One Bake, Two Ways: Fifty Bakes with an All-Plant Option Every Time, written by Ruby Bhogal, features an exciting collection of cakes, pies, bread, cookies, and more with a non-plant-based and plant-based variation for every recipe. A few highlights include Spiced Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, Cherry and Chocolate Maritozzi, Banana and Pecan Tarte Tatin with Cinnamon and Rum Ice Cream, Spiced Linzer Cookies with Blueberry Jam, and Salted Caramel Basque Cheesecake with Raspberries and Pistachios. I will also be sharing her recipe for Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams following the review.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book from Interlink Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Ruby Bhogal
Ruby Bhogal graduated with an MA in Architecture and began baking as a productive outlet. This hobby turned into so much more and in 2018, she was a finalist on The Great British Bake Off. She now makes regular appearances in print, at live events, and on TV. This is her first cookbook.
One Bake, Two Ways
Ruby begins One Bake, Two Ways with a short introduction and how she came about writing this book. She was actually first introduced to vegan baking in 2018 a few days before filming Vegan Week for the show.
You will even find a couple of recipes inspired by her time on The Great British Bake Off including the Chocolate Wagon Wheels with Raspberry Jam and Hazelnut Cookie and the Sticky Jamaican Ginger Cake with Butterscotch Sauce and Orange Cream. Ruby states, “This is a book where both sides of the diet are celebrated and not one where anyone misses out- the choice of what to delight your belly with is abundant.”
Chapters are divided according to the following: The Concept, Oh Crumbs, Breaking Bread, Easy as Pie, Batch Made in Heaven, Sweeter Things, Keeping it Saucy, and The Essentials. Following the recipes, she has included conversion charts and substitution options.
The photography is provided by Matt Russell. Every bake is paired with at least one full-size photo of the finished dessert.
Measurements (for the American edition) are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, yield, and helpful tips. There is also a key just under the title to signify if a recipe is gluten free (GF) or egg free (EF).
Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams
To pair with this review, I made Ruby’s Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams! These delightful chai-scented cookies come from the Batch Made in Heaven chapter.
They come together relatively easily with most of the time devoted to chilling/resting. After bringing together the cookie base and refrigerating briefly, the dough is rolled into a thin sheet about 1/8 inch (4 millimeters) thick before cutting out individual shapes.
The cookies then need to chill again (this time in the freezer) before baking until lightly golden. Once cooled to room temperature, they are finished with a creamy, plant-based custard filling.
Ruby recommends placing the assembled Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving. I definitely agree with this and enjoyed the cookies slightly chilled with a glass of warm Masala Chai for dipping.
Notable Ingredients
This recipe can be made with either a homemade or store-bought chai spice mix. I went with store-bought.
Ruby does have a recipe for a homemade Chai Spice Mix using a combination of the following: 3 tablespoons ground ginger, 2 tablespoons ground sweetened cinnamon, 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cardamom, 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves, 1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground star anise. You will only need 3/4 tablespoon of this mixture.
She recommends pulsing the spices in a spice grinder for about 10 seconds to blend. Store the mixture in a cool, dark place in an airtight container.
Custard powder is a thickener with a combination of cornstarch, salt, flavoring, and sometimes color. Mine had annatto which added a light orange/yellow color to the buttercream and cookie. For those in Northern Virginia, I was able to locate custard powder in the European section at Wegmans in Chantilly.
In the book, there is also a dairy-based version of the recipe with unsalted butter in the cookie and butter/milk in the custard buttercream.
A Few Chai Custard Cream Tips
Bring the plant-based unsalted butter to room temperature before using.
After bringing together the dough, form it into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll and cut without falling apart.
After cutting out the cookies, chill again, for 45 minutes this time, in the freezer before baking. This will help the cookies hold their shape and prevent spreading.
The exact amount of sandwich cookies can be adjusted based on the size of your desired cutter. I used a round 2 1/2 inch (6.3 centimeter) scalloped cutter.
Make sure the cookies are completely cooled to room temperature before piping the filling. Otherwise, the buttercream will melt and soak into the cookie.
