Hi Guys,
This week I gave myself the challenge to cook with aquafaba. This magical bean juice has revolutionised plant-based baking and I'm here to share 3 easy and simple ways you can cook with it.
Aquafaba is the cooking liquid from beans and legumes and typically it is a waste product of cooking and is poured down the drain. However, if whisked at high speeds it will form deliciously soft peaks just like whisked egg whites - magic! It can be used to replace egg whites in a variety of sweet and savoury recipes. Today I'm going to share three recipes I've tested: Swiss buttercream, meringues and chocolate mousse.
Swiss Buttercream
I've actually never made this before, not even via the traditional method using egg whites. I was first introduced to this buttercream on the Great British Bake Off and was amazed at how white, glossy and elegant it looked. The fact that I can make this fancy buttercream with the leftovers from my chickpea can feels very bizarre. After searching the internet I decided to use a recipe by Gretchen's Bakery (link at end of post). Thankfully, I had recently been gifted a Kenwood mixer by a friend, which meant I could let it do it's whisky business while I got on with some other tasks.
The first step involves melting sugar in the aqaufaba over the hob. Then, the recipe advises to cool the mixture before moving onto the whisking. Unfortunately, I left mine in the freezer for too long and it began to freeze (more on this later!). This mixture is then whisked until the formation of soft peaks, cream of tartar is then added to stabilise the mixture. Finally, icing sugar is added whilst whisking, and then the vegetable margarine and vegetable shortening. Word of warning here... add the fat reaaaaaally slowly, otherwise you will not be able to emulsify the mixture.
I piped the Swiss buttercream onto plant-based vanilla cupcakes, using a closed star nozzle. It was lighter and more delicate than it's English and American relatives. I was super pleased with the taste of this buttercream, but I definitely need more practise to achieve the perfectly smooth and silky texture. I think freezing the aqua faba prevented it from properly emulsifying. Also I might have added the fat too quickly - even though I thought I was taking my time!
Overall this was the most challenging of the three recipes and will take further practise to perfect. However, I will definitely be returning to this recipe, simply because who even knew that a plant-based Swiss buttercream was possible! This recipe could truly transform my plant-based cakes.
Meringues
This recipe was super easy and simply involved whisking the aquafaba at high speed until it formed soft peaks and then slowly adding golden caster sugar. For this I used the BBC Good Food recipe 'vegan meringue' (link below) and it was perfect. To add a little colour to the meringues, I painted four stripes, running from the nozzle-end to the top of an icing bag with red food colouring. Alternatively, you could add colouring to the meringues in the mixing bowl and whisk to combine the colour.
I then scooped the meringue mixture into the icing bag and piped onto a lined baking tray, using an open nozzle. I piped an inch sized blob and then a smaller blob on top of this to make the meringue shape shown in the pictures. After cooking for 1 hour and a half, these meringues were ready to eat. They are crisp on the outside and gooey in the middle - the perfect meringue! Absolutely perfect for decorating your most fancy bakes or to use for Eton mess and pavlova recipes. I enjoyed eating them straight from the oven!
Chocolate Mousse
Traditionally chocolate mousse is made with egg whites or cream but this classic can work just as well when made with aquafaba. I used a recipe by Mouth Watering Vegan Recipes, recommended by the Vegan Society (see below). This recipe is so easy and involves whisking the aquafaba until...you guessed it...soft peaks! Sugar is then added and a pinch of salt. Melting chocolate can then be folded in. Be careful not to over mix the mousse as this will cause it to lose its airiness. Also to prevent graininess, make sure the chocolate has cooled before adding it. I kept things plant-based and used a dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) which didn't contain dairy, but feel free to use your favourite chocolate whatever that might be.
Overall, I have been so impressed with aquafaba. It has 'bean' an interesting adventure, baking sweet treats with leftover chickpea juice goes up there with some of the strangest recipes I've ever tried in the kitchen! However I can 100% recommend trying out these recipes, it may take a little practise at first but once mastered the possibilities are endless! For sure, the magic of aquafaba will revolutionise my plant-based baking.
I hope you enjoy exploring the world of aquafaba as much as I did and please let me know how it goes!
