cake, to be exact.

As a vegan tea-lovin’ baker, it only makes sense that I’ve somehow found a way to marry the two together. To do so, I simply take a few tablespoons of tea and grind it to a powder using a small blender. Then, I take the tea powder and steep it in warm non-dairy milk. Lastly, I let the milk cool to room temperature and incorporate it into my cake batter. It’s a super easy way to introduce flavor to any cake you bake!

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by Jessica Bose

Every city we visit seems to have their own famous vegan donut shop. You know what I’m talking about. The one centered in the hip part of town with a line to the sidewalk. Inside, there’s Instagram-worthy decor and a case full of jaw-dropping flavors. These shops are always fun to visit, but what if they don’t carry a donut that suits your dietary needs? Better yet, what if you don’t live in one of these cities?

Here are some incredible vegan and gluten-free donut recipes to try at home, where you won’t have to stand in line or question any ingredients.

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by Jessica Bose

“She’s dead – wrapped in plastic.”

These were the opening words of the groundbreaking TV series, Twin Peaks. They were spoken in a shaky voice by Pete Martell, a sawmill worker who found Laura Palmer’s body face down at the river’s edge.  

Twin Peaks was a phenomenal horror-drama series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch back in 1990. It’s a must-see for not only murder mystery enthusiasts, but also for anyone who likes pop culture commentary, particularly when it comes to donuts.

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Here at Enlightened Baker, we LOVE to support artists. In honor of Vegan Donut Week, we are featuring a very special jewelry artist: Ann Van den Broeck of TheJewelSaga on Etsy!

Among many of her fantastic fruit-and-vegetable inspired creations is this quirky and adorable handmade donut bracelet, made with high quality polymer clay and finished with a coating of double varnish. We love it so much, we want to give it away to one of our readers!

UPDATE: This giveaway has ended. Congrats to Nikki M.!

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by Niki Konkoly

Although many nations have their own versions of fried dough balls, the sweet, satisfying, ring-shaped American icon has a coming of age story interwoven with fables of lucky accidents and international contribution galore. Read on for some exciting details.

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by Niki Konkoly

Whether you prefer them soaked in oil or baked for a lighter effect, full of fruity goodness or crunchy nuts, big or tiny, you’ll surely find something that tickles your tastebuds among these vegan donut recipes.

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by Chun Valencia

I have a confession to make: I’m a cheese addict. Bordering on obsession. And yes, I need help.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been baking vegan desserts for quite some time now. As a food geek, I enjoy discovering all those amazing alternative ingredients. 

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by Elisa Lipton

If you’re anything like me, you crave the spice of pumpkin pie and chai lattes of the healthy variety all year long. Luckily, I have tried and true recipes dating back to my college days that pair just right, sure to please your taste buds, and all sans the food coma, baby, or hangover of Tofurkey Day indulgence. Plus, these yummies are all naturally planet and mind-body friendly as gluten-free, low-calorie, and vegan eats.

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by Niki Konkoly

I’ve always thought that the beautifully presented and photographed, mouth-watering vegan dessert recipes I come across online are fit for royalty. This time, I went a little further, and wondered which treats each of these five classic Disney princesses would have picked.

We’ve already compiled the best vegan dessert options at Disneyland, but if you’d rather create your favorite princess’ dessert yourself, check out the list below.

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by Niki Konkoly

Whether you’re riding solo or celebrating with friends this Valentine’s Day, have a boo to woo, or just, frankly, don’t give a damn about this day, we’ve got you covered for (mostly pink) dessert ideas.

For all the Single Ladies (and Gents) out there

Don’t worry if you find yourself single on the (perfectly average) day used to boost the sales of tacky, useless, pink objects; it’s the perfect time to give yourself some love. Get yourself one of those over-sized balloons if you please, and make sure you treat yourself to something sweet.

As someone who’s been single most of her life, I’ve developed the Valentine’s Day tradition of spending the evening with two guys instead of none; Ben and Jerry. (Okay, I may have stolen the idea from Bridget Jones.) I took this relationship so seriously that I, kid you not, ended up asking myself to prom with a pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

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