Other Bakes
I also made the Lemon Skoleboller with Almond Pastry Cream and Raspberry Jam, PB and J Millefeuille Cake with Peanut Butter Crème Pâtissière and White Chocolate Whipped Cream, Shortest Shortbread You’ll Ever Eat, and Malt Tiramisu with Milk Chocolate.
The Lemon Skoleboller with Almond Pastry Cream and Raspberry Jam come from the Breaking Bread chapter. Translating to school buns in Norwegian, these yeast-based sweet buns are flavored with plenty of lemon zest and vanilla bean paste. The center of each bun is then filled with a raspberry jam and decadent almond cream. Before serving, they are brushed with a glaze and covered with shredded coconut.
I made the PB and J Millefeuille Cake with Peanut Butter Crème Pâtissière and White Chocolate Whipped Cream as quite the stunning dessert for Thanksgiving. It was perfect for entertaining since much of the steps can be prepared in advance for quick assembly right before serving. Crisp filo sheets are layered as desired with a piped peanut butter cream, white chocolate whipped cream, and fresh raspberries. It was such a fun contrast of flavors and textures.
I decided to make the Shortest Shortbread You’ll Ever Eat (plant-based version) to test out some house-shaped stamped cookie cutters. They worked beautifully! Along with being plant or dairy-based, this shortbread can easily be adjusted with a variety of flavors. I kept them simple with the addition of vanilla bean paste and lemon zest.
To finish, I made the Malt Tiramisu with Milk Chocolate. An exciting variation for those avoiding coffee, this dessert has layers of lady fingers soaked in a hot chocolate mixture, a milk chocolate ganache, and a mascarpone cream with malted milk powder. I had no self control, so I ended up scooping a portion out right away. It was quite delicious, but of course is even better after a few hours rest in the refrigerator to set.
One Bake, Two Ways is an absolutely fantastic pick for those interested in fun and unique baking projects using both/either dairy and plant-based ingredients. I especially love the incredible variety of flavors and techniques.
Most of the ingredients are becoming more readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require further searching include plant-based heavy cream, cardamom pods, plant-based cream cheese, malted milk powder, raw sugar, lemon thyme, filo, xanthan gum, silken tofu, and passion fruit juice.
Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams Recipe
Excerpt from One Bake, Two Ways
Plant-Based Chai Custard Creams
Ingredients
For the Cookie:
- 2 1/2 sticks (275 grams) plant-based unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (112 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 2/3 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) custard powder
- 3/4 tablespoon chai spice mix homemade or use store-bought
For the Custard Buttercream:
- 5 tablespoons (75 grams) plant-based unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (112 grams) confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) custard powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough:
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and cream together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, custard powder and chai spice mix using a balloon whisk.
- Add the spiced flour to the butter and mix until just combined.
- Lightly flour your worktop and turn out the dough.
- Use your hands to work the dough and bring it all together once it is soft and smooth.
- Roughly mold the dough into a disc and press down gently to flatten before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap.
- Put it in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured silicone mat or sheet of parchment paper to about 1/8 inch (4 millimeters) thick.
- Using the cutter of your choice, stamp out the cookies, and add to the prepared baking sheets. Any surplus dough can be re-rolled twice, but after this, the dough will begin to toughen, so be savvy with your dough cutting!
- Place the pans in the freezer to set for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 365˚F (185˚C).
While you are waiting for the cookies to set, make the custard buttercream:
- Add all the ingredients, except the soy milk, to a bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or a balloon whisk to combine until smooth.
- Add the splash of soy milk at the end to loosen the buttercream, then transfer it to a pastry bag.
- Once the cookies have set, put one pan into the oven and bake for 13 minutes until lightly golden. Repeat with the second pan. Baking them separately just ensures an even bake across both batches.
- Leave the cookies to set and harden on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When they are completely cool, pipe the custard buttercream onto one cookie, leaving a slight border around the sides, before sandwiching with another cookie. Gently press together so the filling comes to the edges. Repeat for all remaining cookies and filling.
- Note from Ruby: I like these once they have firmed up a little, so I put my finished cookies in the fridge for about 30 minutes before dunking and demolishing.
- Keep these stored with no lid on, to keep that cookie snap and freshness at its peak.
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