Happy baking :-)
Love,
M
Recipes Used
Swiss Buttercream Recipe:
https://www.gretchensbakery.com/aquafaba-swiss-buttercream-recipe/
Meringue Recipe:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-meringues
Chocolate Mousse Recipe:
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2015/03/08/mousse-au-chocolat-with-air-bubbles-chocolate-mousse/
This week I gave myself the challenge to cook with aquafaba. This magical bean juice has revolutionised plant-based baking and I'm here to share 3 easy and simple ways you can cook with it.Aquafaba is the cooking liquid from beans and legumes and typically it is a waste product of cooking and is poured down the drain. However, if whisked at high speeds it will form deliciously soft peaks just like whisked egg whites - magic! It can be used to replace egg whites in a variety of sweet and savoury recipes. Today I'm going to share three recipes I've tested: Swiss buttercream, meringues and chocolate mousse.
Swiss Buttercream
I've actually never made this before, not even via the traditional method using egg whites. I was first introduced to this buttercream on the Great British Bake Off and was amazed at how white, glossy and elegant it looked. The fact that I can make this fancy buttercream with the leftovers from my chickpea can feels very bizarre. After searching the internet I decided to use a recipe by Gretchen's Bakery (link at end of post). Thankfully, I had recently been gifted a Kenwood mixer by a friend, which meant I could let it do it's whisky business while I got on with some other tasks.The first step involves melting sugar in the aqaufaba over the hob. Then, the recipe advises to cool the mixture before moving onto the whisking. Unfortunately, I left mine in the freezer for too long and it began to freeze (more on this later!). This mixture is then whisked until the formation of soft peaks, cream of tartar is then added to stabilise the mixture. Finally, icing sugar is added whilst whisking, and then the vegetable margarine and vegetable shortening. Word of warning here... add the fat reaaaaaally slowly, otherwise you will not be able to emulsify the mixture.
I piped the Swiss buttercream onto plant-based vanilla cupcakes, using a closed star nozzle. It was lighter and more delicate than it's English and American relatives. I was super pleased with the taste of this buttercream, but I definitely need more practise to achieve the perfectly smooth and silky texture. I think freezing the aqua faba prevented it from properly emulsifying. Also I might have added the fat too quickly - even though I thought I was taking my time!
Overall this was the most challenging of the three recipes and will take further practise to perfect. However, I will definitely be returning to this recipe, simply because who even knew that a plant-based Swiss buttercream was possible! This recipe could truly transform my plant-based cakes.
Meringues
This recipe was super easy and simply involved whisking the aquafaba at high speed until it formed soft peaks and then slowly adding golden caster sugar. For this I used the BBC Good Food recipe 'vegan meringue' (link below) and it was perfect. To add a little colour to the meringues, I painted four stripes, running from the nozzle-end to the top of an icing bag with red food colouring. Alternatively, you could add colouring to the meringues in the mixing bowl and whisk to combine the colour.I then scooped the meringue mixture into the icing bag and piped onto a lined baking tray, using an open nozzle. I piped an inch sized blob and then a smaller blob on top of this to make the meringue shape shown in the pictures. After cooking for 1 hour and a half, these meringues were ready to eat. They are crisp on the outside and gooey in the middle - the perfect meringue! Absolutely perfect for decorating your most fancy bakes or to use for Eton mess and pavlova recipes. I enjoyed eating them straight from the oven!
Chocolate Mousse
Overall, I have been so impressed with aquafaba. It has 'bean' an interesting adventure, baking sweet treats with leftover chickpea juice goes up there with some of the strangest recipes I've ever tried in the kitchen! However I can 100% recommend trying out these recipes, it may take a little practise at first but once mastered the possibilities are endless! For sure, the magic of aquafaba will revolutionise my plant-based baking.
I hope you enjoy exploring the world of aquafaba as much as I did and please let me know how it goes!
Happy baking :-)
Love,
M
Recipes Used
Swiss Buttercream Recipe:
https://www.gretchensbakery.com/aquafaba-swiss-buttercream-recipe/
Meringue Recipe:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-meringues
Chocolate Mousse Recipe:
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2015/03/08/mousse-au-chocolat-with-air-bubbles-chocolate-mousse/
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